Black Sands

by Colleen Coble

  She dug out her cell phone and made sure it was on. There was no sign of any missed calls. Leilani might call any minute. Or Tomi. But why hadn’t they called already? They knew how Annie worried. Driving down the dark, narrow road, she tried not to think of the heiau. She shivered in spite of the warm air.

  Lights blazed from Jillian’s house. Annie pulled in and gathered up Wilson, who squeaked, then wriggled with excitement as Annie approached the house. She heard the sound of women’s voices through the screen door. Maybe it was the TV. She didn’t see any extra cars in the driveway, only Jillian’s red Neon.

  Heidi came to the door moments after Annie knocked. “You brought Wilson,” she squealed, swinging open the screen door. She clicked her tongue. “Hi, Wilson. Want to come see me?” She held out her arms and the mongoose moved toward her, then fell into her arms like a rag doll. He was so spoiled.

  Almost immediately, Heidi’s cat came out from behind the sofa. Wilson and Checkers had formed an uneasy truce, though Annie often caught the cat licking her chops when she watched the mongoose. Checkers meowed and leaped at Wilson, but the mongoose uttered a warning noise, letting her know he was king of the roost now, and she’d better beware. The cat dashed back to her hiding place.

  “Keep an eye on them,” Annie told Heidi. “Is your mom in the kitchen?”

  “Uh-huh,” Heidi said from where she sprawled on her stomach in front of the mongoose. She glanced up at Annie. “I thought maybe you were my dad. He came to see me today.”

  “He did?” Annie examined the keiki’s expression. Was she serious?

  Heidi rolled over on her back. “I tried to make a paper mongoose like you showed me. It didn’t come out very well.”

  “We’ll have another origami lesson soon,” Annie promised. One of the low voices that emanated from the kitchen belonged to Jillian, and from the tension in it, Annie thought maybe Heidi was telling the truth about her father’s reappearance. She touched the top of the little girl’s head and went to the kitchen. Annie hesitated in the doorway.

  “I don’t trust him,” Jillian said to the other woman.

  “I hope I’m not interrupting,” Annie said in the sudden lull of conversation.

  Jillian’s head jerked around, her tight mouth relaxing when her gaze met Annie’s. “Annie. I wasn’t expecting you.” Her eyes went to the cow clock on the wall. “You’re out late.”

  Annie glanced at the clock too and was shocked to realize that it was nearly nine. “I’m sorry to barge in so late.” The other woman turned her head, and Annie recognized her. Annie offered a tentative smile.

  The woman stood and held out her hand. “So you’re Annie. I’m Mano’s sister, Kaia.”

  “I recognized you from your pictures. Mano talks about you all the time.”

  “What’s wrong?” Jillian pulled out a chair beside her. “I just fixed some chamomile tea. Would you like some?”

  “Sure.” Annie sat between the two women and waited until her coworker poured a cup of tea from the blue teapot. “Gorgeous teapot,” she said.

  “Kaia brought it to me. Isn’t it beautiful? It’s the plumeria pattern from Banana Patch Studio. I think it’s a hint that Kaia wants some for her wedding.” In spite of the light way Jillian chattered, an underlying strain tightened her mouth and left lines around her eyes.

  Kaia’s happiness was the last thing Annie wanted to talk about right now. Especially since her eternal crush on Mano had passed from the ridiculous to the impossible. She put some sugar in her tea and took a sip. “Mahalo.”

  “What’s up?” Jillian asked.

  “Did you happen to see my sister out at the volcano yesterday or today? Did she stop by the observatory looking for me or anything?”

  Jillian raised her eyebrows. “No, and I was in the building most of the day. She’s terrified of the volcano, isn’t she? Is something wrong?” She frowned. “I did see her in Volcano yesterday, though.”

  “She’s missing.” Annie’s voice broke. She cleared her throat and told them about the necklace. “What was she doing when you saw her?”

  “Just walking to the general store. I asked her if she needed a ride to work. She smiled and waved and kept on going.”

  “Did you notice what she was wearing?”

  Jillian thought a minute. “A turquoise and yellow shirt with white shorts.”

  The same shirt Annie and Mano had found on the heiau. “That’s what she had on the last time I saw her too.” She told them about the altar and the bloody shirt.

  “You’re sure that shirt is what she was wearing the last time you saw her?” Kaia asked.

  “Positive. It had a low neckline, and I prodded her about changing it.”

  “Maybe she thought your advice was good,” Jillian suggested.

  Annie shook her head. “Not Leilani. I don’t know why I even bothered to voice my opinion. It just makes her more obstinate.”

  The silence in the room spoke more loudly than a phreatic eruption. She hadn’t planned to tell them about Mano’s theory, but it rushed out into the silence. “Mano thinks she might be with Tomi.” She realized she’d broken her promise to Mano and pressed her fingers to the bridge of her nose. At least this was his sister. She dropped her hand.

  Jillian blinked then frowned. “Who did you mean? You said— Tomi.” Her tone was hushed as though she were afraid to say Tomi’s name.

  “Mano doesn’t think Tomi is dead.”

  Jillian’s eyes widened, and Kaia looked at Annie with compassion in her eyes. “He never said anything about it to me. Did he actually see Tomi?”

  Annie shook her head. “He said Tomi called him. Mano recognized his voice.”

  A flicker of doubt darkened Kaia’s eyes. “I hope someone isn’t playing a trick on Mano. I know losing his best friend was hard on him. Maybe he believes what he wants to believe.”

  Annie hadn’t considered how her brother’s death affected Mano. “He seems very certain about it.” In spite of her confident words, she wondered if she’d so easily swallowed Mano’s claim because she wanted to believe it too. Could Mano be deluding himself— and her? What if it was someone playing a prank for some reason? She touched the bankbook in her pocket. There was still the money to consider. She didn’t know what to think, but remembering the passion in Mano’s eyes, she knew he was convinced of it.

  “I don’t know,” she said slowly.

  “I’ll talk to him, see what it’s all about,” Kaia said. “He wanted to talk to me earlier today, I think, but we were interrupted.” She glanced at Jillian.

  Annie glanced at her friend too. “Heidi said something about her father coming to see her. Has Noah shown up?”

  “Yeah, like the proverbial bad penny.” Jillian glanced down at the table and fiddled with the handle on her teacup. “I think he’s running from someone. He wouldn’t talk about it. He’s different— thinner and more serious. I don’t know what to think.”

  “Maybe the two of you can get together and talk,” Annie suggested. “I’m glad he’s finally facing the music. This limbo you’ve been in is no good for you or Heidi.”

  “I know. I’m just not ready to listen to him spout some ‘reason’ for what he’s done. There is no excuse for his actions.” Jillian’s expression hardened, and she took a sip of her tea.

  “He’s still Heidi’s father,” Kaia pointed out.

  “I know that,” Jillian said sharply. “I would never keep her from him. But he’d better not expect me to kiss and make up as if nothing happened.”

  Annie wanted to suggest counseling, but she kept her mouth shut. The couple’s problems weren’t any of her business, and from Jillian’s tone, she knew her friend wasn’t ready to hear it. “I’d better get home. Maybe Leilani has called.”

  “Wouldn’t your dad let you know?” Jillian rose with her.

  “Not necessarily. You know how scatterbrained he is.”

  “He’ll be back to himself one of these days. It’s been a hard year.” Jillian tr
ailed behind her to the living room. Kaia followed as well.

  “I’m not so sure. He’s so obsessed with the old research. It’s as if he’s forgotten the curiosity he used to have for new facts.”

  “Give it time. Hey, I hear the earthquake swarms at the seamount have been increasing.”

  Annie had been tracking the myriad small quakes for several weeks now. Swarms were a series of earthquakes of the same size that occurred in a short time. “There were more than two thousand last week. We might be seeing some action soon.” Earthquake swarms were a good indicator of a pending eruption, and the topic was one of Annie’s pet projects. Excitement pushed away her fear about Leilani, at least temporarily. “With a major eruption, we might have another island forming from Loihi. Word’s getting out. I wouldn’t be surprised if geologists from all over the world start dropping in.”

  “If you’re up to it, maybe we could take a look on Monday while we’re down replacing the pressure recorders. Try to beat the rush.” Jillian stooped and scooped up Wilson. “Don’t forget your rat.” She wrinkled her nose and handed the mongoose to Annie.

  “I’ll be praying there’s good news waiting at home for you,” Kaia said, touching her lightly on the arm.

  Annie wished she could absorb some of Kaia’s optimism. Something was very wrong. Leilani might be thoughtless, but this kind of antic was unlike her.

  Five

  Leilani Tagama lay huddled on the hard cot. She wasn’t sure how she got here or where she was. Had she consumed that much liquor last night? She groaned and pressed her throbbing forehead into the blanket. She was hungry and hurting. The top she’d worn was gone, and in its place was a man’s aloha shirt that reached clear to her knees. She couldn’t remember what happened to her own clothes.

  Struggling to sit up, she winced at a stabbing pain in her arms and realized her arms were bound behind her. Red hot needles of sensation poked her where her arm had fallen asleep. She managed to prop herself against the wall. It was too dark to see much. Just shadows. Dim light shone from around the edge of the blind that covered a tiny window.

  She gasped and fought to free her hands. “No,” she moaned. After several futile moments of struggle, she realized the bonds wouldn’t budge. She forced back the panic and looked around. She was alone. Scooting across the hard cot, she swung her legs over the side and tried to stand. A rope tied her feet together and then tethered her to the steel post of the cot. She gave it an experimental tug. Maybe she could work the rope loose.

  Fifteen minutes later she gave up. The only way she’d leave here was if someone let her go. Panic fluttered in her chest. What if she’d been dumped here to die and no one ever came back? She opened her mouth to scream, but the door opened and a huge shadow moved toward her. A suffocating cloth that stank of a chemical smothered her voice. She fell into the waiting darkness.

  The black cinder road that led to Aloha Shores was full of potholes. Mano swerved to avoid one that looked hungry enough to chomp on the undercarriage of his small rental car. The action threw Annie against him. She yanked her shoulder away and righted herself.

  “Sorry,” he told her.

  “No problem.” Her cheeks were red, and she looked out the window.

  There was something different about her this morning. Mano couldn’t put his finger on it. Her glossy black hair lay tucked behind her ears and just touched her chin. She seemed older, more mature than the young girl he had remembered. Surely the tragedies of the last year had changed her.

  She also seemed annoyed.

  “Where are we supposed to meet Sam?” she asked without looking at him.

  “At the entrance.” Mano focused on the road and narrowly missed a wild mongoose that dashed under the wheels of the car. “Look, let’s clear the air. What’s your beef with me this morning?”

  She finally looked at him. “You mean other than the fact you show up here accusing my brother of some kind of espionage? Then you tell me he’s still alive, even though you have no proof.”

  He flinched. “Are you questioning my truthfulness?”

  “Maybe more your sanity. Maybe your guilt made you think the man who called was Tomi.”

  “I know his voice.” Mano supposed he shouldn’t have been surprised at her attitude. After all, he hadn’t believed it himself at first. But didn’t she know him well enough to believe him? “He said he was coming to Hawai’i and would call you when he got here.”

  “I hope you’re right. If he’s alive, then I can quit worrying about Leilani, since she’s probably with him. But until he calls me, let’s drop it. I don’t know what to believe.”

  “Fine,” he said tightly. With a supreme effort, he relaxed his jaw and nodded toward the bleak landscape. “Have you ever been out here?”

  “A coworker, Monica Rogers, lives out here. She loves it. Of course, she put in a generator for electricity.”

  “What about water?” Mano slowed the car to a crawl as the road degraded even more.

  “Most everyone out here uses catchment systems to collect rain water. It seems to work out okay.”

  They stopped at the NO TRESPASSING sign, which warned of dire consequences to uninvited visitors. “I don’t see Sam,” Mano said. Hardly anything moved here. He’d expected to see children playing on this Saturday morning, but the harsh landscape, devoid of any life, stretched in all directions. Houses stairstepped up the steep lava rock hillside and seemed to peer down suspiciously at them.

  “You’d better call him.”

  Mano nodded and dialed Sam’s number. The detective answered and told him he’d been called to a break in. “I’ll see what I can find out,” Mano told him.

  “Let me handle it.” Sam’s voice was impatient. “Look, I have to go. Don’t make any waves. Leilani will turn up.”

  Mano hung up the phone without answering.

  Annie raised an eyebrow. “No Sam?”

  “We’re on our own,” he told her. He put the car in gear and let it roll forward. The tires clunked into ruts in the lane, and he winced. “If we get stopped, we’ll say we’re visiting your friend. You think she’ll mind?”

  She hesitated. “No, I’m sure that will be fine, though I’m not her favorite person.”

  “I can’t imagine anyone not liking you.” He cut his glance toward her.

  She flushed but didn’t meet his gaze. “We’ve just had some professional differences.” She nodded. “Let’s stop to see her first. She might have seen something.”

  Most of the houses were rustic with scrubby yards where a few chickens scrabbled in the black, sandy dirt. Some were beautiful homes that wouldn’t be out of place in the nicest of neighborhoods. The owners of those houses had made an effort to soften the rocky landscape with flowers and shrubs.

  “There’s the address.” Annie pointed to a neat bungalow that perched on a hillside.

  A woman was sweeping the front steps. Blond hair framed her pudgy cheeks and nose. He guessed her to be in her midforties. She stopped at their approach. Her guarded expression didn’t lighten when her gaze went to Annie. “Is something wrong at the observatory?” she asked in a high, squeaky voice.

  “No, everything is fine,” Annie assured her. “Did you hear my sister is missing?”

  “Leilani?” The woman shrugged. “Hasn’t she done this before? I’m sure she’ll turn up.”

  Mano studied her detached expression. She seemed almost hostile. “We found a heiau at the park. Do you know of anyone here in the estates who might have built it?”

  Her strained smile faded. She crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m not into religion. I can’t help you. Besides, you shouldn’t be here. Only residents and invited guests are allowed on the property.”

  “We really need to talk to some people involved with the Ku cult,” Annie said. “Have you seen anyone new in the area?”

  “No. Look, I have work to do. If you’re not here on business, I don’t have time to blather.” The woman went into her house.

&
nbsp; Annie pressed her lips together when the door banged. “That was a bust.”

  “Let’s take a stroll and see what we can find,” Mano said. He took her arm and started toward the next house.

  Annie tugged out of his grasp. “Maybe we should wait until Sam can come with us. Someone might call the cops on us for trespassing.” Annie sounded worried. “It was a stupid idea anyway. These people out here may be strange, but that’s no reason to assume they are part of that cult.”

  The whole atmosphere felt odd. Mano wanted to lift the rock that covered the secrets and see what slugs dwelt underneath these seemingly serene homes. “Did Leilani ever tell you about who she met at the meetings?”

  Annie shook her head. “She was secretive. I wasn’t even aware until I saw that notebook about a month ago that it was a Ku cult.”

  Mano wasn’t sure what to do. Someone had to know about this cult. “Let’s drive around a little. No one will know that we weren’t invited.” He escorted her to the car. Annie fastened her seat belt and ran her window down. Mano drove slowly along the gravel roads, crisscrossing the mountain in silence for an hour or so.

  Annie nodded toward a particularly nice house. “You’d think they’d be afraid of another lava flow through here. The last one was in 1984.”

  “It could happen where you live too.” He braked at a stop sign. “We’re not accomplishing anything. No one seems to be out this morning, which strikes me as odd. Saturday is prime time for yard work.”

  Annie didn’t seem to be listening. “You know, my boss lives near here. Not right in Aloha Shores, but close enough she might know something. Let’s go to her house.”

  Mano followed Annie’s directions. The house was within sight of Aloha Shores’s gates. He parked by the picket fence. “Wow, look at her garden.” The anemic soil had been replaced with rich, dark dirt, and lush plants filled the ten-foot square area in sharp contrast to the scrubby vegetation in the rest of the yard.