Torch Ginger (7 page)

They went back to the Subaru, emptied their shoes again, drained their water bottles, and radioed in defeat.

Back at the station, evening was encroaching with a cooling of the light. They booted up computers in their workstation to enter notes.

“Seems like they must have something to hide. Like they were prepared to get made.”

“I think that’s exactly what they’re prepared for,” Lei said. “They’re more than just a random group of campers. I think they might be some kind of cult, and ‘Jim Jones’ is their leader.”

They put out a Be On Lookout—a BOLO—on one mixed-race male, mid-thirties, approximately six foot, wearing a sarong and going by “Tiger” or “Jim Jones.” Lei had little hope it would yield anything; the guy could disappear if he wanted to, which reminded her why this case wasn’t simple.

So many of these people wanted to disappear—that’s what they came to Kaua`i for.

She drove homeward distracted, mulling over the case, and halfway home turned into the subdivision on the bluffs overlooking the ocean where Alika’s development was going up. She drove around gracefully curving roads studded with full-sized transplanted coconut trees and pulled into the driveway of a huge Mediterranean-style mansion. Its gracious edifice was punctuated by wrought-iron railings and red tile roofs on multiple levels. The house appeared finished, though the lawn wasn’t yet filled in; roped off with plastic tape, sprinklers whirled over thin shoots of grass.

She rang the bell, a chiming song deep inside the house. Alika came to open the massive double door with its beveled glass insets. He had nothing on but a great physique and a pair of swim trunks.

“Thought I told you this was business.”

“I was planning to take a swim in the pool. It’s out back.” He gestured. Her scalp prickled with embarrassment—she’d overreacted.

“You said you had a burglary?” She held up the little Nikon and a clipboard with incident report forms attached.

“Upstairs, and the garage. It’s for real, in case you thought I lured you here on false pretenses. But maybe after you investigate you’d like to take a swim too?”

The idea sounded wonderful. Lei felt sticky from tackling the Polihale dunes, but she shook her head.

“Think I’ll pass. Where’s the supposed crime scene?”

“Follow me.” He preceded her up a curving staircase trimmed in native hardwood koa and led Lei into an office off the landing.

“I bought some nice furniture for showing the house. Leather couches, a flat-screen TV. Everything is still here but the TV.” He gestured to the leather couches, still partly covered in plastic bubble wrap. “It looks to me like they decided not to take them.”

Lei pulled out the Nikon and took some pictures, began filling out the form.

“Any damage? How did they get in?”

“Don’t know how they got in. Kinda like those other burglaries that way. I don’t have the house alarmed yet, but nothing was broken into. It seems like the burglars unlocked the door, took what they wanted, and locked up again.”

“Anything else?”

Alika was standing a hair too close. She couldn’t help feeling the heat from his near-naked body and pick up his scent—a subtle hint of clove and cut grass.

“Yeah. They took some supplies I was storing in the garage downstairs.”

“I better see that; then you can put in a claim with your insurance.”

He led her back downstairs. She looked out the sliding-glass doors off the living room to the patio, where a cobalt-tiled pool shimmered.

“Wow. The pool really is gorgeous.”

“I’m kind of proud of it.” His voice warmed. “I wanted it to go with the Mediterranean feeling of the house, so I used Portuguese tiles.” He led her over to the sliders, pushed one open. The pool area was surrounded by a redwood fence that cut the wind. Areca palms bent gracefully over smoothly groomed grass, and oversized terra-cotta planters bloomed with bright red geraniums. The pool was set among them like a giant lapis lazuli.

“Oh—that looks so good,” Lei said longingly.

“Well, let’s go swimming. The garage isn’t going anywhere.”

She paused, considering. She felt suddenly intolerably hot and itchy from the day.

“Okay. Let me get my suit.”

She went back out to the truck, dug the brand-new bikini out from behind her seat. The tags still dangled as she hadn’t had time to wear it, and she eyed the scraps of yellow material apprehensively. A fast-talking saleslady had gotten her to try it on when she went in for her annual black tank suit and wouldn’t take no for an answer once she saw it on Lei, giving too deep a discount to turn down. Lei put it behind her back as she returned to the house and Alika.

“Where can I change?”

“Through there, guest bath.” He pointed.

Lei walked through the house and into the elegant bathroom, where she reached over to the sink and splashed water on her face. She peeled off smelly clothes, avoiding looking at herself until she had the suit on.

It really was amazing. The halter top was just ruched enough to give her a little more fullness up top, and the high-cut bottom with a gold ring at the hip emphasized her long, toned legs. The yellow highlighted her tan, and tiny brown polka-dots subtly mimicked her freckles.

She’d never looked better.

She shook her hair out of its wadded ponytail, ran her wetted fingers through so her curls reared up like a lion’s mane, and decided there was nothing to do but knock his proverbial socks off.

She strode out of the bathroom like a model working the ramp. Alika was already in the pool, and she got the pleasure of seeing his mouth drop open before she executed a smooth dive in and came up next to him, gasping.

“The water feels great.”

“Yeah,” he said, his eyes alight with appreciation. She pretended not to notice and went into a tidy overhand crawl, doing ten laps before she took a break at the shallow end.

He was still lapping the pool with a smooth, powerful backhand. The cobalt tile made the water look clear as sapphire, and with the sunset gilding the gracious plantings, catching the splashing water shooting off his arms, it was a scene out of a fantasy.

He pulled up beside her, blowing water off his lips, drawing her eyes to their well-cut form.

“I could get used to this,” Lei said.

“I hope you will.” His dark eyes were serious as he moved in on her. She moved away, keeping several feet between them.

“Ha-ha. I bet you say that to all your pickups.”

“I told you. You got me wrong. But I can see I’m just gonna have to put in the time and prove it to you.”

“You don’t have to prove anything to me.”

“Yes, I do. You think I’m this big playboy. I’m a little bit of a player, yeah. But mostly I work. I don’t have time for any ‘relationships.’ I haven’t wanted to get to know someone in . . . well, a while. You interest me. On all levels.” He was turned away from her, addressing his remarks out into the shimmering air in front of them, so Lei was able to tolerate the intimacy of what he was saying.

She floated into the warm water surrounding him, put her lips near his ear. “I like you too.”

Then she moved away, breaking into another set of laps. He seemed to chase her, and back and forth they went.

Purple darkness spread from above, stars filling the sky like night-blooming jasmine. The pool went dark as a well. Lei got out, wrapped herself in a towel from the cabana. Alika stayed in the pool, his arms draped along the tiled edge, his head thrown back, eyes closed.

“Wanna show me the rest of your burglary?”

“Sure I can’t show you my etchings upstairs?” Teasing in his voice.

“Not tonight, but I’m sure they’re . . . unforgettable. I really do have to get going.”

He sighed with exaggerated disappointment, getting her to smile, and hoisted himself lightly out of the pool, belting on one of the terry cloth robes. He handed her another and they padded through the Mexican tiled kitchen to the garage.

He flicked on powerful overhead lights. The garage was in disarray. He pointed out buckets partly full of paint left behind while full ones were gone, empty pallets where supplies would have been, and the area where a truckbox of expensive construction tools had been. Only a rolled carpet remained.

Lei photographed the scene. “Your insurance should cover this.”

“Yeah, but that’s not the point. I don’t like the idea that someone’s got access to my place. I’ve changed the locks and alarm codes, but too late already.”

“I thought this was a model home.”

“It is. But I’m going to live in it—might as well. I always pick one of the houses and live in it while it’s on the market. Actually helps it sell.”

“Nice to be able to live like this.”

“It’s a gamble.” He shrugged. “With the economy what it is, I could be in this one awhile.”

Lei couldn’t muster any sympathy so didn’t try, finishing with the photos.

“Okay. I’ll open a new report for you tomorrow, and if you need copies for the insurance company I’ll send them to your e-mail.”

“Think this could have anything to do with Lisa and her problems?”

“I know she was your friend, but we haven’t been able to find her and we want to question her anyway. I’d say she’s definitely a possibility as one of the burglars. She could have taken a key from you, had it copied. Maybe she thinks you can afford it.”

He cleared his throat. “She had a key. I’d told her she could use the pool.”

“Did you change the locks?”

“Yeah. Yesterday.”

“So when exactly did you notice the stuff was missing?” She picked up the clipboard again, noted Lisa Nakamoto as a possibility.

“Two days ago. Can’t believe she’d do that to me.” He shook his head, and gave the e-mail info to her for the insurance claim. They went back into the kitchen, where Lei picked up her dirty clothes, wrinkling her nose.

“Ugh. I don’t want to get back into these. Can I borrow the robe?”

“Only if you bring it back and use it again,” Alika said. “In fact, I’ve got something coming up I think you’d enjoy.”

“What kind of something?”

“An event. I need a date. Interested?”

“What kind of event?” Lei kept her eyes on the incident report, trying not to notice her heart had sped up.

“An event. You know, music, food, you wearing something tight and silky. Maybe some heels . . .”

“Wait a minute. Really? You’re asking me out.”

“My God, woman, you aren’t making it easy.” Alika’s deeply injured tone made her smile. He went on. “It’s a ball to benefit the National Bird Refuge at Kilauea. They have a lot of outreach programs to schools and so on that rely on donations. It’s at the Princeville Hotel.”

Lei had driven by the hotel’s magnificent edifice and speculated on the view it must have, perched on the cliff overlooking the entire Hanalei Bay. She did want to see that. And the Bird Refuge sounded like a good cause. The feeling of attraction-apprehension he elicited rose up in her again.

“When is it?”

“Tomorrow night, which as you know is Friday night.”

“That’s pretty soon,” she hedged.

“I figure, strike while the iron is hot. And the iron is hot.”

A blush prickled up her neck. She decided to shut this down.

“I don’t know why you’re bothering with me, Alika. I can tell I’m not your type—heels? Come on. And you’re definitely not my type.”

“I like you, hard as it is for you to believe. Plus I want to see what you look like in a dress.”

“Do I get to see what you look like in a dress?”

“It’s not entirely out of the question, if you’re into that.”

Lei couldn’t help laughing.“Incorrigible!” she exclaimed.

“Ah. Everyone eventually discovers my middle name. We could have some fun. You aren’t entirely opposed to fun, are you?”

“Not entirely.”

“Okay then. I’ll pick you up at seven.”

“No. I’ll drive myself and meet you.”

Long pause.

“Don’t you trust me? I won’t drink more than a glass or two of champagne. I promise.”

“No. I’ll drive myself, or no deal.”

He threw up his hands in mock surrender, teeth flashing in the dim light.

“I’ll meet you then, at the portico at seven p.m. I’ll be the man looking insecure, with a red rose in his teeth.”

“Okay. But you gotta behave. I get snappy when I’m embarrassed.”

“Imagine that.”

When she pulled the truck out, he was still standing in the driveway, his hands in the pockets of the robe, watching her go.

Chapter 8

Lei was putting away the natural food groceries from the health food store, still in the cotton robe and bikini, when Keiki burst into Intruder Alert barking.

No one dropped in on her out here. She slipped the Glock out of the holster hung over the back of the kitchen chair and slid it into the roomy pocket of the robe, tightened the belt, and went to the front door. A tall curly-haired man, backlit by the headlights of a taxicab, stood near the chain-link gate.

Keiki let him know Lei was well guarded.

“Lei?”

“Yes?” Her hand curled around the reassuring pebbled grip of the Glock in her pocket. That cool weight had come to feel like an extension of her hand.

“Lei, it’s me, Wayne. Your dad.”

She switched on the porch light.

Her father stood behind the crisscrossed wire in creased dark jeans and a plain white T-shirt with a small duffel in his hand—post-prison issue. Light gleamed off his silver-shot hair and craggy features. She couldn’t see into the shadowed hollows of his eyes.

Her thoughts flew away in shock. She hadn’t seen him in months, since she’d visited him at Halawa Prison, a brief reconciliation never consolidated beyond a few phone calls and letters.

“Hey, Dad. What’re you doing here?” She was aware of the rattling idle of the taxicab’s engine, the harsh glare of its lights, the total awkwardness of the situation. She came down the steps to the gate.

“I got out,” he said simply. “I heard you moved, so I came here.”

“Aren’t you supposed to stay on the island your parole officer assigns you? Isn’t there a halfway house you’re supposed to go to?”

“Yeah.” A flush of embarrassment marked red flags on his high cheekbones. “But there’s no room for me there yet. A condition of my probation is that I’m on the same island as my daughter, the police detective. Congratulations on the promotion, by the way.”