Black Sands

by Colleen Coble

  “I’ll go with you. I have something to do first. I’ll meet you at your house.”

  “Fine.” She walked away to join the other women.

  His gut told him Noah’s problem with the casino developer might be tied up with Leilani and Tomi. Mano needed to find Noah. He’d have to sneak onto the Aloha Shores, but it was the middle of the day and maybe the residents would be at work. He probably should tell someone where he was going in case they caught him and threw him to the sharks. He grinned at such a melodramatic thought.

  Nine

  What do you want with me?” Leilani Tagama huddled against the wall. The meager light from the lamp cast her in a sickly yellow glow. A dirty handkerchief hid her eyes.

  The big man felt a stab of regret that surprised him. He didn’t want her to identify him. He didn’t like his orders anymore than Leilani did. But it had to be done. She’d seen too much. The boss wasn’t taking any chances. “You hungry?”

  “Starved.”

  Her arms appeared thinner, and there were hollows under her eyes. She’d probably lost weight in the three days she’d been here. Most of the time he kept her drugged, so she was easier to handle. Once she ate, she’d be sleepy again from the sedative mixed in the rice. He wrapped her hands around a bowl of rice and Spam.

  She took it eagerly and began to cram it into her mouth. He gave her a cup of water as well. “Can I have another blanket? I’m freezing.”

  This deep in the rain forest, the temperature was hovering around fifty-five, and the cabin had no heat. The cold and damp pierced deeply. “I’ll get you an extra blanket once I tie you up again.”

  Tears spilled down her dirty cheeks. “Please, just let me go. I won’t tell anyone I was kidnapped.”

  He knew her better than that. She spilled her guts to anyone who would listen. She would have to die sooner or later. But not yet. The boss had plans for her.

  Annie clicked save and leaned back in her chair. She rubbed the aching muscles at her neck, then glanced at the palm-tree clock on her desk. Nearly three. She’d skipped lunch so she should be able to go in another half hour. CeCe would still be at work, but by the time Annie hooked up with Mano and got to Kapa Technologies, she would just be getting off. Anxiety gnawed at her stomach. Where was Leilani? Surely she was okay. Annie had to keep believing that. She shut down her computer and went down the hall to tell Gina she was leaving at three thirty.

  Her boss was kneeling on the floor with a watering pail in her hand. She saw Annie. “All done?”

  “Yep. It’s saved on the server for you to look at.” She stepped forward and held out her hand to help Gina to her feet.

  The older woman took her hand and struggled up. “I need to lose about ten pounds,” she muttered.

  “You look great,” Annie said.

  Gina smiled. “You’re nothing if not loyal, Annie. The last time I looked great was when I was your age. See these wrinkles?” She pointed to her eyes and smiled. “They show my age rather effectively.” She nodded toward the picture hanging on her wall. “On the day I was married, my husband said I looked like Aphrodite. I’m afraid I’m more like Medusa these days.”

  “You’re beautiful still.” Annie turned to look at the picture, thinking it was Gina’s wedding picture, but it was an artist’s rendition of Greek gods and goddesses. On a shelf below the picture were several figurines of the same deities. “Who’s this one?” she asked, picking up a marble figurine.

  “That’s Athena. Isn’t she beautiful? This is Apollo.” She picked up another figurine made from jade. “This is Nemesis. I picked her up in Athens last year. Isn’t she exquisitely made? I collect Greek mythology figurines to remember my heritage. She’s my favorite.”

  Annie put it back and nodded. That answered the speculation in the office about Gina’s background and accent. “I was just leaving.” Gina could talk all day about her passion for Greek mythology, and Annie didn’t have time to listen. It was kind of cute though. The scientist enamored with myths.

  Gina’s smile faded, and her expression grew more businesslike. “Jillian needs some help with her data. It’s not coming out right, and I suspect she has an Excel formula wrong. Can you give her a hand before you go?”

  “I really don’t have time today. Can it wait? Leilani still isn’t home, and I wanted to talk to her best friend.”

  Gina studied her face. “Aren’t the police working on it? What do you hope to accomplish?”

  “The detective in charge still thinks she’s just off with friends.”

  “That’s happened before, hasn’t it? I remember about a year ago when she left for a couple of weeks.”

  “But she called then. We’ve heard nothing from her.” She told Gina about the weird phone call.

  “I think you’re making a mountain out of a molehill. Kids play with those machines all the time. Even Jason used to have one. I confiscated it when he played a practical joke on his grandmother. I need you to get your head together. The results of this project need to be ready for publication next month. I hate to play hardball, Annie, but some of our grant money is riding on this.”

  “I know, I know.” Annie went toward the door. “I’ll give her a hand for a few minutes. I skipped lunch though, so I could leave early.”

  Gina sighed. “Okay, you can leave at three thirty today, but I need you to start focusing. I’d find Leilani for you if I could, but sometimes we have to leave it to the professionals.”

  Annie just nodded and went down the hall toward Jillian’s office. Jillian wore a frown and chewed on a pencil as she stared at her computer screen.

  “I got the data entered,” Annie told her. “It’s on the server.”

  Jillian’s face cleared. “You’re too efficient. Think you can do anything with this computer model?”

  “Let me take a look.” Annie sat in the chair Jillian vacated and pulled up the database. She began to go through the lines of data. She was so tired that the numbers began to run together. Her head throbbed, and she pressed her temple as she looked at the screen.

  “I don’t see anything,” she said finally.

  “Me neither. But it’s not working right.”

  Annie glanced at her watch. It was time for her to go. “I’ll look at it in the morning when I’m fresh.”

  “I hope to have it figured out by then.” Jillian sighed. “Gosh, can you believe the tension here lately? Monica has been biting everyone’s heads off.”

  “She’s mad at me.”

  “I know. Watch your back. I think she’s out for your job.”

  “I suspected as much. The way I feel today, she could have it.” Annie smiled to show she was joking. She went toward the door. “Good luck with the model. If you don’t have it back up by tomorrow, I’ll look at it again.”

  She stopped at Gina’s door. “I’m gone. See you tomorrow.”

  Gina looked up and nodded. “Try to get some rest tonight. You look terrible.”

  “I’ll try.” Annie stepped into the hall. Her cell phone rang, and she grabbed at it. “Hello.”

  “Are you alone?” The whispered voice sounded like Tomi. Her chest tightened, and she caught her breath.

  “I’m just heading to the car.” She continued on toward the door.

  “I need to see you.”

  It had to be Tomi, though he seemed hoarse. Maybe he was just trying to disguise his voice. She clung to her hope. “Tomi?”

  “Who else?” He chuckled.

  The laugh convinced her, and joy surged through her heart. Her brother was alive. She couldn’t quite take it in. “Where do you want to meet?” She peered at her watch. Mano would be at the house in fifteen minutes.

  “How about the Place of Refuge? Seems appropriate somehow.”

  “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 order
ed. 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.

  Mano 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 windo
w 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.