Yuletide Stalker

by Irene Brand

  Linc noted Maddie’s change of expression, and he figured she was saddened by thoughts of her father’s death. He welcomed the flickering lights indicating the start of the evening’s entertainment.

  The current program illustrated the crafts and culture of several islands making up the Polynesian group. Interspersed with the music was a demonstration of the making of tapa cloth from mulberry bark. Tonga Fire came alive as a Samoan rubbed sticks together. Natives from New Zealand acted out one of their ancestral legends. Hawaiian girls demonstrated the hula dance.

  The hour-long show closed when one man and two women accompanied themselves on a guitar and two ukuleles to sing a medley of hymns. Their closing number, “God Be With You Till We Meet Again” brought tears to Maddie’s eyes.

  The restaurant presented a different entertainment each night of the week, but Linc was familiar with them, and he watched Maddie rather than the show. He didn’t have to ask if she liked the program. Her expression changed from interest, to delight, to awe, to pleasure. She had seen so little of the world. What would it be like to guide her as she visited other cultures?

  Clutching a cloth to his bleeding side, Kamu struggled up the steep incline and fell face forward on the stone step of the secluded cabin that had been his refuge for the past two weeks. His race was run, and his heart was heavy because he had failed to avenge the deaths of the other male members of his family. He faced eternity without hope because he hadn’t kept faith with his ancestors.

  An hour later, Edena stumbled over the body of her twin brother as she started into the cabin. As hefty as her brother, Edena had no trouble lifting him. She carried the last remaining male member of her family carefully into the cabin and laid him on the narrow cot. When she peeled back Kamu’s shirt, blood spurted from the wound he’d received when he escaped from prison. She heated some water and although her hands probed gently when she removed the blood-soaked bandage, Kamu groaned and his eyes opened.

  “Sister,” he whispered, and his eyes brightened. “I will not have to die alone.”

  “You shall not die,” she said. “Aumakua will not permit it.”

  Kamu shook his head wearily. “Our god, Aumakua, does not listen to me now. I’m the only one left, and I have failed to honor my forebears. Give me a knife. If I die by my own hand, it will suffice.”

  Edena stretched herself to her full five-feet-five-inches height, pounded herself on the chest and said haughtily, “You forget me. I am willing to carry on the family honor.”

  “But you’re a woman. That will shame me.”

  “Then I will become a man—at least part of the time. Rest in peace, Kamu.”

  Throughout the remainder of the night, Edena sat beside her brother, holding his hand as he slowly and painfully died. Her thoughts were not so much on her brother as on Stanley Horton, who had brought tragedy to her family. It had started when Horton had discovered their crime. One by one, she’d seen her family taken from her. Someone must pay.

  When her brother died at last, Edena wept and mourned audibly for hours. As the day dawned, she stood before a small cracked mirror and with a small hammer, knocked out one of her front teeth—a custom of bereavement in her family.

  With blood spilling from her mouth, she shouldered her brother’s body and walked up a rugged mountain to the secret family burial cave. She attached a rope to the joints of his legs, put the rope behind his neck and tightened the rope until his knees touched his chest. She wrapped the flexed body in a coarse cloth and placed the rounded package on a shelf in the cave. She laid her hand on the body of her twin and muttered, alternating from her native language to English, “He ola na he ola—a life for a life.”

  She passed by the interment alcoves of the other members of the family. When she touched each bundle, she muttered, “A life for a life—I will avenge.”

  Edena carefully parted the brushy covering before she stepped out of the cave. A bitter smile twisted her lips as she plodded down the mountain, never doubting that she would be victorious in her vengeance.

  FOUR

  Whether it was the strenuous, fun-filled day she’d enjoyed on Saturday, or whether her body was adjusting to the time change, Maddie woke on Sunday morning feeling rested and at peace with the world. Roselina had said that she always slept in on Sunday morning, so Maddie checked the clock and knew that she had time for a dip in the Pacific.

  She put on the white, skirted tank suit she’d bought on sale in September, never realizing then that she’d be in Hawaii when she wore it. She wrapped herself in a terry robe and slipped her feet into a pair of leather scuffs. She put her Bible in her tote bag, intending to have her morning devotions on the beach. Taking a large towel from the bathroom, she walked toward the water.

  The sun filtered through the slight haze hovering over the water. A gray bird with white feathers below its wings flew along the shoreline. Linc had identified several of the native birds when they walked along Waikiki yesterday. Maddie recognized this one as a sooty tern.

  The ocean breeze was cool, but invigorating. She spread the towel beside the water, took off her shoes and sat on the towel close enough to the ocean to invite an occasional wave to splash over her feet. She opened her Bible to the book of Psalms. When Maddie worshipped outdoors, her thoughts always turned to the writings of David. It seemed strange to her that although he’d lived in an arid environment, the psalmist had an acute comprehension of the ocean.

  Reading aloud, she used the words of David from Psalm 104 for her morning prayer.

  “‘O Lord, how manifold are Thy works! In wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of Thy riches. So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts. There go the ships; there is that leviathan, whom Thou hast made to play therein. These wait upon Thee.’”

  When Linc had taken her on the submarine tour off Waikiki Beach yesterday, she’d marveled at the vast number of fish populating the ocean. How had the psalmist known that?

  Taking off her robe, Maddie walked carefully into the waves, but the water was cooler than she’d thought, and she didn’t tarry long. She’d been too sleepy last night when they’d gotten home to ask Linc about a church, but she was eager to attend worship services. She returned to the cottage, showered and dressed for the day in a pastel blue skirt set. The calf-length print skirt had dark blue and white flowers, and the short-sleeved cotton sweater hung below her waist. The outfit appeared to add height to her body. She had been extremely conscious of her petite figure when she’d walked beside Linc and Ahonui.

  Linc had been sitting on the glass-enclosed balcony on the second floor when Maddie walked to the beach. For a moment he was tempted to join her, but considering the emotions she’d stirred in his heart, he knew it was wise for them to do their swimming separately. He got up from his chair immediately, because he didn’t want Maddie to see him and think he was spying on her. However, if she should encounter any danger, he needed to know, so he walked to the shadow of the hallway to stand guard. When she returned to her cottage, he got ready for the day.

  After they finished breakfast, Linc said, “Tomorrow, we’ll start island hopping, but today is a good time to take a driving tour of Oahu. You’ll want to see more of our country than the tourist things we’ll be visiting the next three days.”

  “I thought we’d go to church this morning,” she said, looking down at her garments.

  “Oh, I hadn’t thought about that,” Linc said. “I haven’t gone to church in years.”

  “More shame to you,” Roselina said as she took away the breakfast dishes.

  Maddie turned startled blue eyes on Linc. Her heart plummeted. She’d finally found a chink in Linc’s armor. Her faith in God was an integral part of her life. It saddened her to find out that Linc didn’t share her Christian beliefs.

  “You can go to church with me, Miss Maddie,” Roselina said. “I leave at half-past nine.”

  “Oh, I’ll take you, Maddie,�
� Linc said quickly. “I’m a member of the church Roselina goes to. I support the work financially, but I seldom attend the services.”

  Roselina’s appraising eyes swept his face, and Linc wouldn’t meet her eyes. No matter what his housekeeper thought, it was his responsibility to look after Maddie.

  Although she wanted Linc to go with her, Maddie said, “I’d like to have you go to church with me, but not if you don’t want to. I’ll go with Roselina.”

  Standing to pull back her chair, Linc said, “I want to take you. I’ll go change. Roselina, you might as well ride with us.”

  “No, thank you. I’m visiting my sister this afternoon. I’ll go to her home from the church.”

  The church, located in a small seaside village, was a frame building with a white steeple. Linc pointed out some damage to the structure from the previous year’s hurricane. The sign over the door indicated that the congregation had been organized in the late nineteenth century.

  The sanctuary wouldn’t have seated more than seventy-five people, and it was barely half-full. The pastor was a native of Tennessee who’d come to Hawaii for his health. The service he conducted was similar to the kind that Maddie had known all of her life.

  The people were friendly, and she felt right at home, but Linc fidgeted, as if he were uncomfortable. Was his conscience hurting him because he hadn’t been coming to church? Or was he sorry he’d volunteered to come with her?

  Linc had been impressed with the pastor when he’d met him previously, and he thought his sermon on the parable of the prodigal son was well planned. He presented it effectively. But the text cut straight to Linc’s heart. Had God planned this message especially for him? To close his message, the minister emphasized his text once again:

  Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son…So he got up and went to his father.

  Linc took stock of his spiritual self, realizing how far he’d strayed from his Father’s house. He slanted a sideways glance at Maddie, whose face mirrored contentment and peace as she focused her attention on the message. Had it taken Maddie’s example of innocent faith to call attention to his lack of devotion to God?

  Maddie was more talkative than usual as they drove home. Linc concluded that her strength of character and her deep faith had developed through a consistent fellowship with other Christians. This gave him much to think about when considering his relationship with Maddie. In addition to the age difference between them, Linc knew he lacked the faith Maddie would expect in any man she dated.

  Linc unlocked the door of the house, saying, “Roselina has Sunday afternoon and evenings off. I usually just snack during that time—I’m not a cook. We can go out for lunch, or we can have a sandwich and eat our evening meal before we come back from our drive. What would you rather do?”

  “Let’s eat here. I’ll help you, although I haven’t done much cooking since I went to VOH four years ago. Except for breakfast, I eat most of my meals in the university cafeteria. Lucy and I have a refrigerator and microwave in our room, and we heat rolls, bagels and stuff like that for breakfast.”

  Heading toward the kitchen, Linc said, “Roselina wanted to fix our lunch, but I put my foot down. She needs time to herself. I told her we could manage.”

  “You’re fortunate to have her.”

  “I’ll say,” he agreed as he rummaged in the fridge. He set out cold cuts, condiments and a variety of bread.

  “How about some melon, too?” he said. “Roselina has a bowl prepared. She doesn’t pay much attention to my orders,” he admitted with a slight laugh. “Sometimes, I wonder who the boss is around here.”

  Maddie smiled with him. She’d already decided that Roselina had a mind of her own.

  “I like melon. We can eat that for dessert.”

  He shook his head. “She’s made a coconut cream pie, but I’ll leave it in the refrigerator until we’re ready for dessert. We’ll eat the melon with our sandwiches. If you make them, I’ll take plates and cups to the patio. What do you want to drink?”

  “Just water with lemon.”

  “All right. Two glasses of iced water coming up.” He filled the glasses with ice, dropped in a chunk of lemon that Roselina had also provided and turned to the sink. Maddie spread four slices of brown bread with mayonnaise and added cheese and ham. She heard the front door open, and her hands stilled when Ahonui Kingsbury walked into the kitchen.

  “Good, we’re just in time for lunch,” she said, and her eyes seemed to challenge Linc. A man entered the kitchen behind Ahonui, and thinking that it might be Ahonui’s husband or boyfriend, Maddie was pleased. Her pleasure ended when Ahonui said, “I wanted my brother, Steve, to meet you, Maddie.”

  Linc filled the two glasses before he turned to greet the Kingsburys. Why was Ahonui taking such an interest in Maddie? He and Roselina entertained the Kingsburys occasionally, but Ahonui had never just dropped in like this before. Today’s visit irritated him, and since he wasn’t always able to keep his emotions from showing on his face, there was a tense moment in the kitchen.

  Linc resented the appraising way Steve looked at Maddie, but he forced himself to say amiably, “Hello, Steve.”

  Ahonui put her purse on one of the kitchen chairs. “I’ll make our sandwiches,” she said. She took the bread and lunch meat from Maddie’s hands and started fashioning more sandwiches.

  Controlling his temper, Linc said, “You’re welcome to have lunch with us, but Maddie and I are leaving in an hour.”

  “Any place we can tag along?” Ahonui asked.

  “No,” Linc answered and reached into the cabinet for two more place settings. “Steve, we’re eating on the patio. Why don’t you carry these out?”

  Maddie could sense tension during the meal. She tried to determine the relationship between Linc and Ahonui. She had thought Linc was irritated when the Kingsburys showed up, but he was civil to them, so perhaps she had imagined that. Once again she wondered if he was romantically involved with her.

  Much of the conversation around the table was between Linc and Ahonui concerning business matters that had come up during the two days he’d been away from the office. But after they’d finished their sandwiches, Steve turned to Maddie.

  “Are you enjoying your visit?” he asked.

  “Very much. It seems like a wonderful place to live.”

  “It has its drawbacks,” he said. “Most people who come here from mainland U.S.A. like it at first, but they soon get tired of it. It’s very confining, you know. People who are used to driving hundreds of miles in any direction don’t stay here very long. I’m thinking about moving—perhaps to Japan.”

  Steve was a chunky, swarthy man. His face was darker than Ahonui’s, and he didn’t have his sister’s handsome features. He had a habit of looking over Maddie’s left shoulder as he talked to her, a mannerism she found disconcerting. She kept wanting to look behind her. She noticed that although Linc seemed intent on what Ahonui was saying, he often glanced toward her and Steve, as if he was monitoring their conversation.

  “Do you work in Honolulu, Mr. Kingsbury?”

  “Yes, and please, call me Steve. I have a boat rental on Waikiki.”

  “Linc and I were there yesterday. Did you see us?”

  “No. I played golf yesterday.”

  They tarried over their luncheon until Linc looked at his watch. “Maddie, we should get started. If you want to go to the cottage and change, I’ll clear away the dishes. We’ll leave in thirty minutes.”

  “It won’t take that long for me to get out of this dress and into something more casual,” she said. “I’ll help put the things in the dishwasher. You and Roselina are spoiling me.”

  Picking up her own plate and silverware, Ahonui cast a speculative glance at Maddie. “So you’re staying in the guesthouse.”

  “Yes, and it’s a perfect place. I love hearing the ocean waves when I wake up in the morning.”

  “When are you coming back to wor
k, Linc?” Ahonui asked.

  “I have appointments on Friday, so I’ll be back by then. Maybe Thursday. We’re going to Kauai tomorrow and on to Hawaii before we come home. I don’t have a set itinerary.”

  “You mean to skip Maui?” Steve said.

  “We’ll go there after Christmas,” Linc said.

  “Well, I can contact you on your cell phone if I need you,” Ahonui said.

  “If you do, leave a message. I’ll keep it turned off and check mail once a day. Too many people have my phone number, and I don’t want to be bothered all the time we’re traveling.”

  Maddie hurried to the guesthouse and changed into a pair of shorts and a knit shirt, unable to comprehend that it could be snowing at home. She picked up her camera and locked the door behind her. Linc waited for her by the garage. The Kingsburys were already in their car.

  “Sorry to keep you waiting,” she said.

  “You didn’t—we just came from the house.”

  Ahonui and Steve followed them out of the driveway, and Linc said, “I’ll be surprised if they don’t follow us.”

  “I don’t want to cause any trouble. If there’s work you need to do, don’t bother with me. I can entertain myself.”

  Turning left on the highway, Linc looked in the rearview to see which way Steve headed. To his surprise, and relief, the Kingsburys turned to the right.

  “Ahonui knew I planned to take at least a week to show you around the islands. Sometimes she takes her work position too seriously. I do appreciate her loyalty, but I am the boss and I don’t let her dictate my personal life. Relax and enjoy yourself.”

  Linc drove across the mountains to the northern side of Oahu. He was amused and pleased at Maddie’s childlike enjoyment of the scenery. She exclaimed over the spectacular rugged views on their left, as well as the broad, flat areas that led down to the Pacific.