Reluctant Witness (56 page)

Jan crossed the room to another door.
“You’ve got your attached bath in here.”

I stuck my head in and noticed that this
bathroom, although compact, had a jetted tub.

“
Nice.”

“
Closet,” he announced,
sliding open the door for me to view. Shutting it, he exited the
bedroom. I followed him out and across the living room.

“
Here’s your master,” he
announced cheerfully. This room was just slightly larger than the
other and every bit as charming. The pineapple appliqué was done in
soft tones of golden brown and green, and the pineapple-patterned
drapes repeated the theme. On the walls were framed vintage travel
posters, designed to entice visitors to the islands.

“
The walk-in closet ,” Jan
announced, opening one door briefly before moving onto the next.
“The master bath is through here.”

A quick peek revealed a double sink vanity,
toilet, and the pièce de résistance -- an oversized glass shower
with a bench and an overhead rain shower head.

“
Nice.” I was already
looking forward to stepping under that shower head and washing my
cares away.

“
And that completes our
tour. Call or stop in at the front desk if you need anything
else.”

“
Thanks.”

“
Enjoy your
visit.”

The minute the door shut behind him, Cooper
and I stepped out onto the balcony in the master bedroom. I settled
myself in one of the chairs and invited the little dog to join me.
He quickly curled up on my lap and put his head down for a short
rest, his jet lag finally catching up to him.

I had the perfect bird’s eye view of people
coming and going from the beach. It was a slice of heaven on earth
and I enjoyed it for a good twenty minutes before Cooper’s
restlessness had him pawing me.

“
You must be thirsty,” I
said to the little dog. “Let’s see what we’ve got for
you.”

I found a fully stocked refrigerator, along
with a note, telling me that if I needed anything, I was to knock
on the third door down the hall on the right. It was Rocky’s way of
telling me he had my back. He had provided a plastic dog crate for
Cooper and doggy dishware. The Yorkie waited patiently for me to
fill a bowl with water and then spent considerable time lapping it
up. Once satisfied, he began to wander around the condo, checking
out the different rooms. I did the same, taking time to examine my
new surroundings more closely. This place had a very different feel
to it than Cinnamon Beach. Here, the furnishings were distinctly
Hawaiian. So was the view.

I decided to wander outside just before six
with Cooper; I wanted to get acquainted with the resort. Exiting
the building, we followed the walkway towards the center of the
complex. Tucked in among the lush tropical plantings was an
enormous pool that seemed to go on forever, with water slides and
fountains, poolside tables shaded by thatched umbrellas, and palm
trees that gently swayed as the light Pacific winds blew
through.

“
Let’s go find the beach,”
I suggested to my canine companion. We kept to the winding walkway,
heeding the sign. A moment later, we came upon a narrow strip of
beach on the other side of a paved bike path. The dog and I walked
down to the turquoise water. Only a handful of people were still
here at this time of day. I stood in ankle-deep water and felt my
worries vanish. For the first time since I could remember, I
realized I was at peace, unafraid. Why? What had changed? The
crazy, unexplained incidents in my life had been exposed. Jared was
under supervision. There would be no more games, no more hired
killers. Chrisanth Neeson was back. It was a good feeling, like
sunshine after a rain storm, when the air is clean and light once
more.

After checking out the beach, Cooper and I
returned to the condo. I fed him, letting him take his time while I
watched some news on the TV. When he was done, I gently put him in
the crate.

“
Nap time, boy. Mama needs
some dinner.”

The beach-side resort restaurant was busy
this time of night. I made my way up to the bar and grabbed a seat.
No sooner had I ordered a mango daiquiri than I felt a hand on my
shoulder. Turning, I expected to see Rocky, but I was wrong.

“
Hello,
stranger!”

“
Dad? What are you doing
here?” I jumped off my bar stool.

“
Chris, it’s so good to see
you!” My father enveloped me in a hug as he pressed his cheek to
mine with affectionate enthusiasm. “You look wonderful!”

“
So do you, but what are
you doing in Hawaii?”

“
Believe it or not, I’ve
got a consulting job for the next three months. I’m working on
developing a new way to treat coffee rust without harmful
chemicals.”

“
Wonderful. Are you staying
at the resort?”

“
I am. Are you here
alone?”

“
I am,” I
admitted.

“
Oh, come and join us. I
want you to meet some people.”

I signed for my drink and followed my father
over to a table where he sat with two women and a man. They all
looked up expectantly.

“
Chris, this is Lara
Street, my colleague and friend,” said my father, gesturing to an
attractive sixty-something woman with sparkling blue eyes and
silver hair that fell to her shoulders.

“
Hello.” She seemed like a
friendly, approachable sort of person and judging from the way she
glanced affectionately at my father as he talked, it looked like
they had developed a bond. Was it romantic?

My father turned to the other two people
sitting at the table. “And this is Liz and this is her husband, P.
J. Do you believe it? I just ran into my daughter, Chrisanth, at
the bar!”

“
An amazing coincidence,”
the woman called Liz remarked, watching me with a penetrating gaze
I found rather disconcerting. “You two had no idea you were going
to be in Hawaii at the same time?”

“
I’ve been out of touch for
a while,” I admitted, “traveling. Things have
been...complicated.”

“
But you’re here now, dear.
That’s what counts.” My father patted my hand. “It’s so good to see
you. It’s been too long, Chris.”

“
I know. I’ve missed you
too.” My voice got unexpectedly husky with emotions held back by a
wall of heartache. That’s what happens when you’re finally safe, I
reminded myself. Suddenly you feel it all hit you like a wave. I
had been through so much in the last year, but I wasn’t sure I
wanted to dump it all in my father’s lap. Maybe some things were
better left unsaid, some secrets tucked out of sight. “You look
great, Dad.”

It was true. My father looked younger and
more relaxed than the last time I had seen him. He had begun to get
back to the business of living. Was that Lara’s doing?

“
I’ve heard so much about
you,” she told me. I was surprised to hear her say that. Lara must
be important to him, I decided, especially if he told her about us.
“He’s very proud of his daughters.”

“
We’re proud of him,
too.”

“
It’s nice to meet you,”
Liz told me, extending her hand to me across the table. I leaned
forward and took it with a smile. Her fingers were warm on mine,
her touch light. Her eyes were the color of sandalwood, just a
shade or two darker than the golden hair she wore chin length with
bangs. There was something about her that seemed familiar, but I
couldn’t place her. Had we met before?

“
And you.”

P. J. rose and gave me a slight bow before
offering his hand. As I took it, I felt the strength of his firm,
controlled grip. He was a tall and trim man on the other side of
sixty. His short dark hair was sprinkled with silver and he had
dark brown eyes that gave nothing away as he smiled. This is a
reserved man, I decided. He’s more interested in knowing what
others are thinking than sharing his own thoughts. He’s a keen
observer, much like his wife, but he hides his interest better.
“What brings you to Hawaii?”

“
Oh,” I laughed, thinking
quickly, “I think it was a 747, but don’t quote me on
that.”

“
Touché, clever girl,” said
P. J., a good-natured smile playing across his lips. “Are you also
a botanist, like your father?”

“
Chrisanth is in the
hospitality business,” my father cut in. “She’s always been a
‘people person’. When her mom was ill, she quit her job with a
major hotel chain and came home to take care of her. I don’t know
what her mother and I would have done without her.”

There was the proud papa, telling his new
friends all about his daughter. I found myself blushing as he
described some of the things I had done to make my mother’s last
months more comfortable. A part of me was not used to such a public
discussion of family matters, but my father seemed rather oblivious
to my discomfort as he continued the conversation. I jumped in when
there was a brief pause, hoping to change the subject.

“
Oh, it was the right thing
to do at the time,” I insisted, too aware of the eyes upon me.
“Since then, I’ve been trying to get my life back on
track.”

“
How has that worked out
for you?” Lara wanted to know. “It’s not easy to restart your
career, is it? I’ve been a family caregiver twice now. It never
quite turns out as you expect it to, but sometimes when you tough
it out, it’s even better than you imagine it could be.”

I sensed there was pain behind those words.
Maybe she and my father had more than botany in common. Maybe
that’s why he was so blunt about my mother’s illness.

“
I’ve had a couple of bumps
on the road here and there,” I shrugged. She nodded.

“
I learned a long time ago
you can’t let it defeat you. You just have to pick yourself up,
dust yourself off, and get right back to work.”

“
Lara is also a botanist,”
my father informed me. “We met at a symposium in Washington last
September when I was giving a speech on fungus control for poppies.
She and I had a chance to exchange ideas during a round table
discussion. I was thrilled when she called me out of the blue in
January.”

“
I came to California on
business and decided to look your dad up again. He was kind enough
to invite me to dinner. We’ve been getting to know each other ever
since.”

“
She’s currently on
sabbatical from Cornell,” my father added.

“
Cornell?” I looked up at
my father’s beaming face and then at the other three. Lara was
sipping her cocktail demurely, her gaze averted. Liz was studying
me carefully. What did she hope to see? I wasn’t sure. P. J. just
smiled amiably and offered me some macadamia nuts from the wooden
bowl on the table.

My brain went into high gear as I scrambled
to process this unexpected development. January was when I met the
Cornwall brothers. It was the start of my adventures on the road.
Was there a connection? I considered the possibilities. My father
was falling in love with a botany professor who just happened to
work at the same university as Jeff’s father, who might even know
Jeff’s parents. The coincidence was a little too much for me to
swallow. What did all that mean?

“
I dazzled her in my
laboratory,” my father explained. “She was very impressed with my
organic compounds.”

“
Indeed I was,” Lara
replied. And then I heard something that absolutely stunned me.
“Woody’s been a godsend for my research. That’s why I invited him
to Hawaii.”

Lara called my father Woody. That was our
family nickname for him. He was born George Woodward Neeson, but
for most of the last two decades, he had lived under the name of
James Kermit Rawls. He had even published numerous papers under his
alias. Why was he suddenly Woody once more?

But that was hardly the biggest surprise of
the evening. Another, bigger one arrived when a handsome man with a
limp suddenly appeared at our table. The second I set eyes on him,
I gasped, stunned by the unexpected shock of seeing the man I love
appear before me. Was he a tropical mirage, some mystical Bali Ha’i
in male form?

“
Mom,” Jeff hailed his
mother, giving her a hug and a kiss. He patted his father on the
shoulder and shook hands. “Pop, don’t get up.”

“
You’re rather late,” Liz
told him matter-of-factly.

“
My flight was delayed.
Lara, you’re looking well. Apparently, Hawaii becomes
you.”

“
Oh, you smooth talker,
you! That sounds like a line from one of your books,” she replied
with a pleased smile.

P. J. made the formal introductions. “This
is our son, Jefferson. Jeff, meet a couple of our new friends. This
is the charming Chrisanth and her father, Woody. Woody, like Lara,
is a botanist.”

“
Nice to meet you, sir.”
Jeff held out his hand to my father before turning his attention to
me. The touch of his hand as he held mine was almost more than I
could bear. “And you, Chrisanth.”

A chair materialized out of nowhere, thanks
to an attentive waiter, and I found Jeff sitting at my side. For a
moment, I almost doubted this was the man I had been with in
Florida. He was a consummate actor.

“
We’re just about to
order,” P. J. told his son. “Your timing is, as always,
impeccable.”

“
I try,” he laughed. “What
sounds good, folks?”

I could feel Liz’s eyes watching me
throughout the meal. I found her scrutiny rather disconcerting. I
couldn’t read her expression. Did she like me? Did she not? Had I
somehow inadvertently offended her?