He grunted then leaned over and hefted her across his shoulder. Her head hanging upside down, she watched the path recede as the men carried her into the jungle.
Twenty-one
Deep in the magma chambers, heat glowed in a red-hot pool.
The pressure grew and forced the molten rock up through the crevices, where it found a passage along a weakened fault line. Instead of following a previous path, this lava forced its way through a crevice and raced upward as far as it could. A few feet below the surface, its strength waned, and so it waited for the necessary pres-sure to build and assist it through the last bit of resistance.
Bane had been wandering aimlessly, looking for Leia and the men who had taken her. He stopped and got out his cell phone, and had a signal this time. He quickly dialed Ipo, but the call was dropped before it could go through. He walked a few feet, but it still didn’t come in. He realized he was in Koma’s yard. Maybe he could get a signal on the tree platform.
He squinted in the moonlight, but it was so dark that he stumbled several times over things Koma had left in the yard. He got to the tree and stood looking up into its dark branches. He clambered up to the platform and took out his phone again. There was a signal. He dialed Ipo’s number again. It seemed to ring forever before Malia’s voice answered. “Malia, it’s me. I need you to call Detective Ono. Some men took Leia.”
There was a long pause. “What men? Where is she?”
“We found the treasure, but two men showed up. They took it and Leia. I’ve been searching for her, but there’s no trace.”
Malia gasped. “I’ve been feeling antsy all evening. Eva called too, all upset that some monster was going to hurt Leia. We have to find her. We’ll be right there. Tûtû is in bed, and I’ll just let her sleep.”
“No! Someone needs to stay with her. Get Ono and send him out. Tell him I’m at Koma’s cabin. Tell him to bring flashlights. You and Ajax stay with your grandmother.” Bane ended the call, then tried to call Mano. He lost the signal again. Groaning, he tossed the phone to the floor of the tree stand. Stupid technology anyway. It was useless on this island.
He saw the chest Leia had mentioned. He opened it and saw the bones. It was too dark to tell what kind they were, and he didn’t relish touching them, but he had to wait for Ono anyway. A large calabash with nenes carved in the side held some dried leaves. A cloth caught his attention. Just to the side of the bones, it was rolled carefully. He touched it and recognized the feel of kapa. He unrolled it and found a nene carved from koa wood inside the cloth. He picked up the nene and looked at it. It was obviously hand-carved, and by an unskilled hand. Why would someone use a valuable kapa to wrap up a worthless carving? It didn’t make sense.
He turned it over in his hands, but it was too dark to see clearly. Maybe there was a lantern in Koma’s cabin. That might be of some use in looking for Leia. He hurried to the edge of the platform and lowered himself to the first limb, then climbed down to the ground.
He stepped to the cabin and went inside. Just to the right of the door stood a table that held a kerosene lantern and matches. He struck one, then breathed a sigh of relief when the wick sputtered and caught fire. He trimmed the wick and lifted the lantern in his hand. Holding it aloft, he went back outside and down the pathway again. Though the lantern wasn’t a floodlight, he was able to see much more of the path. His eyes strained for anything out of the ordinary as he walked along. He came to a bend in the trail and stopped. Nothing. As he moved forward, his foot struck something. He glanced down and saw only tall wire grass. Kneeling, he moved the vegetation aside and found a slipper. Leia’s slipper.
He cupped his hands around his mouth. “Leia, where are you?” He didn’t expect an answer, but he hoped. And prayed. The only answering call was that of an owl. He held the lantern aloft and began to look for clues. The grass rustled, and he stopped and peered into the darkness. A movement came to his left, and he flinched back.
Hina sprang from the grass and began to coil herself around his legs. “Dumb cat.” He stooped to pick her up, but she hissed and darted away. A few feet from where he found the slipper, he found a flattened spot on the grass and a few drops of blood. Leia’s? The thought left him weak.
He couldn’t let himself panic. Leia needed him to keep a clear head. He took a deep breath, then another. Maybe there were more clues. He began to look again, but there was nothing he could see in the dim glow of the lantern. A shout caught his attention. The voice gave him a shot of hope, then he saw Ono running up the path. He was alone, so Malia must have stayed with Ipo.
“Anything?” he asked.
Bane shook his head. “But I found one of her slippers. It looks like there’s been a struggle here.” He showed the detective the flattened grass.
“I’ll get some floodlights strung up out here and see if we can figure out what this is all about.” Ono had dropped the joking manner. “You two used to be engaged. Did you have a falling-out? A big fight?”
Bane saw where the detective was heading. “We were working on our relationship. Look, you’re chasing a rabbit trail by suspecting me. We’ll waste valuable time trying to figure out who took her. She already told you we surprised an intruder the other night, and she found out she was the target. I’d say those two men she over-heard under the tree came back for another try.”
“Could be.” He eyed Bane. “But dirty work is easily hired out.”
Bane tried again. “I wouldn’t hurt Leia. I love her. We have to find her, and we’re not going to do that by standing around discussing your harebrained idea. Let’s get some lights out here and find her!”
Bane knew the detective wasn’t convinced, but the man nodded and turned to go back down the trail. “I’ll get the lights,” he said.
Leia’s neck throbbed from her scuffle on the ground. They entered a building, and she smelled damp and mold. The odor reminded her of Tony’s grave, and she shuddered. The closest cap-tor thrust her to the dirt floor. Her elbow struck the ground and began to throb. She sat up, and she looked around. Though the place was dark, she saw enough in the moonlight to recognize the cabin where Koma said Ku lived.
“Stay put, or you’ll be shark bait,” her attacker growled. “No smart comments or I’ll gag you.”
He lit a kerosene lamp, and the weak glow pushed back the stark terror Leia had been feeling. She had to stay strong. She wanted Bane here with a desperation that surprised her. She’d tried to be self-sufficient, but maybe she was fooling herself. Her arms felt tingly, and she couldn’t feel her fingers. She wrestled with the bonds at her wrists, trying not to let her captors see. Flexing her fingers, she tried to think. They couldn’t let her go. She’d seen them. One was probably the man who had killed Jermaine. “What do you want with me?”
“We want the real treasure. If the old lady turns it over, we’ll let you go.” The one she’d injured withdrew a cigarette from his pocket.
“We dug where my grandmother told me. You got all that was there.”
“There has to be more.” The one who carried her sat on an upturned five-gallon bucket and watched her like Ajax watched Hina. He almost had a trace of fear in his face. “Your dad gave it to the old lady. We know that much.”
What were these guys talking about? Her dad didn’t know any-thing about the Spanish treasure. She shook her head. “Could you loosen these ropes? My feet and hands are asleep.”
He regarded her for a long minute, then stood and leaned over her. His breath smelled of fish. He untied her, then retied her feet but left her hands unbound. He pulled a revolver from his back pocket and checked the chamber. “Don’t try anything, or this is liable to go off. It’s going to be a long night if you don’t cooperate.”
“No guns,” Logan said. “Put it away before someone else gets hurt.”
“This is all your fault, just remember that, Logan. If you hadn’t shot the old man, we could have found the right cave with the treasure. So don’t tell me what to do.”
“
It was an accident, Moe,” Logan flared. “I was just trying to scare him.”
Moe snickered. “You’re a lousy shot, Logan. That’s why I’ve got the gun.”
His brief smile made her shudder. She had to get away. And soon. She was fresh out of good plans though. Almost too tired to think, she wanted to pillow her head in her arms and sleep. “Please, you’ve got to believe me. My dad knows nothing about the galleon. He’s never had any interest in that kind of thing.”
Moe sighed. “Don’t try that with us. We don’t care about a few lousy coins and trinkets. We want the cave artifacts, and we mean to get them. We know your dad took them. Your family has them stashed somewhere.”
Cave artifacts? Karshmer Cave? “My father wouldn’t steal a pack of gum, let alone Hawaiian artifacts. You’re wrong.”
Moe stood and brushed the dirt from his hands. “And we know you’ve got them. Our boss doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”
Something skated at the edge of her memory, something she could use to fool them. “Okay,” she said. “I’ll take you to them.” She could lead them to Koma’s cabin and give them the old bones she’d found in the monkeypod tree. They wouldn’t have any idea the trunk was just full of a bunch of animal remains. If she was lucky, Bane would have managed to get Detective Ono out to help look for her, and she’d lead these two right into the hands of the police. “You want to go now?”
Moe stared at her, but she must have managed to look contrite enough, because he finally shook his head. “First thing in the morning. It’s too dark to see tonight.” He rose and tossed her a blanket. “Remember, I’ve got the gun,” he warned. “I don’t have anything to lose by shooting you. And don’t try any tricks tomorrow. If you don’t lead us to the artifacts, we can snatch the old lady or your dad.”
“Why grab me in the first place? What made you think I’d know anything?”
“We didn’t,” Moe said. “But the old lady is loony, and your dad would be harder to handle. Besides, if you didn’t know, all we’d have to do is call your dad and threaten to kill you. He’d do any-thing for you. As it is, we were right, and you know all about it. All the easier for us.”
She had to maintain the deception. “Smart. I admit I’m impressed. No one else has even suspected Makua has the artifacts.”
Moe’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t try to butter me up.” He went to the pile of sleeping bags on the floor and pulled one out. “Logan, tie her to something so we don’t have to stay awake and watch her.”
Logan. Leia stared at the man, finally figuring out why he looked vaguely familiar. He was the redheaded seaman who was so afraid of Hina. He saw her staring and averted his head. She’d only seen Logan standing in the doorway once and hadn’t paid any attention, but it might be the same man.
Logan grabbed a coil of rope from the corner, bound her hands behind her, and anchored the other end of the rope to the table leg. Still not looking her in the eye, he grabbed the other sleeping bag and spread it out. Leia watched him crawl into it before she shuffled around on the blanket and closed her eyes. The terror gnawing at her insides would never let her sleep.
Twenty-two
Bane pulled into the driveway of the Kahale home. He and Ono had searched the jungle until the trail petered out. While Ono went to find volunteers to search more, Bane knew he needed to talk to Leia’s parents. They had taken Ipo home with them and cleaned out the cottage.
Ingrid greeted him at the door. “Why didn’t you grab the shovel or something?” Ingrid whirled in a graceful movement and walked to the window. Her shoulders were rigid. “Bane, you’re a big guy. You could have made mincemeat of the thief. Now it’s all lost, and Leia is missing.”
Bane winced. He was already dealing with the guilt of failing to protect her. “I’ll find her, Mrs. Kahale.” He checked the time on his watch.
“Now, Ingrid, don’t hammer the boy.” Akoni spoke from the chair by the door. “He did the best he could. They’re going to find Leia. I’m going out to help search too.”
Ingrid frowned and nodded toward the window. “Looks like Candace heard the news.”
Bane stood and went to the window. With tears streaming down her face, Candace came flying up the walk. Bane pinched the bridge of his nose. He was so tired of failing everyone around him. “I’ll talk to her.” He left the living room and hurried to the door as the bell pealed repeatedly. What could he say to the young widow? The truth was going to hurt.
Candace was leaning against the doorjamb when Bane opened the door. “Is it true?” she demanded, swiping the back of her hand across her cheek.
“If you’re talking about Leia’s disappearance and the stolen treasure, I’m afraid so.” Bane stood back to allow Candace to enter. “Ono is gathering volunteers to help look for Leia.”
“Did you look at mug shots?” Candace continued to stand outside.
Bane glanced at his watch. “I didn’t see him. Ono has shut down the airports and the ferries, but the guy could have his own boat.”
“I can’t believe this. All that treasure, just gone.” She groaned. “You can’t let anything happen to Leia.” She rubbed her stomach.
The stolen treasure would have fixed everything for her and her baby. “I’ll find Leia. I wish I could say the same about the booty.”
“The money would have been nice, but as long as Leia is all right, that’s the important thing. I don’t know what I’m going to do, but I’ll figure out something.”
“Just so you know, there was hardly any treasure in the chest, just a sprinkling of jewelry and some coins. I doubt it was worth more than maybe a hundred thousand dollars.” While that sounded like a lot, it wouldn’t have lasted Candace more than two years—if that—with the cost of living in Hawai’i.
Candace dropped her hands. “You’re kidding. I thought it would be worth millions.”
“If the chest had been full, it would have. But it wasn’t much of a treasure, as treasures go.” He looked at his watch again.
“Could more of it be still buried—or on the ship?”
“Maybe.”
“So all hope isn’t lost.” Hope buoyed Candace’s voice. “You may find the real bulk of the treasure on the ship. At least we now know it’s more than a myth.”
“I wouldn’t put all my hope on that,” Bane warned. “I’d guess someone took bits and pieces of the treasure out of the chest over the centuries and sold them off. What we found is probably all that’s left.” He glanced at his watch. “I’ve got to get out of here. I’m meeting Ono and the others at Ipo’s house.”
Ingrid came to the door as he spoke. “Candace, you look exhausted. Come inside. I just put some tea on.”
He left Candace with Ingrid and ran to his car.
Move. We don’t have all day.” Logan jerked Leia to her feet and shoved her toward the door.
Leia’s feet tingled, and she felt clumsy and awkward as she shuffled barefoot through the door into the early morning light. The sun was barely up, and the light was still murky. “Um, I need to use the outhouse,” she said, her face burning.
Logan nodded. “Around back,” he said. He marched her in front of him to the outhouse.
“I’ll need my hands free,” she said.
Logan glanced around. “No tricks,” he warned. “Look, just so you know, I didn’t want any part of hurting anyone.”
“You work for Ron, don’t you?”
“Ron who?” He wasn’t meeting her eyes.
“Why did Moe kill Jermaine? I can’t see you doing it.”
He raised his head then, and his gaze held defiance. “The treasure was ours. I guess the boss hired him to keep an eye on Tony, but he had no business going off on his own.”
“Where is his body?”
Logan shrugged. “We tipped him over the cliff. He’s fish food by now, and no one will find him.” He gestured toward the out-house. “Take care of business. We need to get going.”
Rubbing her sore wrists, Leia nodded and ducked inside
the outhouse. It had only one small, high window that let in a trickle of light, but it was too small for her to squeeze through, even if she could hoist herself up to it. She heard a beep and realized Logan had dialed his cell phone. He was talking. She craned her head to listen at the tiny window.
“She’s taking us to it now. We should have it by midmorning. We had to kill another guy who was on the trail. Didn’t you trust us to find it, Mr. Westerfield?”
Westerfield. Bane had suspected Westerfield was behind the sabotage of the plane. It appeared he was interested in more than sunken ships.
There was silence from Logan, then he finally spoke again. “I’m sorry to doubt you, sir. I’d appreciate it if you could pay me as soon as possible. My wife needs another treatment soon.” He paused and listened. “Thank you, sir.”
She didn’t want to feel any pity for Logan. He’d chosen his path in spite of what sounded like unfortunate circumstances. She quickly used the toilet, then went back outside when he ended the call. Maybe Logan would forget to tie her hands again.
Blood had clotted along the cut she’d inflicted on him. He looked her up and down, but he didn’t say anything, and he didn’t tie her hands again. While she didn’t trust either man, she felt safer with Logan. Glancing at her watch, she saw it was later than she’d imagined—nearly six in the morning. Bane and the police were probably long gone from Koma’s cabin. She had no one to depend on but herself. And God. She pushed away the thought of God. He wouldn’t help her now. She moved slowly and tried to plan what to do. If she climbed the tree herself and left them below, was there any way she could get high enough to get out of range of Moe’s gun? She wouldn’t know until she got there.
They moved single file through the forest. Moe’s gun prodded her back occasionally, and Leia picked up her pace. It was going to be at least seven by the time they got to Koma’s cabin. “I need to stop and rest a minute,” she said, leaning against the rough bark of a macadamia tree. Her lungs burned, and so did her legs where brambles had torn her skin. Her bare feet felt like they were encased in cement.
Dangerous Depths Page 21
