The Pearl Harbor Murders Read Free

were passing the Myrtle and Healani Boat Clubs.
    "Well, you know what it is, don't you?"
    "Sure."
    "Frank brought radar to the islands, and it's a damn good idea, too. Look at the role it played in the Battle of Britain." O. B. shrugged, wind whipping the white linen of bis jacket. "And I guess I can't blame Frank for his attitude—both the military and the civilians have given him one load of horseshit after another."
    "How so?"
    "Well, General Short thinks mobile radar stations aren't worth operating on a twenty-four-hour basis. To him, they're just a good training tool for the lower ranks."
    Rather enjoying the wind rustling his hair, Hully asked, "What good does radar do if you're not using it all the time?"
    "None—that's Frank's point."
    Just ahead was the entrance to Fort Armstrong, one of five Coast Artillery Defense Batteries on Oahu.
    "You said civilians were giving him crap, too," Hully said. "What do civilians have to do with it?"
    "Plenty, when it's the governor. Him, and the National Park Service. They won't let Frank put his radar setups on mountain peaks, where they'd be most effective—it might ruin the view."
    "Hell," Hully said, snorting a laugh. "I can see why Colonel Teske is frustrated."
    "So can I, son, but he's still wrong about a Japanese air raid on Oahu. And most military personnel, and informed civilians, agree with me, in considering that a remote possibility."
    They were nearing Kewalo Basin, home of sampans in the water and out—several Japanese boatbuilding firms sat along the artificial harbor with its fleet of marine-blue sampans, blending with the water they bobbed in.
    "The threat here," his father said, casting an eye toward the man-made Japanese harbor, "isn't from above—it's from within."
    "Sabotage."
    He nodded, his expression grave, his thick hands tight on the wheel. "I know you don't agree with me on this, Hully, but you can't deny the reality—better than one out of three Hawaiians are of Jap heritage."
    "Come on, O. B.—the majority of them are hardworking, conservative souls—"
    "With relatives living back in Japan," his father finished. "A good number of these issei and nisei are Japanese citizens...."
    Issei were first-generation immigrants, ineligible for U.S. citizenship, and nisei were born in Hawaii, and as such were U.S. citizens.
    Trying to rein in his irritation, Hully said, "The nisei hold dual citizenships, Pop. You know that."
    O. B. frowned over at his son. "Yes, and if war breaks out, what flag will they serve under?"
    Hully gave his dad a sarcastic smile. "And I suppose you think sweet Mrs. Fujimoto is just waiting for a signal from the homeland to slit our throats in the night."
    The junior Burroughs was referring to their efficient, kindly, obviously loyal maid, who happened to be the mother of a friend of Hully's; it was his close friendship with a nisei that had got these occasional near arguments going between father and son.
    Despite the absurdity of it, O. B. said, "How do you know she isn't? How do you know your friend Sam won't stab you in the back?" "Because he's my friend, Dad." This was an old argument, and father and son fell into an awkward silence, punctuated by the whistle of wind and the flaglike flapping of white linen.
    Along this stretch of the Ala Moana, a fantastic, breathtaking view presented itself, including Punch Bowl and Round Top and Tantalus and Kaimuki and Diamond Head, the tower of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel peeking over the tops of coconut and date palms like a kid over a fence.
    Finally Hully said, "Jeez, Pop, I never saw so many women in one place in my Me, as on that dock today." His father nodded. "Wives of servicemen, mostly, I suppose," Hullysaid.
    "Some of 'em. Most of them were prostitutes."
    Hully, not sure his father was serious, looked at him, saying, "What? Really?"
    But O. B.'s expression was matter-of-fact; so was his tone. "Sure. And that's the only thing that makes me think Frank Teske might not be entirely