Distant Echoes (21 page)

“Sure.”

They reached the road, and Kaia followed him to the Jeep. She was quiet as they drove back down the winding road to town.

“You doing okay?” he asked.

“I’m fine. Just tired. I’ve fallen from a tree, twisted my ankle, been grabbed, shot at, and endured practically no sleep for the past few days.” She shifted in the seat and turned to face him. “To tell you the truth, I’m beginning to wonder if this is something I need to back away from. If I get killed, Nani will be at the mercy of Seaworthy Labs and likely be made to perform in a sea park. I can’t let that happen. My research doesn’t have a chance to move forward with problems like these.”

“Can you just hang in there with me until the missile test is complete?”

She was silent then leaned her head back against the rest. She didn’t know when she’d been so tired. Her life was racing from one crisis to the next, and she wanted the stress to end. “Okay, but if anything happens to me, you’re to take care of Nani. Agreed?”

Jesse chuckled. “Agreed. But I won’t let anything happen to you.” He slowed as they entered the town.

“That must be the house.” Kaia pointed to a gray house next to the school.

The small structure had peeling paint and a broken windowpane in the door. A flock of chickens ran from under the Jeep’s tires when Jesse pulled into the rutted driveway. They got out and went to the door. Splinters had been gouged from the wood, and the red paint had faded to pink.

Jesse pounded on the metal screen door that didn’t fit securely into the frame. Almost immediately, a young woman in her twenties answered. She had red hair of a shade Kaia had never seen in nature. A cigarette hung from her crimson mouth.

She looked blearily at them through the door. “If you’re selling something, I’m not interested.”

“We’d like to ask you some questions about Jonah Kapolei,” Kaia said. She smiled, but the young woman wasn’t moved by the warmth. “We won’t take more than a few minutes.”

Lindy’s manner thawed only slightly, and she stepped out onto the porch. “I’m about to go to bed.”

“We wondered if you knew of any problems Jonah might have had with Pele Hawai´i.” Jesse took off his hat and rubbed his forehead.

“The military has already been around asking their questions. Why do you care?” Her gaze lingered on Jesse’s ribbons. “You’re a little higher rank. The big boys are getting involved, huh?” She blew a ring of smoke in his face.

“You have a chance to help your country out by just telling us what you know.”

She gave a bitter laugh. “What’s my country done for me lately?”

Kaia had a feeling she was enjoying putting them off. “What was Jonah’s relationship with Nahele Aki?”

“I suppose you won’t leave until I answer your stupid questions.” She dropped the cigarette to the porch and ground it under a foot clad in a pink fuzzy slipper. “He hated that Aki guy. They had a big fight a couple of days before Jonah died. But why the questions? Didn’t he shoot himself with a dart gun accidentally?”

Jesse shrugged. “That’s what we’re trying to find out. Did he have a diving buddy?”

“Sometimes. Some guy from the group. I can’t remember his name. Big Hawaiian guy with scary eyes.” She shuddered.

“Did he have a birthmark on his nose?” Kaia asked.

Lindy nodded. “That’s him.”

“I don’t know his name either, but I’ve seen him,” Kaia said.

Lindy glanced at her watch. “Look, I’m bushed. I don’t know anything about Jonah’s death, and I’m going to bed.”

“
Mahalo,
” Jesse called through the door as she slammed it in their faces.

Sixteen

T
he man glanced at his watch. The others were late. A grove of monkeypod trees surrounded this clearing in a sheltering fence of tangled roots and overgrown vegetation. Mynas chattered from the trees above his head, and his nose caught the faint scent of orchids blooming along the wild path that led to this remote spot.

The mynas squawked and flew off just as he heard the sound of careless feet crashing through the vegetation. He rose from his seat on a tree stump and brushed the debris from his pants then turned to face the two who stepped into the clearing. “You took your time about getting here.”

His blond assistant gave him an apologetic smile. “Sorry. We got lost.” He approached and held out a file.

The man took it and opened it. He flipped through the pictures. One photograph showed Jesse Matthews aboard a boat, another at his quarters, still more at Seaworthy Labs. “This is all you got?” He closed the folder and stuffed it in his briefcase.

“Yeah. He’s pretty wily. We had to make sure he didn’t see.” The third man stomped on a line of ants heading for the safety of the jungle.

“Why did you want them anyway?”

“I have my reasons.” While revenge on Jesse Matthews hadn’t been part of his original plan, he couldn’t deny the thrill the opportunity brought him. One of life’s serendipities. He pulled out his cell phone and
an electronic voice synthesizer.

“What are you doing?”

Ignoring his assistant, he dialed the phone and asked to speak to the base commander. “Hello, I have some information about the recent break-in where missile schematics were stolen. I think if you look in Lieutenant Commander Jesse Matthews’s quarters, you’ll find what you’re looking for.” He shut the phone quickly and wished he could see Jesse’s face when he found the military riffling through his belongings.

A
rush of excitement propelled Kaia out of bed. Jesse had arranged for navy personnel to patrol the waters so they could both have a day off and get caught up on their rest. She needed the break.

She showered then blow-dried her hair, leaving it down in a curtain of black that fell to her waist. The red print dress she chose showed off her tanned arms and legs. She wondered at her desire for Jesse to notice her. Never before had she really cared whether a man found her attractive.

She took special care brushing her teeth then flossed as well and put on red lipstick. It was all she could do to keep herself from pacing. Jesse was different from any man she’d come in contact with though. He was more—well,
manly
. Everything about him exuded confidence and strength. She felt safe with him. It had been a long time since she’d felt safe. Not since her dim memories of being held in her father’s strong arms, of looking up into his laughing face. Not that she equated Jesse with being a father figure. He was much too attractive to be thought of that way.

She tucked her hair behind her ears and put on silver hoop earrings, then touched a drop of perfume behind each ear.
Tutu kane
had been delighted she was attending church this morning. He’d been after her to get back to church, and she’d intended to. Jesse’s leadership in that direction was another quality that appealed to her. Not very many men had the kind of spiritual strength she sensed in Jesse.

She slipped white leather sandals on her feet and admired the red polish that twinkled on the ends of her toes. She couldn’t even remember the last time she’d painted her nails. It didn’t stay on long with all her exposure to seawater. Glancing in the full-length mirror, she decided she would pass. She just needed the bracelet that matched her earrings as the final touch.

It wasn’t on her dresser. She sighed. If there was one thing she would change about herself, it was her propensity for misplacing things. She didn’t think she could blame the cat today. She generally kept her bedroom door shut to keep him from taking things. This one was her own fault.

She dug in her jewelry box. Not there. Maybe she’d left it in the bathroom. She checked there but didn’t find it. It was past ten before she found it in the pocket of a pair of jeans in her closet. Kaia fastened the clasp around her wrist and went into the living room to wait for Jesse.

She found Hiwa curled on the couch with Kaia’s cell phone. “I would have been looking for that in a little while,” she scolded. She tucked the cell phone into her purse.

The driveway gravel crunched, and she looked up to see Jesse’s red Jeep outside. He’d been thoughtful enough to put the soft top up on it. That man thought of everything. She hurried to the door.

“Good morning,” he said.

Dressed in off-white chinos, a light blue shirt that made his eyes look like the sky, and deck shoes with no socks, he looked too good for Kaia’s peace of mind. He was going to make all the unmarried girls at church take a second look.

His gaze seemed glued to her face. Her cheeks flamed. “Do I have a smudge on my nose?” She glanced in the mirror by the door.

“No, you look beautiful,” he said. “You ready?”

“Yep.” She grabbed the Bible on the hall table. Her grand mother had given it to her when she was seven. The white cover was tattered and barely clung to the rest of the book, but it was dear and familiar with many marked pages.

He escorted her to the Jeep and opened the door for her. “Whoa, you cleaned out your Jeep,” she exclaimed. The inside sparkled, even the windows. Not a speck of sand marred the floor.

“I thought you deserved it.” He went around to his side.

Heidi was scowling in the backseat. “What’s wrong?” Kaia asked.

“Uncle Jesse made me wear a dress.” Heidi folded her arms across her chest and cast a scornful look down at the blue dress she wore.

“You look very pretty,” Kaia told her. “Sometimes it’s fun to wear a dress.”

“Not for me.” Heidi’s mutinous scowl deepened.

A change of topic might be good. Kaia smiled. “Did you bring your bathing suit and shorts for after church?”

Heidi nodded. “And my pail and shovel. I’m going to bury Uncle Jesse in the sand.” She glared at her uncle as he got in the car.

He grinned. “Just punishment for the dress wearing, huh?” He glanced toward Kaia. “You both look beautiful.”

His comment warmed Kaia. She fastened her seat belt and glanced at the Bible on the console between them. The leather cover was worn. That was a good sign. The deeper she delved into the real man under the surface, the more intrigued she grew.

Her grandfather was already at church when they arrived. Kaia took Heidi to junior church then joined Jesse in the pew with her grandfather. The scent of flowers that blew through the open windows put her in the right frame of mind for worship.

Jesse laid his arm along the back of the pew. Kaia settled in to pay attention to the service. The music and message were like water and breath to her soul, and she wondered how she’d been able to stay away so long.

She saw a man and woman pause at their pew on the way out. Kaia heard Jesse gasp, and she glanced at him. His gaze was riveted on the man.

He stood. “Steve, what are you doing here?”

Kaia had never seen the couple before. The man was about thirty-five with light brown hair and pale blue eyes. The woman was a few years younger and heavier, built almost like a man. They didn’t seem to go together, but Steve clasped her hand with tobacco-stained fingers like he was afraid to let go.

The man smiled uncertainly. “Hello, Jesse. I hoped you would be here.”

Jesse’s shoulders were rigid, but he returned the man’s smile. “Were you looking for me?”

“Not really. This is Becky, my wife. You got off the phone the other day before I could tell you we were moving here. I just bought a new security business.”

Jesse seemed frozen in place. Kaia held out her hand. “I’m Kaia Oana, a friend of Jesse’s.”

Her words seemed to shock Jesse into action. “This is my brother-in-law, Steve Prickett.”

Kaia’s first instinct was to stare, but she quickly recovered her manners. “Hello.” She shook Steve’s hand and noticed he was doing his own share of staring at her. Jesse seemed uncomfortable, and she had to wonder if he felt guilty to be with her.

“Pleased to meet you,” Steve said. “I’m glad to see Jesse is moving on with his life.” He stared into Jesse’s face. “I just wanted to see you face-to-face and see if we can still be friends. I could use a friend here on the island.”

Jesse rubbed his forehead. “I’m pretty busy, Steve.”

Kaia wondered what Steve had done to Jesse. The awkwardness between the two men was as obvious as the fragrance of the flowers.

Steve smiled uncertainly. “I’m going to work on Mom. The breach needs to be healed between all of us. Maybe when she comes for Christmas, we can all get together.”

“Good luck with that. I doubt you’ll have much success with it.”

Steve reached out and gripped Jesse’s hand with sudden strength. “It’s
good to see you again, Jesse. I’ll keep in touch.” He and his wife moved on toward the door.

“I wish I knew what he was up to,” Jesse muttered as he guided Kaia down the aisle to exit the church.

“What makes you think he’s up to anything? He seemed very nice.”

“He hasn’t wanted anything to do with me for three years, then he calls to apologize and shows up here. It just seems weird to me.”

“Maybe he’s sincere.”

Jesse shrugged. “Maybe.”

As they were leaving, Kaia noticed Jenny Saito go by in the passenger seat of an unfamiliar black SUV. She stopped and stared at the man driving the Durango. It looked like the big Hawaiian who had grabbed her on the beach. The man with the birthmark. But what would Jenny be doing with him?

“What’s wrong?” Jesse asked.

“Remember my assistant, the woman we found trapped in the sea cave? Jenny Saito?”

Jesse nodded. “What about her?”

“She just went by with that big Hawaiian guy. The one with the birthmark that Lindy said was Jonah’s diving partner. Nahele called him Kim.”

His brow furrowed, and he was silent a moment. “You think Jenny’s involved in this somehow?”

“It looks suspicious. I think I’d better talk to her.”

“The Durango looked like it was heading toward the beach. Maybe she’ll be there.”

Kaia nodded and got in the Jeep with Heidi. The
keiki
chattered all the way to Po’ipu Beach Park. Heidi had enjoyed junior church and had made several new friends. Kaia listened with half an ear. Her thoughts whirled. Maybe Jenny didn’t realize what the big Hawaiian was up to. Though she and her coworker weren’t close, they’d been friendly, and Kaia couldn’t imagine Jenny being part of such a sinister organization.