The Flaming Luau of Death Read Free

back at the creased paper, “since you actually knew a Marvin Dubinsky, and you actually married a Marvin Dubinsky, then you are actually the Holly these jerks are threatening by anonymous e-mail, after all.”
    “That’s the part,” Holly said, “that I sort of already got, Mad.”
    “And I hate to see anyone I love being bullied. So just don’t worry about this anymore, okay? Some idiots using scare tactics. We’ll get to the bottom of it.”
    “I knew you could help me.”
    “Do you have any idea where Marvin Dubinsky is today?”
    “I have absolutely no idea in the world,” she said. “Nada, none, zilch.”
    “Well, that’s something we need to find out. Because this Marvin dude seems to be dragging you into some kind of trouble, and we have to clear that up.”
    “Cool.”
    “And we’re going to need to get you clear of that marriage too, if it was legal and you really got hitched.”
    “Right.”
    “So we’ll just have to do a little digging around and find Marvin Dubinsky. I mean, how hard can that be?”

Pu-‘iwa
(Surprise)
    I don’t know whether I should laugh about this or cry,” Holly said. “I wrote back to them, whoever they are, right away. I don’t know Marvin at all anymore; I have no idea where on earth he might be. They must have made a mistake.”
    “A really big mistake.”
    Holly nodded. “I put in: please, please leave me out of it. No hard feelings.” Then she looked up at me. “How did they ever get my e-mail address, Mad? It’s been bugging me all morning.”
    “It’s easy to figure out a person’s e-mail address if they do a little investigating and find out where you work.”
    “Yes, but how did they hear about me in the first place? I mean, I may have gotten myself into a one-night marriage to Marvin Dubinsky, but I’m hardly his wife! I haven’t heard a thing from Marvin in years and years.”
    “We have got to find out a lot more,” I agreed. “Did they respond?”
    “No. No more e-mails. Not before I left my apartment, anyway. You asked me to come in this morning at nine, but I thought I’d better get here a little early and catch you.”
    I looked at my watch: 8:52. We still had eight minutesyet. “Why don’t you log on to your computer and see if they replied?”
    Holly jumped up, and I followed her just beyond my office door.
    The reception desk was set up in the entry hall of my old Spanish-style house—tall ceilings, archways, dark hardwood floors. We’d renovated the main floor to serve as our business space, where I shared an office with Wes in what used to be the grand old formal dining room, and Holly worked close by.
    She turned on her PC, and in a few seconds the screen blinked to life. A few more whirs and blips and she began receiving her new e-mail. There were five new entries, four of which promised to enlarge a certain male appendage. She quickly deleted down to the fifth.
    It was from [email protected]. I read it over her shoulder. The subject header read: Re: Ugly Trouble Coming. Nice.
Mrs. Dubinsky,
    Don’t be foolish. We know where to find you. We know where you work. We know exactly where you are sleeping tonight. We can visit you at any time. Send us his current location immediately or you will see how serious we can get.
    “Madeline.” Holly’s pale face had lost its smile. “That’s a threat.”
    “This is just stupid,” I said. “Scary and stupid.”
    “They know where I live!”
    “I’ll take care of this,” I said, picking up her desk phone. My friend Chuck Honnett is a detective with the LAPD. He’d tell us what to do. “Just as a precaution. I’m not really worried, okay?”
    Holly snatched her perky little cap off her head and pushed her light bangs to the side. “This is getting worse and worse. What should I do? I can’t go back to my apartment. What the hell?”
    I dialed quickly and, after a brief conversation, hung up. “Look, I left a message for Honnett. It’s the best I can do at this