The Secret Daughter

by Roz Denny Fox

  “Before you start going all soft on me, Jackson, let’s see if I can read the code.”

  He parked a distance from a small outbuilding. They hiked to the mill, where he got hard hats and safety glasses for them both. “This isn’t the office where we house the computer for the vacuum vats. That’s three levels up, near the boilers.”

  Noelani looked carefully around as Jackson hustled her through the lower part of the mill. “Your creeper feeder should travel faster, Jackson. If your computer has the capacity to handle greater speed, I can maximize that part of your operation. When Bruce sent my gear, he included my laptop and all the disks I’d left in my desk. I was annoyed with him for shipping so much, but maybe I should thank him.” She pulled a small plastic case of disks out of her handbag, as well as printouts, which she unfolded.

  “All that chicken scratching means something to you?”

  Glancing up, she laughed. “Those are codes to run an entire system.”

  “Okay, this is it,” he said, unlocking the door to a dark office. “Marc, a guy the original analyst trained to watch the gauges, knows nothing about this end of the operation. He couldn’t even remember the name of the company that trained him.”

  “Most mill programming comes from one of three sources. Yes,” she exclaimed after sitting down, booting the system and ripping off her hard hat and goggles. “This is the same basic program we use. I’ll bet Bruce recommended these folks to Duke, or vice versa.”

  Jackson lifted a series of black notebooks off an overhead shelf and set them beside Noelani. She clicked through several frames and flipped to corresponding pages in the book, frowning as she worked.

  Clearly growing restless, Jackson prowled the room. “How do you have the patience for that?” he asked after approximately forty minutes.

  “What? Oh, I love troubleshooting. It’s what I do best. That, and writing new programs. I have a degree in computer science, with a minor in chemistry.”

  “I wish I’d taken more computer classes.”

  “My interest in computers is limited to improving output at a sugar mill.” Silence descended on them again for a time.

  “Here. I think I’ve found your glitch,” she exclaimed after twice tracing a finger over a line of jargon in the book and matching it to what had come up on the screen.

  “Really?” He bent over her. “How can you tell?”

  “An entire string of code is missing.”

  “Like—destroyed by a virus, you mean?” Jackson straightened, his expression one of puzzlement.

  “Gone, as in kaput. I doubt it’s a virus, or more would be garbled.” She propped the book up at an angle and began typing. When she’d finished, she saved it and tracked through another ten or twelve pages.

  “That was probably enough to cause the steam to build,” she said, closing the book with a snap. Pushing her chair back, she twisted her hair up off her neck. “Shall we go kick it online again and give it a trial run? Depending on what stage spinning the sugar was in when everything overheated, you may be able to save the juice. If it’s at massecuite stage, you can recook the batch and at least get blackstrap molasses for cattle feed. How quickly did your guy, Marc, tumble to the problem?”

  “We can ask him. We run three shifts in his position. I don’t know if the problem started during his shift or the one before.”

  They left the office with Jackson in the lead.

  “Wait!” Noelani grabbed his arm. “Aren’t you going to lock the door? As a matter of fact, who all has keys to this office?”

  “The technicians who work up on the fourth level in the sterile lab, I think. To tell you the truth, I’m not really sure. Duke hired and managed the mill. He had the computer installed maybe five years ago. Does it matter?”

  “It does if someone went into the program and deleted the line of code.”

  They were still standing outside the office, discussing the likelihood of that possibility, when Casey pounded up the metal steps and stopped a foot away.

  “What’s wrong, Jackson? Nick said we had a problem with the cookers.”

  “You did,” Noelani answered as Jackson still tugged his lower lip perplexedly. “I found a code wiped out and replaced it. We’re on our way to see if that’s enough to get you up and running again.”

  “Wiped out? Deliberately?” Casey’s eyes immediately cut to her brother.

  “Noelani and I were just talking about that.”

  “You know this how?” Casey switched her laser gaze to Noelani.

  “Lighten up, sis. Noelani has a degree in computer science. You won’t believe how easily she waltzed through that mumbo jumbo.”

  Noelani held up a hand. “Like I said, Jackson, hold your thanks until we test the system.”

  The three siblings climbed up a half level to an area where all but one vat spewed steam. Jackson introduced Noelani to Marc over the clatter of machines. They discussed the valves and gauges, then Marc flipped two breakers and several switches. All of them watched anxiously as pressure began to build.

  “Hey, I don’t know what miracle you worked,” Marc said, half an hour later. “The vat reached proper centigrade temp and recycled exactly as designed.”

  Casey was the one who acted shaken. “I’ve gotta say, I’m impressed.” She yelled to be heard above the noise from below. “You saved us the expense of lost time and also a service call. Neither of which is cheap.” Surprisingly then, she stuck out her hand.

  Noelani shook it, but when she drew back, she motioned Jackson and Casey a few feet away from where Marc fiddled with his gauges. “For that entire string of code to disappear, it’d take someone who knows his or her way around the program. You don’t have to listen to me, but I advise getting someone out here to change the lock on the office door. I wouldn’t keep any more than two keys around—one for each of you.”

  Casey Devlin shut her eyes. Then, in her smoky whiskey voice, she said, “Make that three keys. That night at the casino, I know I acted like a jerk when you said you knew sugar, Noelani. Now I’m thinking, since we’re all in this sinking boat together, maybe it’d be a good idea for you to hang out here until harvest is done.”

  Noelani wanted to raise her fist in triumph. Instead, she said gravely, “I could, I suppose. Will you order a new lock?”

  “Adam’s downstairs with Nick. He can probably change the lock in a jiffy. Noelani, stay and show him what you need. Jackson and I will send him up.” Linking arms with her brother, Casey hauled him along the catwalk and down the steep steps.

  Noelani followed more slowly. Peering over the railing, she saw their two heads together and wondered if they were discussing her. Shrugging, she decided she had no reason to be paranoid. Casey was right. They were all in the same boat.

  And if Noelani had anything to say about it, that boat wasn’t going to sink.

  CHAPTER SIX

  NOELANI EYED THE MILL critically while she waited for Adam. The equipment was old, but it all appeared to be chugging along. She breathed in the smoky scent of burnt sugar and felt truly at home for the first time since leaving Maui.

  Glancing over the rail, she saw Adam before he noticed her. Still dressed in jeans and a white T-shirt, he bounded up the sticky stairs with ease and strode comfortably along the narrow mesh walkways. Someone, Jackson probably, had provided him with a hard hat and safety goggles. Noelani realized she’d left hers in the office. She disliked anything on her head, and glasses tended to get gummy with sugar residue.

  “Hey, is it a bird, a plane or superwoman up there?” Adam called out as he topped yet another perpendicular set of steps wearing an audacious grin. “I’d begun to think I took a wrong turn below. Wow, is this place a maze or what? Do people really work up here in the nosebleed section?”

  “Say again who I found dangling off a kitchen roof?”

  “Okay, but you’ve got to admit working here could deafen you.”

  “It’s no noisier than the power saw I’ve heard you using in the
kitchen.”

  “Except that’s sporadic, not constant. But hey, I didn’t climb up here to argue. I’m more interested in learning all about how you saved the day. And unless my ears deceived me, I’d say you patched things up with Casey.”

  The smile she’d withheld earlier blossomed now. “The problem with the computer was simple to fix. What’s really a biggie, Adam, is that they’re letting me work here. Jackson didn’t specify duties, but having Casey suggest I tend the mill computer is more than I ever hoped for. If Jackson agrees to let me try, I know I can speed up the feeders that send cane through the crushers. Increased output is our primary goal.”

  Without warning, Adam stopped her run-on chatter with a well-placed kiss.

  She swallowed her next sentence. As she reeled from shock, it struck Noelani that she’d never been kissed at a mill before. She gave herself permission to absorb and savor the moment. Adam’s shirt carried a faint odor of leftover barbecue smoke. His lips tasted pleasantly sweet of sugar mist. A familiar taste, but one combined with the headiness of risk. Around them forty tons of machinery whirred and clanked. The catwalk swayed. Boilers steamed. Any fool knew an operating mill could be a dangerous place, where you needed to keep your eyes wide open. Hers were closed. Definitely closed.

  Adam eased out of the kiss not knowing what reaction to expect. It made his heart rush to see her blind attempt to follow his lips.

  He covered her hands where she’d tangled them in his shirt. “Much as I hate to bring this up, we’d better go have a look at that lock.” He spoke directly into her ear. “I’m all for continuing on as we were, mind you. But if you’re going to be working here, you may not want to deal with the fallout from the interest we’ve sparked.”

  “What?” Her eyes snapped open in time to see several employees dart out of sight. She quickly backed away and yanked down her T-shirt, which had ridden up under Adam’s seeking fingers. Charging headlong down the steps, Noelani took refuge in the shadows near the office, which was tucked beneath a bulwark of overhanging machinery. “Did Jackson give you his key?”

  “Casey gave me hers. I see it’s a standard lock. Shouldn’t take half an hour to install a new one. Come to the hardware store with me and pick out the one you want.”

  “Isn’t it a case of, if you’ve seen one lock, you’ve seen ’em all?”

  He shrugged as his gaze swept the shrouded catwalk. “There are options. You may want to add a dead bolt.”

  “I’m only going to be here temporarily. Adam. These are questions you probably ought to ask Jackson or Casey.”

  “They went home. You were right about Aunt Esme sampling too many juleps, by the way. Shortly after you and Jackson took off, she came by sneezing like crazy. Considering how badly she wobbled, I decided to walk her to her room.”

  “If you and Nick brought Casey to the mill, who’s in charge at the party?”

  “DuPree. The guy’s big as a house. Would you mess with him? Oh, and Nick cornered Luc and Viv. They promised to keep a lid on things. People were having fun—no hint of anyone getting out of line. Why are you so nervous? Were you expecting trouble?”

  “Expecting it? No. Worried something might go wrong? Yes. You said yourself stuff’s been happening around Bellefontaine. But since Jackson and Casey went back to the house, there’s no reason I shouldn’t go to the hardware store with you. If you promise not to make any sudden moves on me, that is. Out of curiosity, why did you kiss me up there?” Her eyes shifted to the catwalk above.

  “You looked so kissable. And…it’s been on my mind all day. Do you need another reason? This is the first time since our last kiss that I’ve seen you without that damned clipboard you brandish like a shield.”

  “That’s ridiculous! A shield against what?”

  “You tell me.”

  “Did you ever think it might be your problem? That you can’t handle the fact not every woman you flirt with is going to fall at your feet?”

  He choked on a laugh. “You’re mixing me up with Jackson and Nick. Although Nick’s been out of the running since he first set eyes on Casey.”

  “I think all of you honey-tongued southern boys have a habit of sweet-talking your way into the beds of foolish women. I don’t happen to be foolish.”

  “And I don’t recall inviting you into my bed,” Adam said clearly, but mildly.

  That shut Noelani up for a second. “Isn’t that what you’re doing with your onslaught of kisses?”

  “I like kissing you. Since you kissed me back, I assumed it was mutual. If I’m wrong, hey, tell me to get lost.”

  She glanced warily around to see if any of the mill workers might be within hearing distance of their personal and not altogether flattering conversation. Admittedly she had returned Adam’s kisses. And if she was honest about it, she did enjoy kissing him.

  Because she was too shy to speak outright about any of this, she mustered some of Esme’s starch for her backbone. “This is far too intimate a discussion to have where staff might eavesdrop,” she said. “Anyway, if we’re going to the hardware store, shouldn’t we go?”

  In spite of the dim overhead bulb that shed scant light in the secluded alcove, Adam saw the truth in Noelani’s eyes. He’d given up on the notion of tending to his work and ignoring her. While he saw some reservation, the fact that she hadn’t told him to get lost offered all the encouragement he needed. Grinning happily, he made a sweeping gesture with his hand, allowing her to lead the way out.

  Once they reached the parking lot, she stopped and sent him a helpless look. “I rode with Jackson. Where are you parked?”

  Adam grinned again as he dangled a set of keys in front of her face. “I came with Nick and Casey. Jackson rode home with them and left me the Jag.”

  “He’s trusting, considering the insurance nightmare he outlined the other day at our meeting. I have no idea what Jaguars cost, but I’ll bet it’s a bunch.”

  “You’ve got that right.” Adam unlocked her door and waited for her to climb inside before he closed her door and jogged to his. He adjusted the driver’s seat and ignited the powerful engine. “What insurance nightmare?” he asked abruptly. “Didn’t the company pay the fire claim?” In the back of his mind, Adam recalled Casey calculating what the insurance would pay before she’d signed a contract for his services. If those funds were in question and Casey had to delay his next installment, it could wreak havoc with his bidding on Magnolia Manor. An information update said the closed-bid process would likely start before month’s end.

  “I don’t know about the fire, Adam. Jackson said Duke and Angelique’s life insurance claims won’t be paid until some sort of investigation of the crash is complete. There might be a holdup with the harvester payment, too. I’m not sure.”

  “I suppose this rash of claims could arouse curiosity at an insurance agency. I imagine Duke kept all his insurance under one umbrella.”

  Noelani shook her head. “I probably should’ve asked this already. I’m aware they crashed in Italy. Aunt Esme mentioned a funeral. But…was it a memorial service? If they held up the claim, were the bodies released?” The face she turned toward Adam had lost a great deal of color.

  “It was a nightmare, but Jackson managed to have their remains shipped home. That all took place while I worked up my initial proposal. I attended the joint burial service, of course. Jackson had it especially hard, since Megan had barely met her grandparents before they left on their trip. That poor kid lost her mom and her grandparents in a really short time. On top of everything, they learned about you when Jackson combed the files looking for Duke’s policies. Casey was a basket case even before that. But I doubt you’d believe she’s the type to go to pieces.”

  “Give me a little credit, Adam. When I met her, I sensed she was covering a lot of pain with her anger.”

  “It’s rough losing someone you love without warning.”

  “Loss under any circumstance is hard. Do you know where they’re buried? Duke, anyway? It feels as
if I should at least know where both of my parents have been laid to rest. Anela’s in Hawaii.”

  Adam’s strong features relaxed. “You’re not as tough as you try to let on, either. You and Casey share that trait, even if neither of you admits it.”

  “Jackson pointed out a few other things she and I have in common. Or are there universal reactions to birth, death and betrayal that women share?”

  “What I know of women you could inscribe on the head of a pin,” he said firmly enough for Noelani to glance over at him.

  Adam’s mind had scrolled backward to recall what losing his father had done to Charlotte Ross. Unlike his mother, neither Noelani nor Casey had withdrawn from the real world in their grief.

  “I’m sorry, Adam. I’ve reminded you of your dad. Maybe those feelings I mentioned aren’t universal only to women.”

  “How did you know I was thinking about my past?”

  “Because you suddenly got this distant expression. The same one I noticed the first time you mentioned your dad. Both times you fiddled with the cross you wear around your neck. Did it belong to him? Your father, I mean.”

  “I bought it with money I earned from a paper route. The jeweler engraved Dad’s name on the back, along with the date his plane went down. Most friends and family of MIA victims wore commemorative bracelets. I thought a cross might…well…” Lowering his eyes, he shrugged. “Uh, there’s the hardware store. If we’re quick choosing a lock, I can install it today. We should still make it to Bellefontaine early enough to help wind down the cochon de lait.”

  And they did. But not before Adam had detoured past the above-ground cemetery where Duke and Angelique lay buried in vaults shared by a long line of Fontaine ancestors. The sun-bleached concrete tombs belonging to maybe fifty families were arranged between cane fields that stretched as far as the eye could see. Compared to the peaceful but traditional resting place of Noelani’s ohana—the Hawaiian part of her family—the Fontaine crypt unsettled her.