Black Sands

by Colleen Coble

  He cleared his throat. “Where is this clubhouse?”

  “Out by Kau. It’s a cave really, not a clubhouse. But that’s what they called it.”

  “Want to go there first, or to CeCe’s?”

  She hesitated. “To CeCe’s. We’ve been trying to do that for several days. She has a weird shift and goes to work at eleven. The clubhouse can wait.”

  “You got it.” He followed her directions and turned toward Puna. He pulled in the parking lot of Kapa Kandies. A stream of men and women dressed in light blue work shirts were filing into the front and side doors of the brown block building while an enticing aroma of chocolate flowed out.

  Annie pointed toward a gold 1987 Ford Escort that sported flower decals on the doors. “There’s her car. She’s still in it.”

  Mano pulled up behind the Escort, and Annie jumped out and ran to the driver’s door. A young woman got out, and the two embraced. Mano let the car roll forward slowly and stopped it in the parking space beside CeCe’s car. He got out to join the women.

  CeCe was not what he had expected. She had pink hair twisted up in a roll on the back of her head secured with a pencil. Her bright blue eyeshadow overpowered the pale blue of her eyes.

  “I heard about Leilani.” CeCe said, releasing Annie from the hug. “I meant to call, but I thought maybe you wouldn’t want to talk to me.”

  “What do you mean? I always want to talk to you.”

  CeCe’s eyes filled. “It was my fault. I shouldn’t have let her go with him.”

  “With who?” Annie’s voice filled with fear.

  “Tab Watson.”

  Annie shook her head. “I don’t know him.”

  “Consider yourself lucky. He scares me. But you know Leilani. She was always up for a challenge. We like big guys.” She glanced at Mano with a come-hither flutter of her lashes.

  Mano wasn’t flattered. “How did Leilani know him? Any idea where they went?”

  CeCe shrugged. “They’ve been hanging around together a few weeks. He’s part of that religious group Leilani was interested in. I think it was more Tab that intrigued her, and not the religion.”

  The Ku cult again. There had been no Ku worship on the islands for generations. The thought of it being resurrected made Mano uneasy. “Where does the group meet?”

  “I have no idea. Leilani wouldn’t tell me.” CeCe giggled. “I think she was afraid I was after her precious Tab.” She shivered. “Cre-e-e-py. I wouldn’t take him if you paid me.”

  Though her words said otherwise, Mano could hear jealousy in her voice. “You have no idea where this group met?”

  CeCe hesitated. “Well, I saw them drive off toward the volcanoes a few times.”

  “Leilani hated the volcanoes!” Annie’s voice quivered. “She wouldn’t go there.”

  “They may not have gone that far,” Mano said. “There are other places at the park that are no danger.” He took her hand and squeezed her fingers. The gratitude on Annie’s face brought a sense of shame when he realized how little she expected from anyone.

  “I know,” CeCe said hastily. “No way would Leilani go out there. But that’s the direction they went.”

  “Do you know where Watson works?” Mano asked.

  “He’s a bouncer for Shark Head Bar. That’s where me and Leilani met him.”

  Mano knew of the place. He winced to think that Leilani had been hanging out in a dive like that. “Does he work every night?”

  “Most nights. He was there last night. I wanted to ask him about Leilani, but he avoided me.”

  Annie dropped Mano’s hand and embraced CeCe. “Mahalo, sweetie. It’s not your fault. We’ll find her.”

  She was such a little mother hen. Mano thought she’d take anyone hurt or in pain under her wing. He began to wonder if he could find shelter there himself.

  “I’ve got to go to work.” She sounded despondent. “Will you keep looking?”

  “You know I will.”

  “Call me if you hear anything.” CeCe waved and followed her coworkers inside.

  “I’ll see if I can find this Tab Watson.” Mano was beginning to think he’d do just about anything for Annie Tagama. “How about dinner tonight?”

  “Dinner?”

  “Yeah, as in food. You have to eat, and we never got our dinner last night with all the problems. I bet you never even ate at Gina’s.”

  She gave a faint smile. “You’re right.” She chewed on her bottom lip, then nodded. “Okay. You can bring me up to date on what you find out today.”

  “I’ll pick you up at six.” He realized he was going to miss her this afternoon. That wasn’t a good sign.

  Fourteen

  Annie drove her Pathfinder into the parking lot by the water and shut off the engine. She was in no mood to dive. Gina was supposed to meet her, a fact that Annie found less than encouraging. She’d dived with her boss one other time and sworn she’d never do it again.

  She grabbed her dive gear out of the back and walked down the narrow path to the rocky shore. She saw a woman by the water and recognized Fawn by the bright blue beads in her hair. “I thought you were going to be gone this week.”

  “The vibes were bad at my brother’s. He and his fiancée broke up this morning. I didn’t want to hang around for the postmortem. Gina dropped me off so I could ride back with you.” Fawn’s gaze traveled over Annie’s face. “You okay? You look pale. Any word on Leilani?”

  “Nothing. I’m really scared.” Confessing her terror brought the sting of tears to her eyes. She was so tired of being the strong one.

  Fawn enveloped her in a tight hug. “God’s in control here, Annie.”

  Annie sniffled and pulled away. “I wish I could believe that.” She was envious of Fawn’s calm assurance in the face of any problem. “I—what if she’s dead?”

  Fawn’s comforting pat on Annie’s back stilled. “Why would you say that?”

  Annie didn’t try to stop the tears that began to flow. “I just can’t get that phone call out of my mind, that creep saying we’re all going to pay for something Tomi did. I think someone has hurt her.”

  “What does Sam say?”

  She shrugged. “He thinks it’s just some sick prankster trying to shake us up. He says it happens all the time; someone hears about a missing person or a death and calls and makes claims that aren’t true.”

  “He might be right. You’re just tired and scared.”

  Annie rubbed the moisture from her face. “I hope you’re right. But I’m terrified.” She hesitated. How would Fawn react to her news? She’d had a crush on Tomi as big as Annie’s on Mano. Annie should have told her sooner. “Fawn, I have something to tell you. It’s wonderful news, but it’s hard to grasp.”

  “What is it?”

  “It’s about Tomi. He’s alive.”

  “What?” Fawn’s fingers squeezed hers. “Tomi? What are you saying?”

  “That’s why Mano came. He said Tomi had called him. Tomi called me a few days later, and we met yesterday. He’s in some kind of trouble and wanted everyone to think he was dead.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me? You know I—” She broke off, and her face drained of color. “He’s alive?” she breathed. Tears filled her eyes. “I can’t believe it. What happened?”

  Annie didn’t want to tell Fawn about the Iranian girl or that her brother was mixed up in espionage. She tried to sugarcoat it. “I don’t really know everything. It has something to do with the Iranians. They want him to spy for them.” Her lips trembled.

  Fawn gasped. “Tomi wouldn’t do that!”

  Annie was going to have to tell her the whole story. She sighed and launched into the saga about how he’d been shot and taken by the Iranians. “He’s trying to get out of the mess, but I don’t see how he’s going to do it.”

  “He must have really loved this girl.” Fawn’s voice was low.

  “I think he did. I’m sorry.” She laid her hand on Fawn’s.

  Fawn gave her a sad smile.
“It’s not your fault, Annie. It’s not anyone’s fault. Tomi never had eyes for me. I tried my best, but he never gave me a second look, and I learned to live with that. Maybe Mano can help him.”

  Annie’s fingers tightened on hers. “Maybe.”

  Fawn recovered her composure. “Mano’s appearance hasn’t helped your state of mind, I bet.”

  Heat rushed up Annie’s neck. “I don’t want to talk about Mano.”

  “You never do. You’ve loved him for years, Annie. Fight for him this time. Quit standing on the sidelines and make him notice you.”

  “That approach didn’t exactly work for you.” The words were out before she could think. She saw the way Fawn recoiled. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that.”

  “But at least I tried, Annie. I did everything I could. At least I’ll never have to wonder what might have been if I’d given it my all. You have to fight for him.”

  “I can never compete with Leilani. I wouldn’t want to.” She was such a liar. Everything in her longed to compete. And win. But she knew better than to try. Leilani always won. Even if Leilani weren’t in the running, Annie just wasn’t the kind of woman men noticed.

  Fawn glanced at Annie’s feet. “Your feet are as flashy as a parrot, but the rest of you is as colorless as a mynah. I’ve wanted to take you in hand for years and dress you in the bright colors your dark hair and eyes beg for. Now is the time. Don’t let this opportunity slip away to have what you want.”

  Annie hated wearing boots all the time. Her feet had been her one vanity. Her mother used to tell her she had pretty feet. They weren’t pretty any more. No part of her had beauty now. “I don’t want to attract a man by being something I’m not. I want someone to love me for myself, not for the way I dress or the makeup I wear.”

  Fawn’s frown softened. “Don’t we all? But men are visual creatures. You have to get them to look at the exterior first, and then they’ll see the interior.”

  “No thanks.” Annie began to pull on her wetsuit. “Let’s get this over with. I have to help my brother out of this mess.”

  “You are so stubborn.” Fawn sounded resigned. “Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.” She sat on a lava rock beside Annie and began to pull on her wetsuit too. “So what are we doing today?”

  “Gina wants some readings from Loihi seamount while we have Nani here. A recent swarm of earthquakes was centered out there. More than any Hawaiian volcano in recorded history.” The women put on their reef shoes and went to the dock to wait on Jillian and the boat.

  Annie’s cell phone rang, and she pulled it out of her bag.

  “Annie, it’s me.” Her brother’s voice sounded strained. “I wondered if you found Father last night.”

  “Tomi. You’re okay!” She didn’t think she could have stood losing him when they’d just found him. Beside her, Fawn’s movements stilled, and she turned her gaze on Annie as she listened. Annie wished she could shake Tomi and wake him up to what he was missing. “Father’s fine. He was down by the water.”

  “Did he say what happened?”

  “The men said they would kill all of us if you didn’t do what they wanted.” There was no answer on the other end. “Tomi, did you hear me?”

  “I heard.” His voice sounded deadpan. “I don’t know what to do, Annie.”

  “We’ll figure it out. Come home. We can talk about it tonight.”

  “No. I won’t bring danger to your doorstep. I’ll be in touch.”

  The phone clicked in her ear, and she put it away as the sound of the boat’s engine neared. “That was Tomi.”

  “So I gathered,” Fawn said. “Is he coming home tonight?”

  “No.” Annie sighed and gathered up her diving gear. “I wish I knew what to do.”

  “Just ask God. He’ll guide you all.”

  That was Fawn’s answer for everything. But surely God expected his children to figure some things out on their own, though in this case, Annie was completely at a loss. She waved at the approaching boat. Jillian nudged the craft close to the dock, and they hopped aboard. Her cold was better, and Annie brought her up to speed on events.

  “I still haven’t seen Noah,” Jillian said, taking them out to sea. “If he comes by, I’ll see if he’ll tell me more about this casino thing.”

  The day was cloudy, and the scent of rain hung in the air. They rode rough swells out to Loihi seamount, about twenty miles from shore. No one had ever seen the volcano erupt, because it was so far under water. The USGS had put an undersea observatory called HUGO on the mount, but it hadn’t functioned since 1998. Gina and the rest of the team were hopeful that they might collect some data with Nani. The summit was about a thousand feet down, close to the depth limit that Nani could dive.

  Annie decided she should try to enjoy the day. So much of their work was spent hunched over a computer analyzing seismographs, GPS receivers, air-quality testers, and gas composition. At least out here she could listen to the birds overhead and inhale the fresh scent of the sea.

  “If we had Wilson with us, he’d call Nani,” Annie said, smiling at Fawn. Placing Kaia’s device into the water, she called the dolphin. Within a few minutes, a dorsal fin appeared. Slicing through the waves, the dolphin stopped a few feet from the boat, poked her nostrum above the water, and chattered to them.

  “She seems eager to get to work,” Fawn said. She picked up the dolphin’s gear and sat on the edge of the boat. She attached it to Nani with an elastic belt that had been designed for the dolphin. The belt contained tubes that would take samples of the seawater, as well as temperature gauges.

  “I’m going to miss her when she goes home.” Annie jumped overboard. The water was hot here near the surface. It was like jumping into a hot spa. She knew it would cool as they went down. She pulled on her mask and mouthpiece, then dove beneath the waves. The water was murky with suspended ash. The deeper they swam, the darker it got. The visibility eventually dropped to about five feet.

  Nani came close and nudged her, and Annie grabbed the dolphin’s dorsal fin. Nani drew her down toward their target. When she was as deep as she dared go, she released the dolphin and fluttered her fingers to tell Nani to go on.

  After the first trip to the Kilauea vent, the dolphin knew what to do. She swirled away, and the dark water swallowed her up. The sounds were disorienting—hissing and crashing. The water seemed warmer than she’d expected, and Annie wondered if the flow had increased. She took temperature readings and scooped up some water samples.

  Annie glanced at her watch. They’d been down long enough. She signaled Fawn, and her coworker nodded. They began to surface, pausing occasionally to decompress. Annie’s head broke the surface of the water, and she spit out her mouthpiece. “That was incredible! I could hardly think with all the noise. I wonder if the swarms were going on while we were down.” She called the dolphin to her and removed Nani’s belt and equipment, then slung it aboard the boat.

  Fawn nodded. “I almost forgot where I was. It was disorienting.”

  “Let’s get back to the observatory and see what the seismograph says.”

  “I have a feeling it’s going to show major activity,” Fawn said. “We may be gearing up for something as big as the 1996 event.”

  Jillian dropped them off at the dock, where they got in Annie’s SUV and drove along Chain of Craters Road. Whether the road stayed open was an ongoing battle with the volcano. Twelve miles of the road were covered by lava from Mauna Ulu between 1969 and 1974, and five miles of the connecting road to the Puna area disappeared under lava from the Kupaianaha vent of the Pu’u O’o eruption from 1986 to 1991. Flows crossed the highway near Kamoamoa, closing another mile of road and coursing into the ocean. The park was never static.

  They passed dozens of tourists walking the black pahoehoe lava. It was smooth and ropey and easier to walk on than the jagged a’a. A long line of lava seekers walked in single file along the trail leading to the current lava show. Annie glanced at her watch. It was a three
-hour walk, and the tourists usually arrived in time to see the lava in the daylight, then hung around to see the nighttime show.

  At the observatory, she pulled into the parking lot and parked beside Fawn’s car. “I’ve got an hour to figure out that computer model before I have to get ready for dinner.”

  “I’ll come help you get ready,” Fawn told her.

  “It’s not a big deal. I’m just going to change into a clean T-shirt and jeans.”

  “You are not! This is a bona fide date, and you’re going to look fabulous.”

  “You’re making too much of it.” Annie didn’t want to think of this as a “real” date, or she’d be too nervous to go.

  Fawn got out of the SUV and slammed the door. “I could shake you. This is your chance, Annie. Take it.”

  Muttering about pushy friends, Annie got out and hurried to the office. She found Jillian already hunched over the computer in her office. “How’s it going?”

  Jillian barely glanced up. “This thing still isn’t working.”

  “Scoot out of the way and let me take a look.”

  Jillian stood and went toward the door. “I’m going to get some coffee. Want some?”

  “Sure.” Jillian was tall, so Annie’s toes barely touched the floor. The results sure looked haywire. She suspected some row or column in the database had been tagged with a wrong label. She launched the spreadsheet program and began to go through it line by line. One row of figures didn’t make sense. She needed the original model, and it was in Gina’s office.

  Annie went to her boss’s office and began to go through the filing cabinets. Her thoughts drifted as she flipped through the folders. She didn’t want to think about her date with Mano, so she set her mind on her brother. She had to talk to him and try to figure out how to get him out of the mess. She stole a glance at a picture of Gina’s family as her mind whirled. Ah, there was the file she sought.

  “Find what you needed, or can I help you?”

  Annie turned to see Gina standing in the doorway. “I wondered if you were still here.” She shut the filing cabinet drawer. “I think I’m making progress.”