Last Night (34 page)

Rob reached out and pulled it away.
"
Explain why you lied to Dana.
"
He didn
'
t mention that this lie had given him the out he wanted—when he desperately needed it.

Zach sat up, his spine rigid, his arms locking around his knees.
"
I knew what would happen. I
'
ve been down that trail, dude.
"

Dude? Rob seethed, imagining what would have happened to him had he called his father
"
dude.
"
"
Tell me.
"

Zach lifted his shoulders as if words escaped him. Of course, he didn
'
t realize that this might be one of the last private conversations they
'
d have for—who knew?—weeks or months or, God forbid, years.

"Okay," Zach exploded. "I hate Mom
'
s nerdy boyfriend and his two prissy daughters. Nuthin
'
I do around them is right. Nuthin
'
.
"

Rob knew Ellen had been dating a man who had two young daughte
rs. He could imagine how differ
ent they
'
d be from a teenage boy.
"
I know what you mean. Girls that age are numbnuts. What does that have to do with Dana?"

Zach buried his fist in the sand, then glared at
Rob. "Mom
'
s going to marry the nerd. Then you
'
re going to marry Dana and have some dumb baby.
"

I
'
ll be left alone.
Rob read between the lines. He reached over and ruffled his son
'
s hair. "I
'
m not marrying Dana, and I
'
m not having any more children.
"

It hurt to say it, but it was true. Somewhere in his deepest self he
'
d seen himself with another child— like a young Zach—Dana
'
s child. That wasn't to be, and it hurt more than he ever could have imagined.

"You
'
re not marrying Dana? Why? She
'
s way cool.
"

Rob almost smiled at the contradictions in his son
'
s adolescent logic, proof positive that teenagers were trapped in the Twilight Zone. Zach liked Dana, but he was afraid that she'd have a child who
'
d steal his father
'
s affection. It was unbearably sad. How he remembered his own youth! He
'
d enjoyed a lov
ing family. Even now, in his darkest hour, their upbringing gave him strength.

Rob decided he had to level with his son—even if he risked losing him.
"
Dana
'
s a damn good judge. I don
'
t want her to jeopardize her career by being involved with me.
"

Zach measured him with wary eyes. "I don't get it.
"

"Do you remember what made your mother leave me?
"
Rob wasn
'
t entirely certain what Ellen had told Zach after they'd moved to L.A. He
'
d seen his son many times, yet they
'
d never discussed this. It reminded him of Dana and how she
'
d never discussed Hank Rawlins with her sister. When the hurt was deep enough, it was nearly impossible to talk about it.

"
They said you raped somebody, but you didn
'
t.
"

Rob silently applauded Ellen. Despite the energy she
'
d put into keeping him apart from Zach, at least she
'
d told him the truth.
"
Right. Well, it seems that I
'
m about to be charged with rape again.
"

"
Unfuckingbelievable! You
'
d never do that.
"

Rob's throat closed up at the unqualified vote of confidence. God, he loved this boy with his oversize body and convoluted logic.

"
Zach, let me tell you what
'
s happening.
"
His son listened intently as Rob described what he knew about the latest accusation.

"
Just like Stephen King,
"
Zach responded.
"
It
'
s the stand between good and evil. That's what
'
s hap
pening to you.
"

"
You
'
re right. I have to take a stand, but it
'
ll be difficult with you here. I may have to send you back to L.A.
"

Zach catapulted to his feet.
"
Fuck that shit. I
'
m stayin
'
right here with you. I
'
m going to help.
"

"
I know you—
"
The cellular telephone in Rob
'
s satchel rang and he grabbed it, hoping it was Garth. It was.

"
Good news," Garth said.
"
You
'
re not going to be arrested tomorrow. They
'
re waiting until after the weekend. Monday
'
s the day.
"

Rob slowly punched the end button, uncertain what this news meant. The DA went over cases recommended by the police with a fine-tooth comb. They rarely tried anything but slam-dunk cases. The rest they plea-bargained or dropped; it was simply too costly to proceed.

The Panama Jack
'
s rapist was different. He
'
d terrorized the community and—more important— threatened tourists. That case could go to trial on a lot less evidence. Still, the DA would want to make certain they had enough to bring in a guilty verdict before risking his precious conviction record.

What evidence could they possibly have?

31

T
he memorial service for Lillian Hurley was held in the garden of the Society to Preserve Hawaii
'
s Native Plants and Flowers. Dana couldn't imagine a more fitting site. Fo
r years Lillian had worked tire
lessly for the organization. Dana moved through the mourners searching for Lillian
'
s daughter, but Fran Martin wasn
'
t among the small group gathered under the cooling shade of a hala tree. Just as well, Dana thought. Her temper had a hair trigger today; no telling what she might do to the woman.

Dr. Winston walked up to her.
"
We
'
d like you to say a few words about Lillian right after the director makes the presentation.
"

Inwardly Dana groaned. She wasn't prepared to speak; she was afraid she
'
d burst into tears if she tried.
"
What about her daughter—
"

"
She had Lillian cremated and left town. The director of the society made the funeral arrangements,
"
he said, shaking his head.
"
You were closer to Lillian than anyone. Can
'
t you say a few words?
"

Dana fingered the lehua lei that was draped over one arm.
"
I
'
ll do my best.
"

The director motioned for the group to join him in front of a statue of King Kamehameha, which was a smaller replica of the towering statue that stood in front of the government offices downtown near the courthouse.

"
We
'
re gathered to honor the memory of one of our dearest friends,
"
the director began.
"
Lillian Hurley was a founding member of this society. Just after the war she recognized that Hawaii
'
s unique plants and flowers might be wiped from the face of this earth unless we took action to preserve our heritage of plants and flowers that exist nowhere else on earth e
xcept in these blessed islands."

He draped a ten-foot-long lei of rare white epidendrum orchids with throats of deep scarlet over King Kamehameha
'
s outstretched arm. Each June on the anniversary of the king
'
s birthday, hundreds of tribute leis were placed on the majestic statue in the center of Honolulu. A lei here, on this statue, was a similar honor for someone who
'
d made a special contribution to Hawaiian culture.

"Before we pray for dear Lillian, her close friend Judge Dana Hamilton would like to say a few words.
"

No, I wouldn
'
t, Dana thought as she moved to the front of the group, a droplet of perspiration trickling down between her breasts. She
'
d much rather keep her thoughts about Lillian to herself, but she didn
'
t have any choice. She walked carefully, taking her
time, not wanting to step on the lei that trailed down from her arm and brushed the diachondra, trying to gather her thoughts for a fitting tribute. As she looked up over the heads of the group, hoping for inspiration, she saw a man across the enormous garden standing in the shadows of the building
'
s arcade.

Rob? It couldn
'
t be. She squinted against the sun pitched low in the sky, but the silhouette remained concealed by the shadows. He wouldn't be here, she assured herself. Her imagination was working overtime.

Ever since Gus had told her about the rape charges, her mind had been in turmoil. Rob was a rat—the king of rats—but he was being falsely accused. She wanted to help him and settle the score, so she wouldn't feel she owed him anything for finding out about Hank Rawlins, but she didn
'
t know how.

Concentrate, she told herself as she realized everyone was staring at her, waiting for her to begin. The words came, but from where she'd never be able to say. They merely flowed from her—right from the heart.

"
Lillian, we
'
re all gathered here to honor you. I know one of your f
ondest wishes was to have grand
children. I
'
m sorry you didn't have that joy, but you must realize you
'
ve brought happiness to more children and grandchildren than you'll ever know. By saving from extinction so many plants and flowers, you've given Hawaii's children—and the children of
the world—a precious treasure. You made a difference in so many lives. Few people can make that claim."

She lifted the long lehua lei and stood on tiptoe to drape it over King Kamehameha
'
s extended arm. Native to Hawaii
'
s up-country, the lehua was one of the first trees to reestablish itself on lava fields after a volcano-eruption. Its flower, a red pom-pom with spikelike petals, had always been one of Lillian
'
s favorites.

Facing the group again, Dana noticed that the shadow in the arcade had moved, retreating farther into the shadows. She couldn
'
t possibly identify the person. Her part of the memorial service was over once she
'
d placed the lei, but she needed to say more.

"
Lillian Hurley not only loved plants, she was the type of person who welcomed stray animals—or people. I know. When I moved next door to her, she befriended me, and despite our ages that friendship grew.
"

Dana paused to gather her thoughts.
"
Shortly before she died, Lillian expressed to me her fear of dying without anyone remembering that she
'
d lived and loved and had been a good mother. I know that was a silly thought. Just look at how many of us are here.
"

Not nearly as many as there should be, she thought silently, but then, the society was quite small.
"
I
'
m donating enough money for a special Lillian Hurley plot, where visitors can see rare flowers without having to trek up the slopes of some volcano or through impenetrable rain forest."

A spontaneous round of applause startled her. She
'
d almost forgotten the group around her. For some reason she was talking to the person across the garden, cloaked in the shadows. She sensed a kindred spirit, she thought, then realized Lillian
'
s death, the hearing, Rob
'
s betrayal—everything had happened so fast that she was reacting emotionally.

"Lillian worked so hard and loved everyone so much that I want to make certain her memory never dies,
"
Dana continued. "I
'
ll put a special plaque on a marker. It
'
ll be engraved with Lillian
'
s favorite quote. It
'
s a line from G. K. Chesterton:
'
The best way to love anyt
hing is as if it might be lost.
'

"This plot will ensure that she
'
s with us still. In the flowers she loved. In the breathtaking sunsets. In the sun
'
s sparkle on Hawaii's azure sea.
"
Dana heard the quaver in her own voice.
"
She
'
ll be with us. Forever in our hearts.
"

She stepped back to let the director lead the group in prayer, tears dewing her lashes. In her blurred vision as she dropped her head to pray, she saw the man in the shadows turn and leave.

E
xhausted, Dana entered her chambers the following morning. She
'
d been up all night, disturbed by Lillian
'
s funeral and haunted by the image of a man standing at the back of the garden, silently giving her moral support. She kept telling herself that
it was her imagination that made her believe it was Rob.

It
'
s just guilt, she decided. Rob had helped her get Vanessa and Jason away from Big Daddy. Then he
'
d gone to Gomper
'
s Bend and set her free. He was a heartless rat though.
What about last night?
Like a dying heartbeat his words echoed through her, bringing a sensation of unparalleled anguish and despair.

Still, she felt she owed him something. The only way to help Rob was risky. She
'
d just survived the judicial review, so what she was contemplating was pure insanity. If word got out she
'
d lose any chance she had of getting that appointment.

She waited until four-thirty, through the longest day of her life, before sneaking into the DA
'
s office, praying no one would see her. Friday afternoons fell under the
ukupau
philosophy, which meant finish your job and take off the rest of the day. On Friday, people miraculously declared their work done in the early afternoon and left to get a head start on the weekend.

Even A
l
Homuku
'
s secretary was gone when Dana slipped into the DA's office, but she could hear A
l
on the telephone. She wasn
'
t surprised that he was still there. She
'
d spent several years as a prosecutor under him; Al didn
'
t believe in
ukupau.

She waited, her pulse pounding in her ears like the night marchers, until she heard Al hang up the telephone. She knocked lightly on his half-open door and he bellowed for her to come in.

Tan and fit, Al Homuku had a wealth of jet black hair and dark eyes t
hat attested to his Hawaiian an
cestry, but he always dressed as if he
'
d just stepped onto the Via Venetto. He adored Italian suits and long-sleeved shirts with French cuffs, when most of the men in the islands wore short-sleeved shirts and took off their jackets the second they had a chance.

Today the fiftyish prosecutor was dressed in a dove gray suit and a tie of vibrant cranberry with a matching handkerchief flaring out of the pocket. He didn
'
t have to pull his feet out from under the desk for Dana to know he was wearing the same scuffed black wing tips he
'
d had for years. As stylish as he was, as expensive as his suits were, Al had only two old pairs of shoes—black and brown.

No one had ever figured out why Al splurged on Italian suits and ties worth a week
'
s wages yet never bought new shoes. He was an odd duck, but a fair man. Dana had enjoyed working for him. She was counting on their past relationship and Al
'
s unbridled ambition to become attorney general.

"
Dana." Al rose to his feet. "Hey, this is a surprise. Have a seat.
"

Dana dropped into the well-worn chair opposite his desk the way she had countless times when she
'
d been an assistant DA and had come to his office to discuss a case. Now, though, she was frightened.

Al took his seat again, grinning at her. "You don
'
t have to thank me. As soon as I saw Binkley
'
s letter of inquiry, I got the petition going. The rest was easy. People just passed it around.
"

"
I really appreciate it,
"
Dana managed to say. Knowing that Al had initiated the petition made this even harder. "Thank you so much.
"

"You're judge material. No question about it. And I found you right here in this office. I wasn
'
t about to let that son of a bitch Binkley sabotage your career.
"

"If there's ever anything I can do for you—
"

"
I
'
m planning on running for attorney general. I
'
m counting on your vote.
"

"
Of course.
"
She hesitated, unsure of what to say next. After an embarrassingly long pause she said,
"
I need to ask you something.
"

Al
'
s grin broadened. "Shoot.
"

"I understand your office is preparing to charge Rob Tagett with the Panama Jack
'
s rapes. I want to know what evidence you have.
"

His smile collapsed and became a grim line that complemented his furrowed brow. He stared at her for a full second before rising, coming around the desk, and hitching one leg over the top so he was half-sitting, facing her.