Dangerous Depths (12 page)

Leia glanced around, a feeling of unease running along her back. Did the man just now leave, or was he still out there watching to see what they’d found? She moved to a nearby bush, startling a mynah bird. The bird squawked and dropped something from its beak. She caught a bright flash of metal. She knelt, and the bird dropped the trinket and flew away with an indignant squawk.

“What is it?” Ono stooped to join her.

Leia didn’t touch it. “I think it’s a watch. The band is broken.”

Ono picked it up with his gloved hand and turned it over. “A common Casio. Kmart sells them by the thousands.” He squinted. “Though this one has the initials JR on the back.”

“Why would a cheap watch be engraved?”

Ono’s grin was sly. “Maybe a girl thought she could impress him with an engraved gift.”

“You think it belongs to whoever shot Koma?”

He dropped the watch into another bag. “It’s not rusted or wet. I’d say it was dropped today.”

Leia’s neck prickled again. “I hope it was an accident.”

Ono waggled his eyebrow. “Looks like premeditated murder to me, Pilgrim. The bullet is a high-powered 30-06. Not your usual hunting gun.”

Murder. Such an ugly word. Leia shivered and settled back on the log.

Nine

B
ane’s cell phone beeped as he lay on his bunk in the belly of the boat with Ajax sleeping beside him. He had a message. Odd that he hadn’t heard it ring. He must have been in a dead spot. When Leia’s voice came to his ear, his fingers tightened on the phone. He could hear the stress in her voice as she told him Koma had been killed, and he sat up on the bunk. Ajax lifted his head and looked at him.

The research ship anchored off the Kalaupapa Peninsula. He called his dog to come with him, then took the small skiff from the boat to shore and docked it. He hurried to Leia’s grandmother’s cottage. Bane went toward the door, and Ipo’s
nene
came running to meet him. Ajax cowered from the goose. Pua squawked, and Bane reached down to rub her head. “Ajax, you’re a big baby. Pua won’t hurt you.” The goose waddled away after a moment, and he stepped to the door. Before he could knock, Eva opened the screen.

Her lopsided smile burst out when she saw him.
“Pehea ‘oe?”

“I’m fine,” he said. “It’s all of you I’m worried about.”

“I dreamed you were trapped in a hole and couldn’t get out.” Her bright blue eyes skimmed over his face. “Then you followed the stars out.”

For a moment, he thought of the deep blue hole of the abyss he’d peered into. “Don’t worry, I’m fine. Where are Malia and your sister?”

“Malia is talking to the policeman. Leia told me I had to stay here with
Tûtû
.”

He listened but heard no voices. “Are they outside? Where is your
tûtû
?”

“She’s fixing tea. Leia took the policeman to find Koma.” Her eyebrows came together. “He got shot.”

“I heard about that.”

She hugged him. “You want some mango tea?”

He hugged her back, then released her. “I’d better go help your sister. But save me some tea.”

“We’re going to have pineapple boats too. So don’t be late.”

She
seemed to have forgotten the dead man, and Bane patted her arm. He wished he could focus on the good in life the way Eva did. Sunshine seemed to follow her around. He started toward the door, but Ipo began to sing in her monotone voice. Hesitating in the doorway, he sighed and shut the door. Ipo usually only sang when the clouds rolled in. He wasn’t sure he should leave Eva here alone with her grandmother. Though she was twenty, her mind was like a child’s, and she was easily frightened.

Eva’s smile began to falter. “
Tûtû
is singing. She won’t know who I am. I hate it when she forgets my name.” Tears flooded her eyes.

“Maybe it will pass soon. I’ll go check on her. Why don’t you get Ajax some water?” He patted her shoulder, and they went into the kitchen.

Ipo sat at the wooden table. Most of the white paint on it was scuffed and worn. She stared at the wall and sang in a surprisingly melodious voice. When she got to the final stanza of “Ka Uluwehi o Ke Kai,” a traditional hula tune, she stood and began to sway. In her day, Ipo had been a hula dancer of great renown on the islands. Hula had originated on Moloka’i, and it still boasted exceptional dancers. He could still see traces of her grace in the fluid movements.

“Ipo?” He stepped to her side and touched her hand. She ignored him and continued to sing and sway. “It’s Bane.” She pulled the hand he touched away and moved into the center of the kitchen.

“
Tûtû
, I’m hungry,” Eva said. She placed herself directly in front of her grandmother, but Ipo danced around her grand-daughter. Her voice grew louder, and she closed her eyes. Eva looked at Bane. “She forgot me again.”

The pathos in her voice touched Bane. Though he felt an urgency to see Leia and find out what had happened, he didn’t dare leave Ipo and Eva like this with a shooter in the forest. He went to the refrigerator. “I think I’ll take some tea after all,” he said. “Would you like some mango tea, Ipo?”

The older woman dropped her arms from over her head. “Loose tea in the treasure chest,” she said in a wooden voice.

Bane sighed. She was still lost in the clouds and talking non-sense. He grabbed three glasses from the cupboard and dumped ice into them, then poured the mango tea. He took Ipo’s hand. “Here, why don’t you sit down and have some tea with us? It’s nearly eight o’clock. Leia will be back soon.”

“Pieces of eight, pieces of eight,” she chanted. “Tea in the treasure chest and don’t be late.”

He frowned. Was it possible she might know something about the treasure? Maybe she’d heard people talking so much about it that it had lodged in her mind and was coming out like this now. That had to be it. She would surely have told someone if she knew anything. He took a sip of tea. He wished she did know. It would make his job a lot easier.

D
arkness had descended and it seemed even darker in the for-est. Ono closed the body bag, and several other men lifted the body onto a stretcher. “We’ve got everything all zipped up.” He grinned. He paused and stared at her from under dark eyebrows. “Watch your step, Pilgrim. Two killings in four days, and you’re around for both. I’m beginning to wonder about you.”

“Me?” She shook her head. “Two killings, you said. Are you sure Tony was murdered?”

He hesitated, his walrus mustache twitching. “Not totally, no. But the autopsy should come back shortly. And we found some drugs missing at the hospital, so we think they were stolen by someone who had access to it there. Did your mother know Tony well?” He slipped in the question with a studied casualness.

Leia put her hand to her mouth. “You surely wouldn’t suspect my mother. She had nothing to gain by Tony’s death. She knew him, yes, just as my whole family knew and loved him. You’re going in the wrong direction.”

He pretended to jog his head from side to side. “As long as I don’t get whiplash.” He smiled. “What can you tell me about Aberg Hans? You were there when he came into the dive shop.”

The tension in her shoulders eased. “He seemed mad enough to do anything. He told Tony he’d better back off or he would be sorry.”

He touched his lips with his forefinger. “But he has no access to the drugs as far as we know. Does your mother know Hans?”

“I doubt she’s ever met him. My mother is focused on her patients. She’s a healer, not a killer.”

“What about Tony’s wife? Any trouble there?”

She shook her head. “They were newlyweds and very happy. She’s going to have a baby.”

He raised his brows. “I hadn’t heard that. At least she’ll have a bit of him left.”

Leia gave him credit for a pinch of compassion. “I hope the baby will help heal the discord between her and Tony’s parents.” Too late she realized she should have kept her mouth shut.

He raised his brows. “Caught you, Pilgrim. She didn’t like Tony’s parents?”

“She liked them fine. They thought Tony married beneath him.”

“Did he?”

“Of course not! Candace may not have had the Italian pedigree they would have liked, but she loved Tony.”

“How did he meet her?”

“Dirk introduced them. She was on the island shooting a commercial. She’d been working as a receptionist for a security company when she got called for the job. It was filmed on a boat, and she knew Dirk from working with him on O’ahu. She put him in touch with the producer, and Tony captained the boat. It was love at first sight.” She smiled at the memory of Tony’s instant infatuation. Candace had been just as bad.

He put his notepad away. “That’s all for now. I’ll give you a call if I think of any more questions.
Mahalo
.” He nodded to Leia and Malia, then tromped off in the wake of the men bearing Koma from the clearing.

“Let’s get out of here.” Malia linked arms with Leia, and they followed the path back to their grandmother’s.

“How weird that he would ask questions about my mother.” Leia couldn’t get the detective’s suspicions out of her head.

“He has to ask those things. No one could seriously suspect your mother.” Malia’s voice was unconcerned.

As they approached the house, the sound of
Tûtû’s
singing came to her ears. “Oh, no,” Leia groaned. “
Tûtû
is having a bad day.” Ajax came to greet her, and she patted his head.

“Our parents are going to have to make a decision soon,” Malia said. “I’ve talked to my mother about having her live with us, but my father is against it. He and
Tûtû
have been at odds so long, I think neither of them know how to mend the breach. He’s never forgiven her for giving the coffee plantation to Uncle Makoni.”

“Someone needs to bring her home to live with them,” Leia said. “I think it’s outrageous that Mama is so against it. She would hate to live in a home herself, so you’d think she would consider how
Tûtû
feels.”

“I’ve tried talking to my dad too. He says my mother doesn’t have time to care for
Tûtû.
I’ve offered to stay with
Tûtû
during the day, but my father is against that as well. He says Uncle Makoni can do it.”

Even Malia’s family wasn’t perfect. Leia sometimes forgot that. “We could share the responsibility. Or maybe I could move in with
Tûtû
.”

“That would be fine until you had to go to work,” Malia pointed out. “But I could help you. Most of my job is done at home anyway. I can string leis anywhere.
Tûtû
could help me.”

“We’ll think about it.” Leia dreaded confronting
her mother. Her mother had formed her ideas decades ago, then slapped a per-manent coat of shellac on them. She opened the door and stepped into the dark house. If Leia moved in, the first thing to go would be the curtains. She stopped when her gaze met Bane’s, and Malia nearly bumped into her.

He rose from the sofa with a fan of cards in his hand. “We were just playing Go Fish. Eva was whopping me. Are you all right?”

She wanted to run into his arms, and it was only by a thin string that she managed to hang on to her composure. “I’ve had better days,” she said, raising her voice over the sound of her grand-mother’s singing.
Tûtû
rocked in her chair and stared at the wall as she sang.

“What did Detective Ono have to say?”

“He found bullet casings, cigarette butts, and footprints. And a watch someone dropped.”

“He thinks Leia might be in danger,” Malia put in. She glanced at her watch. “My parents should be home. I’d better call them and tell them what happened.” She went toward the kitchen. “I’ll call your parents too.”

Bane’s gaze focused on Leia. “Does he think the shooter was aiming for you?”

“Of course not. He’s just looking at the fact I was nearby when Tony was killed, and now Koma. It’s coincidence though.”

“Maybe. Maybe not.” Bane put down his cards and came toward her. He rested his hands on her shoulders. “I’ve got an idea. We need some extra help diving. An earthquake swarm ripped a crack in the seabed close to the wreck. We have to move fast or the site may slide off into the abyss. You’re an expert diver. Ron will pay you well, and I can watch out for you.”

“I’ve got responsibilities at the clinic,” she protested. “And I’ve offered to help Candace as well.”

“It wouldn’t be long—just until the police wrap up this investigation. No one will harm you out on the boat. Besides, if Candace realizes we’re so close to finding the treasure, she’ll want you to go. She could use the money.”

She thought about it a minute. “Now might be a good time to take a few days off from work. I’d like to find the treasure for Candace’s sake.” She told herself her excitement about the dive had nothing to do with the fact that she felt alive in Bane’s presence and wanted to bask in his attention.

The stars shone like pearls in a blue-velvet sky. Leia inhaled the scent of the sea deep into her lungs and felt its power relax her muscles. Malia’s father had agreed to let her take
Tûtû
home with her tonight while Leia and Bane went to get Candace’s permission for Leia to help with the dive.

“I need to stop by the ship and drop off Ajax. Do you mind?”

She shook her head. “I was glad to see him when I got to
Tûtû
’s.”

“You’re not fooling me. I know, you hoped he’d run off by now.” Bane’s grin told her he was aware of her distaste for the canine. “I don’t know what you have against poor Ajax.”

The dog thrust his head between them and whined at the sound of his name. Leia leaned down and rubbed his head. “Oh, you mean you’ve never noticed how he acts like we’re all here to serve his every whim? You spoil him terribly. Human food, filtered water, a featherbed.” She shook her head. “You’re a mess, Bane Oana. That dog has gotten you wrapped around his finger, er, paw, in just a year. He was a spoiled puppy when I last saw him, and now he’s even worse.” She gave Ajax a final pat. She actually liked the dog, but Bane didn’t seem to realize Ajax was a dog and not his child.

“You just don’t like the competition.”

She crossed her eyes at him, thankful he couldn’t see her silly gesture in the dark night. “I thought Ajax would have forgotten me.” Hina was struggling to get to the dog, but Leia kept a firm grip on her. The cat eventually gave up and settled into a nap.