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    The Secret of the Idol: Dan Mason Series Book #4
    The Secret of the Idol: Dan Mason Series Book #4
    The Secret of the Idol: Dan Mason Series Book #4
    Ebook83 pages1 hour

    The Secret of the Idol: Dan Mason Series Book #4

    By Darren G. Burton

    ()

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    About this ebook

    It started out as an innocent vacation. Investigator and professional troubleshooter, Dan Mason, decides to take a well earned holiday in Hawaii with the love of his life, Carmen. While the pair enjoy the idyllic island paradise, they accidentally become involved in a 200 year old mystery when they find an old wooden idol outside a convention center in Honolulu.

    The moment they discover the idol and take it back to their hotel, everything changes. No longer can they enjoy a peaceful vacation together. Instead they are stalked, broken into, taken hostage, robbed at gunpoint and left stranded.

    Just what is so important about this ancient Hawaiian idol? What is the mystery that surrounds it, and what makes it worth killing or dying for?

    **Please Note** - The Secret of the Idol is a long short story of roughly 22,000 words. It is not a novel.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDarren G. Burton
    Release dateMar 28, 2020
    ISBN9780463855201
    The Secret of the Idol: Dan Mason Series Book #4
    Author

    Darren G. Burton

    I have been a writer for over 30 years. I've written numerous full length works of fiction and non-fiction, as well as many short stories and anthologies.darrenburton77@gmail.com

    Read more from Darren G. Burton

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      Book preview

      The Secret of the Idol - Darren G. Burton

      The Secret of the Idol

      Darren G. Burton

      Published by Darren G. Burton on Smashwords

      Copyright © 2020 Darren G. Burton

      This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      The Author asserts the moral right to

      be identified as the author of this work

      Chapter One

      Once the sun vanished in the western sky, the convention center really started to fill up with people. Noah Kalani was dressed immaculately in his black and whites, but despite his calm exterior, on the inside he was nervous.

      He weaved between a series of glass cabinets that displayed some of the finest jewels and trinkets from Hawaiian history, many dating back hundreds of years. Security guards were positioned everywhere throughout the center, each of them armed and keeping a watchful eye on everyone, including the hospitality and wait staff.

      Noah paused when a middle aged American couple stopped him and fetched a glass of champagne each off the tray he carried. He then moved on until he was stopped again by three young women looking very stunning in ankle-length evening gowns.

      With the tray now empty, Noah made his way out back to the kitchen and serving area, where he loaded up the tray with fresh glasses of bubbly to cater for the endless sea of people coming in to view the historical exhibit.

      Draping a fresh white towel over his left forearm, he returned to the main hall, which seemed to have doubled in population in just the past few minutes. He smiled inwardly at that, as the busier it was, the easier it would be to do what he had to do without being noticed by the patrons and, more importantly, the security guards.

      His earlier nervousness started to diminish and his confidence increased. Now he strolled the floor like he owned the place.

      While all the most valuable pieces and artifacts were locked securely inside glass cabinets fitted with alarm systems, much of the convention hall had been decorated in traditional Hawaiian trinkets, such as idols big and small carved from wood, totem poles and a whole variety of tikis in an array of colors.

      It was one of the idols, a small one, that Noah was interested in. He just had to find the right one...if it was even here. He knew what it looked like, but as there were quite a few that were either the same design or similar, he needed to search for a specific marking carved into the bottom.

      Within no time his tray was empty again, so he quickly got it restocked and returned to the exhibition.

      Most of the attention was obviously on the valuable trinkets enclosed in the glass display cases. The idols and tikis were merely sitting out in the open on shelves along the walls of the convention center. They weren’t considered particularly valuable so there was no need to lock them up.

      Noah spied a cluster of small idols that looked like the kind he was after, so he sidled along one of the walls, stopping only once to give a lady a glass of champagne. Once near the idols he glanced about to make sure no one was watching him, then systematically started picking up each idol in turn and checking underneath for the unique carving of a bird inside a circle.

      The first two idols had no carving at all, while a third had the artist’s initials carved into the bottom. With no idols left on that particular shelf that matched the description, Noah served a few more drinks, then inconspicuously moved over to the next shelf.

      The moment he picked up the first idol and turned it upside down, his heart skipped a few beats and he sucked in a deep breath.

      This was it. He’d found it.

      Just as he was about to swipe the idol, a couple approached him wanting drinks. Noah let them lift two glasses of champagne from the tray. Once they’d moved away, he glanced about again to confirm no one was watching. When he was sure nobody had eyeballs on him, he placed the tray down, took the towel from his arm, snatched up the idol and hid it inside the towel. After tucking the towel and trinket under his armpit, Noah put the tray back on the palm of his hand and quickly made his way back of house.

      In the kitchen and serving area everything was getting very hectic. Trays of snacks were rapidly being prepared along with more loaded up with champagne, water, beer and other beverages. Noah was about to disappear with the towel-wrapped idol when his supervisor barked orders at him to hurry up and start serving the snacks to the guests.

      Feeling under the pump, he hurriedly looked around for somewhere to stash the idol temporarily until he could get it out of the convention center. There was a series of alcoves where staff kept their bags and personal belongings. Noah placed the towel and idol in an empty cubicle, then picked up a tray of crackers and cheese and went back into the exhibition area.

      Now that he had the idol in his possession he didn’t want it out of his sight, so he was quick to empty his tray of snacks and return to the kitchen.

      The first thing he did when he got back was look towards the cubicle, preparing to sneak the idol out the back door. His eyes snapped wide open. The cubicle was empty.

      I put a towel up here, he

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