The Secret of Fire Island (Kristi Cameron Book 1)

by Cynthia Griffith

  Kristi, Robyn and Anna scooted closer to the girl. “You know us? How? Who are you?” they questioned.

  She looked from face to face. “I’m sorry. I know I’ve caused problems for you all. You probably don’t remember me. I was only at your school for three days, and I was not in any classes with any of you. I saw you in the halls.” She paused and said, “Your name is Kristi Cameron and you are Robyn and Anna. I’m sorry—I don’t know your last names,” she said to Kristi’s friends. “You all were so pretty and popular, that it was easy to notice you in the halls and hear people calling you by name.”

  Kristi said, “I think it’s time you tell us your name now, don’t you?”

  “My name is Leilani Kanahele. I recognized you as soon as you got on the plane the other day.”

  “But why were you so afraid of us? Why did you hide—or run away—whatever it was that you did? Where were you anyway? We searched that plane for you!”

  Tears slipped down Leilani’s cheeks. “Oh, it wasn’t you I was afraid of! It was—”

  Just then Steve and Rachel Cameron noticed what was going on and came over to check on the injured girl. “Mom, Dad, this is Leilani Kanahele.” Kristi said to them. “Leilani, these are my parents.”

  “Well, young lady, you’ve really made a mess of things haven’t you?” Steve said sternly. Rachel placed a warning hand on his arm. He looked down at the frightened girl and his tone softened. “Well, we’ll discuss that later, I guess. Right now, how are you feeling? Does your head hurt, Leilani?”

  Rachel asked, “Does anything hurt? Can you move you arms and legs?”

  Leilani tried to blink back the tears, and wiped her cheeks. She couldn’t meet the Camerons’ eyes. She stammered, “I—I have little bit of a headache, but it’s not too bad, I think. The bump on my head hurts worse than the headache itself. Yes, I think I can move everything.” She lifted one hand and wiggled her fingers. She tried to sit up and then said, “Oooh…”

  Rachel gently pushed her back down and said, “Don’t try to sit up yet, Leilani. Just rest for a while.”

  “I feel a little dizzy,” she said.

  “Well, just lie still and maybe you’ll feel better in a little bit.” Rachel gently smoothed her hair away from her face. “Would you like the girls to sit here by you until you go asleep?” Leilani nodded her head, but her eyes were already closing again.

  “Mom, it’s a long time past lunchtime, and I’m getting hungry!” Skeeter whispered to his mother.

  Rachel laughed softly. “Well, life goes on, Skeeter, doesn’t it? Okay, do you want to help me scrounge up some lunch for everybody? I had the hotel pack us a picnic for today’s lunch, so we should have it ready in no time.”

  They left Leilani sleeping peacefully under the trees and spread out a couple blankets on the beach for their picnic. Everyone’s mouths were watering when they pulled fried chicken, sliced ham, pasta salad, rolls and fruit from the cooler. There were soft drinks for all, as well.

  After the tension of the flight, the terrifying excitement of the near-crash they had experienced, and the stunning shock of finding Leilani stowed away on their plane, they were all more than ready to eat.

  They thanked God again for their safe, if rough, landing and talked about the girl sleeping just a few feet away. There were many more unanswered questions about her still, and they speculated about why she was in trouble and how she happened to be hiding on their plane.

  “Well, she’s going to have to talk to us later, when she’s feeling better,” Steve said. “She put us all in danger by stowing away, and I want some answers.”

  “Daddy, don’t be too hard on her, though, okay?” Kristi asked. “She’s really, really scared. She needs help.”

  “And we’ve been praying for her, Dad, remember? Maybe we are the people God wants to use to help her,” Dan said.

  Rachel smiled at her husband. “Don’t worry, kids,” she said. “Your father will handle it well.” She paused and looked around. “Isn’t this a beautiful spot? Well, we may be stranded here a few extra days, but we couldn’t be stranded in a lovelier place, could we?”

  They all took a good look around the beach then, really seeing it for the first time since all the excitement and activity of arriving on Fire Island. The beach was pure white sand, with here and there a large rock or boulder, and seashells scattered on its surface. Tiny hermit crabs scurried back and forth, and birds rushed in now and then to peck at them. The surf gently lapped at the shore and sunlight danced off the small waves on the turquoise water. A sea breeze blew through the palms that bordered the beach. Beyond the trees were giant ferns and heavy overgrowth. It was dark back there—impossible to see very far through the gloom that settled beneath the trees.

  Their small plane sat on the beach—its white paint reflecting the sun. Rachel jumped up and walked towards the plane. “Oh, I almost forgot the dessert I brought for our picnic!” She reached inside and brought out a large white cardboard box.

  “Kristi, you wanted a nice big, gooey chocolate cake for your birthday?” She opened the lid of the box. “Oh-oh!” She pulled out a chocolate cake—the layers lopsided and falling apart, and half the frosting stuck to the box. “Well, Kristi—it looks like your cake is a little the worse for the wear after our exciting landing! I’m sorry, Sweetie!”

  Kristi jumped up and hugged her mom. “That’s okay, Mom! I got exactly what I wished for! It’s really gooey, alright! What a birthday this has been! Well, praise the Lord!”

  ____________

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  ____________

  Leilani’s Desperate Story

  They sat around a campfire on the beach that night, roasting hot dogs on sticks and toasting marshmallows to make s’mores. Leilani had woken late in the afternoon, still a little shaky, but otherwise feeling better. She had refused to eat at the time, and hadn’t said much, but now she sat with the family and joined in the cookout.

  “How’s your hot dog?” Dan asked her. “Would you like another one?”

  “No, thank you,” she said, not looking at him. Rachel handed her a s’more and she quietly thanked her.

  Kristi and the other two girls tried to draw her into the conversation. Pete asked her about her injuries and she replied in short yes and no answers.

  “Leilani,” Mr. Cameron said firmly. She looked up and he held her eyes. “It’s time for a little talk.” She silently nodded.

  “You know, when you stowed away on our plane you put my family and our friends at terrible risk.” She bowed her head. “Your extra weight, on an already fully loaded small plane made it dangerous. And besides that, with the strong headwinds we had, it drained our fuel a lot quicker than should have been. Now we don’t have enough fuel to get back to Oahu. And besides that, young lady, do you realize the risk you were taking with your own life?”

  Leilani raised her head and looked at him. Her eyes were filled with tears. He continued, more gently. “Fortunately for you, we were flying at low altitude—only about 2000 feet most of the way. If we had been flying at a higher altitude you could have died from lack of oxygen or frozen to death. Or you could have been killed when we landed the way we did. You are fortunate to have walked away with only a few bumps and bruises and cuts, Leilani.”

  “I know,” she whispered. “I am so very, very sorry—all of you. I never meant to hurt anyone.”

  Rachel took Leilani’s hand and said, “I think it’s time you tell us what is going on, my dear. Why ever would you want to stow away on our plane? Why have you been following us, watching us? What are you so afraid of?”

  Kristi said, “It’s okay, Leilani. You can trust us. We only want to help you if we can.” Robyn and Anna nodded in agreement and moved in closer on either side of the upset girl to lend their support.

  Leilani sighed deeply and wiped her eyes. “Yes, I know I owe you an explanation.” She looked at the girls. “I was telling you earlier that I recognized you right away when you got on the p
lane. I knew you didn’t know who I was, but I was afraid if you got a good look at me, you might remember me later if you heard that I was—missing.”

  “Missing?” Pete questioned. “You mean you ran away from home?”

  “Well, no—not exactly. I was trying to get back to my home in Hawaii. It’s a long story.”

  “Well, we have plenty of time, Leilani.” Steve said. “Go on.”

  She sat silently for a moment and then finally said, “My father died when I was just a baby. I don’t really remember him at all. My mother raised me with my grandmother’s help. We lived with her most of my life. They were both so wonderful, and I had such a happy childhood—even without a father.” She looked at Mr. Cameron and despite her words, they could see the wistfulness in her eyes.

  “Two years ago,” she continued, “my mother met a man named Michael Laird. He seemed so nice, and it wasn’t long until he swept her off her feet. I was happy for her at first. My father had died more than ten years before, and I thought it was time for my mom to stop thinking about me so much, and do something for herself. I thought she would be happy if she married again. My grandmother thought it was all happening too quickly and wanted my mother to wait, but just a few months after they met, my mother and Michael were married.”

  She stopped and looked into the crackling fire. “We moved out of my grandmother’s house and it wasn’t long until things began to change. Michael wasn’t the kind and charming man he had been before he convinced my mother to marry him. He began yelling at her all the time, and was even cruel sometimes. My mother cried a lot, although she tried to not let me see how unhappy she was. I know he thought she had a lot of money hidden somewhere—or that maybe it was my grandmother who was rich. I’m not sure. I know my grandmother lived well, and we did, too, when we were with her, but I don’t think she was really rich—not like Michael thought, anyway. And I know for sure that my mother was not hiding any money. I think we would have had a hard time of it after my father died, maybe, if we had not lived with my grandmother.”

  The only sounds when she stopped speaking were the call of the nighttime insects, the snapping and cracking of the fire, and the constant background noise of the surf as it hit the beach. Leilani finally continued, “My mother got sick a little over a year ago. It was cancer, and she only lived another six months after they found it. She spent a lot of time in the hospital those last few months, and I stayed with my grandmother. My mother didn’t want me to stay with my stepfather. In fact, when she knew she wasn’t going to live, she told everyone she wanted me to live with my grandmother after she was gone. She told me and my grandmother, she told the doctors and nurses—she even told my stepfather.” Leilani’s eyes were filled with tears again and her voice quivered. Kristi put her arm around her shoulder and squeezed her hand in encouragement.

  “My mother died three months ago. She died in a hospital on the big island of Hawaii. Michael told me we were flying her body back to the island of Oahu, and that the funeral would be there. My grandmother flew on ahead to make arrangements and my stepfather and I were to follow later that day on a different plane. I did not realize that he had lied to me until we had been in the air for a while and I found out we weren’t going to Oahu, but to California, instead!” Leilani’s voice hardened.

  “I missed my own mother’s funeral. I am sure my grandmother must have been frantic when we never showed up in Oahu.” Rachel murmured words of sympathy and reached for Leilani’s other hand.

  “My stepfather had no right to take me away like that. We never stayed in one place for long in California. I think he was afraid someone was looking for us. He threatened me—that I would never see my grandmother again if I told anyone what had happened. I tried to write to her, but I never got any answers back. I finally realized that he was making sure my letters never got into the mail. Even if they had, I doubt if her letters would have caught up with me. We moved too often.”

  “I was at your school for only three days,” Leilani told the girls, “about a month ago. All of a sudden he wanted to move on again.”

  “Did your stepfather hurt you, Leilani?” Rachel asked her gently. Leilani looked her in the eye. “Not physically, Mrs. Cameron. But he was cruel. He would rant and rave some nights and tell me that I would never see my grandmother or Hawaii again. He kept talking about a treasure, and that if my grandmother didn’t tell him where it was she would never get her granddaughter back. I was afraid of him, and afraid to go to the police. I was afraid they would put me in an orphanage, or even worse—make me stay with him because he was my stepfather.”

  “Man, Leilani, I wish I could punch that mean old guy right in the nose!” Skeeter sputtered.

  Leilani smiled at him and said, “Thanks, Skeeter! Me, too! Like I said, I finally realized what was happening with my letters to my grandmother. I found a library where they had computers and the Internet and was able to e-mail my grandmother. I got a reply almost immediately from her. She was so relieved to hear that I was okay and made arrangements to wire me some money and for me to pick up a ticket at the airport to fly back to Hawaii—and her. I didn’t even go back to the apartment where we were staying. I caught a bus to the airport and hid until it was time to board the plane.”

  “I don’t blame you for being afraid, Leilani,” Anna said. “Kristi said you looked terrified when she saw you on the plane. Were you thinking your stepfather might have been following you?”

  “Exactly!” Leilani said. “Like I said before, I recognized you right away when I saw you on the plane, and I knew that you had seen me, too, and were trying to remember where you had seen me before. I was afraid if you heard that I was missing. you would tell someone that you had seen me there and then Michael would know for sure that I had gone back to Hawaii.”

  “But, Leilani, where were you on the plane? It seemed like you’d just disappeared into thin air! We searched and searched for you!”

  Leilani couldn’t hide the little grin on her face. “I know. I hid in a coat closet! There aren’t too many coats in there on a flight to sunny Hawaii, so there was room to squeeze in among the strollers and wheelchairs. When it was time to land, I slipped out and buckled into an empty seat in the back of the plane. I knew you would be strapped into your seats up in front and not looking for me!”

  “Good thinking!” Pete murmured under his breath. Dan frowned at him.

  “But why did you follow us, Leilani? And why aren’t you with your grandmother now?” Mr. Cameron asked.

  Leilani thought a moment. “I’m not sure why I followed you that first night. I guess it was because I was so scared and lonely and you all seemed so friendly and happy—and you were familiar faces. Grandmother wasn’t there at the airport to meet me and I guess I just felt a little safer being around you. It was just on impulse that I got in a taxi behind you and followed you to your hotel.”

  She looked at the teens one by one. “I heard you pray for me out there on the beach by the hotel.. You’ll never know what that did for me. My grandmother and my mother were Christians and they prayed, too. I was raised to know God, too, but somehow I got away from Him. I had not even thought to ask Him for help in my time of trouble. When you prayed for me, I didn’t feel quite so alone and I felt a little stronger. So when you all went in from the pool, I took another taxi to my grandmother’s house.”

  She started to cry again. “My grandmother wasn’t there. When I got there the front door was hanging open. I went inside and found the furniture knocked over and lamps and dishes broken. My grandmother was missing. I was terrified. I finally found this note. Michael had somehow arrived before me.”

  She handed a folded piece of paper to Steve and he opened it. “Leilani,” he read, “I have your grandmother. She is taking me to the treasure. If you ever want to see her again, do not go to the police. You shouldn’t have tried to get away from me, Leilani. Wait for me here, and don’t tell anyone what is going on, if you know what is good for you—and your grandmothe
r.” There is no signature, but obviously it was written by your stepfather,” Mr. Cameron said.

  “Yes. I didn’t know what to do. Once again I was afraid to go to the police. The only thing I could think of was to go back to your hotel and maybe work up the courage to ask you for help. You were just leaving for the Polynesian Cultural Center when I got there, so I told the taxi driver to follow your van. I was hiding behind the palm trees near your table on the lanai at the restaurant while you had lunch. I heard you say you were going to Fire Island, and I just knew somehow I had to go with you to the island!”

  “What! But why, Leilani?” Rachel asked.

  “As soon as Mr. Cameron mentioned Fire Island, I remembered something my grandmother had told me when I was just a little girl—maybe five or six or so. I remember she had mentioned something about a treasure on Fire Island. She was telling me a story of my great-great-great grandmother. Well, actually I’m not sure exactly how many ‘greats’ it was. She was one of my ancestors, anyway, and she was one of the last queens of Hawaii.”

  “What? Does that mean you’re a princess, Leilani?” Kristi asked breathlessly. She and Robyn and Anna looked at Leilani as if they would not have any trouble at all believing that she was royal. She was as lovely and graceful as any fairy tale princess they had ever heard of—even in her shorts and T-shirt.

  “No, not really,” she laughed. “Hawaii has not had a monarchy in many, many years.”

  “But what about the treasure?” Skeeter asked. “What happened to it?”

  “I don’t know, Skeeter. My grandmother simply told me that it was a family secret that the queen had hidden her own personal treasure somewhere on Fire Island. Whether or not my grandmother knew where it was actually hidden, I don’t know. It really wasn’t much of a family secret, anyway. I know other people had heard the rumor of it—including Michael. I believe now that that is why he married my mother—to try to get his hands on the treasure.”