by Kathi Daley
I sat down on the floor and looked at the cuff around my ankle. I really didn’t see any way of getting it loose, and the chain that was attached to it seemed pretty secure as well. The chain was sturdy, but not overly bulky. It looked to be long enough to use as a rope if I was able to toss it up and over the beam that seemed to support the A-frame rafters, which supported the roof of the wooden building. It would be tricky to get it up and over the beam without injuring my ankle any more than it already was, but I really had no other option, so I knew I had to try. Taking a deep breath, I used all of my strength to toss the chain up and over the beam. Once I’d accomplished that, I tied off the end not attached to my leg and then praying the knot would hold and the whole thing would support my weight, I climbed up it like a rope. Once I was the same height as the window, I used my feet to push off from the wall, and then when I swung back, I angled myself so that my unchained foot came into contact with the board covering the window. When contact was made, I heard the board give just a bit, so I regrouped and tried it again and again. Eventually, the board gave way enough that I could pry it loose and push it to the ground. It was a small opening, but I was a small woman, so I pulled the chain down from the overhead rafter and let it trail behind me. I pulled myself up toward the window, flattened myself out, and squeezed through. Once I was on the ground, I pulled the rest of my chain through.
My ankle, which was still attached to the chain, was raw and bleeding, and my feet weren’t in much better shape. My hands were scraped raw in places from all my escape efforts. I had no shoes, so walking on the rough ground wouldn’t be easy, but staying where I was wasn’t an option. I surveyed the jungle surrounding me and tried to imagine where I was. I could see the sea in the distance, so I decided to head in that direction. I knew that I’d eventually come across a road.
I took off my t-shirt and tore it in half. I wrapped one-half of the bright yellow top around each of my feet. I tied them as securely as I could, and then I wrapped the chain around my waist and up over my shoulder. Walking with the weight of the chain was going to make things even more difficult, but until I could find a way to free myself from it, that was what I would need to do. I gritted my teeth and dug down deep for the determination I’d need before setting off down the mountain in a pair of ripped and bloody shorts and a bra.
As I walked, the jungle became thick with close-growing trees and untamed underbrush. The dense foliage made maintaining a direction tough, but it also provided shade, which I would need to endure the heat of the day without shelter or water.
Each step was a struggle, but I knew what I had to do, so I continued one painful step at a time. Once I was a good distance away from the shed, I paused to consider the scenery once again. I could no longer see the sea in the distance, but I figured as long as I continued to head downhill, I should eventually find it, and the odds were, once I found the sea, I’d find a road.
After I had been hiking for an hour or more, I paused to listen. I could hear a hum in the distance. It could be traffic noise from a road, but my intuition told me that I’d found a fall. I changed direction just a bit and headed toward the sound. When I saw the tall falls pouring into a crystal clear pool of water, I wanted to cry. Suddenly, I knew exactly where I was.
The cool, clear water was heaven against my skin. I unwound the chain from my body and the t-shirt from my feet, and slowly slid into the water. I sunk down to my neck, and let the water cool my skin and cleanse my wounds. By this point, my feet were so far gone that I knew it would be a good long while before I would be able to walk comfortably again, but at least I believed I would live. I sat on the bottom of the shallow pond, staying close to the edge. I felt the tension in my neck and shoulders melt away as I closed my eyes and tried to figure out my next move. I needed to let someone know about my father. I had no cell, and it was at least a two-mile hike from the falls to the road. Given the state of my feet, and the fact I was carrying a long and heavy chain, it would take more than an hour to travel that two miles, but it seemed that was the only option I had. I supposed it was possible that I might run into hikers on their way up to the falls, but it was still really early in the day, so that seemed sort of unlikely.
As wonderful as the water felt on my feet, I knew I needed to continue on my way, so I pulled myself out of the pool of water and found a large rock to sit on. Once I’d dried off a bit, I began to wrap my bloody and muddy t-shirt around my feet once again. I’d been totally focused on the painful task, and only heard a noise behind me an instant before someone put a hand over my mouth. I tried to scream, but all that came out was a muffled oomph.
“It’s me,” Shredder said into my ear. “Don’t make a sound. There are men looking for you. They are not far behind us.”
I nodded to let him know I understood.
Shredder took his hand from my mouth. He gathered up my chain and then picked me up in his arms. Once I was settled against his chest, he headed into the jungle. I wrapped my arms around his neck and held on as he moved efficiently and silently through the dense foliage. Eventually, he paused and set me down on a large rock. He took out a pair of binoculars and looked around.
“How did you find me?” I whispered.
“I’ll tell you later. Right now, we need to lose the guys who are tracking you. Now be quiet.”
I nodded again.
After a few minutes, Shredder picked me up again and headed further into the jungle away from the sea. That made no sense to me. The road where we could find help was downhill, yet Shredder was traveling uphill. Shredder was a big guy, and I was a small woman, but I still didn’t see how he was going to be able to carry my chain and me too far if we continued to climb the way we were. I wanted to question the direction he was taking, but he’d told me to be quiet, so I supposed I’d be quiet. He was, after all, some sort of superspy, while I was just me. I had to believe he had a strategy for heading uphill rather than down.
After we’d traveled for quite a while, he stopped at a small stream. He gently set me down and, once again, pulled out his binoculars. I waited for him to survey the situation. Eventually, he looked down at me. “Are you okay?”
“A little worse for wear, but I’ll live. My dad...”
“In the hospital.”
I let out a breath of relief. “Is he okay?”
“He will be.”
“How did you find me?” I still couldn’t imagine that he had.
“The shack where you were being held is located on an estate owned by a man named Mikayo Tatsuo. I recognized him as one of the men on the plane piloted by Kinsley Palakiko yesterday. When you never showed up at the dinner last night, Kekoa began to get worried. When she told me where you’d gone, I went to check it out, only to find your dad unconscious on the floor. Your car was on the street in front of the house, but you were nowhere to be found, so Jason and I went looking for you. We were hitting dead end after dead end until I remembered the meeting between Tatsuo and Spade. On a hunch, I checked to see if Tatsuo owned property on the island. He actually owns quite a bit. Nine houses, four warehouses, and the estate where I eventually stumbled upon a group of men who seemed to be looking for someone. I followed them into the jungle and continued to follow them until I figured out where you would most likely head. Then, I circled around and managed to get in front of them. By the time I found you at the falls, they were less than a quarter of a mile away.”
I tucked my damp hair behind my ear. “I guess I should be thanking you right about now.”
“No thanks necessary. Right now, we need to focus on getting out of here. Tatsuo’s men continued to travel downhill toward the highway. I doubt they’ll pick up our trail at this point, but we do need to make our way back.” Shredder took out a device that looked like a cross between a phone and walkie-talkie. “I should be able to call Jason and let him know what is going on once we make our way out of the jungle. I seem to remember there being a clearing not far from here.” Shredder reached down and picked me u
p once again. “If my memory is correct, it should be less than a half a mile away.”
Once we reached the clearing, Shredder used his phone, which I assumed was some sort of a satellite phone, to call Jason, who told us to sit tight and wait for a helicopter to pick us up. Shredder moved us out of the open space to wait. The temperature was beginning to climb, but there was a cool crosswind that made things bearable even though we were quite a distance from the sea.
“So what do you think is going on?” I asked after we’d both settled in under a grouping of tall trees.
“Tatsuo is one of those untouchable businessmen who everyone knows is wrapped up in illegal activities but is smart enough to avoid an evidence trail. He owns multiple pieces of property in Hawaii, Los Angeles, and Hong Kong. I’ve been tracking him since I received a tip that he has expanded his market and is now dealing in human trafficking, mainly young women he brings into the States from Asia. So far, I have been unable to prove any of this. Tatsuo is well protected, and getting close to him is near impossible. A few weeks ago, I got a tip that Tatsuo was working with Spade on his latest venture, so I decided to approach things from a different angle and watch Spade.”
“Which is why you were at the estate yesterday.”
“Exactly. I hoped that by following Spade, I could confirm the link with Tatsuo, which I hoped would lead me to some sort of proof relating to the human trafficking tip that, of course, no one will admit to. The meeting at the airport yesterday confirmed my suspicion that the two are working together. My plan was to confirm Spade’s involvement and then go back to tracking Tatsuo. Now, I’m not so sure if that is the right move. I have no reason to believe that Spade or Tatsuo know I am here, but they obviously know that both you and your dad are somehow involved with Palakiko. In my opinion, that puts you both in danger.”
“You think Tatsuo will send his men to kill us?”
“Honestly, I don’t know why both you and your father aren’t already dead. There must be a piece to this puzzle that is still missing.”
“What about Mrs. Palakiko?” I asked. “Has she been found?”
Shredder informed me that at the time he came to look for me, she hadn’t been found and that he suspected either Tatsuo or Spade were detaining her to provide the leverage they needed to ensure that Kinsley did exactly what they wanted him to do. I was about to ask him about his next move when the chopper appeared on the horizon. I supposed the conversation could wait until I’d had a chance to remove my chain, bandage my feet, and check on my dad.
“Wait here, and I’ll get something to remove that chain,” Shredder said, as the chopper landed in the clearing.
As I watched Shredder run toward the whirling blades, I finally let myself believe that my ordeal was over. If only I’d known at the time that, in reality, my ordeal, as well as Shredder’s, was only just beginning.
Chapter 8
Jason met us at the airport. Once the helicopter landed, he shuffled me off to the hospital before I could argue. I hadn’t planned to make such a fuss over a few minor scrapes and abrasions. I figured I could clean and bandage them myself, but Jason had a different idea. I wondered if Shredder would come with us, but he didn’t. He gave me a hard hug and told me that we would talk later that evening. It seemed he had things to follow up on that really couldn’t wait, but he was sure that Jason would take good care of me. I was sure he would as well if he didn’t smother me in the process.
“So tell me exactly what happened,” Jason asked, as we drove toward the hospital.
I rolled down the window and let the wind blow through my hair. “There isn’t much to tell. Mom came by my condo looking for Dad yesterday around seven. I guess he was supposed to accompany her to some benefit but had never shown up, and she wondered if I knew where he might be. I told her that the last I heard, he had gone over to Hokulani Palakiko’s house to let her know that we’d found her husband.”
“I spoke to Shredder after he found Dad knocked out in the Palakiko home, and he told me Mr. Palakiko had been piloting a plane carrying two men who had come to the island to speak to Spade.”
“That’s right. I’m not really sure what that was all about. I didn’t notice the men exchange anything other than conversation, so it would seem that if all you wanted to do was talk, why not call or email or even text a message?”
“I’m sure they had their reasons for a face to face interview. Go on.”
I rolled up the window and turned up the air conditioner. “Anyway, when I arrived at the Palakiko home, I saw Dad’s car in the drive. I went up to the door and knocked, but there was no answer. I let myself in and found Dad unconscious on the floor. I started toward him, and then everything went black. The next thing I knew, it was a new day, and I was chained to a wall in an old shed.”
A look of concern crossed Jason’s face. “You were unconscious from yesterday evening until this morning?”
“Yes. I guess I was.” I put a hand to my head. “That’s strange right? I mean, I don’t even have a headache. I did feel somewhat groggy when I first came to, but that has passed.”
“I am going to guess you were drugged. After Dad was taken to the hospital, they found a puncture wound in his neck. He was unconscious for hours before he was found.”
“Is he okay?”
“He is. They want to keep him at the hospital overnight for observation. They may want to keep you as well.”
“I’m not staying overnight. I will allow them to clean and wrap my injured feet, but then I am gone. Agreed?”
Jason looked like he was going to argue, but then he seemed to stop himself. “Agreed.” He pulled into a nearby parking area. “So other than the fact that you were knocked out and imprisoned, do you remember anything else? Do you know why you were kidnapped?”
“I don’t know. Shredder told me that one of the men we saw at the airport yesterday owns the estate where I was held. I suppose that this whole thing must tie back to whatever is going on with Kinsley Palakiko since I was taken from his house and he was piloting the plane carrying the men Spade met with.”
“Do you know the name of the man who owns the estate where Shredder found you?”
“Mikayo Tatsuo.”
“Did you see the face of any of the men who kidnapped you at any point?” Jason asked.
“No. Shredder saw the men who were tracking me after I escaped if you are looking for someone to provide descriptions. I didn’t see who knocked me out, and I was alone when I came to. I worked myself free and left before anyone came looking for me. I didn’t see anyone other than Shredder the entire time.”
Jason pulled into a parking space. “Okay. Let’s get you checked out. We can check on Dad after that and then I’ll take you home. I need you to promise me that you will take it easy for a few days and that you will not do any investigating on your own.”
“I’ll take it easy. I’ll even call my boss at the resort and let him know I won’t be in on Saturday.”
“I noticed you didn’t agree to the no investigating,” Jason pointed out.
I just smiled. We both knew that no investigating was something I’d never agree to.
The cleaning and wrapping of my wounds turned out to be a fairly quick and painless undertaking. I was given a mild pain medication and an antibiotic as a preventative measure, and my blood test confirmed that I had indeed been drugged with a sedative, most likely delivered directly to my neck which is where they found a small puncture wound. When Jason and I went to visit Dad, we found him awake and chomping at the bit to be released. Of course, he had Mom to deal with, and she was having none of it.
“I’m so relieved that you are okay,” Dad hugged me from his hospital bed. “When I came to after Shredder found me and I realized your car was at the house, but you were nowhere to be found, I nearly had a heart attack.”
“Things did appear sort of dicey for a while this morning, but I’m fine, and I think we actually came out of this with new information.”
“Your dad needs to rest, so there will be no shop talk,” Mom, who was sitting in a chair next to the bed, interrupted.
I glanced at Mom. “Sorry. You’re right. Jason and I just wanted to check in, but we should be going.” I turned and looked at Dad. “Call me after you are released and we’ll catch up.”
Dad didn’t look happy about the situation, but he didn’t argue either. I hugged both my parents one more time and then left with my brother. Walking on my bandaged feet was somewhat uncomfortable, but the hospital had provided me with large open-air shoes, much like Crocs, which provided a sole to offer protection and support, yet also provided plenty of room for the bandages. I wanted to grill Jason to find out if he knew anything I didn’t about Tatsuo, Palakiko, or any of our three murder victims who my instinct told me were all involved in the same thing, but I could tell by the look on his face that he just wanted me home safe and not digging around in what was clearly a police matter, so I decided to play it cool and chat with him about his wife and two children as we made the drive to my condo.
“So any idea what happened to my Jeep?” I asked after we pulled up in front of the condo, and I realized it wasn’t in my parking space.
“I’ll check on it. It might still be on the street in front of the Palakiko home.”
“I’m going to need transportation, so if you could check on it sooner rather than later, that would be great,” I offered my brother a big smile.
“To be honest, I’m tempted to have the dang thing impounded so you will be forced to stay put.”
“Impounding my Jeep won’t keep me from doing what I need to do, but it will make me mad. I’m not a baby. I don’t need my big brother managing my life.”
Jason blew out a breath. “I know. You are the most capable woman I know. I’ll have your Jeep brought to you within the hour. Just be careful. I love you. I would die if something happened to you.”
