Leaving Lavender Tides

by Colleen Coble

She had to figure out a way to get him to see reality. His delusions could get them both killed. How had he even gotten her here in these rough seas?

  His smile remained fixed. “It will all come back to you, my darling. Not even death can separate us. You’ll forget all about Bannister once you remember who you really are.”

  He walked to the boxes and rummaged inside. “Let’s get some food in us. I even have a little propane stove to heat up our soup.”

  Did he really think she was going to praise him for thinking ahead? She wouldn’t take anything from him if she was starving—and her stomach rebelled at the very thought of food. She needed to get out of here.

  She darted to the boat and started to drag it to the water, but he was at her side in moments. He pushed her aside and secured the boat again. The stare he turned on her made her shiver.

  “Please, Raul. You have to get me back to Zach. He’ll be going out of his mind with worry. And I have a little boy, Alex, remember? He needs his mommy. You wouldn’t want to be the one responsible for leaving him motherless.”

  Something flickered in his eyes, but before she could decide whether it was regret or awareness, he swung back to the food. He prepared peanut butter sandwiches. He put one on a paper plate and handed it to her. “Eat. We’ll get through this, Shannon. You just have to listen to me.”

  He squinted toward the lowering clouds in the opening to the sea cave. “I hadn’t wanted to leave here until you remembered, but if we get a storm, this little bit of beach will be gone. I need to think of where else we can go to be alone.” He prodded her arm with a hard hand. “If you don’t eat, I’ll hold your head underwater until you do. Sometimes punishment is the only thing that works.”

  The thread of madness in his words encouraged her to force down a tasteless bite of the sandwich. How could she get through to him? He was truly insane. Wait a minute—what if she played up that angle and pretended to remember? If she could convince him she thought he was right, maybe he’d get them back to a town where she could scream for help.

  She had to think this through though and try to remember what she’d heard about Shannon, little though it was. She’d died of cancer, and they would have been married thirty-five years. She was afraid of water too. That was about the sum of Shauna’s knowledge of the woman. If only she had her phone so she could look up a few things.

  If he thought she was playing him, he would likely use that “punishment” he’d threatened.

  By the time the sun was fully up, Zach could only pace back and forth as the police officers talked. The police detective, a Hawaiian in his forties, approached him. Kaeo Iona was a big man with an alert manner and shrewd dark eyes. He wore his long black hair tied at the back of his neck. Zach had immediately trusted him.

  “Well, Zach, we’ve turned up some interesting things in the past hour. Your acquaintance Raul Jackman rented an inflatable raft with a motor. According to his Facebook page, he’s an avid boater. We’ve questioned the steward you mentioned, and one of his friends delivered the flowers to your room. Mr. Jackman paid him a hundred dollars to take them to the suite.”

  Zach had known it in his bones. “But why? He only met Shauna a week ago.”

  “He was staying at the same hotel as you were in Honolulu. All I can assume is that he saw her and became obsessed.” He turned his phone around to show Zach. “Look here. I found a copy of his wedding picture. The woman look familiar?”

  Zach barely bit back a gasp. “Shannon looks a lot like Shauna with the black hair and green eyes. The shape of the face is different and Shannon’s taller, but I could see why he’d be drawn to her.”

  “I don’t know your wife, but I saw her picture, and I thought the same thing. So maybe this old dude wants her to replace his wife?”

  “I guess it’s possible. The question is how do we find her?”

  “Well, we know he has an inflatable. He must have hired someone to bring the boat to the beach in case he could grab her. I had some officers cross the stream with the rope. They’re experienced, but it’s not something I’d recommend, by the way. They found drag marks at the beach where an inflatable was pulled to the water.”

  “He couldn’t have known she would cross the stream and be trapped though. It doesn’t make sense.”

  “I suspect he planned to grab her at an opportune time. If she hadn’t left the tent on her own, he might have killed you and taken her. I have all the ports on high alert, but with an inflatable, he could pull in at just about any of the beaches. Many of them aren’t manned by lifeguards. I know one thing though—he can’t get off the island with her. Airport security is on the lookout, and they’ll be spotted.”

  Zach voiced one of his biggest fears. “What if he plans to kill her? Maybe he wants to die with her or something.”

  Iona’s dark eyes went more somber. “Definitely something we have to keep in mind. We need to find them. I’ve alerted the Coast Guard, and they’re patrolling the waters looking for an inflatable. Try to stay calm. I think we’ll find them. He has to be trying to get back to town.”

  Zach balled up his fists. Thinking it and knowing it were two different things. “Thanks, Detective.” He walked away and went to stand at the water’s edge. The Na Pali coastline was intimidating as it loomed up out of the valley.

  He walked back to Iona. “Detective, what’s along the Na Pali coastline? Any other towns?”

  Iona shook his head. “Rocks, a few small beaches, sea caves. No towns or anything. It’s not accessible by land at all, and even by air you’d be hard-pressed to land a chopper.”

  “He has that inflatable. We could check the beaches and the sea caves.”

  “A small boat can navigate it, but the seas are rough this time of year. Big swells traveling all the way from Australia. The excursion companies don’t take small boats out after September.”

  “But he’s crazy enough to try it. You said he was an avid boater. Maybe he thinks he can handle it.”

  Iona pressed his lips together and fell silent for a moment. “Well, we could check it.”

  “How many with areas to land?”

  “Maybe not so many,” he admitted. “Okay, I’ll put a call into the Coast Guard and tell them we want to check that direction too.”

  “I’d like to come along.”

  Iona started to shake his head, then stopped and looked at Zach. “If I say no, you’ll just go rent a boat, won’t you?”

  “Yep. She’s my wife and I have to find her.” His voice wobbled a bit, and he cleared his throat. “I’m former Coast Guard. I know my way around a boat.”

  “Okay. Don’t get in the way.”

  “Thank you, Detective.”

  Iona gave a grunt and turned toward the helicopter. “Get in.”

  Chapter 13

  Shauna sat in the rear of the sea cave with her back against the rocks. Raul was making preparations to leave the cave, but the swells crashing into the rocks terrified her. She couldn’t imagine being out there in the middle of those seas with only the protection of the flimsy inflatable. Though it had a motor, she doubted it would be able to navigate those mountainous waves.

  “I don’t want to go out there, Raul. You know how water scares me.”

  He dropped another box of supplies into the boat, then turned a smile on her. “You’re starting to remember, Shannon, aren’t you? Shauna claimed not to be afraid of water.”

  She forced a smile. “I-I’m not sure where that fear is coming from. How can I be Shannon?”

  His gaze intent, he squatted in front of her. “Do you remember when we went to India in 1985? We visited quite a few Hindu temples, and we were both enthralled with their beliefs. You told me if anything happened to either of us, we had to promise we’d come back and find each other. Standing on the banks of the Ganges, your eyes were so intent, so beautiful, as you made your promise.

  “Deep down I didn’t really believe it, but after cancer took you, I began to watch for your reincarnated soul. I neve
r found you and had begun to give up hope. That is, until I spotted you at the hotel in Honolulu. Do you remember being reborn, Shannon? When is Shauna’s birthday?”

  Shauna didn’t want to answer because it would feed into his obsession, but maybe she could use it to her advantage. “April 14, 1986.”

  “What time?”

  “Nine at night.”

  The lines on his face smoothed out, and his eyes glittered. “Shannon died April 14 at fifteen minutes until nine. I think that proves it.”

  Shauna barely suppressed a shudder. There were many Bible verses she could have quoted to refute his belief, but she needed to convince him she was buying into his theory. She had a strong sense of self, of who she was in the Lord. Otherwise, his passion and delusion might have confused her.

  “T-That’s pretty persuasive.” She looked away so he couldn’t read her expression. She might not be able to hold back her disdain and disbelief.

  “I knew you’d see it. Wait until you see the home I’ve built for you, Shannon. Hindu shrines and beautiful Hindu architecture. There’s a temple on the grounds. I’m sorry now that I had begun to doubt. I’d even thought of selling it because I was beginning to despair of ever seeing you again.”

  A shiver ran down her back. She prayed for God to lead Zach in the right search. This man terrified her.

  She’d been keeping an eye on the weather, and she didn’t see any way to avoid going out in those swells. The minuscule sliver of beach was rapidly disappearing. “Can we go there now? I-I really want to see it.”

  His fingers gripped her chin, and he raised her face until she met his gaze. She pretended it was Zach across from her and put as much love into her expression as she could manage.

  He blinked and smiled, then released her and stood. “Yes, let’s go there now. I’ve got a small jet rented to take us back to California. We won’t even have to deal with TSA or anything like that. I can pull my car right up to the plane, and we can board.”

  Her chest tightened. She’d counted on being able to ask for help. Maybe she could plead with the pilot for assistance. Once she was out of this sea cave, there would be other people around. There had to be.

  He dragged the raft into the water as another huge swell washed over Shauna’s feet and wet her legs up to the calves. “Hop in, honey. Let’s get out of here.”

  The rubber was wet and slippery, and she half fell into the bottom of the boat, then crawled to the seat in the bow. She wanted to be able to see what was coming. Maybe she would find the opportunity to leap overboard and swim to a beach, though in these seas, that hope seemed remote.

  Raul waded into the waves and dragged the raft the rest of the way off the last strip of beach. The engine roared to life with one tug, and he steered the boat for the exit. Out of the shelter of the sea cave, the swells seemed even taller, and the sky spit rain in short bursts. The clouds blotted out the sun, and the wind whipped Shauna’s ponytail all around.

  She had no real idea where they were, other than the Na Pali coastline. Polihale should be to the south of this spot, and when he turned in that direction, she breathed a sigh of relief. Civilization was that way. Maybe the Coast Guard was looking for her by now too.

  The craft rode up the swells, then down the slope in a drop that made her stomach plunge. She prayed constantly for rescue and safety as Raul, his face grim and set, fought with the boat. Was he worried at all? Maybe obsession didn’t allow any doubts.

  The sea spray drenched her in just a few minutes, and she licked the salt from her lips. Her eyes burned from the salt as well. The violent heaving of the boat threatened to toss her into the water at any minute, and her fingers hurt from gripping the side of the raft. She scanned the horizon with the desperate hope of seeing a big Coast Guard cutter heading their way.

  Raul hadn’t said anything since they clashed with the waves, and she spared him a quick look. He was grinning with wild exultation as if he reveled in the battle with the sea. Maybe he did. Madness like his was hard to understand, and she didn’t really care to figure him out. All she wanted to do was escape.

  Shauna’s fingers had gone numb from holding on to the raft, and every muscle in her arms and back throbbed with exertion. Just when she thought the swells couldn’t get any taller, they grew even more mountainous. Hadn’t they been fighting the waves in front of this particular stretch of coastline for an hour? They seemed to be making little headway against the wind.

  The rain came down in earnest now. Her teeth chattered, and she huddled on the floor to try to avoid the wind as much as possible.

  Swathed in the only life jacket, Raul muttered to himself as he stared out at the wind and waves. His earlier determination and struggle with steering the boat had ebbed, and he sat with his hand slack on the motor as if uncaring what was going to happen. Shauna knew a little about boats and motors but not enough to battle what they were facing.

  Raul said something, and following his line of sight, she peeked her head above the rim of the raft to see the biggest swell yet barreling down on them. Then it struck the boat, and she was airborne. Her feet and arms pinwheeled before she came crashing down into the sea.

  The waves closed over her head and tossed her like flotsam in a flood until she didn’t know which way the air was that her lungs burned for. She saw a faint light and kicked toward it. Her head broke the surface, and she looked around for the boat. It floated upside down twenty feet away, and she tried to swim toward it, but the waves claimed her again and pushed her in the opposite direction. She saw no sign of Raul.

  Her arm throbbed, and she saw a small, bleeding abrasion on her right forearm. She must have scraped it on the motor or a box when she was flung into the sea. Would the blood attract sharks? She pushed away the fear that would serve no purpose right now. There was nothing she could do to fix it.

  The Na Pali coastline was to her left, only about a hundred feet, but she saw no place to pull herself ashore without being dashed against the razor-sharp rocks. Fighting to keep her head above the waves quickly sapped her strength, and she gulped in seawater. She looked around again for the raft, but it was much farther away, too far to reach in these swells.

  She was going to drown. The thought didn’t bring fear, just the sting of regret that she’d be leaving Alex motherless. She’d be leaving Zach when she’d just found him.

  A splash sounded behind her, and she saw Raul thrashing in the water. His lips were blue, but his eyes were clear. His life vest was in his hands, and he threw it at Shauna.

  “Put it on,” he rasped. “I’m a strong swimmer. I can make it. Follow me, Shannon. I’ll help you. I can’t lose you when I’ve just found you.”

  She wasn’t going to argue with him and had on the life vest in another minute. While the waves still pummeled her, it was easier to keep her head above water with the help of the flotation device.

  She looked around and saw Raul striking out with strong strokes for the coastline. Did he see something she didn’t? She started to follow him, but she wasn’t strong enough to fight the current and decided to let it carry her farther south. The problem was it was also dragging her away from the shore.

  She couldn’t worry about that now. All she could do was pray and try to stay alive as long as she could. For Alex. For Zach. She didn’t want to die before she saw Connor and Brenna again either.

  Her eyelids were so heavy. She kept closing them and drifting in a happy place where Zach carried her in his strong arms along the beach in the warm sun.

  A cold wave washed over her face and brought her fully awake. She blinked the sting of salt out of her eyes. Where was the shore? She was alone in a vast sea with no idea in which direction she should swim.

  No, not alone. God was out here with her. Whatever happened, she was safe in his arms.

  Chapter 14

  The Coast Guard cutter rode the waves hard, often smashing down into the seas like the roughest log ride imaginable. His legs braced against the wind and the rocking ri
de, Zach stood in the bow with a pair of binoculars and scanned the big rollers for a glimpse of Shauna’s face in the water. They’d seen nothing yet, but he had to hang on to his hope.

  This storm had swept in so suddenly, and he’d overheard a couple of the Coasties say they hoped Shauna and Raul weren’t trying to shelter in a sea cave. These swells would make that impossible. Would Raul have figured that out? Surely he’d paid attention to the forecasts.

  Iona, clad in a waterproof Windbreaker, came to join him. “Anything?”

  Not trusting himself to speak, Zach shook his head. Iona held out his hand to a Coastie with another set of binoculars. “May I?” The detective adjusted the eyepiece and swept them back and forth in a practiced motion.

  Zach went back to searching as well. He’d done this many times when he was in the Coast Guard, but he never thought he’d be searching open seas for his wife. “Wait a second.”

  “What is it?” Iona asked.

  “Might be a boat. Hard to tell.” Zach told him where to look.

  “You’re right.” Iona went to direct the boat navigator.

  Zach adjusted the binoculars again and scanned the waves. A glimpse of green caught his eye. Could that be a boat? If it was, it rode low in the water. Maybe capsized.

  The cutter sped up and headed in the direction of whatever was in the water. Zach held on to the rail. “Please, Lord, let us find her alive.” His lips felt numb as he prayed the same plea over and over again.

  As the boat neared the site, his gut tightened. It was an inflatable boat, mostly submerged. There was no sign of Shauna or Raul. The motor slowed on the Coast Guard cutter, and a diver leaped into the water to investigate. Zach kicked off his shoes and went in after him. Shauna could be under there.

  A big swell lifted him up and deposited him closer to the capsized inflatable. He dove under the boat and looked around to make sure Shauna wasn’t trapped. Nothing there but a floating jar of peanut butter. He swam out from under the inflatable and searched the waves.