by Nella Tyler
“Perhaps she’s miffed with you and needs some space. Did the two of you quarrel?” Meg asked.
“No. I mean not really. We had a difference of opinion. But we made up in our normal fashion.” Doug smiled slyly. “She wouldn’t want to stay away from me after our interlude.”
Meg wanted to vomit at the implication. Perhaps that was the reason why she walked away.
“Give it a few more hours. She’ll return,” Meg said.
“But she won’t. She …” Doug stopped.
“She’s what?” Drake snapped.
Doug looked like he was about to break down in tears.
“I think she is unable to return,” he whispered.
“Why?” Meg asked.
Doug pushed his hand through his thinning hair. His closed his eyes as though in agony. Meg wondered if his behavior was a dramatic performance. He then drew a piece of paper from his shirt pocket. The paper was crumbled as though it had been read many times.
“I received this note this morning,” Doug mumbled.
Doug extended his hand and Drake took the crushed note from him.
“If you want your precious fiancé back, bring us the treasure. You have seventy-two hours to give us what we want. Otherwise NeCe dies. And don’t go to the police. We’ll be in touch,” Drake read aloud. “What treasure? What the hell are they talking about?”
“It’s probably what Denise wanted to find on Oahu. I think she has fallen in with some bad people and is in over her head,” Doug said pitifully.
“You think?” Meg muttered. Doug looked at her balefully and Meg regretted her sarcasm. “I’m sorry, Doug. But I don’t see how Drake can help. You need to go to the police.”
“I can’t. They’ll kill NeCe if I do,” Dug whined.
“And what do you expect me to do,” Drake asked incredulously.
“I thought maybe you could help me find this treasure they’re talking about,” Doug replied.
“What? Do you really think treasure exists? It’s probably a myth that has been misconstrued, exaggerated, and fabricated over the centuries,” Drake said dismissively.
“Did Denise get this idea of treasure from a legend?” Meg queried.
“Possibly. While we were still in Wayman, I saw an article on her iPad about the Legend of Ekewaka,” Doug said. “The Ekewakas were a Hawaiian family in 1734 who had amassed a tremendous fortune in jewels. It is said that the riches were handed down from generation to generation. But Kimo Ekewaka was the last of the line and he did not have any offspring. It’s said that he buried the treasure somewhere on the island and no one has been able to locate it.”
“And you expect me to find it,” Drake said derisively. “A treasure that no one has been able to find in hundreds of years. A treasure that probably doesn’t exist. This is what you expect me to find.” Drake’s voice raised at least ten decimals with each sentence that he spoke until Doug was cringing.
“I didn’t know where else to turn. I can’t go to the police,” Doug mumbled.
“This whole story is too incredible to be true,” Meg said.
There was a knock on the door. Drake moved to open it.
“Hi Doug. I’ve got—”
Drake put his forefinger to his lips to silence Kai. Kai looked at him askance.
“Come in, Kai. Doug is here, but he’s leaving,” Drake said.
“Leave? I can’t leave until we discuss finding the treasure,” Doug expostulated.
“Treasure?” Kai questioned. He looked at Doug with skepticism.
Drake moved to grasp Doug’s arm.
“We’ll be in touch,” Drake said as he pulled Doug from his chair.
“But we’re not finished,” Doug protested.
“We are for now,” Drake replied. Drake forcibly walked Doug to the door and opened it.
“You can’t just put me out. Denise’s life is at stake. We have—”
“Goodbye, Murphy. I will call you,” Drake said, then closed the door in Doug’s face. He then turned to face Meg and Kai. “I don’t trust a single word that he uttered.”
“What was that all about?” Kai asked in wonder.
Meg sighed.
“I should have Ashlee and Beni to come up to tell you all at once.”
“Let them all be flabbergasted together,” Drake muttered. Drake turned to Kai. “I’ll pour you a drink. You’re going to need it.”
*****
“He’s lying,” Beni declared.
Beni, Ashlee, and Noah had arrived at Drake’s suite. Meg and Drake had related Doug’s story, which had been met with skepticism.
“Denise is hiding out somewhere safe and sound while Doug is giving an Oscar-worthy performance,” Ashlee snorted.
“But to what purpose? They must believe that the treasure exists or else why bother with the drama,” Meg countered.
“And they think we know where it is,” Beni said.
“What if Doug is telling the truth? Is it so out of the question that he is being truthful?” Noah asked.
“Well, I’ve never known him to make up this kind of lie,” Meg admitted.
“And if he is telling the truth and we didn’t help him, how would we feel then?” Kai asked.
“Oooh! This is impossible!” Meg exclaimed. “A fool if we believe him and damned if we don’t.”
“What are we going to do?” Ashlee asked.
Everyone looked at Drake. He held up his hands as though to ward off their stares.
“Don’t look at me. I’m open to suggestions.”
Meg smiled weakly at him.
“It’s that leadership quality you exude. It makes people trust you and look to you for guidance.”
“Well, trust me a little less and look to someone else,” Drake grumbled.
Meg moved to sit on the arm of his chair. She rested her arm around his shoulders.
“Let’s put it aside for now. Doug’s note gave him three days to comply. If it’s valid, we have a little time,” Meg said.
“I think I have something that might shed some light on Doug’s story,” Kai said. He took his laptop out of his computer bag and opened it on the coffee table. He quickly accessed the video. “Watch this.”
Everyone gathered around the table to look at the video. It showed Doug sleeping on the bed while Denise furtively eased off of it. She looked at Doug briefly as she straightened her clothes. She then picked up her cell and moved into the living room, closing the door softly behind her. Kai then switched to another video segment. It showed Denise making a phone call as she moved to stand by the window.
“Their room doesn’t have a balcony?” Ashlee asked.
Kai shrugged.
“I guess not.”
“Not all of the rooms in the hotel have that luxury. The less expensive rooms do not,” Drake said.
“It’s a good thing that she can’t go onto a balcony. I’m not sure the camera mic would have picked up her conversation,” Kai said.
“Shhh! She’s talking,” Beni shushed them.
“Where are you?” Denise said urgently.
Denise listened.
“Do you have any news—and it had better be good news,” Denise said.
Again she listened.
“Doug is snoring like an English bulldog. I go and come back and he’ll never know the difference,” she smirked.
Denise listened.
“Those girls will have to come clean. I’ll be there shortly.” Denise said then connected the line. She then grabbed her purse that was lying in a chair and left the room.
“This is about twenty minutes later,” Kai said as he started another segment.
It showed Doug coming into the living room looking around wildly.
“Where the hell is she?” he muttered. “She had better not have gone to see them without me.”
He then left the suite slamming the door.
“Those two are up to their necks in dirty dealing,” Noah said.
“And maybe Doug is afraid that
Denise is trying to double cross him,” Drake said.
“Two crooks who don’t trust one another. It’s not surprising,” Meg said. “So how much of what Doug said can we believe?”
“Maybe none of it. What if they’ve found one of the cameras and are putting on a show?” Ashlee asked.
Kai shook his head negatively.
“I would swear that they haven’t. I’ve been watching their every move. They haven’t gone near the figurines or book,” he said.
“Then from what we’ve seen on the video, Doug could be telling the truth,” Beni said unhappily.
“He could be. And having seen this, we can’t ignore his request for help,” Noah said. “Denise could very well be in danger.”
“It still could be a ploy on their part to find out what we’re doing,” Drake said.
“We’ll just have to do what we can for Doug without him finding out,” Meg said.
“What will we do for him? We have no idea where Denise went or whom she met,” Beni said.
“We can use her cell phone to get her location,” Kai said. “My cousin, Lono, is a FBI agent based in Hawaii. I can ask him to run a check on Denise’s phone to see what numbers she called and who they belong to. I just need Denise’s number.”
“Is that how you got the surveillance equipment?” Ashlee asked.
Kai smiled.
“Yes. It comes in handy having a cousin in law enforcement.”
“I will tell Doug that we will help him, but I won’t give him any details of what we’re doing,” Meg said.
“Maybe we should. It might make him antsy and he will reveal something,” Drake mused.
“He might let something slip that could reveal more about Denise’s search for treasure,” Noah said.
“Or it could force him to tip Denise off and she won’t use her phone,” Beni said. “I don’t think we should tell him what we’re doing. If he’s lying, then he will eventually call Denise and we can get her number that way.”
“I agree. Good reasoning, Beni,” Noah smiled.
“All right. We won’t tell Doug what we’re doing,” Drake agreed.
“But we can still track Doug’s phone. I have it,” Meg responded.
“Let the search for Denise begin,” Drake said.
Chapter 21
“Is everyone ready?” Drake asked.
Everyone said they were ready. It was the next morning and everyone sat on a scooter. The men wore backpacks with tools inside. They wanted to be prepared in case they had to break down another wall or a door at the end of the tunnel. The group started off. It was dim in the tunnel and they wore helmets with bright lights. As they traveled, Meg could hear what sounded like a flowing brook. That would explain the dampness of the wall they had taken down. The stone on the left tunnel wall was damp as well.
“There must be a river or brook on the other side of this tunnel. I can hear the water,” Meg said. She was glad that they had small headsets inside their helmets. It made talking easier.
“I hear it too,” Ashlee replied.
“I will have to bring in a geologist to examine this tunnel. I have to determine what we’re dealing with and how this water will affect the resort,” Drake said.
“You know Doug didn’t sound too pleased when we put him off for a day,” Meg said.
Drake chuckled.
“I could tell that his temper was close to erupting.”
“I still don’t know what he expects us to do if Denise really is in trouble,” Beni said. “He should be talking to the authorities.”
“Like Kai’s cousin,” Ashlee added.
“I’m sure my cousin does not want any more headaches,” Kai said.
“Well, he will have to wait one day,” Noah said. “And maybe he will call Denise or somebody else who is a part of their scheme.”
“Lono is tracking Doug’s number as we speak. We will know of every call he makes,” Kai said.
They chatted for a while longer then dropped into silence. The tunnel narrowed and curved a great deal. They slowed their pace as they focused on the dark path.
“Is it my imagination, or has the tunnel gotten darker,” Ashlee asked.
“It’s not your imagination,” Kai answered. “It’s like we lost our light.”
“But we never had any light,” Beni said warily.
“Perhaps not. But it’s definitely darker,” Meg said worriedly.
“Stay alert,” Drake advised.
They drove in single file. Drake led while Noah rode in the middle and Kai brought up the rear. After about forty minutes, they entered a clearing that dead-ended at a cave-like wall with a door in its center. They got off of the scooter and approached the door. They touched it; it was made of metal.
“It feels like solid steel,” Noah said as he thumped on the door with his fist.
“There’s a keyhole. Shall I try the key?” Kai asked.
“Yes. And pray that it works. Otherwise I doubt that we will get in. I don’t think our tools will penetrate this steel,” Drake replied.
Kai took the key from his pocket and inserted it in the keyhole. It fi,t but would it turn? He tried to turn it. It wouldn’t move. He took it out and inserted it again. This time pushing it as far as it would go into the keyhole. Then he turned. Click. It was loud and clear. The door had been unlocked.
“It worked!” Meg exclaimed.
Kai pushed the door inward. It was very heavy and moved less than an inch.
“A little help, please,” Kai said.
Drake and Noah laughed.
“Come on, man! You can’t open a little door by yourself?” Drake teased.
Kai scowled at them.
“If you want to get inside, you had better put your muscle to this door.”
Noah and Drake stood beside Kai and pushed the door with their shoulders. The door creaked as it opened. They were pushing mightily when suddenly the door swung open wide. They looked at it in astonishment. Beni pushed the door and it swung easily. Everyone was mystified.
“I guess it just needed an initial shove,” Ashlee reasoned.
“I guess,” Kai muttered.
“Well, this is what we came here for. Let’s go in,” Drake said.
One by one they walked through the door.
*****
The interior was huge. Light filtered in through the ceiling, which was made entirely of stained glass. It was magnificent. Everyone stared up at the ceiling in awe.
“It’s splendid,” Meg said in awe.
“Absolutely glorious,” Beni sighed.
“There are no words to describe its beauty,” Ashlee said. “Where are we?”
“I don’t know. But I think we just found the treasure that Denise is looking for,” Kai announced.
They looked around them and saw a mass of jewels literally falling out of hundreds of chests. They moved to kneel before several chests and picked up necklaces and rings made of diamonds, rubies, and sapphires.
“Are these real?” Meg asked in disbelief.
“They look real,” Beni exclaimed as she laid a bracelet made of four rows of diamonds across her wrist.
“There must be hundreds of chests here,” Drake murmured.
“All spilling with jewels,” Noah said.
“And gold,” Kai said as he held up a solid gold bar. “My God! It’s heavy.”
“The jewels are real as is the gold. And there are two hundred and sixty-four chests.”
They spun to see Peleke standing behind them. As usual, they hadn’t heard him arrive.
“Peleke!” Meg said in surprised. She didn’t know why she should be surprised that he was there. But she was. “What are you doing here? How did you get here?”
“Always so many questions, dear Meg,” he smiled. “But the answers are not important. What is of great significance is that the treasure you have found is very real and in very grave danger. It is up to you to protect it.”
Drake and Noah stood.
“Prote
ct it? What are you talking about?” Drake asked.
“The treasure is no longer safe here. As you have found it, so will others. Others who have no scruples or integrity. They are not good people,” Peleke said softly.
“Denise and Doug,” Beni muttered under her breath.
Ashlee heard her and nodded her agreement.
“Among others,” Peleke smiled, letting Beni and Ashlee know that he had heard. “It is imperative that you arrange for its safety.”
“How?” Noah asked.
“I will leave that up to you. You are brave, ingenious, and creative people,” Peleke said. “The treasure is in good hands under your caretaking.”
Drake pushed his hand through his thick hair.
“And we are just supposed to come up with a plan to ensure its safety?”
“I have faith that you will,” Peleke returned benignly.
“Where are we? Are we really on the Kualoa Ranch?” Meg asked.
“You are. But it is a part of the ranch that is not used. The ancient Ekewaka home sat on this portion of the ranch. The parlor was right above this room. It drew great interest from the citizens of the time since the floor was made of stained glass,” Peleke said.
“I’m surprised this place was not found when the house was demolished,” Ashlee said.
“The house remains. It just was not shown to you when you were on the tour,” Peleke said.
“So the Ekewaka myth isn’t a myth,” Beni said.
“And Denise is searching for the treasure,” Meg said slowly.
“And most likely Doug too,” Kai said.
“This treasure should go to a museum. We just have to figure out how best to get it there,” Drake said.
“So I guess I can’t keep this lovely bracelet,” Beni moaned.
Meg smiled.
“No. You cannot.”
“Drat!” Beni sighed.
“Who would we speak to—” Drake turned to speak to Peleke, but he was gone. “Why am I not surprised that he is gone?”
“Well, he’s true to form. He goes as he comes,” Noah grinned.
“There is so much that we have to discuss,” Ashlee sighed.
“Most importantly, Doug. He and Denise feel we know something about the treasure, which is why they came up with this plan of seeking our help,” Drake said.
