“Oh, we’ll be fine, Leilani!” the girls assured her.
“We can already see how perfect it’s going to be!” Kristi said. “But will you and your grandmother be able to handle all the work yourselves? The cooking and cleaning and waiting on visitors, and all that?”
“Well, once we have enough guests coming we’ll hire a girl from the village to help with the cooking and other kitchen work. If we can just get the place in shape, we’ll be fine until then.”
“Who’s doing this work?” Robyn asked pointing toward the construction that was happening in the foyer. “Not you and your grandma?”
Leilani laughed. “No, that’s a little beyond our skills, I think! There’s a man who used to work for Great-Uncle Paulo, who is doing some of that work—Kimo. He’s fixing the plumbing in some of the cottages and doing some repair work on the roofs, too.”
“I thought we were helping with repairs?” Robyn asked.
“No, Grandmother decided there’s enough painting and cleaning that needs to be done to keep us all busy for a week, so she’s having Kimo do the other stuff. He’s not the friendliest guy, but he used to be Uncle Paulo’s friend, so Grandmother hired him,” Leilani shrugged. “Well, come on! Let me show you my room and then we’ll get our swimsuits on and hit the beach, okay?”
They went through the kitchen on their way to the stairs. It, like everything else, was old, but the girls could see it was sparkling clean. “You would not believe how long it took me to scrub that sink!” Leilani said as they passed it by. “From what Grandmother tells me, Uncle Paulo was a wonderful man, but he sure wasn’t much of a housekeeper or handyman!”
Leilani’s room was at the top of the stairs, above the kitchen. It was tiny, with only enough space for a twin bed, a dresser, and a little bookcase, but it was clean and neat, and the view from its one window was beautiful. An equally small bathroom separated it from her grandmother’s room. “As you can see, there’s not a whole lot of room for our personal space,” Leilani said, “but when you’re surrounded by paradise, who needs anything more?” She grabbed her bathing suit and went into the bathroom to change.
A couple minutes later she was coming out when all of a sudden Kristi and the other girls heard her gasp and say, “Oh, no! Oh, no!”
“What is it, Leilani? What’s the matter?” Kristi asked as she jumped up from the bed where she and Anna and Robyn had been sitting while they waited for their friend. She went to the doorway of the room.
Leilani was standing in the hallway, staring into the other bedroom. She turned to Kristi and with tears in her eyes she said, “Someone’s ransacked my grandmother’s room! I think we’ve been robbed!”
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CHAPTER THREE
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A Birthday in Paradise
“Look!” she said, pushing the door open a little wider. “I happened to glance in as I was coming out of the bathroom and saw things scattered all over the floor. Someone has pulled the drawers out of the dresser and dumped them! They pulled the mattress off the bed and tore everything out of the closet! Who would have done this?” she cried. She pushed past Kristi and the other girls who had joined them in the small hall, and ran down the stairs. “Grandmother! Grandmother!” they heard her calling.
Rachel, Steve and Mrs. Manoa were coming across the yard toward the house as Leilani ran out. Her grandmother looked up as she ran toward them. “What’s the matter, Leilani?” she asked sharply when she saw the look on the girl’s face.
“Someone’s been in your room, Grandmother! They tore it apart—dumped everything all over! I think we’ve been robbed!”
“What?!” Her exclamation was echoed by the Camerons and they all hurried into the house. Kristi, Robyn and Anna were gathered at the foot of the stairs, looking scared and upset for their friends. They waited downstairs while Leilani and the adults went up to the ransacked room.
Mrs. Manoa started quietly weeping as she looked at the mess in her bedroom. “I don’t even know why I’m crying,” she said, trying to smile bravely through her tears. “It doesn’t look as if anything has been destroyed, and goodness knows, I didn’t have anything of value up here. It won’t even take long to clean this mess up. I guess it’s just the shock of thinking someone would do this to us… Of feeling a little unsafe in our own home now…”
“Was the house locked when you came to the airfield for us?” Steve asked.
“Oh, no! No one locks their homes on Palekaiko! It’s your typical small town mentality—everyone feels safe here and trusts their neighbors. Why, I don’t even know if the locks on this house work! There are a couple old rusty keys in my uncle’s desk but I’ve never even tried them.”
“Is there someone we should call—police or a sheriff, at least?” Rachel asked.
“No, there is no one here on Palekaiko. If there is ever a problem here they call someone on the big island. I doubt if they would send someone over here for this little incident, though.”
“Well, Mrs. Manoa, I think it’s time you get the locks changed on the house and start locking up when you leave and at night. Don’t forget—when you start having guests here, they will be strangers from other places and you won’t know if they can be trusted or not. You have to keep yourself and Leilani safe, you know.” Steve said, looking sober. Leilani huddled closer to her grandmother.
Mrs. Manoa put her arm around her frightened granddaughter. “You’re right. I hadn’t thought of it that way. To be honest, I hadn’t given it any thought at all!”
“I hate to say it, but apparently there’s someone from right here on the island that can’t be trusted, as well.” Rachel said.
“I know. That’s what troubles me most.”
“Well, come on—I’ll help you clean this up. It won’t take us long to put everything away, and then afterwards, why don’t we make supper together? We can let the girls go on out to the beach and forget about this for a little while, and then by the time supper is over we’ll all be feeling a lot better and be ready to enjoy ‘the show’ together!” Rachel smiled cheerfully and didn’t wait for an answer. She started picking things up off the floor.
Mrs. Manoa nodded and said to Leilani, “Go ahead, dear! Take the girls out to the beach and enjoy yourselves! Everything will be fine! We’ll call you when supper is ready! In fact, I think we’ll set up some tables outside and eat out there.”
“Are you sure you don’t need me for anything, Grandmother?” Leilani asked.
“Positive! Now run along!”
Leilani joined the other girls down in the kitchen. She explained the new plans to them and said, “Let’s go back to the Hula Hut so you can change. If we don’t hurry, the boys will be coming back before we even get down there!”
She was nearly right. Skeeter yelled as he saw them making their way down the old wooden steps to the beach, “Hey, what took you girls so long? We were about to give up on you!”
The guys were shocked when Leilani and the others told them about the vandalism in the house. “Who do you think did it, Leilani?” Dan asked.
“I really have no idea, but it sure gives me the creeps! Just to think someone was lurking around our house…touching our things…snooping… Eww!” she shuddered.
“Well, we’ll take care of you while we’re here!” Skeeter said gallantly. “My dad will put new locks on for you, too. Meanwhile, let’s play some games for now and just forget about it for a while, okay? Tag! You’re it, Leilani!” He tapped the Hawaiian girl on the shoulder and then ran off back into the water. Leilani laughed and went after him.
Kristi smiled and shook her head at her little—well, not so little anymore—brother. He could be so sensitive and sweet sometimes! He knew that what Leilani needed most of all right now was to be distracted, and he was just the fellow to do it!
They were all more than ready to eat when Mrs. Manoa called from the top of the cliff that supper was nearly ready. They ran back to their beach towels and grabbed them up and t
hen headed breathlessly up the steps.
Rachel was waiting for them at the top. “Run and change into dry clothes, kids,” she said. “No swimsuits at the table!” They parted ways but a few minutes later everyone gathered again at the long table outside.
The sky was already beginning to change colors as they sat down to eat. The day’s bright blue was changing to purple, and streaks of gold and pink and peach radiated from the brilliant orb at the edge of the horizon. A few feathery clouds had turned to violet edged with gold and they lightly brushed the sky in the stillness of the air. Down on the beach, a half dozen palm trees stood majestically silhouetted against the sky, while a path of glittering gold spread across the ocean from the sand to the swiftly setting sun.
Mrs. Manoa had lit a few candles on the table, and the flames of several tiki torches chased away the shadows that were falling on the yard. They ate in the pastel shades of twilight, serenaded by the endlessly pounding surf below. “Paradise hardly begins to describe the beauty of this place,” Rachel murmured softly.
“It’s as if God is standing at His easel, painting a beautiful masterpiece with all the colors in his paint box!” Skeeter eagerly said.
Kristi—along with everyone else—stared at her younger brother. Since when had Skeeter ever waxed poetic about anything, let alone a beautiful sunset? “Who are you and what have you done with my brother?” she now demanded.
They all laughed—even Skeeter. “Well, it is pretty,” he insisted. “I don’t want to wear pretty, but that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate it when I see it, especially in God’s creation!”
“My baby is growing up!” Rachel sniffled.
“Aww, Mom!”
The supper of crab cakes, rice and a fresh tropical fruit salad that Mrs. Manoa had prepared for them was delicious, and dining while they enjoyed “the show” made it all the more enjoyable. “Umm—crab cakes are one of my favorites!” Kristi exclaimed.
“We eat a lot of fish here in the islands,” Mrs. Manoa said when the rest of them had complimented her on it, as well. “A lot of our food is also of Polynesian and Asian influence, in particular Japanese. And then, of course, no meal here is complete without fruit! I do have dessert planned for tonight, as well, though! You all sit still and Leilani and I will go get it!”
A few minutes later they were back—carrying a large, gooey chocolate cake with fifteen candles lit atop it. They were singing “Happy Birthday,” and as they approached, the rest joined in.
Kristi beamed with pleasure and surprise. “You know, in all the excitement of the day, I actually forgot that today is my birthday? I know you all said Happy Birthday to me before we got on the plane in California this morning, but that seems like ages ago and I totally spaced it out the rest of the day! Thank you!”
“Well, we’ve had this little birthday celebration planned all along,” her mother said, “and we didn’t make too much of the day earlier because we were hoping this would be a bit of a surprise to you tonight!”
“Looks like it worked too!” her dad said.
“Yeah, ‘cuz she’s getting spacey in her old age!” Dan teased.
“Hey!” Kristi protested. They all pulled gifts out of wherever it was they had hidden them, and for the next half hour they had a little party out there on the cliff, under the stars that had slowly appeared while they ate. There was a new swimsuit and beach towel from her parents, a couple of new CD’s, a tote bag, books and box of candy. When Leilani handed her a small tissue-wrapped package Kristi said, “Oh, I think I know what this is!” Sure enough—it was the matching coral bracelet to her necklace.
“I’m so jealous!” Robyn sighed. “I love that set!”
Leilani smiled and handed her and Anna little packages, too. “I knew you would be, so I got you each a matching bracelet, too! And one for me, as well! You know—it’s the sisterhood of the coral bracelets now!”
All four of the girls squealed as Robyn and Anna tore open their gifts. Skeeter muttered, “Oh brother!” and the guys all rolled their eyes as the girls put on their bracelets and held their wrists up in the air together. “Sisterhood!” they cried.
The last little birthday gift was from Mrs. Manoa—a pair of tiny coral rose earrings to match the jewelry Leilani had given Kristi. Kristi jumped up and went around the table hugging each person and thanking them again for their gifts. The boys tolerated it somehow.
At last the birthday supper was over. They helped Leilani and Mrs. Manoa carry the dishes back to the kitchen and then Rachel and the girls stuck around and helped clean up. “Kids, I think we ought to call it a night,” Rachel said as they hung up their dish towels to dry. “I know it’s still early here in Hawaii, but our bodies are still on California time, and it’s been a long, long day!”
As much as they would have liked to protest, the girls had to agree. They were exhausted. “We’ll wait for you, Leilani, while you get your pajamas,” Kristi said. She explained to her mom the plan they had devised for Leilani to sleep with them in the Hula Hut while they were there.
“Uh, Kristi, I think maybe I should change my mind about that,” Leilani suddenly said. “After what happened this afternoon, I don’t think I want my grandmother sleeping all by herself in the house with no one else around.”
“No, no, Leilani! I’ll be fine! You go on out with the girls!” her grandmother said as she took Leilani’s arm and tried to get her to head for the stairs. “I’m not afraid at all! I’ll be fine!” she repeated.
Leilani held her ground, though, and would not back down. Finally Rachel said, “Didn’t you say there were some keys in your uncle’s desk, Mrs. Manoa? Why don’t we try them and see if they work? If you can lock your doors, maybe Leilani will feel better about sleeping in the Hula Hut.”
Mrs. Manoa hurried out to the old rolltop desk that still sat in the dining room. She dug through some yellowed old papers in the top drawer and finally pulled out a small, rusted ring of keys. She took it to the front door and tried several of them in the lock. Finally, with some wiggling back and forth, one of them fit in and slowly turned the latch. “Well, I think that one works,” she said. “Now let’s try the back door.” She went through the same scenario with the door in the kitchen, and at last one of the keys worked there as well.
“They don’t look like the greatest locks in the world,” Leilani said doubtfully, “but maybe they’ll be okay for one night. In the morning, though, we have to go to the general store and see if they have any new locks there! Their hardware section is small, but if we’re lucky they’ll have a couple.”
“Alright, Leilani. I promise we’ll try to get new locks tomorrow. If we have to go to the big island, though, it may have to wait a few days,” her grandmother said. “That’s the one problem with living in paradise,” she said ruefully to Rachel. “You can’t always find what you need here, and getting it means traveling hours by boat or plane!”
“Do the guest cottages have good locks?” Rachel asked.
“Oh, yes! That is one thing Uncle Paulo did provide for his guests. I suppose they wouldn’t have had it any other way. Leilani, go ahead and get your things and go with the girls! I promise I will lock up as soon as you’ve all left!”
They heard the lock click as they left the main house a few minutes later. “Girls, go straight to bed tonight,” Rachel warned as they crossed the lawn in the dark. “We have a lot of work to do tomorrow and we want to leave some time for fun, too, and you don’t want to be too tired to enjoy a few vacation activities, do you? I’ll look in on the guys and tell them the same thing. Call if you need us! We’re only a few feet away. Good night now!”
Rachel left them and went on toward Banana Cabana as they turned aside to go into the Hula Hut. The little cabin seemed even cozier at night with the draperies drawn and in the soft glow of the lamps. They were all yawning as they prepared for bed. Any thoughts of partying were long gone after all the excitement and adrenaline-filled events of the day.
At last they
climbed into bed. They chatted sleepily for a few minutes until one by one they each went silent. Finally Kristi was left alone, staring through the dark at the rustic wood beams of the ceiling above. Her body ached from weariness but her mind did not seem to want to sleep yet.
What a birthday! she thought. Which was better—last year on a deserted island, or this year on Paradise Island? It‘s hard to say yet, but either way I could get used to this island living in a big way! She smiled in the darkness. Hmm—love the new swimsuit from Mom and Dad! Hope I don’t look too chunky in it. Chunky Monkey! Chunky Monkey living in a Banana Cabana! She giggled softly to herself. Okay, now I’m getting punchy! Go to sleep, Kristi! You’ll be sorry in the morning if you don’t! Wish I could listen to my new Point of Grace CD right now. It would help me get to sleep. Didn’t bring my CD player, though, and Skeeter’s is over in the Chunky Monkey’s Banana Cabana. She giggled again, clapping her hand over her mouth so she wouldn’t wake the others. Ooh, it would be wonderful to open the windows and listen to the sound of the waves hitting the beach! Bet that would lull me to sleep! And it would feel so nice to have the breeze blowing in, too! Think I’ll open the window!
Kristi sat up and carefully slipped out of bed so as not to waken Leilani. She tiptoed to the window and drawing back the drape, peered out onto the moonlit lawn. The black silhouettes of several palm trees were outlined against the night sky, and the bit of silver moon that peeked from behind some wispy clouds cast shadows from the bases of their trunks. The other cottages were already dark, so she knew she was probably the only one still awake. She reached for the windows latch and then paused.
Catastrophe at Castaway Cove (Kristi Cameron Book 8) Page 3
