Yuletide Stalker

by Irene Brand

  “Will you tell me about Daddy’s death? I’m sure I heard details of the accident when I was a child, but Mother didn’t like to talk about it. I don’t remember what really happened.”

  “Yes, I will, but shouldn’t we wait until tomorrow? You must be tired, and if we start talking about this tonight, you probably won’t go to sleep.”

  “You’re right, of course.”

  His eyes were compassionate as he said, “It must have been a jolt for you to learn about this new development when you’re so far from your family and friends.”

  “Actually, I don’t really have a family. I’m an only child, and except for a few cousins I rarely see, there isn’t anyone. My grandmother died soon after my mother did. After that, you know that I spent two years at the Valley of Hope.”

  Linc nodded, and she continued, “And the last two years I’ve lived in a college dorm. I’ve gone to school winter and summer because I didn’t have anything else to do. I have some very special friends, however, and I’m thankful for them.”

  “I guess we have a lot in common. I’m an only child, too, and I joined the navy after my parents died in a car accident. I have several aunts and uncles and lots of cousins, but we don’t keep in touch. My fault, not theirs.”

  Stifling another yawn, Maddie said, “Because I don’t have any home ties, I do appreciate this invitation to visit you. Christmas has always been a sad time for me, so I’m determined to enjoy myself while I’m here despite this disturbing news, which may concern Daddy.”

  Linc squeezed her hand gently.

  “Hey, I’m a loner, too,” he said with a gentle smile. “The pleasure is mine. You’re going to keep me from being lonely this Christmas.” Tugging gently on her hair, he laughed and said, “Once you get used to the angels in the nativity scenes wearing leis instead of halos, you’ll enjoy Christmas in Hawaii.”

  Maddie stood in the door and watched Linc’s long stride as he returned to the house. His last words sounded as if he was speaking to a child. Why did that annoy her?

  THREE

  After the long flight, Maddie had expected to fall asleep quickly. The bed was comfortable, the room was cool, and she was irritated when she flounced until the covers resembled a war zone. She couldn’t stop thinking about Linc. The affection she’d harbored for him since she’d first met him had been like a child’s security blanket. Following the death of her father, she’d needed a physical reminder to keep his memory alive in her heart and mind. Linc had been that reminder.

  During her teen years, after her mother had gotten ill, she’d also needed an anchor, and Linc’s memory had provided that. Thinking of Linc as her special friend had helped her bear the loss of both parents. Although their contact had been infrequent, she’d remembered him in her heart as a sort of knight in shining armor. She had imagined him to be all that was good, noble and caring. How did the Linc she’d met today measure up to her dream man?

  Maddie groaned, turned on her stomach and buried her head in the pillow. Linc was even more charming than she had ever imagined. Would spending a month with him bring her a lot of grief? He obviously thought of her as a child. And what about his relationship with Ahonui? If she allowed herself to fall in love with Linc, would she go home with a broken heart?

  Tears stained the pillow before Maddie finally fell sleep, but she awakened at daylight. She showered and dressed for the day in jeans and a blue-and-white stripped tunic-length cotton shirt. Since her fair skin burned easily, she thought the cuffed three-quarter-length sleeves would be helpful. The shirttail hem allowed the blouse to hang loosely about her hips. She put on the sandals she’d worn yesterday. She hadn’t brought many clothes, because she hoped to buy a few locally made garments.

  Linc hadn’t said what time Roselina served breakfast, but since it wasn’t yet seven o’clock, she walked to the beach. The tide was out, and she picked up several small shells to take to her friend Lucy. She stepped out of her shoes to test the temperature of the water. It was cool, but not too cold, and she thought she could easily swim each morning.

  Hearing a sound behind her, Maddie turned and waved to Linc, who walked toward her. He wore white walking shorts and a red knit shirt. Her heart fluttered like a leaf caught in a strong wind, and this reaction to Linc’s appearance irritated her. What had happened to her common sense?

  “You’re up early,” he said.

  “I couldn’t sleep. My mind and body are still operating on Eastern Standard Time.”

  “That happens sometimes,” he said. “It will take a day or two for you to get over jet lag.”

  Laughing up at him, Maddie said, “I didn’t realize what jet lag was until I woke up before dawn this morning.”

  “Ready for breakfast?” Linc said. “Roselina has everything prepared. I have a full day planned for you.”

  “Such as?”

  “Since you want to research World War II in Hawaii, I’ll take you to the Punch Bowl Cemetery to see the memorial to the men who died in that war. We’ll also go to Pearl Harbor and visit the USS Arizona memorial. After you get a general view of these historic places, you can do more detailed research if you like.”

  “I’m planning to collect books and pamphlets, as well as take pictures. I brought some disposable cameras with me.”

  Roselina served breakfast on the patio. In the distance, large ships plied the open waters of the Pacific. Palm trees along the coast swayed like ballerinas in the mild breeze. Sun had warmed the air, but the breeze had a cooling effect.

  Sipping on a glass of pineapple juice, Maddie said, “This can’t be me—Maddie Horton—in paradise. We’d already had snow and some zero temperatures before I left home. Pinch me so I can tell if I’m dreaming.”

  Playfully, Linc reached across the table and pinched her arm lightly. It was a simple gesture, but an electrifying one. Blue eyes looked into gray ones, and for a moment the universe seemed to stand still, as if they were seeing each other for the first time.

  Coming out on the patio with a tray, Roselina said, “Here’s a—” She stopped abruptly. But her words had broken the spell. Linc shook his head and felt his face reddening as he expelled the breath he’d been holding. Maddie clutched a napkin in her hands and looked away.

  Groaning inwardly, Linc wondered how to deal with the unbidden emotion that had suddenly filled his heart. If he thought the attraction was one-sided, it would be easier, but he was convinced that Maddie had experienced a similar reaction. He would have to keep reminding her and himself of the eleven years difference in their ages.

  He turned to Roselina who stared at him—speechless for a change. Clearing his throat, he said, “Are you going to keep us in suspense? Have you made one of your special omelets?”

  “Of course, Mr. Linc! Special food for a special guest.”

  She took the lid off the serving dish and swept the tempting omelet onto the table between them. “You like omelets, Miss Maddie?”

  “I’ve bought them in restaurants lots of times. I’ve never eaten a homemade one.”

  “Then you’re in for a treat,” Linc said. The difficult moment passed, but it wasn’t forgotten by any of them.

  After they finished the meal, Linc pushed back from the table and propped his right ankle on the opposite knee. Roselina poured another cup of coffee for him and brought hot tea for Maddie. Preparing a cup of tea for herself, she joined them at the table.

  “This is as good a time as any to tell you what I know about your father’s death,” Linc said. “He was sent to Hawaii on a short-term assignment to test a new plane the navy wanted to purchase. While he was here, he investigated and brought about the arrest of some Hawaiian employees who were stealing military supplies and technology and selling them to foreign governments.”

  Shocked at this disclosure, Maddie gasped, “I’ve never heard that. I’m sure Mother didn’t tell me.”

  “She probably didn’t want to worry you,” Roselina said. “Mothers are like that.”

  W
ith a somber face, Linc continued, “A father and two sons were involved in the theft. The father was killed resisting arrest at the time. The sons were imprisoned, but they escaped from prison a few days ago. The oldest son was recaptured and died from wounds he’d received while trying to escape. Before he died he confessed that he’d been involved in the death of Commander Horton. He’s a member of an ancient Polynesian cult that practice ‘a life for a life’ religion. To his way of thinking, Stanley Horton had caused his father’s death, so he sabotaged the plane Stanley was flying.”

  “That’s sounds medieval,” Maddie said, shocked. “I didn’t know anything like that went on anymore.”

  “Not many people in the islands hold to the old ways, but there are a few. The police think the other escapee was injured, but he hasn’t been captured yet.” Getting up from the table, he reached his right hand to Maddie. “Don’t think about it. Let’s get started so you can see Honolulu.”

  But he wasn’t sure he wanted Honolulu to see her. Well rested, she was even lovelier than she’d been when she’d arrived yesterday.

  Since they had two hours before they could enter the Pearl Harbor memorial, he drove to the Punch Bowl Cemetery. Maddie took several photos of the whole area and close-up shots of the towering memorial to World War II veterans.

  A motor launch quickly took them from the mainland to the site of the USS Arizona. Maddie’s lips trembled and tears misted her eyes as she looked at the pieces of the ship still visible through the waters after more than fifty years. She scanned the long list of those entombed in the wreckage during the air raid that had plunged the United States into World War II. The deaths of these servicemen made more vivid poignant memories of her own father’s death.

  Linc had been aware of the sadness Maddie was experiencing. When they returned to the launch to take them back to the main island, tears slowly slid down her cheeks. He wiped them away with his handkerchief, and throwing caution to the wind, he put his arm around her. She leaned her head on his shoulder. When they reached the dock, she looked up at him with grateful eyes. “Thanks,” she said, and he squeezed her hand as he helped her out of the boat.

  “I’m not sure I can write a paper on this subject,” she said. “It’s such a sad chapter in the history of our country, I don’t know if I can deal with it.”

  “Don’t make up your mind now. Every war has had its tragedies. Too bad nations can’t learn to live in peace.”

  He left the parking lot and turned toward the city of Honolulu, thinking it was time for Maddie’s mind to be diverted from the horrors of war. She’d had enough tragedy in her young life. Had he made a mistake to take her to the war memorials before she saw the lighter side of Hawaii?

  Maddie had heard of Waikiki Beach all of her life, and when she knew she’d be coming to visit Linc, she’d rented a travel video about the beaches of Hawaii. But the film hadn’t prepared her for the beauty of this area—the tall, swaying palm trees, the wide sandy beach, the sun shimmering on the tranquil water.

  They accessed the beach on the western end, and the first thing to catch her eye was Diamond Head a few miles down the coast. Then she looked seaward at the blue, placid Pacific where people were swimming, surfboarding or riding in outrigger canoes. Others lay on the beach under tents, and numerous visitors sunbathed in lounge chairs.

  “Oh, I love it! I love it!” Maddie said. “Makes me wish I lived near an ocean. I can see I’ve missed a lot of fun things.”

  It seemed natural for them to hold hands as they strolled along the walkway.

  “I’ll see that you experience Hawaii to the fullest before you go home.”

  So intent was Maddie on looking at everything, she didn’t notice the frequent stares of the men along the walkway. But Linc noticed, and he didn’t appreciate their attention.

  When they approached a man holding two gaily plumaged birds, Linc asked, “Do you want to have your picture taken with one of the birds?”

  Maddie nodded and her eyes gleamed with excitement when the man placed one of the birds on her shoulder.

  “How about you, sir?” he said. “Get in the picture.” Linc held out his arm and the other bird perched on it. “Stand close to the young lady.”

  The man snapped two pictures on his instant camera, and when they developed he handed them to Maddie for viewing.

  “Do you like them?” Linc asked.

  Maddie didn’t like the tense expression in her eyes—just as the man had snapped the picture, the bird had squeezed her ear with his beak. Surprise shone from her eyes, and her body was tense—as if she was ready to jump out of her skin. But Linc’s picture was perfect. “Yes,” she said. “They will make good souvenirs.” She would have that picture to add to the other one she’d had for years.

  Linc handed the man a ten-dollar bill, and Maddie held the still-moist pictures carefully as they went on their way.

  They bought colas and hot dogs and ate in a picnic shelter that faced the water. Maddie purchased postcards to send to Miss Caroline and her friends, Lucy Harrison and Janice Reid. Linc rented two beach chairs under an umbrella made of dried palm leaves, and while she wrote to her friends, he dozed in the shade. She’d never felt more at peace with the world.

  “Tell me about your restaurants,” Maddie said when she finished her cards and put them in her tote bag.

  “I have one on each of the four major islands,” he said. “Eight years ago, I started with a small restaurant here in Honolulu and expanded it over the next two years. When that business was paid for, I started a restaurant on Maui, which also became successful. Over the next two years I opened restaurants on Hawaii and Kauai. It’s been a slow process, but I didn’t have much money to start with.”

  “Are you through expanding?”

  “I’m in the process of opening another restaurant here in Honolulu.”

  “What kind of restaurants?”

  “They’re called Everyday Luau. Luaus are big tourist attractions in Hawaii, but expensive. My restaurants have all of the qualities of a luau, but on a smaller scale, and at much less cost.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “We serve the same foods available at a luau. There’s a nightly entertainment of traditional Hawaiian music. Each restaurant has a gift shop stocking Hawaiian gift items usually found at luaus. You’ll see what I mean tonight. We’re eating dinner at the Everyday Luau a few blocks from here.”

  Maddie looked down at her casual clothes. “Dressed like this?”

  “Sure. We’ve created an outdoor atmosphere inside the restaurants. There will be more guests in shorts and jeans than dresses and sport coats.”

  “It sounds like fun.”

  “I think so,” Linc said.

  But Linc’s explanation hadn’t prepared Maddie for the romantic atmosphere of Everyday Luau. The exterior of the metal building located several blocks from downtown Honolulu wasn’t impressive. As she stepped inside, however, Maddie felt as if she’d entered a beach resort. She stopped, awestruck, inside the front door and looked with wondering eyes.

  Wall hangings of the ocean and beach, as well as several live palm trees, presented an outdoor atmosphere. The sound of a teeming ocean filtered through the speaker system. Chinese lanterns hung from the ceiling giving out a dim light. The waitresses were dressed in identical gaily flowered muumuus. The waiters’ shirts matched the dresses.

  When she commented on the garments, Linc said, “They have different costumes for each night of the week.”

  Linc always enjoyed bringing guests to experience the uniqueness of his restaurants, but he’d never been more interested in anyone’s reaction than he was in Maddie’s.

  “We’ll have to take our seats,” he said, and she followed the waitress to a table for two beneath a palm tree on a raised platform. Their chairs faced the stage and commanded a sweeping view of the restaurant.

  Buffet centers were located throughout the room.

  The waitress brought water and took their orders
for other beverages. Traditional music filtered quietly around them. The lights faded into semidarkness, and a hush fell over the restaurant. Suddenly two torchbearers ran through the room lighting the tall piers that blazed brightly, illuminating the interior.

  “Actually, this is a symbolic ritual,” Linc whispered. “We can’t have open flames inside the building. The torches themselves are electric.”

  “But it’s so beautiful. And you have four of these restaurants!”

  “Yes, but this one is the largest.”

  Kalua pork, the featured meat of early luaus, graced the buffet tables, along with chicken and long rice, salmon, all kinds of vegetables, salads and desserts. Several of the items Maddie took on her plate were unusual. She didn’t always know what she was eating, but the food was delicious. She especially liked coconut bread. She sipped slowly a glass of chilled coconut milk that Linc had added for the Christmas season as a special tribute to the Europeans who had first observed Christmas in the islands.

  “I could soon get used to this kind of living,” she said to Linc when she took the last bite of rhubarb angel food cake. “Thanks again for inviting me to visit you. I’m learning a whole new way of life. We lived on the naval base in San Diego when I was a child. That’s the farthest I’ve been away from my birthplace.”

  “Your father was stationed at San Diego when I enlisted, and I was really pleased when he was transferred to Hawaii. If he had stayed here, he intended to bring you and your mother.”

  “Unfortunately, Mother wasn’t a good serviceman’s wife. She didn’t like the restrictions of a naval base, and I doubt if she would have left her parents to move to Hawaii.”

  Suddenly, Maddie felt uneasy. She looked around and saw a husky Hawaiian staring at her with bold, malicious eyes. He dodged behind a palm tree and chills chased up Maddie’s spine. She wanted to think he’d been staring at someone else, but she knew there wasn’t another table behind them.