Midnight Sea (Aloha Reef Series)

by Colleen Coble

  Lani’s cell phone vibrated again. Sighing, she answered it.

  “Hey, girl. Where you been?”

  “Hi, CeCe.” She’d known CeCe would be calling anytime.

  “Lani, how are you?”

  “Well, I’m blind, you know.”

  “I heard. I’m so sorry.”

  “You never even called me, CeCe.”

  “I can’t handle seeing you cry. But you’re over all that, right? Now you can have some fun. I’ll come pick you up for the party. Brad asked if you’d be there, and I told him you would.”

  Some friend. She was only concerned about her stupid party. Lani squeezed her eyes shut and ducked her head. “I don’t think so, CeCe.” Her fingers tightened on the phone. “I’m just not comfortable in that scene any more.”

  “Since you became a Christian? You’re not dead just because you’re going to church now.” CeCe sounded disgusted.

  Lani thought of CeCe’s last party. What she could remember of it made her shudder. “Look, I have to go,” she said. “I’m just not up for it.”

  “I’ll call you in a couple of days. You’ll be sorry if you miss this one.”

  Lani hung up. She should have told CeCe no in a firm tone. Knowing her own weaknesses, Lani knew she shouldn’t be anywhere near that party. Would she always be chained to the old sins? She wanted the temptation to be gone.

  “Everything okay?” Ben asked.

  “Fine.”

  “Sorry if I upset you.”

  At least she could think about something other than her worthless life. She curled her fingers into her palms. “It’s just that I really don’t remember anything.”

  “I understand where you’re coming from. We all want to protect the ones we love.”

  He didn’t believe her either. She wished she could examine his expression. Was she imagining the pain she heard in his voice? “Have you ever failed protecting someone?” The silence went on so long she began to wonder if he would even answer.

  “Yeah.” He cleared his throat. “Who could we get to look at the orchid? Maybe we could sneak in after dark with a flashlight.”

  She knew her face had to reflect her disappointment. Even though she’d spilled her own story, he didn’t seem inclined to confide in her. “The horticulture teacher at the University of Hawai’i could tell us. She’s an avid orchid collector.”

  “Do you think she’d come?”

  “For a chance to see an Asian slipper orchid? She’d be here tomorrow. But I can’t ask her unless I’m fairly certain. We need a better picture to send her.”

  “I’ll sneak back tonight and take one.”

  “You can’t go alone.” What was she saying? She’d be a burden, not a helper. He’d have to be worrying about a blind woman stumbling around behind him.

  “Thanks, but I don’t think that would be a good idea.”

  No surprise there—it didn’t sound all that hot to her either. “My other senses are beginning to get more attuned. I’ll be able to hear and sense things I don’t see. So will Fisher.” Why didn’t she keep her mouth shut? Her tongue had a bitter taste. Danger in the dark was so much scarier.

  “Thanks, but I’ll handle it.” His voice held a firm note of finality.

  Stubborn guy. Relief tinged her disappointment.

  Ben left Lani and wandered over to the coffee building. The stench of the coffee almost made him gag. Josie stood behind the counter making a drink for a couple goggling over the bags of roast coffee. Tourists, by the look of them. They wore matching aloha shirts, and the man had on tennis shoes with white socks that came to his calves. The woman had a sunburn that hurt Ben to look at.

  Josie handed them their drinks, then rang up their purchases. Once they wandered back out into the sunshine, Ben moved closer to the counter. “Want a blended mocha or something?” Josie asked.

  “About as quick as I’d want a shot of gasoline,” Ben said. He grinned to take the sting out of his words.

  “Philistine,” she said, returning his smile. “We’ll get you hooked yet.”

  “Don’t count on it.” He leaned on the counter. “How long have you worked here, Josie?”

  “All five years Rina has been here.” Her broad hands cleaned the counter with speedy efficiency.

  “What’d you do before that?”

  She tossed him a curious glance. “I was a chemist, then took some training in homeopathy.” She smiled. “Some alternative-medicine people say coffee is evil, but I don’t hold to that. It’s full of antioxidants just like tea, especially when it’s organic like ours. Here, I can enjoy working with something worthwhile. I was glad to leave the lab behind. Why do you ask?”

  “I just wondered how easy it’s been to build the business.”

  “It’s always difficult at first, but our trees are bearing a huge crop this year. I hope to see us start to break even soon.”

  “This building looks new.” Maybe money made from smuggling had paid for it.

  “It is. We built it nine months ago and tore down the old barn we’d been using. Rina paid for it.” She frowned. “Where are all these questions leading?”

  “How well do you know the workers? The men from Taylor Camp and the others?”

  She shrugged. “About as well as a boss ever knows the workers. Other than our friends. Rina and I both knew them in the old days. We lived together for five years, so we know them pretty well. It’s hard to keep secrets when you’ve smoked weed together.”

  “People change,” he said.

  She sighed, an exasperated huff. “Are you accusing someone of something?”

  “Could one of them have shot Pam Aberstrom?”

  Her mouth dropped open. “Are you nuts?”

  “Probably.” He stood and wished he could level with Josie. Maybe she knew something about his brother’s connection to the coffee farm. So far, everything seemed on the up and up.

  “They’re good men, and they care about Rina. Most of them, anyway.”

  “What about that Willie Kanaho?”

  Josie gave an unladylike snort. She crossed her muscular arms over her chest. “He only cares about his bottom line. Rina doesn’t see it, but he’s not worth her little finger. She chooses men poorly.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Nothing.” She scrubbed at a nonexistent spot on the counter. “Forget I said anything.”

  He wasn’t going to get any more out of her. “Sorry to bother you,” he said, heading for the door.

  “No bother,” she echoed as he strode away.

  He stepped out into the sunshine just as his cell phone chirped. The caller ID showed Tyrone’s number. “Hey, buddy, how’s it going?”

  “Pretty good. Just need a little help.”

  “You got it.”

  “I’ve got a date and I need wheels.”

  Ben grinned. “Who’s the lucky woman?”

  “Lani.”

  Ben couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “She’s already hurt you once, buddy. Wise up. Don’t go looking for more.”

  “I’ll be careful. But she’s hurting now. And we have even more in common than we used to. Don’t give me a hard time. Just help me out.”

  Ben’s gaze darted back across the lawn to where Lani sat eating with the dog at her feet. He’d seen some signs that she wasn’t as bad as he thought. She was intelligent, spunky, and she cared about her family. “Okay,” he said finally. “What do I have to do?”

  “Could you bring her to the shop tomorrow at six? We can walk next door to the restaurant, and you can pick her up in an hour and a half.”

  “I can do that.” He hung up, unsettled for a reason he couldn’t put his finger on.

  Chapter Seven

  Ben wished a moon shone down tonight, but clouds obscured what light there might have been. He walked along the road that led to the Hula Orchid Farm with the wind at his back and Fisher trotting beside him. Lani insisted the dog go to warn him of anyone approaching.

  A sound cam
e from behind him, and he stopped and listened. Fisher glanced up as if to ask what was wrong. It must be just the wind. The night was still, with a gentle wind that misted his face with moisture. He turned up the lane and began to climb the hill. The wet grass soaked his feet, clad only in slippers.

  He paused and looked around. “I think it was about here,” he whispered to Fisher. He recognized the big banyan tree. He left the path and hurried through the wet grass. Banks of flowers lined the way. The orchids were hidden behind this rock wall, if he remembered correctly. Ah, there they were. He shone the flashlight on the flower bed, seeing only familiar orchids.

  He searched for a full five minutes before he found the soft indentation in the ground where a plant had been removed. The only reason for them to move a plant was if Lani was right. They didn’t want anyone to look at this orchid again.

  Switching off his light, he headed in the direction of the buildings he’d seen in the daylight. Maybe the big guy had moved the orchid to a greenhouse. The quarter moon came out from behind the clouds and cast a meager beam on the ground. Not daring to turn on his flashlight, he picked his way up the hillside. When he reached the crest, he paused and peered through the darkness.

  White orchid petals caught the gleam of moonlight. Kneeling, he touched the ground. The dirt felt fresh and moist under his fingertips. He dug out his cell phone and took a picture. The flash on the built-in camera illuminated the darkness. He glanced toward the house, a two-story that hulked at the top of the hill. A thin beam of light bounced along the ground toward him. Someone with a flash-light. He’d been found out.

  Fisher growled, and Ben hushed him with a hand on the dog’s head. The hillside sloped steeply down, and he almost lost his footing as he rushed toward the road. Glancing behind him, he saw the young boy who’d warned them when they first saw the orchid. He slowed his breakneck pace. The boy still hadn’t seen him. Ben stopped and watched the kid wander toward him. He seemed to be on a routine examination of the perimeter.

  When the flashlight beam touched Ben’s boots, the kid looked up and saw Ben. His mouth dropped open, and he stopped. “You go!” He cast a fearful glance back toward the house.

  “What’s your name?” Ben stepped closer to the boy, who cringed back.

  He gestured with the flashlight, and it wobbled over the hillside. “Go now. Hurry.”

  “Some guard you make,” Ben said. He extended his hand. “I’m Ben.”

  The boy shook his head. “Away. You, away.”

  “You’re turning into a broken record, kid. Look, I’m not going anywhere until you tell me your name and where you got those welts on your back.” Though the dark hid the kid’s bruises, Ben couldn’t forget the livid marks. Someone had been beating him.

  “Name is Simi,” the boy said with another panicked glance behind him.

  Ben stepped closer, and this time Simi held his ground. Ben touched his shoulder, and he winced. “Sorry. Why don’t you come home with me and let me fix those bruises?” The first thing he’d do was call child protective services. The kid couldn’t be older than ten.

  “No, no.” Simi tried to pull away, but Ben kept a tight hold on his arm. “Simi go now,” the boy said. He jerked out of Ben’s grip.

  Ben grabbed at the boy but slipped on the wet grass, and Simi darted back up the hill before Ben could stop him. Lights blazed to life in the house. Time to boogie out.

  Thresh stalked the windows of the dark house on Rina’s property. Someone had been at the orchid farm again. They’d moved the most valuable plant, but these two meddlers needed to be stopped before they seriously derailed his plan. But how could he do it without having police swarming all over?

  Lani was the more dangerous of the two. With her out of the way, dog boy would slink away with his tail tucked between his legs. That couldn’t be allowed, of course. Thresh couldn’t let Ash escape. He was in there with his mocking eyes.

  Could she be goaded into helping with the cherry harvesting? She wouldn’t be able to see to pick them, but she knew coffee cherries and could tell by touch which ones were ripe. There could be an accident when no one was around.

  His thoughts roved to other ideas. Drowning, maybe? A picnic was planned for Saturday at Honaunau. If Lani got in the water, she would be a prime target. But would she go when she couldn’t see anything? Doubtful. Still, the opportunity just might come up.

  He peeked through the window at Lani. She was golden, just like Blossom when she was in her twenties. And maybe that was the real reason this killing would be so difficult. The room was closed in with darkness, not even a nightlight, but then, Lani wouldn’t need it. Any day she could regain her memory. Any moment. She would remember it was his face she’d seen before the gunshot.

  Through the open window, the dog’s growl reverberated, then his nose touched the window screen. Thresh jumped back, and the dog began to bark. He turned and ran through the wet grass in bare feet. Nerve endings lit with adrenaline, Thresh felt twenty-five again. “Outta sight,” he muttered.

  Birds twittered from somewhere above her head, and late-afternoon shadows cooled Lani’s arms. She stood with her hand on Ben’s Harley.

  “I’ll put on the sidecar,” Ben said.

  Lani stroked the soft leather. “I’ve always loved to ride these. I’d rather sit behind you.”

  “Fisher will need the sidecar.”

  “Then I need to ride on the seat.”

  “If you like.” His voice held a smile. “Let me load Fisher, then I’ll get on and you can climb on behind me.”

  She listened to the rustle as he secured the dog. “You sure you don’t mind doing this?”

  “I don’t mind.” The leather seat creaked. “I’m on. Can you manage?”

  “Let me try it.” She ran her hand along the seat, then maneuvered close and swung her leg over. “I can’t see where to put my feet.”

  “Let me help you.” His warm fingers touched her ankles, then lifted her feet onto the footrests. “How’s that?”

  “Good.” She settled into the wide, comfortable seat and leaned against the backrest. “I don’t understand why you don’t like me.”

  “Actually, I’m starting to think of you as a friend. You’ve got a lot of good qualities.” He cleared his throat. “So are you and Tyrone an item?”

  “This is just a friendly dinner. I have no plans for anything more with Tyrone.”

  He shifted. “Then why go?”

  “Tyrone and I have some past issues we need to talk out.”

  “Don’t hurt him. He’s a good guy.” The bike shook as he kick-started the engine.

  His bossiness rankled Lani. “It’s none of your business.”

  The bike took off with a jerk that made Lani grab Ben’s waist to steady herself. The wind lifted the hair from the back of her neck. The bike rolled faster and faster, around the curves and into the straightaways. Exhilaration shot through Lani in a tidal burst. She leaned forward and clasped Ben tighter, laying her head against his broad back.

  The muscles in his back and waist flexed, and she could smell his cologne. Her senses warned her off, and she leaned back again, but the road was too rough to ride without hanging on, especially with the disorientation she felt from not being able to see where she was going. Her pulse beat fast, but she ignored it. It was the excitement of the ride, that was all.

  The bike slowed, and Lani heard other traffic. They must be in town. She smelled the exhaust and felt the pipes’ heat against her legs. Other vehicles rumbled by, and she heard the bells chime on the town clock.

  “We’re here,” Ben said. The engine died, and the bike tilted to the side. “Do you need help getting off?”

  “Yeah, I think so.” Her body still vibrated from the bike ride, and she wasn’t sure how to get off.

  “Sit still.”

  The seat under her moved as his bulk lifted from the bike. His fingers touched her ankle and guided it to the pavement. Holding on to his hand, she wiggled off the bike and sto
od. “Where are we?”

  “At the Harley dealership. I can see Tyrone in the window.”

  Lani’s resolve melted. She wasn’t ready for this. Confession was good for the soul, but she didn’t know if she could go through with it. Curling her fingers into her palms, she willed her breathing to stay even.

  Ben pressed Fisher’s harness handle into her hand. “Ready?”

  “Sure,” she said. Her lips felt wooden and stiff. “Forward,” she ordered the dog. Fisher led her up the walk toward the building. The breeze blew the scent of the sea to her nose. Her stomach did a lazy rollover, and she swallowed.

  “Let me get the door.” Ben’s arm brushed hers as he stepped past.

  She heard the door open, and a whoosh of cool air hit her face. Keeping her head up, she navigated the steps into the building, smelling the scent of rubber and new clothes.

  “There you are.” Tyrone’s fingers touched her elbow. “Our reservation is in fifteen minutes. It’s just next door. We can get there from here, Ben. Pick Lani up in an hour and a half.”

  “Yes, boss,” Ben said in a mocking voice.

  “Idiot.” Tyrone laughed, and Ben’s chuckle joined in.

  “Don’t keep her out too late,” Ben said.

  “An hour and a half.”

  “I got it, I got it.”

  A dog nudged her left knee. Fisher was on her right. “Who’s this?” She reached for the dog’s soft fur.

  “This is Ranger. He and Fisher are old friends. They’ll enjoy their time together tonight too,” Ben said.

  “Shall we go?”

  “Sure.”

  Lani mumbled a thank you to Ben before Tyrone stepped out and she followed with Fisher. The dogs seemed to know where they were going. They walked across the parking lot. Was it her imagination that the hum of conversation quieted when they entered the restaurant? After the host led them to a table, she felt along the chair back, then sat.

  “I’m glad you could make it,” Tyrone said. “To tell you the truth, I wasn’t sure you’d show.”

  “I said I would.” Her face burned when he didn’t answer her. They both knew her word hadn’t always been something to count on in the past.