Yuletide Stalker

by Irene Brand

  “We’re going to the Polynesian Cultural Center,” Linc explained. “The center is probably the favorite tourist attraction in the islands. I’ll explain a bit about it as we drive. I see you brought your camera, so let me know if you want to stop and take pictures. You’ll see some pretty sights.”

  “I did a little research before I left home, so I know that Hawaii is part of a large group of islands collectively known as the Polynesian Islands.”

  He glanced at her approvingly. “That’s true. The center is a nonprofit organization to preserve Polynesian cultural heritage. Most of the people you’ll see today are students at a nearby university. Fees at the center provide scholarships for many of the students.”

  They were greeted at the gateway to the center by two women, who put shell leis around their necks. Judging by their clothing, Linc told Maddie that they were from Tahiti. Although there were many exhibits to view, Linc chose only three, the ones he thought would most interest Maddie.

  “We’ll go to the exhibits of Fiji, Samoa and New Zealand,” he said. “We’ll come here again before you go home, and you can see what we miss today.”

  They watched the students demonstrate the culture respective to their native islands through song, dance, display of musical instruments and samples of their craft and food. After walking from one site to another, Maddie was ready for the restful canoe ride around the whole area. Although the center was crowded with hundreds of tourists, she and Linc didn’t know any of them. She felt as if they were in a world of their own.

  For dinner, Linc bought tickets to attend Ali’i Luau.

  “You won’t think much of Everyday Luau after you attend this,” he joked. “This is reportedly Hawaii’s largest and most authentic luau. I don’t want you to miss it.”

  And Maddie was glad she hadn’t. When they walked through the gates, she felt as if she’d been plunged into the past. The attendant gave her an orchid lei, which Linc placed over the shell lei she’d received at the gate. People representing King Kamehameha, the king who unified Hawaii in the late eighteenth century, and his court entertained the guests with ceremonial songs and dances.

  Flickering tiki lamps and waterfalls contributed to Maddie’s sensation that she had boarded a time-travel rocket that had catapulted Linc and her back two hundred years. The food didn’t differ much from the food served in Linc’s restaurants, but the ancient atmosphere appealed to Maddie. But she told Linc loyally that his reproduction of the luau was as good as the real thing.

  After Maddie remained silent for half the return drive, Linc said, “Are you sleepy?”

  “No, not much. I’ve enjoyed today very much, but I thought some of the rituals were very frightening. They brought to mind some unpleasant things I read about the early history of the islands. As we watched the ancient rites, I could almost believe that some of the traditions have carried over to the present.”

  “There is a lot of superstition among the people,” Linc agreed, “but being an outsider, I’ve never paid any attention to it. What did you read?”

  “About the custom of sacrificing prisoners taken in battle. The priest slaughtered them outside the temple walls, and the bodies were left to decay on the altars. The left eye of a victim was often given to the king.”

  “But those things happened hundreds of years ago.”

  His words did little to reassure her. “Sometimes to celebrate a victory in battle, or even the construction of an altar or temple, the altars were heaped with human bodies. One account indicated that a few tribes carry on these traditions.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Linc said soothingly. “Such customs might still be practiced among some of the people in the isolated mountains, but I doubt it happens in the more populous areas.”

  It was past midnight when they arrived home, and Linc walked Maddie to the cottage.

  “I’ve asked Roselina to prepare breakfast by seven tomorrow morning, if that isn’t too early for you. We’ll go to Kauai first and overnight there. I intend to stay two nights on the island of Hawaii. You may not see all you want to in three days, but since you’ll be here for a month, we can go back after Christmas.”

  Maddie took the key from her purse, and opened the guesthouse door. She turned to him. “I feel badly that you’re spending so much money on me. Not only have you paid for my plane ticket from home, you’re taking me to expensive restaurants, and now you’re planning more flights. Please let me pay for my own hotel bills and plane tickets while I’m here.”

  He leaned against the corner of the cottage door. “Of course not. I have my own plane, and I fly back and forth to the islands, just like you’d drive around your state in a car.”

  “You own a plane? You’re the pilot?”

  He laughed at her. “I learned to fly in the navy. The plane is a small four-seater. You won’t be afraid to fly with me, will you?” he teased.

  “No. I’ve heard it’s safer than driving in a car.”

  “You’re afraid of my driving?” he said, his eyebrows lifting.

  She shook her head. “You’re trying to distract me. You’re spending too much money on me,” she insisted.

  When she’d shaken her head, a long blond wave had fallen over her shoulder. He lifted the soft tresses and sifted them softly through his fingers.

  “Don’t you think I’ve enjoyed the past two days as much as you have?”

  Maddie lowered her eyes, thankful for the dim light, because she felt her cheeks getting rosy. “You’ve seemed to,” she murmured.

  “Then don’t try to deny me the pleasure of entertaining you. I invited you to come to Hawaii because I want to introduce you to the state I’ve chosen for my home.”

  “Do you plan to live here for the rest of your life?”

  “I don’t have ties to any other place. Counting my years in the navy, I’ve lived in Hawaii for fourteen years. That’s longer than I’ve lived anywhere else. I’ve prospered in business here. I don’t have any plans to leave.”

  Hawaii seemed even more desirable now that Maddie had come. But how empty would the islands seem, how empty would his home be when she left? In a few days she’d wormed herself into his heart and his life. What would it be like to say goodbye to her when she left Hawaii?

  FIVE

  Their early morning departure was delayed when Linc received a call before he went to bed from Claudia Warren, a detective with the state police. She was a highly skilled officer, and Linc had met her a few times. Born in Hawaii, Claudia Warren was fortyish, sturdily built with short gray hair. Twenty years of her life had been spent in the service of the Hawaiian State Police.

  “I understand you have a guest by the name of Madison Horton,” the detective said.

  Linc hesitated before he answered. “That’s right.”

  “I need to talk with Miss Horton. Do you want to bring her into our headquarters, or shall I come to your house?”

  “We’re planning to leave tomorrow morning for a few days of sightseeing. Will it be all right to meet with you after we return?”

  “No. I want to see her as soon as possible. I’ll come to your home tomorrow morning. Is eight o’clock convenient?”

  “Yes.”

  Linc rested his hand on the phone for several minutes, wondering why the detective needed to see Maddie. He decided against telling her about the detective’s visit tonight, because if she knew, she wouldn’t sleep. As he undressed for bed, he doubted that he would get any rest. He wanted Maddie’s visit to be carefree, but now he wondered if he had made a mistake in inviting her to visit him. He didn’t want her to be in danger, yet he couldn’t be sorry that Maddie had come into his life.

  In spite of his concern, Linc slept, and he felt rested when he woke up. He called Maddie at six o’clock, so she would be ready by the time the detective came. She looked unbelievably lovely and happy when she came for breakfast, and he delayed telling her about the detective’s visit until after they had finished eating.

  When he
told her about his phone call the night before, her startled blue eyes scanned his face quickly.

  “Do you know why she wants to see me?”

  He shook his head. “I didn’t ask.”

  “I’m scared.”

  “No need to get scared until we hear what she has to say.”

  Linc was pleased to see the detective arrive in an unmarked car, so it wouldn’t be obvious to the neighbors that a police officer had come to the house. He met Claudia at the door, shook hands with her and directed her into the living room where Maddie sat on the edge of the divan.

  Claudia pulled a chair close to Maddie and took her hand. Her motherly attitude eased Maddie’s apprehension, but she still must have looked frightened, because the detective said, “There’s no need to be afraid of me.”

  Maddie did feel calmer, but she was annoyed that the detective was treating her like a child.

  Claudia Warren turned to Linc. “I need to know why Miss Horton is in Hawaii at this particular time, and how much she knows about her father’s death.”

  Linc explained his connection with Maddie’s family in concise terms, ending with, “I told her yesterday about the suspicion now related to her father’s death.”

  “Very good,” Claudia Warren said. “We have learned that the Sanale family has more or less declared a vendetta against Horton’s relatives. It took us a while, but we finally traced Miss Horton to VOH, and the director, Caroline Renault, told us that she was in Hawaii visiting you.”

  “More importantly,” Linc said, “who else knows that she is here?”

  “I don’t know. I’m not suggesting that you go into hiding, Miss Horton, but we wanted you to know that you have an enemy at large in the area. Mainly, just be careful and keep a low profile on your visit.” Turning to Linc, she said, “We won’t insist on police protection now, but if you see anything suspicious, you should report it to me.”

  After the detective left, Linc said, “We’ll continue our plans as though this hasn’t happened.”

  “Actually, I feel safer now that I know the police are aware that I’m in Hawaii,” Maddie admitted.

  “And so do I. Get your things ready, and we’ll leave soon.”

  The red-and-white small plane stood in front of the hangar that Linc rented at a private airport. To Maddie, the plane looked like a toy when she compared it to the Boeing jet she’d taken from Houston to Hawaii.

  Linc parked his auto, picked up his luggage and Maddie’s, and they walked to his plane. A mechanic came out of the small office building.

  “All gassed up and ready to go, Mr. Carey. We gave the plane the annual checkup yesterday. It’s in tip-top shape. Hard to believe the plane is over twenty years old, and good for a lot more years. They don’t make ’em like this anymore.”

  “Thanks, Amos.”

  The mechanic’s words encouraged Maddie a little, and when she stood under the wings of the small plane, she realized it was bigger than she thought. Linc stowed their luggage on the backseat, and pulled the front right seat backward to give her room to enter.

  “Put your foot on the little step.” He pointed out a narrow step near the ground. Indicating the upper side of the door, he added, “Grab this handle and pull yourself up.”

  He took her arm. Maddie held her breath, but she followed his instructions. After she was settled in the seat, he closed the door. Automatically, Maddie reached for her seat belt and was buckled in when Linc climbed into the plane from the other side.

  The cockpit was narrow, and their shoulders touched when he sat beside her. His nearness calmed her nerves somewhat. The panel in front of her resembled an automobile’s, although there were a lot more gadgets than in her car.

  Linc turned knobs, checked the radio and talked to the tower.

  “I trust the mechanics,” he said, “but I double-check everything before I take off.” He tugged on a wavy tress of hair that hung over her shoulder. “Especially when I have such a special passenger today.”

  His words pleased Maddie. It was his tone she didn’t like. Linc explained about the operation of the plane, most of which she didn’t understand, and ended by saying, “It’s easier to fly a plane than to drive a car, so don’t be afraid. You’ll soon feel at ease.”

  Linc turned the keys in the ignition, the propeller started rotating and the engine roared. They waited for two other planes to land. Receiving permission from the tower to take off, he taxied to the runway. The bottom of the wings was eye level with Maddie, but she had a good view.

  After more two-way communication with the tower, Linc gunned the engine and started forward. Maddie grabbed the arms of her seat, closed her eyes and prayed. She felt like a bird when the plane lifted from the runway, but she couldn’t open her eyes.

  Still busy checking the weather and wind velocity, Linc didn’t pay much attention to Maddie. When he did look in her direction, he stifled a shout of laughter. Her eyes were clamped so tight, he wondered if she’d ever be able to open them. Her fingers had turned white from gripping the steering yoke so tightly.

  When he had the plane balanced to his satisfaction, Linc touched her shoulder. She jumped and released her breath in one big surge.

  “We’re in the air and everything is great.”

  She blinked one eye experimentally, then opened the other one. “I’m sorry,” she said, “but it’s such a little plane, and there’s a big ocean below us.”

  Suddenly she noticed that he had one hand on her shoulder, and the other hand was adjusting something on the panel.

  “Oh, don’t take your hands off the steering wheel,” she said, and her eyes closed again.

  “Relax,” Linc said. “As long as the plane is balanced correctly, and it is, it can take care of itself. And it’s called a steering yoke, not a wheel.”

  She turned loose the yoke in front of her as if it were was a hot potato. “Maybe I shouldn’t be holding on to this.”

  “No reason not to,” he said. “You can fly the plane if you want to.”

  Leaning back in her seat as far as she could go, she lifted her hands. “Oh, no.”

  Not paying any attention to her denial, he said. “It’s simple. You drive a car, don’t you?”

  She nodded.

  “Okay. You turn the yoke to the right or left, whichever direction you want to take. It takes very little pressure to do that. If you want the plane to go down, you push the yoke in. If you want it to go up, pull back on the wheel.” He demonstrated the moves as he talked. “You’ll soon get used to it. I’ll have you guiding the plane before long.”

  To Maddie, it seemed as if the plane was going very slow, almost suspended in air. “How fast are we going?”

  “About a hundred ten miles an hour. And I’m flying at an altitude of twenty-four hundred feet so you can have a good view of the area.”

  His matter-of-fact tone as he talked about the plane did calm Maddie, and she looked out the window. The shadow of the plane drifted along with them. She could easily discern small fishing boats and some large commercial boats below. They flew over small, uninhabited islands, and Linc explained there were one hundred thirty-two islands in the chain.

  The flight to Kauai took less than an hour, and because the smaller plane could fly at a lower altitude than the jet she’d taken into Honolulu, Maddie got a better understanding of the ocean and the islands. After they landed at Lihue, Linc rented a car and drove several miles to a marina to catch a boat for a ride on the Wailua River.

  Linc and Maddie were the first to board the red-and-white boat, which resembled a covered barge with wooden seats around the periphery of the craft. Linc chose seats in the back, which would give Maddie the best view. A man and woman, dressed in traditional Hawaiian garments, came on board. The man carried a ukulele, and Maddie turned to Linc, smiling in contentment because she sat beside him, knowing he shared her enjoyment of each new thing she experienced.

  “They’ll provide live music while we travel,” he said.

 
; Maddie’s eyes brightened with merriment when a large group approached the barge. A woman boarded, wearing a wedding dress and holding the arm of a man wearing a tux. They were followed by several other people, presumably their relatives. All members of the party wore white orchid leis.

  “Our destination is the Fern Grotto, and it’s a popular place for weddings,” Linc explained quietly. “Couples from all over the world come here to be married. The easiest access to the grotto is by boat.”

  As soon as the wedding party settled into their seats, and a few other passengers came aboard, the pilot hustled down the wooden steps into the barge. He backed the boat into the current and headed upstream. Interspersed with the traditional Hawaiian songs of the musicians, a male guide stood beside the pilot, commenting on the scenery. Until his narration, Maddie hadn’t realized that the vegetation they saw was among the most abundant subtropical vegetation in the world.

  The river was lined with lush-foliaged trees with branches sweeping the water. Canoes glided downriver. A few tents were set up along an occasional sandy beach.

  Maddie had read that Kauai was the oldest island in the Hawaiian chain and that a single volcano had made the island. When the guide spoke of ancient Kauai chieftains who’d once lived in this valley, Maddie shuddered at his vivid descriptions of the harsh justice the natives meted out to their enemies.

  When they landed at the wharf near the grotto, a man, presumably the father of the bride, invited all of the passengers to attend the wedding ceremony.

  His mouth curving with tenderness, Linc said, “I assume you want to watch the wedding.”

  “Why, yes. Don’t you?”

  “I wouldn’t miss it.”

  Linc had attended other weddings at the grotto, but he welcomed this opportunity to observe Maddie’s reaction to the romantic atmosphere.

  Glancing at Maddie’s sandals, Linc said, “I should have told you to wear walking shoes. There’s a lot of rain on this island, and the walk uphill to the grotto is always slippery. The path is narrow, so we’ll have to walk single file most of the way. Be careful. I’ll walk behind you if you need any help.”