Authors: Colleen Coble
“Are you that far away?”
There was a long pause on the other end of the line. “I can’t tell you where I am. But meet me there in three hours. And bring the bankbook.”
“Tomi, let me talk to Leilani,” she ordered. The phone clicked. “Tomi? Tomi?” She shut the phone with a snap. She would see them both soon enough. She raced for her SUV. Mano would be furious if she left without him. Tomi didn’t say to come alone, and he’d been in contact with Mano, so surely it was all right to bring him along. What would she say to her father? It might be best if he didn’t know anything about this until she actually saw Tomi with her own eyes.
She rolled down the window and inhaled the salty air. The sunshine seemed brighter, and the air even more fragrant. Tomi had called her. She had to believe it was really her brother. Surely no one else could sound that much like him. And she was going to see him and Leilani in just a few hours. She wanted to laugh, to sing, maybe jump out of the vehicle and do cartwheels. Her smile broadened. Things were looking up at last.
M
ano glanced at his watch. He was going to be late to meet Annie. He’d wandered all over the compound without seeing Noah. The ramshackle house Noah had rented was deserted, so Mano traipsed from the edge of the cliff that looked out over the water to the inner jungle area on the north side of the subdivision. A few people had eyed him strangely, but no one challenged his right to be here.
He turned to walk back to his car and found a figure standing in the path. Evan Chun, dressed in a tropical linen suit, was smiling as he blocked Mano’s way to the road where his vehicle was parked.
“Lieutenant Oana, I didn’t expect to find you here.”
Busted. The smirk on the developer’s face told him Chun was enjoying Mano’s discomfiture. “I was just walking around,” he muttered.
“Looking for real estate? I have a couple of properties for sale.”
Mano decided to play along. “Maybe. I’ve thought of moving to the Big Island. The remoteness of this area is nice, but I’m not sure I could get along with having to catch rainwater.”
Chun blinked as though he hadn’t expected that response. He swept his hand over the area. “I’ll give you a hint, Lieutenant. This is all going to change soon.” He dropped his voice. “There will be every modern convenience and luxury houses that will rival those in Kohala.”
Mano lifted his brows. “You’ve managed to get utilities out here?” Developers had tried for years to take advantage of this area. It held a wild beauty that called to the soul, but the lack of water and electricity put most people off.
“It’s coming, it’s coming.” Chun managed to look modest and triumphant at the same time.
Mano had heard that one before. The Hawaiian Ocean View Estate project, known on the island as HOVE, was supposed to have accomplished something similar. It fell through, and the property values in that area were still in the few-thousand-dollars-an-acre range, though residents didn’t seem to mind.
Evan continued to smile. “Better grab some acreage while you can.”
“What all do you own?”
“About half of Aloha Shores’s properties. But I’m working on picking up a few more properties. I have a particularly nice lot that overlooks the shore break. Want to take a look?”
It might not hurt to cultivate the connection to Chun. “I’d love to, but I have an engagement I’m late for. Can I have a rain check?”
“How about tomorrow? I have another client interested in that property, and he’s looking at it on Wednesday.”
“I’m free at ten tomorrow.” He might get another chance to look around for Noah. The man had to be around here somewhere.
“Nine would be better.”
“Fine. I’ll meet you at the front gate at nine.” Mano began to walk back toward his car. It was probably a waste of time, but he was curious what Chun had up his sleeve and whether he and his development plans were associated with Noah’s casino people. From what Chun had said, he must know about the casino project. He wondered how many people the man had milked of their property for a song. But maybe he was judging Chun too harshly. The sellers were probably all too glad to unload their property and get back to civilization.
He drove along the black macadam road toward the Tagama house. It wasn’t far from the Aloha Shores estates. He thought again about what Noah had said about the casino project. Maybe today would be a good time to ask Annie if she’d been approached to sell the family property.
Annie was standing in the yard when he pulled up. She was smiling, and he suddenly noticed how white and even her teeth were. Her dark eyes sparkled, and there was a flush to her cheeks. His own lips curved in an answering smile as he ran down the window. “Hey, what’s up? Did Leilani call?” Her smile faltered at his question, then came blasting back at a full wattage.
She shook her head, and her silky hair swung against her cheek. “No, but Tomi did. We’re supposed to meet him and Leilani at the Place of Refuge.”
“Leilani is with him?
She bit her lip. “He didn’t say, but I’m sure she is.”
He hoped she was right. “We’d better get going. It will be almost dark by the time we get there. What’s he thinking? Couldn’t we have met somewhere closer?”
“I asked him about it, but he didn’t say why he wanted to meet there.” She hopped in the car and fastened her seat belt. “I left a note for Father and told him we’d be gone until late.” Her blush deepened. “I told him I was going to dinner with you.”
“I guess I’d better buy you dinner then, to make an honest woman out of you.” He grinned and dropped the gearshift into drive. From the corner of his eye, he saw her biting her lip and knew he’d embarrassed her even more. Still, he began to look forward to spending the evening with her.
“You don’t have to do that,” she said in a low voice.
“I want to. We’ll see Tomi, then stop for dinner at the Kilauea Restaurant.” The restaurant at Volcano was renowned for its unusual dishes like antelope and rabbit. The thought made his mouth water, and he realized he hadn’t eaten since breakfast.
“That’s too expensive,” she protested.
“You’re worth it,” he told her with a grin. “Besides, I’m on vacation.”
“Some vacation.”
“You don’t know the half of it.” He told her about the conversation with Evan Chun. “Has he approached you to sell?”
“Not that I know of. If he had, we might be tempted.” She looked away.
“Money troubles?” he asked cautiously.
“You don’t know how badly.” A long pause stretched between them before she continued. “Father took out a mortgage on the property without telling me and spent it on some research equipment. We’ve never been able to get caught up, and the bank is threatening to foreclose.”
Noah had implied that the Tagama land was part of the casino project. Was that because Tomi had already negotiated to sell it? Mano decided to probe. “Who holds the deed to the property?”
She raised her eyebrows but answered him. “My father, of course. Why?”
He shrugged. “I’m still wondering how Tomi got two million dollars.”
She inhaled sharply. “You’re thinking he might have sold our property?” She was shaking her head as she asked the question. “Even if he had the power, it wouldn’t be worth that much. Not so close to the volcano.”
He decided to tell her what he knew. “It might be if a casino wanted to build on it.”
“What are you talking about?”
He told her what Noah had said.
“But that’s crazy! Why would they build a casino there? Another lava flow could happen along at any time. Besides, there are prettier locations.”
“But the volcanoes are a huge draw. And there’s no other night life around. It would probably be a huge success.”
“It doesn’t matter anyway. The deed is in my father’s name. Tomi couldn’t touch it.”
“Unless he forged your father’s name.”
“So now he’s guilty of espionage
and
forgery? I thought you were Tomi’s friend! I should never have brought you along tonight.” She folded her arms and hunched against the door.
He wished she’d trust him. Her window was partway down, and the wind ruffled her shiny dark hair. He could barely keep his eyes on the road and wondered what had come over him. She was like a little sister, so why was being in her presence so exhilarating?
“I’m not an ogre, Annie. I care about your family. Whatever trouble Tomi is in, I want to help get him—and you—out of it. I’ve got some savings. Let me loan you the money to get the mortgage caught up.”
She shook her head violently. “I wouldn’t think of it. We’ll figure a way out of it.” The laugh that escaped her lips held no real mirth. “With the two million dollars in that bankbook of Tomi’s, our money troubles would be over.”
“Don’t go spending any of that. I’m afraid whoever gave it to him is going to come looking for it. You could be in a world of hurt if they can’t get it.”
“I was joking.” She turned the radio down.
He nodded and fell silent. The time flew by as they drove north. He took Highway 160 toward
Puuhonua o Honaunau
. Place of Refuge. He stopped the car in the parking lot and got out. It had been years since he’d been here, and he glanced around at the site as if seeing it for the first time.
In ancient times,
kapu
law ruled the lives of the commoners. If a commoner broke one of the laws—like if a man ate with a woman, or a person allowed his shadow to fall on a chief—the penalty was death by club, strangulation, spear, or fire. In severe cases, the offender’s entire family would be put under a death sentence. The communities had great incentive to make sure the laws were obeyed, because the Hawaiians believed the gods retaliated against lawbreakers by sending tsunamis, volcanic flows, and earthquakes.
A condemned man’s only chance of survival was to flee to a place of refuge and perform the rituals mandated by the
kahuna
pule
, the priest. Only then could he return home with no repercussions. This site had also been the location for the
Ali’i’s
, or the chieftain’s, palace. Standing on this site, he imagined what it must have been like to run for one’s life to this place. Coconut trees dotted the landscape, and he could see the Great Wall, a structure a thousand feet long, ten feet high, and seventeen feet thick. It originally separated the Place of Refuge from the palace grounds.
The noticeable stillness made him think no one was here. He turned as Annie joined him. “Did he say where he’d be?”
She shook her head and cupped her hands around her mouth. “Tomi!”
Mano hid his grin. Her tone said,
Don’t mess around
. She was like one of the Hawaiian hens calling to her chick. “It doesn’t feel like anyone is here.”
“He said he’d be here.” She advanced across the fine golden sand toward the water. “You check out the open-air buildings. I’ll look around the
hale
.”
“Okay, Mom,” he said.
Her eyes widened. “Sorry, I’m being bossy, aren’t I? Tomi hates it too.”
“I didn’t say I hated it. I like your spunk.”
A smile tugged at her lips. “Nothing usually gets done unless I do it. You have a better idea?”
“Nope. Lead on,
kahuna.
”
She chuckled. “I’m not wise. But I want to find my brother and sister, though I might wring both their necks when I do.”
Examining her face in the last rays of the fading sunshine, Mano saw only love and commitment. Annie was one of those people who gave her whole heart to her family. He wondered what it would be like to be the center of her world.
T
he soft sand underfoot muffled their steps. It was almost sunset, and the coconut trees had a golden glow as they swayed over the beach. Sea turtles munched near the canoe landing. Though the surroundings should have soothed her, Annie’s nerves were on full alert.
Only birds called from the trees. The deserted beach took her aback. This time of day, people usually hung around to watch the sunset, but Mano’s car was the only vehicle in the lot. They passed the reconstructed
Hale-o-Keawe
, a kind of mausoleum that originally contained the bones of twelve chiefs. Bones were considered to have
manu
, or supernatural power. The thatched structure was surrounded by a stick fence, and several
ki’i
stood guard. The fierce faces on the wooden statues added to Annie’s sense of unease. A few full-scale models of ancient houses and temples surrounded the mausoleum. Tomi could be in any one of them.
“Tomi!” Annie shouted again. The loudness of her voice felt out of place on the sacred grounds.
Mano seemed at ease. “Have you ever seen the lava tube just past the caves with the bones?”
She shook her head. “I haven’t come here often.”
“Me, Bane, and Kaia used to run through the lava tube and jump off into the water below. That’s how I got this.” He pointed to a faint scar on his forehead. “The ceiling in the lava tube is shorter than you think. I’ll have to show you sometime.”
He almost acted like he was enjoying being with her, but she knew better than to let herself hope. The glamorous type like Leilani was more his style. But how she wished it were different. She limped toward the water.
Mano turned back to the mausoleum. “Maybe he walked here. Let’s check inside.”
Annie didn’t want to go in there. She knew she was being silly, but chicken skin prickled her back. She forced her feet to move forward, to follow Mano. He must have sensed her trepidation, because he stopped and took her hand. His warm fingers closed around hers, and the shock stiffened her backbone and strengthened her courage. She squeezed his hand. “
Mahalo
,” she whispered.
He smiled. They walked toward the mausoleum again. “I don’t like this,” she muttered.
“Me neither. It feels wrong. Probably nerves. I’ve never been here when there weren’t half a dozen tourists gawking.” He gave her fingers another gentle squeeze. They reached the door to the
Hale-o-
Keawe
. Mano tried the door, but it was locked. “He must not be in there.” He looked behind him toward the canoe landing and frowned. “Someone is paddling ashore. Maybe it’s Tomi.”