by Nella Tyler
“Maybe it’s a good thing that Meggie doesn’t want to continue our discussion. Maybe she needs to think rather than talk,” Beni whispered.
“I agree,” Ashlee said in hushed tones. “My gut is telling me that Drake is the right one for her. But will have to come to see that for herself.”
“She will. But it will take her some time. That fool, Doug, really hurt her,” Beni said grimly.
“The idiot! He couldn’t see the gem that he had in her.”
“I don’t believe that Drake is so dense. I am excited for her, even if she isn’t yet,” Beni smiled.
“Me too.”
Meg hurried to the door.
“Okay. I’m ready.”
“Good. Let’s go. I’m starved,” Beni grinned.
The ladies happily left the suite.
*****
Drake and Kai had been swimming at Likeke Falls for at least thirty minutes. They treaded water in front of the falls for a breather.
“You’re a natural swimmer, Drake. If you keep your hands facing down with each stroke, it will help you pull the water,” Kai said. “You have a tendency to angle your hands to the side.”
Drake grinned.
“I think you’re channeling my high school swim instructor. My hands drove him nuts,” Drake smiled. “They have a mind of their own, but I will try to keep them palm down.”
“It’s just repetition. Practice makes great,” Kai said.
“Yeah. Maybe. But now you know why I didn’t pursue swimming after high school. I have bad hands.”
Kai laughed.
“It’s nothing that can’t be fixed.” Kai then looked at the falls. “Let’s go into the cave.” He took off toward the entrance.
Drake hesitated. He didn’t want Kai ambling around in the cave for fear that he would see the etchings on the wall. But who’s to say that he hadn’t seen them already? Kai had said that he and Noah swam at the falls a lot. Chances are they both had seen the drawing before. Drake sighed and followed him into the cave. Kai walked about in the shallow water and slowly circled about the cave. Drake watched as he drew closer to the wall that displayed the drawing. Kai glided his hand over the damp stone.
“I always loved this place. I used to come here as a young boy and pretend to be the mighty protector of the sea. Fighting and defeating the marauding, plundering pirates that sailed the Pacific Ocean. I spent many hours in this cave saving the day,” Kai recalled. “My parents always knew where to find me when the sun began to set.”
“Were you saving the Polynesian Triangle all alone?” Drake smiled.
Kai smiled and shook his head.
“Noah and another friend were my fellow swashbucklers.” His drifting hand finally touched the engravings. He looked at them. “I wonder who put this here.”
Drake moved to his side.
“Hasn’t it always been here? You must have seen it when you played here as a child.”
“Nope. It wasn’t here,” Kai said.
“Are you sure?”
“Positive. It’s not something I would have overlooked or forgotten,” Kai replied.
Drake recalled thinking that the etchings seemed fairly recent.
“Then when did it appear?”
“Five months ago.”
“And you have no idea who may have put it here?” Drake asked.
“No. But the whole thing is pretty eerie.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because of when the drawing showed up,” Kai said. “Hurricane Buddy had just hit the island. It wasn’t too bad of a hurricane, but it did some damage. I had been swimming the day the storm hit and I came in here to rest. The drawing wasn’t here. The walls were as bare as always. I came back to swim the day after the hurricane and found the drawing.”
“Someone could have come in to make the drawing before you arrived,” Drake suggested.
“I guess. But it’s doubtful. There wouldn’t have been much time for them to do it,” Kai frowned. “Hurricane Buddy eventually past but there were still heavy rains all day and night.”
“And the waters in here would have risen almost to the ceiling,” Drake added thoughtfully.
“Making it virtually impossible for anyone to come in here during the night. But when the water subsided, this message was on the wall,” Kai murmured.
“That is a bit spooky,” Drake muttered.
Kai laughed.
“I sound like my dad, who can be bizarrely poetic.”
“Which only makes the mystery more mysterious and harder to figure out,” Drake commented.
“You would like to discover what this picture means?”
“Don’t you?”
“I do find it interesting. Let’s poke around and see what we come up with,” Kai said.
“Sounds good. Meg and I could use your help.” Drake went on to tell him how he and Meg found the drawing when they all were at the falls yesterday.
“That’s not surprising. We can all work on the riddle. It will be fun,” Kai smiled. “Come on. Let’s head back.”
Drake nodded. He took one last look at the drawing then followed Kai from the cave. He hadn’t told him about receiving a copy of the drawing. There would be time to tell him later on.
*****
Meg, Ashlee, and Beni had a delicious breakfast in a quaint café a few blocks from the hotel. Then they decided to do some shopping. They were in an open market with tons of vendors selling everything from cookware to clothing.
“Look!” Beni pointed to a vendor across the way. “Let’s go in there.”
They zigzagged their way through the hawking vendors and multitude of people to arrive at a shop that was little more than a lean-to structure stuffed with clothing and accessories. Meg loved it. The shop was small, but its atmosphere was warm and welcoming.
“This would look lovely on you.”
Meg turned to see who had spoken. She saw a smiling woman who looked to be in her forties. She was a little plump with merry brown eyes that lit her face like stars. Meg was instantly drawn to her. The woman held a white crinkled sundress with tiny, green vines scattered throughout the dress.
“You think so?” Meg asked as she took the dress from the woman.
“Oh yes. Why don’t you try it on? There a changing room right here,” the woman pointed to a door behind her.
“All right. I will,” Meg smiled.
“And my name is Ola,” the woman said.
“Ola. I will remember,” Meg smiled.
She went into the dressing room and closed the door. It was small, but big enough for a person to try on garments. There was also a mirror on three of the four walls. So you could see the fit of the item from every angle. Meg hurriedly changed into the dress and gasped at her image. It was perfect on her. She had begun tanning about a month before coming on this trip and now had a light, golden sheen to her skin. The narrow shoulder straps and lose flowing bodice hugged her body in all of the right places, yet it was so comfortable. And the color showed off her tan to perfection. She smiled broadly as she left the dressing room.
“Good Lord! You’re gorgeous!” Ashlee exclaimed.
“I really like it,” Meg grinned.
“You should. It’s totally right for you,” Beni smiled.
“I knew it would be perfect for you,” Ola smiled.
“You have an excellent eye,” Meg said. “Do you have another?”
Ola nodded happily.
“I have selected dresses for all of you,” she said. Ola turned to remove garments from a rack that she had set aside for them. She handed them to the girls who nearly ran to try them on. Ola chuckled as she watched them go.
They had a grand time trying on skirts, blouses, and dresses. By the time the left the shop, each of them had bought at least three items.
“I could spend a years’ salary in that place,” Beni said ruefully.
“But the clothes are so lovely and perfect for our time here,” Meg said.
“Sh
e had an outfit for every occasion. It was impossible not to overspend,” Ashlee said.
“Let’s head back to the hotel to drop these things off. Then we can decide what we want to do next,” Bene suggested.
“Sounds like a plan,” Ashlee said.
They left the market and walked down the street. Stopping at a corner to wait for traffic to pass Meg, glanced at the corner diagonal to them. A man was there staring at her.
“Peleke,” she murmured.
“What?” Bene asked.
“There’s Peleke,” Meg said.
“Where?” Ashlee asked.
Meg raised her hand to point across the street.
“There.”
“I don’t see anyone,” Beni said.
“He’s right … he’s gone,” Meg said exclaimed.
“Are you sure you saw him?” Ashlee asked doubtfully.
“Yes! He was standing right there on the corner,” Meg insisted.
“There are so many people about. Maybe you mistook someone else for him,” Beni suggested.
“No. It was him. He was staring at me as though he wanted to speak,” Meg insisted.
Ashlee and Beni stared at her dubiously.
“Well, if that were the case, why didn’t he come over and say something?” Beni asked.
“I don’t know. What I do know is that he was there,” Meg nearly shouted.
“Okay! We believe you,” Ashlee said calmly. “Perhaps he didn’t have time to chat. I’m sure we will run into him again.”
“If that’s what he wants,” Meg muttered.
Ashlee was confused.
“What are you talking about?” Ashlee demanded.
Meg shook her head as though to clear it.
“Nothing. Nothing at all. Let’s go,” Meg replied.
They crossed the street and swiftly walked to the hotel. Meg didn’t mention her sighting again to her friends. She would wait and talk to Drake about it. For some reason, she felt that seeing Peleke was connected to the drawing. It didn’t make sense that he would be. But she couldn’t shake the feeling. And that caused her to be extremely nervous.
Chapter Six
The girls entered their hotel suite then moved to their bedrooms to dump their shopping bags. Meg and Beni were the first to re-enter the living room.
“How about some mango punch?” Beni said.
“I’ll have some,” Meg answered.
“I’ll pour a glass for Ashlee as well,” Beni said.
Beni went into the kitchen and Meg moved onto patio to moodily watch the people on the beach. After a few moments, Ashlee joined her.
“Are you all right?” Ashlee asked worriedly.
“Sure.”
“You don’t look all right. That thing regarding Peleke is really bothering you,” Ashlee said.
“No. I’m fine.”
“No, you’re not. Why won’t you tell me what’s bothering you?”
Meg’s cell rang. Meg was grateful; she was literally saved by the bell. She pulled her phone from her skirt pocket and looked at the viewer, sighing in relief.
“Hi, Drake.”
Ashlee gave her a look that said their conversation was not over then left the patio.
“Hi, Meg. How are you?”
“I’m good,” she mumbled.
“You don’t sound good. What’s wrong?”
“I’ll tell you when I see you,” she said.
“How about now? Can you meet me in the lobby?”
“Yes. I can be there in a few minutes.”
“Great! See you in a few,” he said then hung up.
Meg stuffed her phone back in her pocket then moved into the suite. Ashlee and Beni were sitting on the sofa.
“Guys, I’m going out to meet Drake,” she said.
“Where are you guys going?” Beni asked.
“I don’t know. He just asked me to meet him in the lobby,” Meg answered.
“He probably has some exotic outing planned,” Ashlee grinned.
Meg chuckled.
“I’ll see. I will call you in a little while.”
“Don’t worry about us. Go have fun,” Beni encouraged.
“Wait! Why don’t you change into that yellow peasant blouse you just bought?” Ashlee suggested.
“Good idea. There’s nothing like showing a little skin when in the company of a handsome man,” Beni smiled slyly.
Meg laughed.
“I like your thinking.” She dashed into her bedroom to change. Within minutes, she was back in the living room twirling about before her friends. “What do you think?”
“It’s perfect! He won’t be able to take his eyes off of you,” Beni gushed.
“You look marvelous. Now you can leave,” Ashlee giggled.
“Thank you for your permission,” Meg smiled. “I’ll see you later.”
“Bye,” Ashlee and Beni said simultaneously.
Meg left the suite and walked down the two corridors that led to the lobby. She rounded the corner and saw Drake leaning against a pillar across the room. He saw her and pushed away from the column to walk toward her. Upon reaching her, he grasped her shoulders and kissed her thoroughly. He then pulled back.
“Hi,” he whispered.
“Wow! I like your greeting,” she smiled.
Drake looked into her shining, green eyes. He could have drowned in their luminous depths.
“You can expect plenty more of the same,” he murmured.
“Is that a promise,” she sassed.
“Oh yeah. It’s a sure bet,” he grinned.
“So what’s up?”
“I want to take you on a tour of the resort and get your input from an engineer’s viewpoint,” he said.
“I imagine you work with professional engineers all the time. Their input would be more valuable than mine,” she replied.
“Your feedback is very valuable. Otherwise you wouldn’t be teaching it to impressionable minds. I want your opinion.”
“Okay. I’ll give it. But keep in mind that it’s not coming from a professional,” she responded.
“You are a professional. You just work in a different arena,” he said firmly. He guided her toward a door at the back of the lobby. “Now tell me what has upset you.”
She didn’t respond immediately. He noticed that wrinkles appeared on her forehead as she recalled her worry. He wanted to kiss them away and tell her all would be well. He realized this was the first time that he had ever felt so invested with a woman. In all of his adult years, his interaction with women had been casual and free. He’d not allowed them to get close to him nor him to them. And that lifestyle suited him. But that wasn’t the case with Meg. With Meg, he felt a tug to be deeply rooted in her life and he was finding it hard to resist that pull.
“Meg. Talk to me.”
“Something very strange happened today,” she began. She went on to tell him about seeing Peleke.
“Are you sure it was him?”
“You sound like Beni and Ashlee. They didn’t believe I had seen him either,” she grumbled.
“I don’t disbelieve you. I just want you to be sure. I mean, think about what you’re saying,” he said. “One minute the man was there. The next he literally disappears. It’s a wild notion.”
“I know it sounds crazy, but I am not. I saw him. He was there,” she insisted. “Why would he disappear like that? Especially if he wanted to speak to me.”
“Maybe he didn’t want to do so in front of Beni and Ashlee.”
“Good point. I hadn’t thought of that. I guess we’ll have to wait until he shows up again. Hopefully it will be an opportune time for him to talk,” she said quietly.
“I discovered some interesting information about the drawing,” he said.
“What did you find out?” she asked curiously.
He told her about his swim with Kai to Likeke Falls.
“You were right about the age of the drawing. But how did it get there?” Meg was baffled.
“Ano
ther mystery. According to Kai, it would have been nearly impossible for the artist to have time to draw it.”
“Then that only leaves …” She trailed off.
“Leaves what? Magic?” he queried.
She slowly nodded.
“I’m not ready to go there, Meg. There has to be a scientific reason,” he said.
“All things cannot be rationalized by science.”
“This is not one of them,” he declared.
“How do you know? You’re dismissing the possibility without having another theory to replace it.”
“I don’t need another concept to replace it because magic is not a viable premise,” he retorted.
“Your thinking is antiquated.” Meg could not believe her ears. How could a modern man like Drake harbor such archaic beliefs? “Your attitude is contrary to your earlier discussions about Feng Shui and positive thinking.”
Drake knew that she had a point. And he wouldn’t be able to easily talk around. He actually had considered magic as a plausible explanation but didn’t want to jump to that conclusion until all other avenues had been explored. Meg had an imaginative mind and would eagerly gravitate to magic being the basis to their mystery. He wanted to investigate a lot more. There had to be more to it. They moved through the door which opened to the outdoors. It was a wide-open area that seemed to go onto forever. Meg gasped at the magnitude of it. Drake turned to her.
“I don’t want to jump to unnatural conclusions just yet, Meg. We haven’t uncovered a single answer as of yet. Let’s go about this methodically first,” he said quietly.
He was proving to be a man of purpose and perseverance. Meg knew that he looked under every rock and behind every wall to find the right answer. Even if that answer led to unnatural causes. She admired and respected him for that. She nodded.
“You’re right. I know I can sometimes get carried away with flights of fancy,” she smiled ruefully.
“It’s your red hair. It puts all kinds of Irish folklore in your head,” he grinned.
“The color of me hair has naught to do with it,” she spoke in a heavy Irish accent. “Tis in me blood, it is. And there’s naught I can do about it.”
He laughed.
“And there’s naught I want you to do about it.” He waved at the space before them. “What do you think about this place?”
