A Walk Through the Fire

by Marcia Muller

  “No way you couldn’ve known, man,” Hy said. “She tell you her reason for coming?”

  Tanner shook his head. “She hardly spoke the whole way. Nipped a couple of times at her little silver flask, but I didn’t think much of it. Celia never goes anyplace without that flask.”

  “Well, she didn’t nip here, that I know of,” Hy said. “Maybe because Peter gave her a damned cold reception.”

  “Did they argue?” I asked, remembering the scene at Pali House.

  “No. She got out of the chopper, said hello to him. He told her she wasn’t welcome here and turned his back on her. She seemed shaken at first, but made a fast recovery. Went over by those rocks”—he motioned to our right—“and made one of my men set up that chair.”

  The chair still stood there, a green-and-white canvas sling that when folded would look like an umbrella. Celia Wellbright’s body had left its impression on the seat, and a woven tote bag leaned against one leg. I was struck, not for the first time, by the irony of how well our possessions survive us.

  “What happened then?” I asked Hy.

  “The filming started, and everybody more or less ignored her. To tell the truth, I almost forgot about her myself because I was concentrating on the crew members. They were rolling on a scene where Eli Hathaway, playing a middle-aged Elson Wellbright, steps out of the shadow of those breadfruit trees and walks slowly toward the stones. And that’s when it happened.” He shook his head at the memory.

  I glanced at the breadfruit trees, then at the heiau. Caught Tanner doing the same.

  Hy went on, “Eli was about halfway there, had just come out into full sunlight, when Celia let out this sound…” He paused again, plainly distressed. “If I had to describe it, I’d say it was like the scream of a coyote being mangled in a trap. Of course, everybody froze. And then she was up and running, straight for the cliff edge.”

  “Didn’t anybody try to stop her?”

  “We all tried. But she was running fast and blind. Almost took Eli and one of my men over with her.”

  Tanner let his breath out in a long sigh.

  I asked, “Where’d she go off?”

  “There, straight out.”

  “She didn’t yell anything? Give any indication of what made her do it?”

  “She didn’t even scream on the way down.”

  I looked at the cliff’s edge and shuddered.

  Tanner asked Hy, “How’s Pete holding up?”

  “Seems okay, given the circumstances. He and Glenna told the police the whole story of this production company’s troubles. I’d say it’s a matter of hours before they shut it down.”

  I said, “If Peter and Glenna haven’t already decided to.”

  “They’d be fools not to.” Hy glanced around at the milling crowd. “Russ, will you do something for me?”

  Tanner was staring at the heiau again. “What you need?”

  “Start getting the people out of here. Take anybody the police say is free to go.”

  “Roger.” He touched his hand to his forehead in a mock salute. There was a sarcastic quality to the gesture that seemed out of character.

  When he’d left us, Kim Shields came over. “We need to talk,” she said.

  “About?” Hy asked.

  “What I should do with the film.” She patted her tote bag.

  I said, “Don’t tell me the camera was rolling the whole time.”

  “Uh-huh. I’ve got everything on film. Should I turn it over to the cops?”

  Normally that would have been the correct course of action, but once the police got hold of it, I’d never be able to view the footage. I hadn’t witnessed the actual event, but I might be able to pick up something from the film that would explain what had pushed Celia Wellbright over both the psychological and physical edge. “Where have you been getting it developed?”

  “It goes overnight to a lab in Honolulu. They develop it, transfer the negative onto tape that can be digitized into the Avid computer, make a simultaneous copy that can be screened on any VCR. We have it back by the following afternoon.”

  “Then why don’t you follow that procedure, only ask them to put a rush on it and deliver it to Malihini House tomorrow morning?”

  “I’ll do that.” She looked around bleakly. “What d’you suppose is going to happen with the project now?”

  “Offhand, I’d say we’re all out of a job.”

  6:57 P.M.

  The police chopper had left, and Tanner had evacuated everybody but Hy and me. The afternoon’s overcast had cleared, and the sun was making its leisurely descent toward the horizon. I scuffed my feet on the pebbled ground by the ancient heiau, touched my hand to one of its smooth slabs.

  Hy said, “Jesus, McCone, I can’t begin to make any sense of this!”

  I’d just finished telling him what had kept me away all night. “Neither can I.”

  “Somebody disabling the car at the cane fields, Hawaiian militants, a body being thrown into the sea. And now the grande dame of the Wellbright clan has hurled herself over a cliff.”

  “Sounds like an episode of The X-Files, doesn’t it?”

  “Worse.” He didn’t look amused. “I’m beginning to wish we’d stayed in San Francisco.”

  “Are you?” I was, and yet I wasn’t. These islands held an allure that I hadn’t responded to on previous visits, something seductive that hinted of dangerous elements lurking just below their tranquil surface. I’d always responded to the pull of danger, and now I was feeling it in an almost sexual way.

  He said, “The other day when Glenna told us about feeling a presence just before the papaya tree almost brained her, I chalked it up to artistic temperament. But from what you tell me about Tanner, we’re dealing with a gonzo chopper pilot who talks about ghosts and goblins as if they’re his best friends.”

  “They’re not ghosts and goblins, Ripinsky. The man’s mostly Hawaiian; he’s talking about the legends of his ancestors, tales that go back to before our ancestors crawled out of their caves.” I didn’t bother to disguise my annoyance.

  He gave me one of his cool analytical looks. “Don’t tell me you’re starting to believe in that stuff?”

  “I think there has to be some validity to stories that have survived so long. There are layers and layers of meaning in this culture that’re difficult to tap into.”

  “You sound as if you want to tap into them.”

  I was silent, watching the leaves of the breadfruit trees catch the wind and play against the red-and-gold-stained sky.

  “Well?”

  “Maybe I do, on some level.”

  “McCone, I don’t understand. You’ve always been the most rational person I know.”

  “Maybe that’s the problem. Maybe I’m too rational for my own good.”

  He shook his head, still watching me. I felt a distance opening between us. I didn’t like or understand it, but somehow the effort to bridge it was more than I could summon. I just didn’t care. Not now, not in this place.

  I pictured a volcanic crater, glowing red. Saw Hy standing on its other side, much as he was now standing on the other side of the heiau. Flame licked at the crater’s edge, then shot up toward the sky till I could no longer see him.

  “McCone, what’s wrong?”

  I shook my head, turned at the distant sound of the chopper. Watched the red bird approach and slide into position for its descent.

  Hy watched it too, his gaze still and thoughtful. When it touched down, he walked toward it without waiting for me.

  8:39 P.M.

  A high-pitched cry tore the velvety fabric of the night and sounded a tremulous counterpoint to the wash of the surf. Hy and I stopped walking along the beach and looked toward Lani House. Down the path came a figure in white—a woman in a loose dress, running swiftly and sobbing. She turned north, moving in an unsteady gait, and stumbled into the stream, her dress trailing in the water.

  Another figure in light clothing emerged from the path and wen
t after her. A big man, jogging clumsily on bare feet. By the time he caught up with the woman, she had crossed the stream and was scrambling over the boulders toward the deadfall. He grabbed her around the waist, began dragging her back the way they’d come.

  “Jillian and Matthew,” I whispered to Hy. “Peter said they’re staying at the Moris’ tonight.”

  The moon silvered the couple now. She was offering no resistance, leaning heavily on him. He put both arms around her, but her feet kept getting tangled, and finally he picked her up. I could hear her ragged sobbing.

  Hy touched my arm, and we turned discreetly toward the water. Jillian said, “Oh, Matt, now everything’s really over.”

  “Hush.”

  “I’m so sorry. So sorry.”

  “It’s going to be all right.”

  She kept on sobbing, and after a moment the sound faded in the distance.

  When I was sure they were out of earshot I said, “What d’you suppose that was all about?”

  “She’s not terribly stable, and she’s taking Celia’s death hard.”

  “Did you hear what she said? The same as the other night, at the party.”

  “Broken-record syndrome. Drunks’re that way.”

  “And where did she think she was going?”

  He shrugged. “Away from the others, I guess. None of them seemed particularly upset when we got back here.”

  “Except Peter.”

  “Well, he saw it happen.”

  I turned, peered through the trees toward the lights of Lani House, then at La’i Cottage, where Peter and Glenna were spending the evening in seclusion. At Pali House the members of the crew were making arrangements to go back to the mainland. Glenna had been adamant about giving up on the film, and Peter had agreed with her. They’d told the crew they wanted them back home where they’d be safe, and Tanner had already picked up the three interns from the university and flown them to Oahu.

  I looked back at the water, watched the phosphorescent waves breaking on the reef. Hy stood silently beside me, arms folded across his chest. This walk hadn’t been a good idea; the soft night and sound of the surf should have fostered closeness between us, but they’d only emphasized the distance that had opened on the cliff top.

  I asked, “So what should we do now?”

  “Go back to the house, I guess.”

  “No, I mean about the investigation.”

  “That’s for you and Glenna to decide. I don’t see any reason she’d want you to go on with it.”

  “Unless she wants closure. I know I’d hate to leave with so many questions unanswered.”

  He didn’t reply.

  “Ripinsky…”

  Someone else was coming across the sand from the Mori property. Stephanie, jogging toward us. “Hey, you guys,” she called. “I guess you witnessed that little scene between Jill and Matt.”

  “Is she okay?” I asked.

  “She will be, once she sleeps it off.” Stephanie came up beside me. Her close-cropped blond hair was wet and smelled faintly of chlorine. Her face showed no signs of grief.

  “Jillian’s upset about Celia, I suppose,” I said.

  “Celia’s just an excuse. She’s upset about life.”

  Hy made a sound halfway between a grunt and a groan, and walked away from us. Not like him to be so rude, but Stephanie didn’t seem to notice.

  I asked, “Why? Because she lost her baby after Iniki and can’t have others?”

  “That’s what Matt says, but I doubt it. Jill never was a cheerleader for the blessed event.”

  “Is she in therapy?”

  “She doesn’t want it, and Matt doesn’t believe in it.”

  “Maybe the problem’s medical. She looks physically frail.”

  “She’s got a strong constitution, but she doesn’t eat properly. I’ve tried to get her on a decent diet and exercise program, but she doesn’t care.”

  Stephanie’s face was earnest and concerned. In her way, she probably cared for her sister-in-law, but they might as well have been from different planets. Stephanie could no more comprehend the depths of clinical depression than Jillian could understand a physically centered approach to life’s problems.

  I asked, “How’re the rest of you holding up?”

  “Oh, we’re okay. The Wellbrights have always prided themselves on their stiff upper lip. We’ve been sitting around the pool all evening trying to figure out what to do next.”

  “You mean about funeral arrangements?”

  “That, and settling Mother’s affairs. She left a lot of loose ends. Matt and Ben were always after her to establish a trust, get a proper will drawn up. But could she be bothered? No, she could not.”

  “Well, I’m sure you’ll get it sorted out.”

  “We’d better—and quickly. There’s a lot at stake here. Frankly, we could do with a little help from Peter. But is he with his family at a time like this? No, he’s closeted in the cottage with his sweetheart.”

  “He was pretty shaken up, Stephanie. And I know Glenna feels responsible in a way.”

  “Well, she shouldn’t. Mother always did as she pleased, and nobody could control her. And I’m sorry if I sounded snotty about Glenna; I know she’s your friend, and probably the best thing that ever happened to Peter. But he has this tendency to run away at the first sign of trouble, and we really could’ve used his input tonight. In fact…”

  “Yes?”

  “Well, now that Glenna and Peter have decided not to go on with this film, your work for them is finished, right?”

  “I assume so. Why?”

  “We—Ben and I—were wondering if you could do some work for us. The estate’s going to have to be probated, which means eventually Father will have to be declared legally dead. In order for that to happen, we’ll need to conduct a search for him.”

  “I thought you had that done when he disappeared.”

  “Yes, but Ben thinks we’ll need a more current report. Don’t you?”

  “I’m not sure. Why don’t you consult your family attorney?”

  “If he says yes, would you be interested in working for us?”

  “Certainly.” It would give me the opportunity to stay on Kauai longer and try to get to the bottom of recent events.

  “Then we’ll talk with him and get back to you. Matt will have to agree, of course, but I doubt he’ll raise any objections. And Peter… well, he’ll just be glad somebody’s taking charge for him.”

  She sighed, shaking her head and staring out to sea. “It hasn’t been easy, you know. All that time Peter was on the mainland having a good time and making tons of money, Matt and Ben and I were stuck here. Mother wasn’t easy to deal with—her drinking, her notion that she was the queen and we were her obedient subjects. And then Jill went Looney Tunes. We can’t keep her off the booze any more than we could Mother. No matter how well we lock it up, no matter where we hide it, she manages to get at it. Matt spends most of his time tending to her, which means he can’t keep his mind on our finances, so it all falls on Ben’s shoulders. And then Matt has the nerve to disagree with Ben’s decisions, and the friction’s driving me so crazy that I can’t paint any more.… Forgive me for dumping all this on you.”

  “That’s okay. I know it’s a difficult time.”

  She nodded, turning and looking over my shoulder. I followed her line of sight, saw she was focused on the lights of Malihini House. “That house was built for Matt and Jill. When Mother threw Father out, they went to be with her, and Ben and I moved in. I loved it, thought we’d stay there forever. But Ben had bigger ideas.” Her gaze moved to the roof peaks of Lani House. “Ben always has bigger ideas.”

  What had Tanner said the name of the house meant? Heavenly. Apparently, the name didn’t reflect reality.

  Suddenly Stephanie looked embarrassed, as if she felt she’d revealed too much about herself. She said, “I’ll let you know what our attorney says.” Then she turned and jogged back the way she’d come.

 
; I caught up with Hy, and we walked back to the house. As we crossed the lawn, I smelled tobacco and saw something glowing red in the corner of the lanai. A figure sat up in the hammock that hung there and called, “It’s only me—Peter.”

  Hy went to rinse the sand from his feet at the spigot next to the steps. I asked, “Is Glenna with you?”

  “No, she’s totally exhausted, going to try to get some sleep. I need to talk with you, Sharon.”

  “Let me rinse off first.” I took Hy’s place at the spigot, momentarily recoiling from the rush of cold water. On the porch I heard him excuse himself to Peter, saying he had to make a call. When I mounted the steps Peter was standing, pipe in hand.

  “How’re you holding up?” I asked.

  “At the moment I’m numb. Can we talk?”

  “Sure.” I sat down on a lounge chair, but he remained on his feet.

  “Ben called earlier,” he said. “He told me Stephanie was going to talk with you about undertaking a final search for our father. Did she?”

  “Yes. I’m willing, if all of you want me to.”

  “Then we have an agreement. How d’you plan to proceed?”

  “I’ll start here, by talking with people who knew your father.”

  “I can put you in touch with someone who was very close to both of my parents. And, Sharon, while you’re still on the island, I want you to keep looking into the other matter. Even though we’ve scrapped the film, Glen and I need to know who wanted to stop it.”

  “Good. I hate to leave an investigation unfinished.”

  Peter went to the rail, began lighting the citronella candles that stood in clay holders. There was a restless quality to his movements, and a tension, as if he was holding back something he badly needed to talk about. I decided to probe.

  “Thursday night at Pali House,” I said, “you alluded to reasons for coming back to Kauai, other than to make the film.”

  He nodded and sat down next to me. “The family doesn’t know what those reasons are yet, so I’d like you to keep this confidential.”

  “Of course.”