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  "You first, Marcus," Willy added. "Why don't you bring both Holly and I up to speed on your progress locating Virginia. Then I'll fill in the blanks. That is if Holly wants to join our merry band."

  "I'm not sitting this one out," Holly replied. "I'm already hooked. I'll get us some wine." The second bottle of Merlot was being opened as Marcus finished recounting the events since he happened upon Willy in downtown San Diego.

  "Goodness," Holly exclaimed. "So that's why you were so interested in the run at Ford Island." "Looks like we're hot on the trail of Frank James," Willy said excitedly. "Not so fast, Willy," Marcus said. "You haven't told us your end of this yet."

  "Not tonight," Holly answered. "It's after midnight. Let's sleep on it and hear what Willy has to say in the morning." "Right you are, my dear," Willy said. "May I use your phone to call a cab?"

  "Oh no," she responded. "You're staying here tonight, professor. We have a day bed that's quite comfortable." "Yes," Maggie said. "Let's all get some sleep and plan our next move in the morning. We have a lot to talk about. Especially you, Willy."

  ≈≈≈≈≈≈

  Tuesday morning, after breakfast, Marcus and Maggie took a long walk around the compound. They returned to the condo to find Holly and Willy chatting amicably over coffee. "Well, you two seem to be getting along well," Maggie said.

  "Actually, yes. I've been hearing about Willy's checkered past. Seems our professor has a bit of the con man in him. I may have to make an honest man of him," Holly said with a smirk. "Guilty as charged," Willy replied. "Marcus, have you told Virginia about Albrecht's plan yet?" Willy questioned. "Not the details, no. Planning to when I meet her tonight."

  "Have you called Albrecht recently?" Willy continued. "Yes, when I arrived. I mentioned that Virginia left the Hiwakulani and was working on Ford Island. Told him I'd call again once I'd talked to her." "Wonderful. Then I'm not too late," Willy replied smiling broadly. "Too late for what Willy?"

  "I've given it a lot of thought and I believe I have a workable plan. As we discussed, Albrecht has no interest in finding James' gang treasure. He's only interested in proof that Jesse did not die by Bob Ford's hand and instead lived a long life as J. Frank Dalton."

  "Yeah, so?" Marcus replied.

  "So, we don't take Virginia back to La Jolla for a session with the good doctor. Instead, we ask her to accompany us to a therapist I've found right here on Oahu, who also specializes in past life regression. We tell her what we're after and promise her a cut of any gold we uncover. It should be much easier to convince her to attend a hypnosis session here on the Island than traveling all the way to the Coast." "That might work. We just need to keep Albrecht in the dark." Marcus added.

  "Wait just a minute." Maggie exploded. "This Albrecht guy paid for your trip here plus a week at the Hiwakulani and presumably expense cash to boot and you're going to screw him over? He fully expects you to bring Cracker back to La Jolla. I've misjudged you, Marcus. I thought you were different. You're just another hustler."

  "I knew it. Another Martin. I think you'd better pack up and leave Marcus." Holly said giving Maggie a hug. "You too Willy. Get out."

  "We'll return Albrecht's money in full just as soon as we locate the gold," Willy pleaded as politely as he could. "That's not the point," Maggie said. "You know damned good and well what I mean. Now get out. Both of you."

  ≈≈≈≈≈≈

  Namaste: You said that you were this Robert Albrecht in a prior life?

  Sumantra: That's correct my friend. Robert Albrecht was one of my many incarnated personalities. One of my favorites too I might add.

  Namaste: It appears that I as Marcus intend to double-cross you.

  Sumantra: Yes, it would seem that way.

  N. Why then are you helping me now?

  S. Ah, because I remember who you really are my friend. You are much, much more than you realize. More than the sum of one incarnation as Marcus Reno. Besides, don't write our Marcus off yet. This adventure is far from over.

  Shall we go to the mural for another look my friend?

  N. Yes, but who painted this mural?

  S. You did Namaste, You did!

  * * *

  Chapter Seven

  The Glade

  DOCTOR PETER BILLINGSLEY, a psychologist, and hypnotherapist conducts his practice in his home in the Black Point region of Oahu. A past Chairman Emeritus at Kalehu Mohala Health Center in Honolulu, he accepts few new patients. His conversation with Willy, however, piqued his interest.

  Well versed in the field of metaphysics as well as hypnosis; Billingsley was an excellent practitioner of past life regression therapy. Approaching retirement, he needed one more case history to complete his upcoming book on spiritual regression.

  He agreed to meet with Willy's associate and if she proved to be a worthy subject, promised to work with her on a pro bono basis. Pro Bono was all Willy needed to hear to convince him that Billingsley was the guy.

  ≈≈≈≈≈≈

  Robert had not heard from Marcus in several days. While Willy and Marcus were plotting Tuesday afternoon, he decided to nail down the exact location of the GPS device planted in Marcus' satchel. To his surprise, the transmitter showed that Marcus was back in the States at 103 East Olive Street in Gardena. An online search indicated that the address belonged to a DeWayne and Sheila Jessup. For a few dollars more, he acquired their phone number.

  "Jessup house. What's up?" a young voice answered.

  "Are your parents at home?" Robert inquired.

  "Yep. My Dad is. Who wants him?"

  "My name's Doctor Robert Albrecht. Please tell him it's a personal matter."

  "Hang on."

  "Dad. For you."

  "DeWayne here. Who's this?"

  "Mister Jessup, my name's Robert Albrecht. I'm looking for an associate of mine. A Marcus Reno. Might he be staying there with you?"

  "Nobody staying here but my family. What's this about?"

  "Were you recently in Honolulu by any chance, Mister Jessup?"

  "Just got back. Why?"

  "Did you stay at the Hiwakulani?"

  "The Hiwakekoo what? None of your business where I stayed, man."

  "I apologize Mister Jessup. I don't mean to pry, but I seem to have lost track of my associate Marcus Reno. You see, Mister Reno had a GPS tracking device on his person and that device is currently showing that he's at your address."

  "Don't know anything about any GPS. I was in Oahu on business. Didn't bump into any Reno.” “A quick in and out to sign a new client. Worked out okay for me too I'll tell you. Signed the man up, dropped off my rental car and booked. Even got a new briefcase out of the deal."

  "A new briefcase?"

  "Yep. Found it in the car."

  "Was the briefcase empty?" Robert asked.

  "Sure was."

  "Thank you, Mister Jessup. You've been a great help."

  Hanging up the phone Robert immediately dialed the cell phone he gave Marcus. No answer and no voicemail prompt. "Damn," he said aloud. His next call was to Wells Fargo in Waikiki to close the checking account he'd opened in Marcus' name. "Maybe it's time to get Tisdale involved," he said to himself.

  ≈≈≈≈≈≈

  Late Tuesday evening, still smarting over his break-up with Maggie, Marcus arrived at The Glade. A boarded-up Club Hubba Hubba with its faded, no-longer-lit neon sign sat empty next door. Another shuttered bar, Club 35, bordered The Glade to the West. As he entered the club, the sounds of drums and electric guitars wafted down from a second story window. "I'm looking for Virginia McCracken," Marcus blurted to a husky bouncer inside the front door. "She expecting you?" he asked. "More or less," Marcus replied sheepishly. "She either is or she isn't, slick, which is it?" he bellowed. "Please tell her Marcus Reno would like to see her." "Wait here, slick," the bouncer replied closing the door behind them.

  The long bar, adjacent to the front door, was filled with mostly wild-eyed regulars looking a bit rough around the edges. The remainder
of the floor was taken up by a dark, small stage and assorted wooden tables and chairs. A girl performed a striptease, a young, drab girl with a dark bruise on her thigh. She turned slowly jerking her arms and legs while eyeing Marcus. Looking decidedly out of place, Marcus was relieved to see the bouncer coming back towards them. "Follow me," he ordered, "Crackers' upstairs in the lounge."

  He stepped into the lounge, a sprawling room of leather couches and chairs, with a cloud of cigarette smoke hanging near the pitched ceiling. At a small table on the second floor, he found Cracker having a drink with a burly, black man wearing a Navy ball cap and frayed jacket.

  "I was hoping you'd stop by," Cracker said. “Glad to see you didn't bring Miss Priss with you. I'd like you to meet a friend of mine," she continued. "This is Roy Dunn. Roy, this is Marcus Reno." "Pleased to meet you, Roy," Marcus said, wondering how this guy fit into the picture. “Judging from your hat, it looks like you were in the Navy, Roy?" Marcus asked.

  "Yep, still am. Lifer, thirty years, Bosun's Mate. Been on a lot of tubs. Last one was the Cleveland, an oiler out of Subic. Looking to retire and live on what the Navy calls a pension. Not as much as you'd think after thirty years. I'm on my last hitch now teaching basic seamanship skills to a bunch of squids out on Ford Island. Fact is, that's why Cracker invited me here to meet you."

  "That's right," Cracker said signaling a waiter over for a drink order. "You see, I asked Roy to join us. I want him to hear what you have planned, Marcus."

  "The offer is for you, Cracker. I wasn't counting on having someone else along for the ride." "We're a team, Marcus. I live with Roy, and he, and I are partners in a business we run here from the club. Where I go, he goes. Now, what's your proposal?”

  Marcus spent the next ten minutes explaining what he and Willy intended to do. "Albrecht is not involved?" Cracker asked. "You're certain of that?" "Yes, quite sure. He knows nothing of our plan to have you see a therapist here on the Islands."

  "It appears that you're double crossing Albrecht, my dear. So how am I to trust you?" "You have Roy here presumably to look after your interests," Marcus replied. The waiter brought a bottle and three glasses, and they watched in silence as he poured a little bourbon into each glass.

  "Fine, so what's our cut?"

  "I'm offering you five hundred cash up front and a ten percent cut of anything of value that we uncover." "Don't be an asshole," Roy interrupted. "You have nothing without Cracker. Make it a thousand cash up front and a fifty percent split."

  "Actually," Cracker added taking a sip from her glass, "sixty percent sounds better. Roy's right. Without me, you have nothing, nada, zero." "Fine, sixty percent," Marcus replied, rubbing the back of his neck. "But five hundred up front is the best I can do."

  "Done and done," Cracker replied sounding amused. "When do we start?" "As soon as possible," Marcus replied. "We'll arrange a meeting for you with Doctor Billingsley. Give me your cell number, and I'll call as soon as it's set up."

  "Call me when you have the arrangements made," Cracker replied handing him a slip of paper.

  ≈≈≈≈≈≈

  The street was filled with buses, sailors and tourists when Marcus left the bar. He spotted Willy outside a lei shop just down the block. "Oldest business in Hawaii," he said as Marcus approached. "No, not the one your friend Cracker is running. This one, the lei shop. So how did it go?"

  "Damn, Willy, you turn up everywhere I go," Marcus said. "Just protecting my investment, son," Willy replied. "Speaking of your investment, she wants a sixty percent cut plus five hundred cash. Looks like we split the rest seventy/thirty. She's agreed to meet your hypnotherapist. She and Roy that is."

  "Who's Roy?"

  "Her partner and roommate apparently. Big guy. Navy lifer. Loud and obnoxious but I think we can get around him. I have Cracker's cell number. Said I would call her with the arrangements. I suggest you get in touch with this therapist of yours and set a date before she changes her mind."

  "I'll get on it right away. Need a ride back to town?" "Nope. After what happened with Maggie, I think I'll check into a motel." "Come to the Pagoda with me. I'm sure they have rooms available."

  "Thanks but no thanks, Willy. I'll find a cheap motel on my own. Tried to do a cash withdrawal at Wells Fargo on my way here. Seems that Albrecht closed my account. He must have figured that I flew the coop. Money may get tight. Make the arrangements pronto and call me on my cell. And what did you mean by that crack about the business Cracker is running?"

  "She operates an escort service from the bar, my boy." "How do you know that?" Marcus asked. "Oh, I made a few inquiries while I was waiting for you. It's no secret around here. She handles the customers and schedules the girls. Roy must be the muscle." Raising his arm to hail a taxi, Willy continued. "I'll call Billingsley first thing in the morning."

  Waiting for another cab to come by, Marcus opened the note that Cracker handed him. “Here's my number, Marcus,” the note read. “Get rid of Miss Priss. I'll ditch Roy, and you and I can get to know each other intimately.”

  * * *

  Chapter Eight

  Rum Jungle

  Namaste: What have I done? Or rather what has Marcus done? He's deceived Robert Albrecht, he's lost Marjorie, and he's joined with Boggs and that spiteful woman in what I am sure will be a terrible fiasco.

  Sumantra: My dear friend, you must retain a more positive outlook on things. Your beliefs about and your perception of reality are of utmost importance.

  Namaste: Is it beneficial that I look at life as a glass that is half full rather than half empty?

  Sumantra: Absolutely, Namaste, so let us determine if you are, at heart, a pessimist or an optimist.

  A parable called The Lady or the Tiger is relevant.

  It concerns a young man who was caught in bed with the queen, by the king. An absolute monarch, with a penchant for games of chance, his majesty made our hero an offer he couldn't refuse. In order to provide an entertainment for his court, he ordered the hapless lad placed in a bullring that had two doors. "You may open either door. Behind one, is a ravenous two thousand pound Bengal Tiger. Behind the other, a beautiful maiden."

  The king then leaned over and whispered the following: "You will either be torn to pieces or married on the spot . . . The odds are fifty-fifty. The queen, our joint bed partner, knows what lies behind each door." Glancing up at the queen, the young man saw her point to the door on the right. Unhesitatingly, he opened it.

  Which came out, the Lady or the Tiger?

  N. The lady came out. I am certain of it.

  S. Ah, an optimist to be sure.

  N. Is an optimistic attitude essential Sumantra?

  S. Not essential, my friend, but desirable, to say the least. If you were a pessimist and believed that the universe, which you inhabit, is indifferent to your existence and well-being, my teachings would be of little value to you.

  If you believe instead that the universe is specifically designed to further your personal growth, happiness, and evolution, then my guidance may be of great value.

  N. I can see how that might be true but others would certainly disagree. Many believe that the world is rife with suffering, misery, and affliction

  S. In a situation where no one is certain exactly what is going on, anybody's theory is as valid as anyone else's. In the case of two opposing positions, a wise man will consider the other's viewpoint carefully even if it is in sharp contrast to his own.

  N. Then how does one determine which point of view is correct?

  S. It is, of course, possible to embrace either point of view. Do you not see that we are back where we started? Which came out, the lady or the tiger?

  N. So the universe is not at fault? It is simply whether or not we believe it is.

  S. Splendid my friend. The problem lies in the belief. The belief and the expectation that the individual carries.

  If you believe that you live in a safe universe, you shall, regardless of the turmoil surrounding others.

&n
bsp; N. That's just new age crap. Tell that to someone who's in dire straits and see how they react.

  S. If that someone could identify exactly what they want and think clearly and concisely about what they want, it would be theirs very quickly. Think of yourself as a very powerful magnet drawing to you the experiences you desire and getting more and more of the way you feel. If one feels unhappy, he attracts more unhappiness. If instead, one feels healthy and prosperous he attracts more of the same.

  N. I don't buy it. If one is sick or ill, they don't get better just by wishful thinking.

  S. The trick Namaste is to look beyond what is happening right now. Strive for thoughts that make you feel better. Realize that you attract through your thoughts. If one gives their EMOTIONAL attention to that which is bothering them, they will draw more of the same into their experience.

  N. But what came first? The experience or the emotion and thought?

  S. Nothing will come into your experience unless you invite it through your expectations, feelings and thoughts. Words alone will not bring immediate change but when you add emotion to those words beneficial change will occur.

  N. When? How long does it take to alter one's experience for the better?

  S. A day, a week, a month a year . . . Your thoughts as a physical being on planet Earth do not translate into an instant corresponding experience. It takes time.

  In the Afterlife, your thoughts immediately create your reality. In physical life, there is a lapse between thought and experience. In the afterlife there is no lapse; results are immediate.

  S. This is what creates the illusion that things are happening to you and not because of you. Consequently, you forget that YOU are at cause in the matter.

  This is a critical concept. Difficult to grasp I agree but it is of utmost importance for you to remember that YOU are at cause in the creation of your experience, not at the effect of it.