Leaving Lavender Tides

by Colleen Coble

  Raul took a sip of his soda. “We might take in the hike at the national park to see the waterfall and the observatory over lava vents. I don’t do helicopters very well. You’re a chopper pilot, aren’t you?”

  She nodded. “I’d like to fly one over the landscape, but it would cost the earth to rent one.” Although she could well afford it since her inheritance from Clarence, it felt much too lavish. They’d have expenses for the airport expansion too, and Alex would be going to college someday.

  “I suppose so. Besides, the pilots here know where to go. I’d guess the heat rising from the volcano could make for some tricky flying.”

  “That’s probably true.” She finished half of the hamburger, then grabbed the plate of fries. “I think I’ll take the rest of this back to the room. Zach might be up by now.”

  “Don’t forget to pick up food for him.”

  She smiled across the table at Raul. Several women from the table next to them had glanced their way, and she knew the men could find some female companionship if they wanted. “You’re both good friends. Thanks. Have a good day on your hike tomorrow.”

  Otis looked to her left at the flirtatious blonde Shauna had noticed. “I plan to.”

  Smiling, she took a detour past the buffet to scoop up things for Zach, then headed for their suite. She reached the large staircase and saw the big Hawaiian guy again. Her smile vanished, and she practically fled to their cabin.

  Zach felt a thousand times better when he opened his eyes to a darkened room. Through the open sliding door to the balcony he could see the shore lights glittering on the water. The murmur of laughter and voices drifted to him as he swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood.

  No nausea, no numbness. Thank the good Lord for that. And thank God it had happened to him and not to Shauna. After all his adventures—BASE jumping, skydiving, rock climbing—he was laid low by something as simple as fish soup.

  His head felt surprisingly clear, and thoughts of a big slice of pepperoni pizza crossed his mind. The doctor had said clear liquids only though, so pizza was out. The glass of water on his nightstand would have to do for now, so he swallowed down the lukewarm liquid.

  He was rummaging in the fridge for a Sprite when the lock on the door clicked and Shauna came in. Sprite in hand, he closed the refrigerator door and eyed the bowl in her hand. “Looks like you brought me some strawberry goo. Did they have any pizza-flavored Jell-O there?” The sundress she wore showed off her toned arms and terrific legs, and her mother’s Haida hummingbird necklace gleamed against her skin. “You look much tastier than pizza though.”

  She laughed and put the food on the table. “You must be feeling better.”

  “Back to normal, I think.” He scowled at the broth. “That doesn’t look nearly as appetizing as a pizza.”

  “You can have pizza tomorrow.”

  “Promise?”

  “As long as you don’t throw up again. It’s all on your head, babe.” She looked out toward the balcony where the sound of music echoed across the water. “Let’s go sit out there. I’ll grab your food.”

  “Too late.” He was already wolfing down the Jell-O, which was like eating nothing. It wasn’t going to do much to fill the empty place in his belly.

  He followed her out the door to the deck chairs on the balcony. They’d left port, and the shore lights were pinpoints in the distance. Someone on board was playing a steel guitar for a male singer. They didn’t sound professional, but the music lifted his spirits. He could see the dim outline of several figures on a far beach, and someone had lit a bonfire. The shadows thrown by the huge moon overhead added to the beauty of the ocean scene, and he even smelled sweet flowers in the air.

  Shauna set the glass of broth down, then went to lean against the railing. “It’s so beautiful here. I love Hawaii.”

  He set his empty bowl down and went to join her. “You’re beautiful. I’m glad we could experience this together. I want to bring Alex back sometime. He’d love learning to dive.”

  She punched him. “Not yet, Cowboy. And even when he’s ten, I’d have to think about it pretty hard.”

  That sweet fragrance he’d smelled was on Shauna.

  Totally luscious. He slipped his arms around her, and she leaned back against him so he could rest his chin on her head. In spite of the trials that had hit them since they boarded, there was nowhere he’d rather be right now than with his beautiful wife tight in his arms.

  “I had dinner with Raul and Otis, and we saw a guy who looked like the man running the food truck.”

  He stiffened. “He was a local. What would he be doing on the ship?”

  “That’s what we wondered. Raul went to talk to him, and he claimed he boarded the ship in O’ahu. He looked pretty mad at being confronted.”

  “Are you sure it was the same guy?”

  “I’m not sure, no. I could have been wrong.”

  Someone on the beach laughed, a crazy hyena giggle that made him grin. Kids having fun. “No idea what his name is?”

  “He wouldn’t tell Raul.”

  It was strange all right. Zach didn’t know what to make of it or even if it affected them at all. And maybe it wasn’t even the same guy.

  Shauna shifted in his arms. “We could go for a stroll around the ship and see if we stumble into him.”

  They could, but he’d much rather stay here and inhale the sweet scent of jasmine on her skin. He nuzzled her neck. “Sure you want to go out?”

  She laughed and turned in his arms to nestle closer. “I might be able to be talked into staying in.”

  He slid his lips up her neck to kiss her jaw. “I can be pretty persuasive.”

  “Don’t I know it.” Her soft breath whispered against his face, and her lips met his.

  Chapter 6

  He stood outside the suite door and wished he could break it down and rescue his lady love like her white knight on a horse. Whisk her away from her boorish husband, who practically held her prisoner. He never seemed to let her go anywhere without him. How long was she going to put up with that nonsense?

  He’d had his mole plant a device in the morning flowers yesterday. He knew exactly what they were planning to do at every moment. The volcano might be an interesting place to take her home, but he had to get Bannister out of the way. The man was aggravatingly tenacious, but he couldn’t really blame him. The problem was she belonged to him, not Zach. They’d been meant to be together from the beginning of the world. She’d been made for him, and he didn’t intend to let her go.

  It might take some time for her to remember her previous life, but it would happen. He was sure of it.

  Keoni had nearly blown things today. The idiot had wanted more money, and he’d arranged to meet him after dinner. Keoni was gone now, and good riddance.

  The steward he’d been paying to help him, Gretzky, shot him a glance as he passed the suite door. He tightened his lips and looked away. It was important that no one saw them together. The man had proven to be invaluable. He’d hired someone to arrange for the bike accident and had paid Keoni for puffer fish poisoning, though it had cost him dearly. He wouldn’t have minded the money so much if his scheme had worked, but Bannister was still alive.

  He turned his back on Gretzky and headed for the outside deck. Some fresh air would clear his head so he could determine what to do next. He only had a few days to get it all planned out. Why hadn’t Bannister died yesterday? The plan had seemed foolproof. Maybe he’d just have to grab Shauna out from under Bannister’s nose. But first he had to figure out where to keep her until she remembered who she used to be. That could take a while, and he didn’t want anyone stumbling into their nest before she regained her memory.

  Maybe when they got to Kona he would find the right opportunity. The Big Island contained many remote spots. He just had to find the right one.

  Water dripped from the leaves and illuminated the intricate pattern on a spiderweb. The forest’s shades of yellow, reds, blues, and vivi
d greens almost hurt Zach’s eyes, but he’d take it since he awoke feeling so much better. This place was like being in another world saturated with more color than the eye could take in. They’d docked early this morning in Hilo on the Big Island, then picked up the rental car to explore Volcanoes National Park. He hadn’t expected a rain forest.

  He pulled rain slickers out of his backpack. “I guess this really is a rain forest.” They paused long enough to put on the protective plastic.

  “Are you sure you’re up to a hike?”

  “I’m great. Raring to go.”

  She pulled up the hood on her slicker. “I’ve never seen anything like that lava tube. The ceiling was way over our heads.” She shuddered. “It was creepy though, even with the lights strung around. I kept expecting to see spiders or snakes come crawling out of the dark.”

  “There aren’t any snakes in Hawaii.”

  “I keep reminding myself of that.”

  Zach couldn’t wait to share the surprise he had for her. His gaze scanned the parking lot as they neared. Maybe they were here now. He spotted a tiny Asian woman and a big Hawaiian guy. Though he’d never met the Oanas, he recognized Annie’s flashing dark eyes from a picture his friend had sent him. Zach had sent the Oanas a wedding picture so they’d recognize Shauna and him.

  Annie turned their way and smiled. “You have to be Zach and Shauna.”

  Shauna stopped and glanced up at Zach. He smiled his reassurance. “We are. Shauna, this is Annie and Mano Oana. Annie is a volcanologist, and Mano is an oceanographer. They’re going to take us on a tour of the lava fields.”

  She gaped and stretched out her hand. “How wonderful! I can’t thank you enough.”

  Mano’s smile lifted his face. “We hear you’re a chopper pilot, so we managed to snag a helicopter for you to fly. We can direct you on where to go. We can land out near the active lava flow and take as long as you want to look around before flying back.”

  “Thank you, thank you!” Shauna hugged him. “I was just telling a friend last night how much I’d like to fly over the lava fields myself. I can’t wait.”

  Zach grinned at the excitement in her voice. Maybe his arrangements had made up for the first couple of days of problems. His phone rang and he glanced at the screen. The doctor was calling to check on him evidently. He turned away and walked a few steps from the group so they could chat.

  “Dr. Chang, good morning.”

  “You sound chipper,” the doctor said. “No lasting issues?”

  “Nope. I had broth and Jell-O for dinner, lots of water in the night too. I woke up feeling completely normal.”

  “I’m glad to hear it, especially after I got those samples of the soup back from the lab.” Dr. Chang cleared her throat. “The main pot of soup was fine, totally uncontaminated, but the puffer fish had to have been in the soup.”

  His chest tightened. “I don’t quite understand.”

  “I’m concerned your soup was deliberately contaminated with puffer fish.”

  “You think someone tried to poison me on purpose?”

  “I think it’s possible,” she said, her voice careful.

  He cut his gaze to his wife, so beautiful with her black hair hanging down her back and her slim, tanned legs showing from under her shorts. He loved her with everything in him. Who would want to hurt him?

  “What should I do?”

  “Perhaps you should talk to the police. At the very least, be vigilant. Maybe it was coincidental, some person who thought it would be fun to make a random vacationer sick, though it could have easily killed you. I thought you should know what we discovered.”

  “Thank you for that. Let me know if you find out anything else.”

  “Of course.”

  The call ended, and he turned off the screen.

  “Who was that?” Shauna asked.

  “Dr. Chang.” He glanced at the Oanas as he relayed the doctor’s warning.

  Alarm widened Annie’s eyes. “There’s no known antidote.” She studied Zach’s face. “You are very fortunate to have survived it.”

  Shauna had gone pale as she listened. “By itself the fish poisoning could have been random, but when you add the cut bike cable, things change from random to more likely targeting you specifically, Zach.”

  Annie glanced from her to Zach. “Bike cable?”

  He told them about biking on Sunday. “We made excuses for that accident, too, and went on with our honeymoon. It looks like maybe we should have reported it to the police.”

  “Should we do that now?” Shauna asked.

  Zach glanced at the other waiting couple. “I’m not about to spoil a day I’ve planned for weeks. Let’s go enjoy the adventure. I can report it all tonight when we get back. We’ll be with Annie and Mano all day. Nothing should go wrong today.”

  “You’re sure?” Mano asked.

  “Yep. Lead on, brah.”

  The big guy smiled and indicated the big white van. “Let’s head out to the helipad and get the chopper. It will take about fifteen minutes to fly to our landing spot. You won’t ever forget this experience.” He glanced from Zach to Shauna. “Either one of you have asthma or lung problems? The acid in the volcano can be hard on the lungs.”

  “Nope, we’re both healthy.” Zach took Shauna’s hand, and they climbed into the back of the van.

  As they pulled away, Zach glanced back at their rental car. A figure seemed to be crouched beside it. He closed his eyes and opened them to find no one there. He was starting to imagine boogeymen everywhere he looked.

  Chapter 7

  Shauna loved the feel of the helicopter controls in her hands. This baby was responsive and lovely. She swooped over treetops an impossible shade of green and saw winding black rivers of hardened lava that had cut their way through the expanse of the beautiful island. She hovered over verdant valleys with waterfalls and glimpsed the beautiful blue of the ocean in the distance.

  Shauna couldn’t help but shoot up a prayer of thanksgiving for the beauty of creation spread out for them to enjoy. It truly took her breath away. Annie directed her to fly out over the vast expanse of black lava fields interspersed occasionally with spouts of steam. She flew the chopper toward a plume rising off the ocean where the hot lava dripped into the waves. The acrid smell burned her nose and throat.

  Annie was in the passenger seat beside her, and the men were in the back. Annie pointed out the lava river that held glimpses of red in it. “That flow is called Kamokuna or 61g. It started in May 2016, and since late July 2016, it’s been creating new land as the lava falls into the water. It’s not been a danger to any towns since it’s followed another flow’s previous path. See that flat spot next to the large rock? We can set down there and hike over for pictures. There’s a skylight I’d like to show you.”

  Shauna nodded and began to hover in for a landing. She set the chopper down with hardly a bump, then shut off the engine. She took off her helmet with the headset. “I’m glad we wore sneakers today. I wouldn’t want to step out on that with sandals.”

  Annie released her seat belt and opened the helicopter door. “This area is pretty safe if you know where to stand. I came out this morning to make sure.”

  Birds swooped overhead, and Shauna caught the salty tang of the ocean mixed with the acrid stink of sulfur. She glanced at Zach and saw him looking at his phone. He was grinning and did a fist pump.

  She stepped over to him. “What’s going on?”

  “Just more info about your brother.”

  A wild pulse throbbed in her throat. “Tell me.”

  “The dad was in the Navy, and they moved to Okinawa right after they adopted him.”

  “He’s out of the country?”

  “We’re not sure yet. This is just the start of figuring out where he is. Take a look at the picture.”

  She looked at the photo on his phone of a little boy sitting on a woman’s lap. Her chest compressed, and she couldn’t catch her breath. “That’s Connor!”

&n
bsp; “It’s Grayson now, but yeah, I was sure too.” He draped his arm around her and pulled her against him. “We’re close, Fly Girl. We’re going to find him.”

  “No sign of Brenna yet?”

  He shook his head. “But I’m not giving up. I’m going to find her.”

  Warmth spread up her neck. She loved this guy so much. Kind, thoughtful, gentle yet strong, and so loving. She laid her head against his chest. “What did I ever do to deserve you?”

  “I’m the lucky one.” He gave her a final squeeze. “I think they’re ready for us.”

  She turned to see Mano and Annie smiling their way. “Sorry.” She told them about losing her siblings in an earthquake twenty-five years ago. “And Zach has found out what happened to Connor. We should know in a few more days where he is.”

  “How wonderful! I pray you find them both.” Annie gestured to her right. “The skylight I wanted to show you is this way.”

  As Annie picked her way over the uneven lava field, Shauna noticed her limp. “Are you okay? Did you sprain your ankle?”

  Annie turned with a somber face. “Safety is critical out here. I didn’t heed my own advice some years ago. A lava bench gave way, and my right foot went into molten lava. The doctor thought the limp might go away, but it still appears when I’m walking on uneven ground. So if at any time I say to stop, listen to me.”

  Shauna swallowed. “I’m so sorry.” Her and her big mouth. She couldn’t imagine the pain of hot lava touching her skin. Did she really want to do this? If a volcanologist was burned out here, maybe it was a stupid idea.

  Annie’s expression softened. “You’ll be fine. We’re not getting that close. I was retrieving lava samples when this happened. I’m not taking any chances with the two of you, so don’t worry.”

  Shauna curled her fingers into the steady strength of Zach’s grip. “Okay.”

  They followed Annie and Mano across the rough, hardened lava. The stench of fumes burned her lungs, and Shauna quickly understood Mano’s caution about coming out here with lung problems.

  Mano held out his arm. “Don’t go any closer. You can see it from here.”