Yuletide Stalker

by Irene Brand

  “What should I call you?” Maddie asked. “The children at VOH applied Miss to Caroline, and the residents call her Miss Caroline now.”

  “I’m Stella to most everyone, although some of the children call me Māmā. I accept that, for most of them need a mother’s influence in their lives. Just call me Stella.”

  Maddie couldn’t believe the difference the wig and glasses made in her appearance. The wig was dark brown and the glasses were faintly tinted until her eyes were a nondescript color. She put on one of the muumuus that Roselina had bought for her, applied a dark makeup base, and she hardly recognized herself.

  “Where did I go?” she said to Stella when she went to her office to model the results. Stella laughed, saying, “You’re still beautiful, but at least your clothes and the other regalia hide your most obvious Caucasian features.”

  “So what am I going to do to earn my keep?”

  “You can work here in my office each morning. You’re probably better on a computer than I am, and you can catch up with reports that are overdue to our mission offices in New York. There are records to be kept for Health and Human Services, too. After lunch, you’ll work in the kitchen helping with dinner preparations. The residents are not allowed on the second floor, so they won’t see you in the office. You can take a back stairway to the kitchen, so your encounters with others should be few and far between.”

  Maddie had packed her underwear and Hawaiian garments in the same suitcase, and she put the other case in the closet without opening it. She put Linc’s ring on a long silver chain and hung it around her neck. She arranged her clothes in the dresser drawers and sat down on the bed, feeling lonely.

  Had Linc already learned that she was gone? Was he sad or angry? Probably a little of both.

  TWELVE

  When Ailina Zadok finished her work in the elementary school sponsored by the shelter, Stella accompanied her to the room and introduced Maddie to her as Madison Lee.

  “I’ll leave the two of you to get acquainted. Madison, your duties will start in the morning. Ailina, I’d appreciate it if you’ll keep her secrets and take Madison under your wing until she finds her way around.”

  Ailina was a soft-spoken girl, and Maddie judged her roommate to be a few years older than she was. Hawaiian, Ailina had dark eyes but her complexion was light. A few inches taller than Maddie and several pounds heavier, she walked with a plodding gait.

  “I’m pleased to have a roommate,” she said. “I’ve been alone for over a month, and having come from a large family, I miss the companionship. You’re volunteer help, I suppose. Will you be staying long?”

  “I don’t know how long I’ll be here.”

  “It’s almost time for dinner, so we can get acquainted later.”

  The dining room for the staff was in a room adjacent to the kitchen. The children and youth ate in a room on the opposite side of the kitchen.

  “Mámá Stella always eats the evening meal with them,” Ailina explained, “to give the rest of us a break.”

  Ailina was attentive in guiding Maddie through the buffet line, which had an adequate choice of food. She also introduced Maddie to the dozen or so other staff members.

  Still affected by her separation from Linc, Maddie wasn’t hungry, but she took portions of chicken and rice, baked corn and a vegetable salad. Ailina chose a table for two, and Maddie wondered if Stella had told Ailina to keep her separate from the other staff members.

  When they returned to their room, Maddie sat on her bed, which looked more comfortable than the two straight chairs provided for them.

  While Maddie filed her nails, she said, “Since we’ll be together a lot, Stella suggested that I share my real identity with you. I’m Madison Lee Horton, and I came to Hawaii almost a month ago to visit Lincoln Carey, a friend of my father’s.”

  Ailina’s eyes opened wide, and she glanced at Maddie incredulously. “It’s your father’s death that the navy is investigating now?”

  Maddie nodded, surprised, and a little distressed that Ailina knew about it. She hadn’t thought the investigation was so widely known.

  “Oh, my,” Ailina said, shaking her head. “I supposed you were a volunteer like others who’ve come from the mainland.”

  Maddie briefly explained her background and her reason for visiting Hawaii. “I thought this trip to Hawaii would be the most pleasant time of my life,” Maddie said bitterly. “It’s been anything but pleasant. Almost from the first, I’ve been threatened and intimidated, supposedly by my father’s enemies.”

  “Shouldn’t you leave Hawaii? That might help.”

  Maddie swallowed hard, and she looked away from Ailina’s somber face. Was this another warning? Had she jumped out of the frying pan into the fire when she left Linc’s home? Had she landed in the stronghold of her enemies? She knew nothing about these people with whom she’d cast her lot.

  “I may leave soon, but in the meantime, I came here for safety,” she answered, and her voice trembled slightly. “I’m not only afraid for myself, but my friends if they continue to shelter me.”

  “But didn’t you consider that there might be danger to Open Arms Shelter if your enemies discover where you are now?”

  Maddie felt like an errant child who’d been reprimanded. “Stella thought my disguise would keep anyone from knowing I’m here. No one knows who I am except you and Stella. She said it was safe to tell you. But if you’re unhappy about my living here, I’ll go to a hotel until I can make arrangements to leave Hawaii. I don’t want people hurt because they help me.”

  “It really isn’t any of my business,” Ailina said. “I was thinking of Stella. She won’t turn anyone away. She’s often threatened by angry parents when she won’t let them see their children, who’ve run away from an abusive home life.”

  The trauma of leaving Linc now coupled with finding she wasn’t welcome at Open Arms Shelter stressed Maddie to the breaking point. She stood up and angrily snatched the wig from her head and removed her glasses.

  When her blond hair tumbled over her shoulders, Ailina gasped. “You really do look like a different person with that disguise. I don’t believe that anyone will recognize you. Your accent might betray you, but if you don’t talk much, no one should suspect your identity. I’m sorry I said anything.”

  Maddie went into the small powder room, containing a toilet and a lavatory to remove her heavy makeup. She left the door ajar so they could talk.

  “Actually, Stella chose this for me.”

  “Well, don’t pay any attention to my comment,” Ailina said. “If Stella wants to help you, I’ll do my part.”

  Somewhat mollified, Maddie said, “I appreciate that. But that’s enough about me. Tell me about yourself, Ailina.”

  “I’m a native of Maui—a student at the University of Hawaii. I work at the shelter for my room and board.”

  “What are you studying?”

  “Basic subjects right now, but I want to go into missionary work of some kind. It will take several years for me to finish college, but I’ll have to decide on a definite course of study before long.”

  Maddie massaged her face gently with some cream that Roselina had bought for her. “But in the meantime, I’d say that you’re already doing missionary work by teaching here.”

  “That’s true. We have some very sad cases.”

  “I haven’t been to Maui yet. Linc planned to take me before I went home, but with the mystery hanging over me, I’m not in the mood for sightseeing. Before I left his house, I postponed my flight for the time being and e-mailed the university to cancel my classes for the winter semester. The future seems so insecure that I don’t know what plans to make. I can’t imagine why anyone would want to take my life over something that happened ten years ago.”

  “The Sanale family, who may be harassing you, are natives of the island of Hawaii, but they have family connections in Honolulu. I don’t doubt that Kamu is being harbored by his relatives.”

  “There’s
been some speculation that the Sanale brothers broke out of prison because they’d heard I was coming to Hawaii. But Linc can’t figure out how they knew I’d be visiting. There may be some connection between the Sanales and someone in his office. But it’s still hard for me to believe that, because of what happened ten years ago, anyone would be determined to kill me.”

  “Unfortunately, we still have a few natives who follow what some Christians call black religion. These beliefs have been around since Hawaii’s beginnings. After the missionaries came, in some areas there’s been a mixture of Christianity and the ancient beliefs. Some people worship Kila, an ancient god, who was only a servant in a king’s household, but he saved the king’s life and was subsequently proclaimed to be a god. Then Kila was killed by his enemies, and the rule of a life for a life was instituted. In Hawaiian, we’d say, he ola na he ola. Adherents of the old ways mete out justice by killing a member of the family who’ve killed one of their relatives. The Sanale family may believe they must kill you to avenge their dead relatives.”

  “Gruesome. Hasn’t the Christian message had any impact on Hawaii?”

  “Some, of course. My family have been Christians for generations. But we have such a complex of cultures in the islands that it’s hard to override ancient beliefs. I think the best thing for you to do is to go home.”

  “But wouldn’t they pursue me to West Virginia?”

  “It’s unlikely. For one thing, it would be a very expensive trip, and Hawaiians would be very conspicuous in your state.”

  Unless they wore a disguise like I’m doing, Maddie thought, wondering what she should do. Although she’d left for Linc’s own good, Maddie missed him.

  Linc spent a miserable two days before he heard from the investigator. He asked Ed Blake to report to him at home because Linc didn’t want anyone to know that he’d hired the detective.

  “Good news,” Blake said as soon as he strolled into Linc’s home office two days later. He didn’t look like the bearer of good news, for his face was as lugubrious as an undertaker’s at a funeral.

  “Then you’ve found her!” Linc said, and silently thanked God for His mercies.

  “You’ll have to check it out, but I’m confident enough that I’ve already spent that extra five hundred dollars.”

  Ignoring Blake’s idea of a joke, hope dawning in his heart, Linc asked quickly, “What have you learned?”

  “She’s using the name Madison Lee and staying at a mission in the midcity called Open Arms Shelter. I was sure she’d gone there, and I’ve been staked out for forty-eight hours trying to get a glimpse of her. This morning, two women came out the back door of the mission and walked down the street to a drugstore. One was definitely a native. The other one was dressed in Hawaiian clothes and she had short, dark hair. She had no resemblance to the angel in your photograph.”

  Blake shot one of his rare smiles toward Linc, who felt his face flushing. Was there anyone in the state of Hawaii who didn’t know he was in love with Maddie?

  “But from the way she walked and the way she carried her shoulders,” Blake continued, “I think she may be the one you’re seeking. I accidentally bumped into her in the drugstore, and although she wore colored glasses, I think she has blue eyes.”

  Linc had heard of Open Arms Shelter. It was located in a questionable section of Honolulu, and he didn’t like the idea of Maddie living there.

  “How’d you come up with your facts?”

  “I learned that a van with Open Arms Shelter on its side was seen leaving your driveway on the day Miss Horton disappeared. Also, there were some calls from your house to the mission and the international airport two days prior to Miss Horton’s departure. I’ve had somebody watching the mission and airport around the clock since then. She didn’t take a plane, so what do I do now?”

  “Keep watch at the airport and the mission until I check on what you’ve learned this far. If I can be assured that she is at the shelter, I won’t bother her for the time being. She might be safer there than here with me.”

  Linc stayed awake most of the night wondering how he could be sure Maddie was at Open Arms Shelter without going there. If her enemies were following him, he didn’t want to lead them to her. But he had to know if she was living at the mission.

  From a pay phone, he called Open Arms Shelter the next morning before he went to the office. He had no idea what he would say when someone answered the phone. He couldn’t believe his good fortune when a soft voice, that he would have known among a million, answered.

  “Maddie?” he said experimentally.

  No answer, but at least she didn’t hang up.

  “This is Linc. Are you all right? I have to know you’re safe.”

  “How did you find me so fast?” she whispered.

  “By hiring the best detective in Honolulu. I haven’t been able to sleep or rest since I learned you were gone.”

  He heard her sniff, and she answered in a shaky voice, “Are you mad at me?”

  “No. But I’ve been very worried—there are so many things that could have happened to you.”

  “I didn’t want to leave, but when my enemies threatened you, I couldn’t stay any longer. But I didn’t want to go home, either. I canceled my flight and my university classes for this semester. I’d rather stay here and be in danger, than to go home and not know what’s happening. They’re shorthanded at the shelter, and I’m working to pay my way. I do think I’m of use.”

  “I miss you, and so does Roselina, and I’m not worried about the threat against me. But as long as your enemies don’t know you’re at the mission, you’re probably safer than living with me. Just be careful. Can I call you occasionally?”

  “I work in the office every morning and in the kitchen during the afternoon. You could call mornings, and if I can’t talk, I’ll tell you.”

  “We’ll see what happens in a few days, and maybe I can come by some evening and take you out to dinner. In the meantime, if you have any trouble, you call me.”

  “I’m a brunette now, so you might not recognize me,” she said, a trace of laughter in her voice. “I don’t even recognize myself when I look in the mirror.”

  “My investigator told me that. I hope you didn’t dye your hair.”

  “Oh, no. But I had to cut off a few inches so I could tuck it under the wig.”

  Wondering if it was a wise thing to do, but succumbing to his need to see Maddie, three days later, Linc called to ask Maddie if he could come to see her.

  “I’d like to talk to Stella, too,” he added.

  “Why?”

  “I suppose I just want to see if I think she can guard you well enough.”

  “I’ll have to ask Stella if you can come. After all, she’s taken me under her protection. Call back about noon.”

  Since Stella spent most of the morning with the residents of the shelter, it was after eleven before she came to the office. Maddie immediately told her about Linc’s call.

  Stella hesitated briefly before she said, “If your life is in danger, as you think, it seems to me that you’re running a risk to go outside at all. You see what happened when you went to the drugstore with Ailina. If Mr. Carey’s detectives recognized you, your enemies could, too.”

  Stifling her disappointment, Maddie said, “You’re probably right. I’ll tell him not to come.”

  Smiling slightly, Stella said, “But it really isn’t for me to say. You and Mr. Carey are adults and should make, and be responsible for, your own decisions. You’re under no obligation to stay here.”

  “He’d like to meet you, but we don’t want to cause you any trouble.”

  “I live with trouble twenty-four hours a day, so a little more won’t be a problem. Let me know what time Mr. Carey is coming, and I’ll be available.”

  She hugged Maddie’s shoulders gently. Maddie had a feeling that Stella also wanted to meet Linc.

  Linc had been around Honolulu long enough that he was well-known in many sectors. The Sanale f
amily might have him shadowed to lead them to Maddie, so he left his car in a parking garage he never frequented. He took a taxi to a midway point, walked a few blocks and caught another taxi to Open Arms Shelter. Maddie had told him to come to a side entrance that wasn’t well lit and to knock three times.

  He left the cab two blocks from the shelter, and told the driver to come back in a half hour. With his hand on the gun in his pocket, he walked furtively down the street. Maddie must have been waiting, for as soon as he knocked the door opened a few inches.

  “Who is it?” a soft voice whispered.

  “Linc.”

  She threw open the door, he entered quickly, and closed the door behind him. A woman he hadn’t seen before looked up at him. He had trouble believing it was really Maddie.

  “How could you have changed so much?” he said. He took her hand and pressed it against his cheek. “Blonde or brunette—I’m glad to see you.”

  “I’ve been so lonely,” she said in a tear-smothered voice, adding, “Stella is waiting for us in the office on the second floor.”

  He followed her through the dim corridor and up the stairs admiring her lithe body. No wig or makeup could change her graceful walk. Stella opened the door when Maddie knocked.

  Maddie introduced them, and Linc said, “I want to thank you for taking Maddie in. Since she’s my guest, I feel responsible for her welfare. I’ll be happy to pay for her housing. Until the police capture the man who’s threatening her, she may be safer here than in my home.”

  Stella shook her head. “The work she’s doing is a big help to us. Besides, Mr. Carey, our shelter is a haven for anyone in need.”

  Linc was impressed by the iron determination reflected in Stella Oliver’s face—a valuable characteristic for a woman who worked in the slums of Honolulu.

  “Thanks for letting me take her out for dinner.”

  Stella looked from him to Maddie, and a slight smile crossed her face.

  “You really don’t need my permission. She’s probably safer not to go outside the mission at all, but she needs a break. We lock the doors at nine o’clock so you must return before then.”