Black Sands

by Colleen Coble

  She laughed and eased him onto her chest. The article was just getting interesting when the phone rang. Wilson sprang to his feet and began to bark. Annie brought her hand to her throat. Who would call at this hour? The luminous numbers on her alarm clock said twelve twenty. She almost let it ring, then realized it might be Tomi.

  She picked it up and clicked it on. “Hello?” she said softly.

  “Annie?”

  The voice was like nothing she’d ever heard. Some kind of weird electronic sound altered the person’s voice. Her pulse kicked into high gear. Maybe it was Leilani—or someone who had her. “This is Annie.” Her knuckles hurt where she gripped the phone.

  “This is just the beginning,” the voice whispered. “Are you enjoying the ride, Annie? Better fasten your seat belt, it’s going to get rough. Your family ruined my life. Now it’s your turn. And it’s all Tomi’s fault.”

  “Who are you?” Annie heard the panic in her voice, but she didn’t care. “What do you want? Is this about Leilani?”

  The laugh that followed raised the hair on the back of her neck. “She’ll join her mother in hell. You ever wonder how she really died?”

  Annie heard a click. “Hello? Hello?” She shook the phone, then threw it across the room and burst into tears. What had the caller meant about her mother? She’d committed suicide. Annie kicked off the covers and practically fell out of bed in her scramble to retrieve the phone. She had to call the police. She got through to the station and told the officer on duty about the call. He took down all the information.

  “So you weren’t specifically threatened? Maybe it was someone who knows your sister is missing and is trying to rattle you.”

  Annie hadn’t thought of that. “You think so?” She wished she could believe it. “The voice seemed so—so—evil.” She clung to the hope that Leilani was with Tomi. If she only knew for sure.

  “Those electronic voice synthesizers can really be upsetting,” the officer said. “We’ll check it out. I’ll talk to Sam about putting a tap on your phone.”

  She didn’t mention what the caller said about her mother. No sense in putting the call into even more dispute by passing along that lie. Annie hung up the phone not at all comforted.

  Eight

  The fresh, clean scent of the sea washed over Annie’s face. Nani did a backward flip and splashed her, and Annie laughed. Nani had such personality. Annie slipped her mask over her head and let it dangle around her neck. Yesterday after church, the day had dragged by while she waited for the phone to ring. It never did. Her work today would keep her mind off the silence in the house.

  Fawn sat on the edge of the boat and pulled on her fins. “You’re sure Nani knows what she’s supposed to do?” she asked Jillian, who was steering. Wilson stood on his hind legs on the dash. His nose quivered as he sniffed the wind.

  Jillian nodded. “Kaia showed her and said she was ready.” Her voice was hoarse, and she fished a tissue out of her pocket and wiped her red nose. “We’re always hearing stories of wild dolphins helping people who are shipwrecked or drowning. This is my first up-close-and-personal experience with a wild dolphin though, and I’m disappointed I don’t get to go out with you.”

  “Where is Kaia?” Annie asked. She pulled on her own fins. The brilliant turquoise of the bay washed away the last traces of the weekend’s stress. There was no sense in worrying right now anyway. She couldn’t do anything until she heard from Tomi and Leilani.

  “She went back to Kaua’i. She’s in the middle of wedding plans.” Jillian cut the engine, and the boat sloughed sideways. “It’s a little rough out here. I should be going down with you.” She wiped her nose again.

  “We’ll be fine.” Annie slipped into the water, and it wrapped her in a warm caress. Wilson leaned over the edge of the boat and barked at the dolphin. Nani rose out of the water, twirling several times before splashing back down. She swam to the boat and chattered at Wilson.

  “I think she likes Wilson,” Annie said. She hit the water with the palm of her hand, and the dolphin swam to her. Nani thrust her nostrum into Annie’s hand. She smiled and patted Nani. The wet inner-tube feel of the dolphin’s skin brought a sense of comfort that surprised her. “Ready to help us, Nani?”

  Underwater volcanic studies were something of a rarity. It was more difficult to collect data, especially when there was plenty of live flow accessible on ground. But the lava and sea interacted in fascinating ways that had yet to be fully understood. For example, the lava helped maintain the ocean’s salt levels. The prospect of new discoveries thrilled Annie.

  The dolphin chattered and zipped away, then rose in her dolphin dance and splashed Annie. She pulled her mask into position and brought the regulator up to her mouth. Fawn joined her in the water, and they both struck out for deeper water with strong strokes. “Give us an hour,” Annie shouted to Jillian.

  Jillian nodded, and the boat pulled away. It wasn’t safe to anchor the boat here. The water was too hot to properly cool the engines, and the ash suspended in the water could ruin the engines as well. Jillian would come back and look for their buoy.

  Nani came close again, and Annie reached out and grabbed the dolphin’s dorsal fin. Nani pulled her to the edge of the cliff, then dove along the underwater slope. Schools of brightly colored fish darted across her vision: butterfly fish and yellow tangs. A bright blue parrot fish peered into her mask, and she paused to enjoy the experience. A sea turtle did a lazy turn just below her. The visibility was better than usual, so the vent must not be spouting off too badly today.

  Fawn touched her shoulder and pointed down. Annie saw a mound of pillow lava. Underwater, the lava cooled so quickly that it formed a crust over the molten stone and resembled a pillow. A small crack showed the hot glow within. The noises of hissing and popping filled her ears. They’d have to watch out for explosions.

  They could go closer to examine the pillow lava, but they needed to train Nani so they could take her to Loihi. The dolphin zipped past them and swam down to the oozing sore. The instruments strapped around her would gather the information they needed. They would take water-temperature readings, test for gases and salt content, and collect numerous water samples to evaluate the processes that control the earth’s chemistry. This use of the dolphin had been a brilliant stroke of genius on Jillian’s part.

  Annie took temperature readings and checked oxygen content. She found it hard to concentrate on the work at hand amid so much beauty. Sharp lava cliffs rose to her right, and the mystery of lava tubes and caves beckoned. She’d explored some of them over the years, but every time she came down here, things changed. It was always new and exciting.

  Her light passed over something brightly colored on the seabed. She peered at it through her mask. What could it be? It was fluorescent green and didn’t look like coral or anything natural. Maybe a diver had left an article of clothing behind, though it had to be wedged under a rock to be down here instead of washed ashore with the tide.

  She could go get it herself, but she might as well use the opportunity to direct Nani. She pushed on the clicker in her hand to call Nani. The dolphin swam to her. Annie wondered if she could get the dolphin to understand she wanted her to fetch the item on the ocean floor. She pointed, and Nani swam around her for a few moments. She pointed again and this time made the clicking sound with the device in her hand. The dolphin zipped down again and nosed along the seabed. Maybe she’d realize Annie wasn’t interested in anything natural like rocks and fish.

  Nani’s nostrum touched the fabric, or whatever it was. Annie couldn’t see exactly what the dolphin was doing, but she seemed to be trying to grab it in her teeth. Nani finally turned, and Annie saw she had it in her mouth.

  The dolphin swam close to Annie and nudged her with her nostrum again as if to tell her to take it. Annie saw it was a slipper. Just one. Surfah brand, bright green. She took it from Nani’s teeth. Leilani had slippers like this, and so did a zillion other residents and tourists. But Leilani�
�s were missing from her room, so she must have been wearing them the day she disappeared.

  Annie turned the thong over to check the size. Seven, just like Leilani wore. Fawn was looking over her shoulder at the slipper as well, but Annie knew her coworker would have no idea what it could mean. Maybe she was jumping to conclusions. These slippers were a dime a dozen, and this shade of green was popular. But the lump in her throat refused to be swallowed down.

  The hissing and popping noises grew a notch. Annie looked at the slope and realized the terrain was sliding. An avalanche of black volcanic rock and ash moved quickly down the slope. She struggled to maintain her position. A roar filled her ears, and she wasn’t sure if she was swimming up or down. Nani bumped her, and she grabbed hold of the dolphin’s dorsal fin as space and distance seemed to rush past her. Was she rising to the surface? Shaking her head to clear it, she glanced at her depth gauge and realized she must have swum down when the rockfall started. Nani had helped her level out. Annie had forgotten all her training about underwater avalanches. If not for Nani, she would have found herself three hundred feet down and having to spend some time in a hyperbaric chamber.

  She pointed up, and Fawn nodded. They swam toward the surface into water that got hotter near the top. The dolphin swam in circles around them. Pausing occasionally to decompress, all Annie’s fears returned. Was this her sister’s slipper? She didn’t see how it could be. Leilani would never come out here.

  Her head broke the surface, and she spit out her regulator and turned to her friend. “Leilani has a pair just like this,” she gasped.

  Fawn pulled her mask down around her neck as she treaded water. She took out her regulator. “So do I,” she said. “Don’t assume they belong to Leilani.”

  Annie nodded. “I know, I know. But it’s the same size and everything. I’m scared, Fawn.” A wave struck her, and she swallowed a mouthful of salty water. She choked and sputtered, then caught her breath again.

  “Let’s call it a day.” Fawn’s gaze was sympathetic. They swam away from the volcano to cooler water, and Fawn released the buoy so Jillian could find them.

  Her mind on the slipper, Annie could hardly think about the data they’d just collected. She’d hoped working would get her mind off her brother and sister, but instead everything had come crashing in again. If only Tomi would call and tell her Leilani was with him. She depended on him, on his good-natured take on things, his strong will and nature. She was used to being the strong one, but she was tired, at the end of her strength. She couldn’t go on like this much longer.

  She heard the sound of the approaching boat. Fawn stuck up her hand, and Jillian stopped to pick them up. As they rode to shore, Annie showed Jillian what they’d found.

  “I’ve seen half a dozen women wearing those,” Jillian said. “I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about.”

  Annie wanted to believe her. As they approached the shore, she recognized Mano’s stocky form walking on the dock. Something constricted in her chest: that old, unwelcome feeling for the man who loved her sister. She saw it in his face every time Leilani’s name was mentioned.

  Her eyes burned, and she tried to tell herself it was the salt water. There had to be some way to uproot these feelings. She’d walked in the shadow of Leilani’s beauty too many years to ever think a man who followed her sister with starry eyes could see past her own plain exterior to her heart and prefer her. It wasn’t going to happen.

  Mano watched Annie step off the boat. The black wet suit she wore made her appear even tinier. Her mask hung around her neck, but she’d already dropped her air tanks off her back. Her black hair clung to her head, and she trailed seawater as she stepped onto the dock. She came toward him with a guarded expression, and he wondered if she was ever going to be her old self around him again.

  She tugged her mask off over her hair. “We got some good readings,” she told him.

  Mano looked at the slipper in her hand. “What’s that? A souvenir?”

  “It was lodged under a rock on the seabed. Nani got it for me.” She nibbled on her lower lip. “Leilani has a pair just like it.”

  “Ah.” No wonder the color had leaked from her face, and she wouldn’t meet his gaze. “And you think it might be hers? What would it be doing clear out here? Did she swim here much?”

  “She never swam much, and certainly not out by a live lava flow. Her favorite pastime in a bikini was to lie on a beach somewhere and accept the admiration that came her way.”

  “Sometimes you sound like you didn’t like your sister,” he blurted before he could bite back the words. He regretted it when he saw the way her face changed.

  She blinked rapidly. “I love my sister, but I see her for who she is. Which is more than I can say for most men.” She bit her lip and looked away.

  It was a jab, and the barb pricked him. Maybe he deserved it. He’d joined Leilani’s legion of admirers without resistance. It had taken him awhile to get over her, but he’d finally accomplished it. He decided to ignore her comment. “Has Tomi called you?” he asked her.

  Her face clouded even more. “I haven’t heard a word from Tomi or Leilani. I thought you said he promised to call soon.”

  “He did. Does he have your cell phone number?”

  She nodded. “I should check it.” She angled a glance up at him. “I had a weird phone call Saturday night from someone using a voice synthesizer. Whoever it was said our family was going to pay for something. And the person insinuated Mother didn’t kill herself.”

  He straightened. “Did the person mention Tomi’s money?”

  She shook her head. “But they said they were sending Leilani to hell.” She shuddered.

  A fierce wave of protectiveness washed over him, and he wished he could embrace her. He thrust his hands into the pockets of his denim shorts. “You called the cops?”

  She nodded. “They said they’d consider putting a tap on the phone.” She left him and Jillian and moved toward her Nissan, which was parked along the road. Fawn trailed her.

  Mano turned to Jillian. “Any call from Noah since the shooting at the motel?”

  She shook her head. “I told you I’d call if he contacted me. What makes you so sure he was the target? You deal with dangerous types all the time. What if someone followed you here?”

  He shrugged. “It was just the way he took off, like he knew the danger was more than I even realized. Tell me about the research he published. Do you have any idea why he released it in his own name?” He didn’t want to tell her what Noah had said about it until he heard her version.

  Jillian shook her head. “I’d been working with GPS receivers out along the southwest rift zone. I had a model I was pretty sure was accurate. It suggested the area was overdue for a lava flow. The GPS showed expansion, and I postulated that there was a new magma chamber growing.” She wiped at her nose. “As to why he would publish it under his own name, I have no idea. Only Noah could tell you that. He quoted my stuff but changed the data to hide any likelihood of a lava flow. He trashed everything I’d been working on.”

  “This is near the Tagama property, right?”

  She nodded. “Annie knows about the danger out there. But there should be plenty of forewarning. Earthquake swarms and the like.”

  How did Tomi and Leilani fit into all of this? Maybe they didn’t. Maybe what they were involved in had nothing to do with the volcanoes. Though that was the likely scenario, it didn’t feel right to Mano. There was some link he was missing.

  Annie came back toward them with rapid steps, nearly running. “There’s an unidentified missed call on my cell phone,” she said, out of breath. “Maybe it was Tomi. Do you think he’s on the island?”

  “He said he was. He’ll call back.”

  “I’m going to strangle him when I get my hands on him!” she burst out. Her eyes reddened, and she bit her lip. “I’m going to call Sam and tell him to get that tap on the phone done.”

  “I’ll try calling him,” Mano promised.
He walked away from the women and went toward the pier. No reason to let them watch him crash and burn with Sam.

  The detective was in. “Detective Briscoe,” he barked.

  “Sam, it’s Mano. The Tagama family has still heard nothing from Leilani. Annie wants that phone tap done.”

  “We’re working on it,” Sam said.

  “What about the phone call Annie got on Saturday? Any idea what that was about?”

  “That might have been a prank,” Sam said. “If it happens again, the tap will give us more information.”

  “When will it be ready?”

  “Get off my back, Oana! I’ve got more problems than you know. A stabbing in Pahala, two break-ins in Volcano.” He let out his breath in an impatient sigh. “Look, I’ve got to get back to work.”

  “But—” Sam was gone before Mano could finish his question.

  “Nothing,” he told Annie when she joined him by the rolling surf.

  She pressed her fingers against the bridge of her nose. “I want to talk to Tomi, but since he’s not calling, I can’t sit idly by. I’m going to talk to Leilani’s friends. Maybe one of them has seen her.”

  “Good idea. Sam will howl about it though,” he reminded her.

  “At this point, I don’t care. I’m not sleeping and neither is my father.” She stood. “Do you have any ideas about the money in Tomi’s account? Other than espionage, of course.”

  “Not a clue.” He didn’t like admitting it. He would have sworn Tomi held nothing back from him. Not ever. He didn’t know his best friend like he thought he did. “What shall we do first?”

  She glanced at her waterproof watch. “I have some number crunching to do with this data we just got. Can you meet me after work? I’d like to talk to Leilani’s best friend, CeCe Dillon. I have no idea if Sam has even talked to her, and I’m going nuts waiting.”