by Karen Badger
Leilani nodded. “I’ll tell you what…why don’t we all go? After my meetings, we can spend a few days on the island. It will like a mini-holiday.”
“I’m good with that,” Spencer said.
Chapter 10
“Papa told me I’d find you out here, Red. I see the chief is working your fingers to the bone,” Leilani said.
Spencer looked up from the garden bed she was working in. “Hey, lady. Your father has been pretty easy to work for. I never would have thought I’d have a knack for gardening. I’m actually enjoying it.”
“Did you remember to tell him that you would be going with me to O’ahu tomorrow?”
“Yes, I did. I can’t believe how fast these two weeks have passed.”
“Are you packed?”
“Yep! I knocked off a couple of hours early yesterday to do some clothes shopping. I appreciate Doc lending me some of her clothes, but it will feel good to wear duds that fit me.”
“Speaking of Frankie, she wanted me to remind you not to be late for dinner. She’s making loco moco again tonight. I think it’s become her favorite new meal to make.”
Spencer sat back on her heels. She cocked her head to one side. “You’re a pretty lucky lady. You realize that, don’t you?” she asked.
Leilani grinned. “I assume you’re talking about Frankie?”
“Yes. I can see how much you love one another. It’s in your gaze, your touch, your voice when you speak to her. I hope to find someone to connect to on that level someday.”
Leilani squatted down in front of Spencer. “Maybe you already have, Red.”
“What do you mean?”
“When your memories return, maybe there will be a Prince…or Princess waiting to reconnect with you.”
Spencer absent mindedly drew circles in the soil in front of her with her spade. “I hope they have the patience to wait for me. It’s been a month since the accident. I wouldn’t blame them for moving on.”
Leilani lifted Spencer’s chin. “True love does not move on.”
Spencer held her gaze for several moments. “I hope you’re right.”
Leilani stood. “Dinner’s at five tonight. We need to get to bed relatively early. The ship leaves at six tomorrow morning.”
“Don’t worry. I’d walk on hot coals for Doc’s loco moco. I’ll be there on time.”
***
“Oh, my God. Why did you let me eat so much?” Spencer sat back in one of the three lounge chairs positioned around a small fire they had lit on the beach, and rubbed her stomach.
“The way you dove into your dinner, I thought it was wise to keep my hands and feet away from the intake,” Frankie joked.
“It was so good. Thank you for cooking, Doc.”
“Are you ever going to call me Frankie?”
“Nope!”
“You can be so infuriating! And thank you, by the way. I love it when people enjoy my cooking.”
Leilani reached for Frankie’s hand. “Are you excited about tomorrow?” she asked.
“I am. It’s been a while since I’ve been on O’ahu. I am looking forward to shopping.”
Leilani chuckled. “Shopping? I should have known.”
“I love shopping. How about you, Red?” Frankie asked.
Spencer frowned. “I don’t know how I felt about it before I got here, but I enjoyed shopping for my new clothes this week.”
“Good. You can come shopping with me while Lei is meeting with the council.”
Leilani shook her head to warn Spencer off from the shopping trip, but stopped abruptly when Frankie nearly caught her.
Spencer missed the silent message. “Sounds like fun. I’m looking forward to it.”
Leilani covered her eyes with one hand, lowered her chin to her chest and again shook her head.
Frankie glared at her. “What was that gesture for?”
Leilani tried hard to look innocent. “Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I’m sure you’ll both have a great time shopping!”
Frankie patted Leilani’s cheek. “I thought that’s what you meant.”
Silence fell on the trio as they watched the sun dip below the ocean horizon.
“Another beautiful sunset,” Leilani said.
“Yes it was, but as much as I am enjoying the evening, we should think about turning in for the night. The alarm clock is set for five,” Frankie pointed out.
***
Spencer tossed and turned well into the night. Finally, she settled on her back, closed her eyes and forced herself to relax. Soon, she felt herself begin to drift off.
Please come back to me, my love.
Spencer shifted in her sleep and unconsciously pulled the covers up to her neck.
I love you sweetheart.
Spencer frowned, but continued to sleep.
I miss seeing your beautiful green eyes. Please open them for me.
Spencer’s eyes flew open.
Yes! I have missed you, koʻu aloha. Welcome back.
Spencer blinked her eyes a couple of times to focus her vision. There above her was a beautiful Hawai’ian woman with long dark hair and brown eyes. The woman was smiling broadly at her. There was something oddly familiar about her.
The woman lowered her face to Spencer’s and kissed her tenderly. Spencer felt a jolting surge of desire fill her core with an intensity that took her by surprise.
All Spencer could do was blink. She had no voice. She was unable to move.
I see so much fear in your eyes, my love. Please don’t worry. I will be here for you.
Spencer felt tears form in the corners of her eyes. Whoever this person was, she felt safe, and she felt loved.
Please don’t cry. You are safe. Things will get better. I promise.
The woman kissed the tears from her eyes and then sat up. It was then that Spencer noticed something she had seen before. This woman had a crescent moon tattoo on her left breast, with a trail of stars that disappeared into her blouse. A phrase ran through Spencer’s mind—I am over the crescent moon in love with you.
Spencer allowed an overwhelming feeling of love to fill her heart as tears poured from her eyes and into her ears. She found it difficult to breath, and she closed her eyes in an attempt to regain her composure. When she opened them again, the woman was gone.
“No. Come back,” Spencer whispered into the dark. “Please, come back.”
Chapter 11
Leilani placed a cup of coffee in front of Spencer. “Hey, are you all right? You’re quiet this morning.”
Spencer broke out of her trance and looked up at Leilani. “I’m sorry. I didn’t sleep well. Things are a little foggy this morning. Thanks for the coffee, by the way.”
“I’m sure you’re just excited about the trip.”
“You’re probably right.”
“Frankie is bathing, so you have about twenty minutes to finish your coffee before we leave. How about some toast for breakfast? I’m going to make a couple of slices for myself.”
“If it’s not too much trouble, I’d love some. Thank you.”
“No problem.”
Leilani stood at the stove and browned four pieces of bread in the open fire. She glanced over her shoulder at Spencer, who was once again, staring off into the distance. “Wanna tell me what’s bothering you?” she asked.
Spencer snapped out of her trance. “Huh?”
“You seemed far away. Wanna talk about it?”
“Leilani, how much do the native people believe in dreams?”
“Wow, I didn’t expect that question, but to answer, old Hawai’ian culture teaches that the human soul travels on journeys during the dream state. The Hawai’ian word for dream is moe uhane, and it means soul sleep. The elders believe that while dreaming, people communicate with their guardians. The guardians often take the form of sharks. Sharks are sacred in the Hawai’ian culture and are thought to be connected to family. If you dream of sharks...or if you are out at sea and you see sharks close by, it is a sign that a famil
y member has sent it to you to counsel or protect.”
“So things that happen during dreams are generally good?” Spencer asked.
“Not always. Some dreams have dark sides. The ancient Hawai’ians were afraid of becoming lost while dreaming. They also worried that their spirits could be controlled by shamans who could make them do terrible things. I guess you could assign the English word nightmare to those types of dreams.”
Leilani watched Spencer closely. It was obvious to her that something was bothering her.
Leilani buttered the toast and placed them on two plates. She then retrieved the jam from the cupboard and carried their simple breakfast to the table. She sat down in the chair opposite Spencer.
“Here. Eat up while they’re still warm.”
“Thanks.”
“Red, you’ll feel better if you just talk about it.”
Spencer sat back in her chair. “You’re going to think I’m nuts.”
Leilani chuckled. “Well, I’ve thought you were nuts from the beginning, so whatever you have to tell me will make no difference.”
“That’s right…the two thousand nineteen thing,”
“Exactly. So spill it.”
Spencer leaned forward in her chair again. “I had a dream that left me a little shaken.”
“Go on.”
“For starters, I had a hard time falling asleep, and then when I finally drifted off, I heard someone talking to me and begging me to come back to them.”
“Come back to them?”
“Yes. It was more like, ‘come back to me, my love.’ I assumed I was dreaming and tried to ignore it, but the voice persisted with declarations of love. Finally I opened my eyes. It took me a while to focus, but there, leaning above me, was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen.”
“A woman?” Leilani prompted.
“Yes. She was amazingly beautiful. She had long dark hair and brown eyes…and she had Pacific Island features. I felt like I’d been run over by a truck. She took my breath away. I don’t remember ever feeling that strongly about someone in my life.”
“Well, I guess that answers the question about whether you are an o nā wāhine,” Leilani observed.
“Do you think so?” Spencer asked.
“Look, Frankie has been working on that assumption from the first day you came to us, but she didn’t want to put that idea into your head. She thought it was better for you to come to that conclusion yourself.”
“Well, I gotta tell you, the woman in my dream took the wind out of my sails. The intensity of what I felt made me cry.”
“So, did anything else happen?”
“I remember closing my eyes to fight off the tears and when I opened them, she was gone. I felt such an intense sense of loss. I begged her to come back, but she didn’t. Oh, and there was one other thing. When she leaned above me, I noticed a crescent moon tattoo above her left breast. It had a trail of stars beneath it that disappeared into her blouse.”
Leilani put both hands on the table and stood. She leaned toward Spencer. “Say that again?” she asked seriously.
“What part?”
“The tattoo. Describe it again.”
“It was shaped like a crescent moon, and beneath it, was a trail of stars that looked like it might lead directly to her nipple.”
“You’re sure you saw it clearly?”
“As clearly as I am seeing you right now.”
Leilani pushed away from the table and walked around the kitchen with her hands on her hips. Intense concern and worry were etched in her body language.
“Okay, you’re freaking me out. What is so significant about that crescent moon tattoo?” Spencer demanded.
Frankie chose that moment to enter the kitchen, fully dressed for their trip. She stopped short when she saw Leilani and Spencer apparently in a stand-off. “What’s going on here?” she asked.
Leilani pointed toward Spencer. “It appears Red here, has had an encounter with our problem child.”
“Yes, I told you that,” Frankie said.
“You told me that? Why don’t I remember that conversation?”
“Because it wasn’t a real conversation. Remember the day you got home, we were standing in the kitchen and Red was doing stretching exercises in the yard? That’s when I told you. Red interrupted that conversation by coming into the house.”
“Hello!” Spencer said. “I am right here, you know. You don’t need to talk about me like I’m invisible.”
“Wait a minute. Are you telling me she had this encounter weeks ago?” Leilani asked.
“Yes. When do you think the encounter happened?”
“Last night…in Red’s dream.”
Frankie looked at Spencer. “You had a dream about her? When you woke up from your accident a month ago, you told me you remembered seeing her leaning over the side of a boat looking at you in the water.”
Spencer covered her face with her hands, rubbed hard to regain her composure and then lowered her hands to her hips. “Okay. Yes, I did see her leaning…and yes, I saw her in my dream. You obviously know who she is. Now spill it! Tell me who is she.”
Leilani took a step toward Spencer. “Right now, the council believes she’s our worst nightmare…and right now, I’m thinking you know who she is. Right now, I’m wondering why you appeared on our shore.”
Spencer clenched her fists and held them close to her sides. Her face was a mask of anger and consternation.
Frankie stepped between them. “Lei, you can’t be suggesting Red was intentionally planted here.”
“How does it look to you, Frankie? She shows up here with a head injury and no memory of who she is or how she became injured. She wiggles her way into our lives…and into my father’s home, and now we’re heading to O’ahu, where coincidentally Makenna is hovering offshore. And now…the night before we leave for O’ahu, she sees a vision of her in her dreams. This smells like it’s planned to me.”
Rage and anger clouded Spencer’s expression as Leilani accused her of being a spy.
Frankie came to Spencer’s defense once more. “I can’t imagine anyone intentionally inflicting a life-threatening injury like the one Red had when she was found on the beach. She could have died from that wound. That would have defeated the whole purpose of planting her here, don’t you think?”
“What if her backers were counting on medical care being readily available? What if the beach she landed on was selected for just that reason? What if they are targeting the chief?”
“Lei, it could be a total coincidence that she washed up on shore in Princeville.”
“Or maybe that beach was specifically chosen because they knew you in particular would be involved in her care?”
Frankie frowned. “You are making no sense at all. What significance do I play in this?” Frankie asked.
“All I’m saying is that someone could have done their homework and realized you are in a relationship with the chief’s daughter.” Leilani pointed at Spencer. “What better way for her to get close to the chief?”
“Oh, for goodness’ sake, Lei. Do you hear yourself? You are grasping here.”
“What other explanation could there be, Frankie?”
“I don’t have the answers, Lei…and Red isn’t able to provide them right now, so I say we give her the benefit of the doubt. You can’t automatically assume guilt. We are a democracy. That’s not what we do in the Kingdom of Hawai’i.”
“You want to give her the benefit of doubt? Fine! We will go to O’ahu—and she will come with us. Better to have her where I can watch her than to expose my father, and the government of Kauai to sabotage.” Leilani leaned in close to Spencer. “I will be watching you like a hawk, Red. One suspicious move and I will have you detained. Is that clear?”
Spencer narrowed her eyes. “You are wrong about me, Leilani. You are dead wrong.”
“You had better hope so.”
“We should probably get to the dock. The ship leaves in less than an hou
r,” Frankie said.
Leilani glared at Spencer once more and then left the room to retrieve their bags.
Frankie turned to Spencer. “I’m sorry she treated you like that, Red.”
“Part of me understands her need to protect the chief, but she is wrong about me, Doc.”
Frankie nodded. “Give her time. For now, we’ve got to go.”
Spencer took a few steps toward the guest room to get her bag but then stopped and turned around. “Doc? There’s one thing I need to know.”
“What’s that?”
“Who is Makenna?”
Chapter 12
Spencer stood at the railing of the sailing ship docked in Hanalei Bay and watched the crew carry out their orders before they set sail. Frankie waited beside her as Leilani stood a few yards away talking with one of the crew’s officers. Spencer saw her gesturing wildly, and once or twice, she looked or pointed toward Spencer.
“She’s warning the crew about me, isn’t she?” Spencer said.
Frankie glanced over her shoulder. “She’s worried, Red. Please don’t be angry with her. The best way to win her to your side is to not behave like she thinks you might.”
“I would never hurt the chief. You know that, don’t you?”
“I hope you wouldn’t.”
“But you’re not convinced of that, are you?”
Frankie turned to face Spencer and leaned one elbow on the ship’s railing. “I’d like to think I’m a good judge of character, Red. My gut tells me that even though you present a tough-guy façade, in reality, you wouldn’t hurt a flea. But Lei does have a point.”
“And that point is?”
“We know nothing about you. We don’t know where you come from. We don’t know who your people are. We don’t have any history about where you grew up or where you’ve lived. Hell, we don’t even know your name.”
“Well, that makes three of us, Doc. If I knew, I would tell you.”
Frankie nodded. “I suspect you would.”
“What about Leilani?” Spencer asked.
“I recommend you keep to yourself on this trip to O’ahu. Keep it low-key. You’re right—she has informed the crew of her suspicions, so don’t give them anything to pin on you.”