Black Sands

by Colleen Coble

  “What’s he given you that you couldn’t have gotten on your own?” Gina’s voice was beginning to get testy. “You seem a very bright man, one who could go far. I’d hate to see you waste your life by not focusing on your career.”

  Mano was conscious of Annie’s interested stare. “Peace, contentment, a family I love.”

  Gina shrugged. “I’ve got that much. My career, my son. What more could I want?”

  Mano thought she sounded a little wistful in spite of her assertion. “Inner peace no matter what comes is something you can’t get on your own. Only God gives it.” He should take his own advice. He’d been railing against God because of his diabetes instead of thanking him for his providence. It could have been worse. He could have died on the beach six months ago. He still had a hope and a future. So what if he had to take insulin? At least his condition could be managed. He should thank the Lord for that.

  And maybe God had a plan for his future career. Mano hadn’t asked. He’d just been miffed about having to give up his own plans, his own determination. He’d always heard it said that when God closed a door, he opened a window somewhere else. While Mano hadn’t seen so much as a glimmer of light under a cracked pane, he knew his God wouldn’t fail to provide. He had to be patient.

  Annie gave him a glass of orange juice. He hesitated before he took it. It was too much sugar with the poi as well. Maybe they wouldn’t remark on it if he just left it on the table.

  Jason wandered in. His hair was rumpled, and he was dressed in jersey shorts and a white T-shirt. The unappetizing aroma of sweat and beer rolled off him. Mano saw Annie turn her head, her nose wrinkling.

  Gina appeared not to notice. “Your breakfast is on the stove.”

  He grunted and shuffled to the other side of the kitchen. “I hate poi hashbrowns,” he grumbled.

  “So don’t eat them.” His mother’s tone was sharp.

  Gina saw more than she let on, Mano decided. He finished the last bite of his breakfast. “I’ve got to go meet Evan Chun.”

  Gina’s head jerked up. “Now?”

  He nodded. “At the gate to the Shores. I’m looking at a property with him.”

  “You don’t seem the type to catch rainwater and do without electricity.”

  “I can always get a generator like you have,” he said. Though she wasn’t actually in the Aloha Shores subdivision, she was in the same boat with utilities.

  She made a face. “It’s expensive. Not everyone is happy out here. But once you get used to it, you might like it I guess.”

  Mano wondered if she knew about Chun’s plans. If she did, she didn’t act like it. He couldn’t imagine she would welcome that kind of change to her world. Though the property values would skyrocket, all the residents out here would have to give up their privacy and anonymity. It wasn’t his place to tell her, though. If Annie wanted to mention it, she could, but he wasn’t sticking his nose into that mess. He had enough on his plate without worrying about real estate.

  He rose. “Mahalo for breakfast. I’d better move along.” His gaze lingered on Annie. The sunlight illuminated her face. Her eyes were brilliant this morning. Fringed with thick black lashes, they shone with inner light. He wished he knew what she was thinking, what she really thought of him now.

  Annie walked him to the door. “Be careful,” she said.

  “No one’s after me. Keep the door locked. Call me on my cell phone if anything happens. If Tomi calls.”

  Her brilliant eyes clouded. “I don’t know what to think about Tomi. I’m beginning to wonder if I’ve ever really known my own brother. I would never have imagined he could get involved with something like this.”

  “We all mess up,” Mano said. He opened the door, stepped outside, and inhaled the scent of plumeria. He jogged to his car then walked down the lane. Chun’s sleek black Cadillac was already parked at the gate. The hum of the car’s engine was barely discernable over the sound of the flock of spotted doves that took flight and scolded him.

  Chun ran his window down. “I was beginning to wonder if you were going to show. Hop in.” His gaze went to Mano’s car. “Looks like you’ve got some vandalism.”

  “Yeah, I’ll get it fixed later today.” Mano went around to the passenger side and got in the car. The plush leather seat enveloped him. It smelled new and expensive.

  A diamond ring winked on Chun’s pinkie finger as he wrenched the steering wheel around and turned into the gate. “This first property is a beauty. It’s on a cliff overlooking the water.” He drove along the rutted lane, through a stand of coconut palms, and past several cabins. “Here we are.”

  Mano got out and walked to the edge of the cliff. It was a beautiful spot. For a moment, he wished he really was in the market for property. He could envision the house of his dreams sitting on this lot and looking out over the rolling waves.

  Chun let him look in silence at first, then joined him at the cliff ’s edge. “What do you think?”

  “Great view.” Mano hated to take up the man’s time just to gain information and access to the Shores. He pushed the guilt away. He’d come this far, though, so he might as well go through with the plan. “How long have you owned property here?”

  “Probably twenty years. I saw the potential when it was still arid and deserted.”

  “It’s still pretty arid. The volcanic rock is hard on the vegetation.”

  “But it’s coming back.”

  “How much do you want for it?” Mano shocked himself by asking. Maybe he’d buy this after all. He had to settle somewhere eventually, though he wondered what he could do here. The navy was his life.

  He could almost see the dollar signs in Chun’s eyes. Chun nodded. “There’s a full half acre here. You have right of way for a driveway.”

  “How much?” Mano asked again.

  “Three hundred thousand.”

  He’d been expecting something in the neighborhood of fifteen thousand. “Are you nuts? You probably paid fifteen hundred for it, didn’t you?”

  Evan shrugged. “It will be worth six hundred thousand in another year.”

  Mano began to walk back to the car. “Get real. You’ll never get that for it. Not out here.”

  “You’ll see I know what I’m talking about when news of the casino and new subdivision breaks.”

  The mention of the casino was the opportunity Mano had been waiting on. “I’ve heard something about that. Who’s behind it?”

  “A company from Vegas called Banos LLC. They’re known for their innovative structures. It’s going to be a great boon for the island.”

  Mano had never heard of them. “When do they plan to start building?”

  “They’ve already bought the land for the casino, and the ground breaking should be in about three months. They’re still working on the peripheral designs for housing and a theme park. I’m buying up land for them as quickly as I can.”

  “Have you tried to buy the Tagama land or Gina’s land yet?”

  “I don’t think that’s any of your business.” He nodded toward the view. “So what do you think?”

  “I’ll give you ten,” Mano said.

  Chun laughed. “I don’t think so. If that’s all you’re willing to pay, we might as well go back now.”

  It was way out of Mano’s price range. “Fine by me.” He walked toward the car, but before he got in, he saw a man standing in the shade of a stand of trees. Noah. “Go on without me,” he told Chun. He didn’t wait for a reply and jogged toward Noah. Noah turned and ran. “Noah, wait!” Mano put on a burst of speed.

  He was out of breath when he reached the tree where Noah had been standing. He paused and looked around. Where had he gone? He listened. A mynah squawked from the tree over his head. Then he heard the sound of running feet. He took off and followed the sound.

  Noah was twenty feet ahead of him. “It’s me, Mano,” Mano called out.

  Noah glanced back. His action caused him to stumble. He fell headlong onto the ground and bang
ed his head against the trunk of a coconut palm tree. Mano reached him as Noah struggled to his knees. Noah’s head was bleeding.

  “You okay?” Mano knelt beside him.

  “Fine.” Noah muttered. He dabbed at the trickle of blood running down the side of his face. “I didn’t want the other guy to see me.”

  “I was hoping to find you.” Mano helped him to his feet.

  Noah swiped his face with the back of his arm and left a red smear across his cheek. “I was wanting to talk to you anyway. You first.”

  “I was worried about you. Someone shot at us, remember?”

  Noah wouldn’t meet his gaze. “Kids playing around.”

  “What did you need to see me about?”

  Noah looked away. “I’m going to have to go away again. I want you to watch out for Jillian and Heidi.”

  “Look, you need to be a man and face the mess you’ve made. Quit running away. Tell me more about this casino. Who was your contact? Anyone whose name begins with A?”

  Noah’s eyes widened. “How’d you know that?”

  “I found a ring. Whose is it?”

  Beads of perspiration dotted Noah’s forehead. “I can’t tell you anything. Just leave me alone.” He tried to shake off Mano’s hand that was clamped on his forearm, but Mano hung on. “Look, I can’t talk about it. They’ve made that clear. I don’t want anything to happen to Jillian.”

  “Let’s talk to the police. They can protect Jillian.”

  Noah gave a bitter laugh. “You don’t know much, Mano.” He jerked his arm away.

  No matter how much Mano pleaded, Noah refused to say another word. Mano finally gave up and walked back to his car. Sam needed to know about this.

  Thirteen

  Gina had obviously made an effort to make her living room comfortable, though it was more cluttered with knickknacks than Annie liked. Figurines and Greek artifacts crowded nearly every flat surface in the room. Annie sat in an overstuffed armchair. She was in no hurry to get going.

  “We need to get in to work,” Gina said. “You want to let your dad know we’re leaving?”

  Annie cleared her throat. Did her boss really think she could work with everything that was going on? “I need to talk to Leilani’s friends and try to find Tomi.”

  “Tomi knows how to contact you. It will be better if you keep your mind on your work, and let the police handle Leilani. There’s nothing you can do about it. I’ve found that during times of stress it’s best to try to maintain normal habits.”

  “I don’t think I can do that,” Annie said softly. “I’d like to take the rest of the week off.”

  “Fawn’s absence leaves us shorthanded. I really need you today.”

  “I’m not even dressed,” Annie said desperately.

  “I’ll go on ahead. You can come after you get ready. But don’t be too late. You and Jillian need to figure out what’s wrong with that computer model and get it right.” Her tone softened. “This is for your own good, Annie. Believe me, I know it’s best to keep busy.”

  Annie knew Gina was probably right, but she wanted to do something. Every day that ticked by without knowing what had happened to Leilani deepened her dread. Wilson curled at her feet, and Annie picked him up.

  “I’d like you to go on another underwater excursion with the dolphin when you’re done with the computer model,” Gina said. She stepped into her slippers and went toward the door.

  “I don’t have a partner,” Annie pointed out. “Jillian still has the head cold, and Fawn is gone.”

  Gina brightened. “I could go with you, I suppose.” She sounded eager.

  Her boss took too many chances. Gina thought she was invincible in the water, and Annie would rather dive with anyone other than her. “I have some vacation coming,” she reminded Gina. “Can I take off the afternoon at least? By tomorrow maybe Jillian will be ready to dive.” She was sure Tomi would try to contact her. He needed her to go to the bank with him and try to get his money.

  Gina pursed her lips. “I’m not questioning your right to be off, but I need you. It’s best for you to come in.” Gina patted her on the shoulder. “Save your vacation for when you can enjoy it. And try not to worry. Your sister will turn up. I’m positive she’s okay.”

  Annie’s airways tightened. “How about if I see what I can find out from Leilani’s friends this morning? I’ll come in and do the dive this afternoon and fix the computer model. Will that be okay?”

  Gina sighed. “I suppose. But you need to work the rest of the week. I know it will be hard to concentrate. Sitting in the house and worrying won’t accomplish anything.”

  She obviously wasn’t going to budge on this. Annie nodded. “Okay. I’ll be in later today.”

  Her boss walked toward the door. “Call me if you hear anything.”

  “I will.” Annie rubbed Wilson’s head as she listened to Gina’s car start up and drive away. She glanced at her watch. Nearly ten. She dialed Mano’s number and got dumped into voice mail. She left a message asking him to come see her as soon as he was done. If he didn’t get back soon, she’d go see CeCe alone. She couldn’t just sit here and do nothing.

  Jason entered the room and dropped onto the sofa. He propped his bare feet on the coffee table in front of her. She shrank back into her seat. Though she’d often wished to see admiration for her in a man’s eyes, the interest in his gaze wasn’t quite what she had in mind.

  “I saw a couple of guys hanging around your house,” Jason said.

  He was just now mentioning this? Though to be fair, he’d come in last night after they went to bed and likely hadn’t heard about the men who came to see her father. But he could have mentioned it over breakfast. “Really? When?”

  “Night before last.”

  “Any idea what they looked like?”

  He shrugged. “Arabic was all I could tell. Maybe in their forties.”

  She wondered if he was telling her what he thought she wanted to hear. “What were you doing in the neighborhood?”

  He shrugged. “Just driving around.”

  Though they’d only gone out twice, he’d been smitten with her sister from the first. Could he have been stalking Leilani? “When did you last see Leilani?” she asked abruptly.

  His eyes widened. He put his feet on the floor. “So now I’m under suspicion for her disappearance? Figures. For your information, I haven’t seen your precious sister in nearly two weeks.”

  “Where was this?”

  He got to his feet with a sullen twist to his mouth. “I have to go to work.”

  She watched him go and wondered why he was so defensive.

  The cavelike structure was nearly fifteen feet high and nearly as wide. It had been formed in the distant past when lava rushed along this way. As the lava cooled from the outside in, it formed the tube. Once the magma chamber was empty of lava, the molten rock slipped out like water from a straw and left the tube behind. Leilani had learned all this from her sister, but knowing about it didn’t make the place less foreboding.

  Water dripped from somewhere in the cave. They must have drugged her food. At least they’d taken off her blindfold. Not that it helped, as dark as this place was. She shook her head to clear it, then peered around the dim tube. Tree roots hung down from the ceiling, creating a cobweb effect. She shivered at the thought of the huge cane spiders or the lava spiders that might be lurking around here. A thin blanket under her bottom protected her from the cold stone floor, but she was still freezing. She thought about wrapping up in it.

  Her gaze traveled toward the mouth of the tube, and she saw a backpack lying near the entrance. The light coming into the cave looked dim, perhaps twilight. Someone would come soon, but maybe she could get out before that. There might be a key to her shackles in the backpack. If her chain reached that far.

  Leilani braced herself against the wall and managed to get to her feet, but dizziness assailed her, and she nearly fell back to the hard floor. She waited until the spots in front of her
eyes cleared, then began to hop toward the bag. About six feet away from her goal, she ran out of chain. She tumbled to the ground. The hard surface scraped the skin from her knees and chin. She laid her head on the cold lava and began to cry. She wanted to be home in her own warm bed, to hear Annie call her for breakfast. She wanted a hot shower and a toothbrush. But most of all she wanted to feel safe and to be free from these bonds.

  A figure came toward her. It was too dark to make out the man’s features. “I hate you,” she whispered. “Why are you doing this? What do you want from me?”

  “You want me to put the gag back in?” The man’s voice was harsh. And familiar.

  Do you have any idea where we’re going?” Mano turned the wheel and pulled out onto the highway. He’d gotten a replacement rental car before he came to meet her.

  “CeCe’s office.” Annie rubbed the top of Wilson’s head and rattled off directions. The mongoose gave a squeak of contentment and poked his nose under her arm, then settled down.

  Mano glanced at Annie. She seemed even more subdued than she had earlier in the morning. “Any calls?”

  She shook her head. “Nothing. I’ve been trying to think of where Tomi might be holed up. He and Leilani used to have a clubhouse they loved when we were kids. I want to check there.”

  “You didn’t like the clubhouse?”

  “I wasn’t invited.” She didn’t look at him.

  There was no self-pity in her voice, just a matter-of-fact statement. Mano realized he had been as bad as her siblings, taking advantage of her reliability. Good old Annie, always at their beck and call. If they wanted a fruit smoothie, she hurried to make it. If Tomi or Mano expressed a desire for pizza or anything else, she provided it. She’d been as invisible as the furniture and just as comfortable. But Mano could see her now, and he was discovering depths to her he’d never suspected.

  Why had he thought her so colorless and uninteresting? She had such a strong sense of purpose and a heart as big as Kilauea. It shone from her large eyes, supported the curve of her lips. He’d been blind. Her beauty would last long after Leilani’s faded. He was an idiot to have taken her for granted. They all had been.