Black Sands

by Colleen Coble

  A relieved smile lit Gina’s face. “I hope you can get it done today.” She cleared her throat. “Um, I hope you don’t mind, but your father called me and invited me to dinner.”

  Annie’s eyes widened, but she smiled. “I admit I’m surprised. He’s never shown any interest in anyone since Mother died.”

  “That’s what he told me. I like your father, and we seemed to hit it off. Is it okay with you?”

  Was it? Annie didn’t want to admit the emotion stirring in her heart was jealousy. “I want him to be happy. You too.” It looked like more changes might be coming into her life, and she wasn’t sure she was ready to handle them. Gina’s flirtation with her father last night had seemed blatant, but then maybe most men liked that. Annie was no expert.

  Annie nodded toward the picture of Gina’s family. “Your daughter looked familiar, then I realized it’s because she looks so much like you. I’ve never seen her visit. Does she live on the island?”

  Gina’s smile faded. “She’s dead.” She looked away. “She and my husband died in the same accident. I should have been there. He never was good at taking care of the children.”

  Annie ducked her head. “Oh, Gina, I’m so sorry.” She’d jumped to conclusions about her boss. Gina hadn’t shared much about her family life.

  “It was a long time ago.” Gina’s smile came back. “That’s one reason I’ve felt so close to you, Annie. You’re a lot like Michelle.” She caught her lower lip in her teeth. “And, um, I really like your dad. More than any man I’ve met since Alex died.”

  The softness in her boss’s gaze touched Annie. “Mahalo, Gina. It means a lot to me.”

  Gina touched her cheek. “You make me proud, Annie. That’s why I push you so hard. I see a lot of potential in you. You’re going to accomplish great things in your life.” Her gaze strayed to the picture. “Just like Michelle would have.”

  “What did she do?”

  “She was a marine biologist. She died on a dive.”

  Annie had to wonder if that was why Gina took such chances on dives herself. Maybe subconsciously she wanted to join her daughter. There was no way Annie could tell her boss that, though. “I’d better get that computer model fixed.” Annie squeezed Gina’s hand, then went back down the hall to Jillian’s office.

  Jillian was standing over the computer. “I’m all for tossing this thing out the window. How about you?”

  “I think I’ve got the answer here.” Annie held up the file folder. “If this doesn’t work, we’ll go with your plan.” She moved past Jillian and looked at the computer. She dropped into the chair. The figures ran together as she looked over the file for the next thirty minutes. She laid it aside. “I still can’t figure it out.”

  “Tomorrow will have to do. I want to spend some time with Heidi tonight,” Jillian said. “We’ll forget trashing the darn thing until then.”

  Annie stepped into the hallway to go home. Monica was standing by Gina’s door. “If you’re wanting to see Gina for some more sucking up, she’s left for the day.” Monica’s lip curled.

  Annie forced herself to stand as tall as her five feet two would allow. “Monica, can’t we be civil? We’ve never been friends, but at least we could work together. Have I done something to offend you?”

  Monica folded her arms over her chest and glowered. “I’m a better volcanologist than you, but you’re the one who gets the cushy projects and all the praise. I’ve just had it. Ever since you got hurt you act like you’re entitled to special consideration. Get over it! So you got hurt—big deal. That’s the reality we face every day in our jobs. If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen—or in this case, the lava field.”

  Annie absorbed Monica’s words in silence. Did she have an attitude of entitlement? She was ashamed to admit to herself that maybe she did.

  “Oh please, wipe off that expression of shocked hurt.” Monica brushed by her abruptly. “You’re not a child, Annie. Grow up and do your job.”

  “You’re right,” Annie heard herself saying. Monica’s eyes widened. Annie turned and bolted for the parking lot. Tears leaked down her cheeks as she ran. Once she reached the safety of her SUV, she leaned her face into the steering wheel and took several deep breaths. She’d been failing everyone lately. She couldn’t measure up to everyone’s expectations. Not her family’s, not her coworkers’, not even her own. She didn’t know how to fix everything. The burden was too great.

  She fumbled with her key and jammed it into the ignition, then drove toward home. How would she get her life in order? Why were things going from bad to worse? She had no answers, only questions. Her thoughts drifted wistfully to Mano and Fawn. They both had such self-confidence. Was it because of their faith? Her own was anemic. Once, she’d had great plans about what she’d do for God, but the last few years her focus had been on her work. But that was okay, wasn’t it? She wasn’t sure of anything anymore.

  Mano stopped to get a shave ice. He ordered the diabetic rainbow flavor with sugar-free macadamia-nut ice cream on the bottom. Oh for the good old days when he could eat the real thing. The shave-ice stand would be a good place to ask for information about Tab Watson. Everyone frequented here, and usually the workers knew the patrons by name.

  When the fresh-faced blond girl brought his order, he pulled a napkin out of the holder and then leaned against the counter. There was no one else in line, so he took his time. “You worked here long?”

  The girl’s eyes brightened, and the smile she sent his way was obviously meant to intrigue him. “Over a year. I haven’t seen you here before.”

  “I’m just visiting. Do you know Leilani Tagama?”

  The girl’s smile clouded. “Yeah. Sad about her going missing.”

  “I’m looking for one of her friends. Tab Watson. You know him?”

  “Sure, everyone knows Tab.” The girl grimaced. “He’s a weird one.”

  “In what way?”

  “He’s always talking about Pele and Ku and the old religion. Gives me the willies.”

  “Any idea where he lives?” Mano considered going to the Shark Head Bar tonight, but if Tab was a bouncer, he might not have time—or inclination—to talk.

  “You some kind of cop?”

  Mano shook his head. “Just a friend of the family’s.”

  The suspicion in her eyes faded. “He lives in a house in the Aloha Shores subdivision. I’m not sure which one. But you can ask.” She giggled. “For all the good it will do.”

  As Mano had discovered, residents of the subdivision were remarkably close-mouthed. Who knew how many of them were in the witness-protection program? In any case, they weren’t about to rat out one of their own.

  He thanked the girl, took his shave ice, and went to the car. Though it was probably a useless effort, he drove out to the subdivision in search of Watson. The lava fields that stretched up the hillsides were beginning to feel like home to him, as often as he’d been here lately.

  A woman was weeding a small herb garden at the first house when he pulled onto the access road. Mano stopped and rolled down his window. “Excuse me,” he said, “but I’m looking for Tab Watson. Could you tell me which house is his?”

  She didn’t even look up. “Sorry, don’t know him.”

  Mano sighed. He’d expected as much. “Thanks anyway,” he said. He took his foot off the brake and continued on into the subdivision. He didn’t see anyone for several minutes and was about to give up when he saw a familiar figure. His foot went to the brake. The man was massive, the size of a sumo wrestler. Why did he seem so familiar? Mano ran his window down and was about to hail the man when the figure turned and the bright sunlight illuminated a birthmark that ran across his nose. Mano had seen that face many times. Kim Aki. Son of Nahele Aki. The two men had been part of a Hawaiian sovereignty group on Kaua’i. Mano met them when he’d gone undercover for the navy to investigate the group.

  Kim didn’t see Mano. He was standing in front of the place Noah had rented. Mano tu
rned his head away. He took his foot off the brake and accelerated around the corner. No sense in tipping his hand yet. What was Kim doing here? Mano had gone on to a new mission after the Akis were arrested for trying to detonate munitions on the navy base, and he never learned what happened to them. He’d have to put in a call and find out.

  He sped out of the subdivision and drove down the road a ways, then stopped in a pullout. His brother, Bane, would know the story. He dialed his brother’s cell phone number.

  “Where are you?” Bane asked.

  Bane’s terse question startled Mano. “On Hawai’i. I brought Tomi’s belongings to his family.” He hesitated. Maybe now was the time to tell Bane about his diabetes. He opened his mouth, but the words wouldn’t come. Bane was so strong, so wise. As the younger brother, Mano had spent his entire life trying to follow in his older brother’s footsteps; it seemed impossible to admit his weakness now. And he had never told his brother that he’d failed Tomi when things got hard. Bane would not have left Tomi in the water.

  Mano marshaled his thoughts. “Everything okay at home?”

  “Tûtû kâne has been a little under the weather. I was going to call you and tell you about it.” Bane sounded worried.

  “What’s wrong with him?”

  “I’m not sure. He’s been sleeping a lot and complaining of his stomach. Probably just the flu. But you might give him a call. And have you talked to our mother?”

  “Oh yeah, I haven’t called her lately.” Their mother had left them with their grandfather when they and their sister were children. She had only recently reentered their lives. While Mano was glad to reconnect with her, reestablishing the relationship hadn’t come naturally.

  “You’re not calling me just to shoot the breeze. What’s wrong?” Bane asked.

  “Kim Aki. Whatever happened to him?”

  There was silence on the other end of the line. Then: “Funny you should ask. I just checked a few weeks ago. Nahele was convicted when Kim agreed to turn state’s evidence. Then he disappeared. Probably off causing trouble somewhere else. Why?”

  “He’s here.”

  “On the Big Island? Where?”

  “In the Aloha Shores subdivision.”

  “Did he see you?” Bane’s voice grew sharp. “You’re not real high on his list of favorite people.”

  “I know. He didn’t see me. Not yet. You have any way of figuring out what name he’s using these days?”

  “I could try. I think he just scuttled away like a cockroach, though. As overworked as the courts are, I doubt anyone is keeping track.”

  Mano leaned back against the headrest. He hadn’t slept much for three days, and his eyes burned. He closed and massaged them. “I’ll follow him and see what I can find out.”

  “Be careful,” Bane said. “He’s a dangerous man.”

  Mano promised to watch his back and hung up. It was almost time to pick up Annie for dinner, and he didn’t have much to report. There’d been no sign of Tab Watson. He put the car into drive and headed toward the Shark Head. He’d stop there before going to Annie’s house. Another thought struck him. The ring he’d seen after someone shot at him and Noah. It had an A on it. Could it stand for Aki?

  Annie looked at her reflection in the mirror. Maybe Fawn was right. What could be the harm in trying to look her best? She didn’t have any makeup of her own, but Leilani had enough to open her own cosmetic counter. She went down the hall to Leilani’s room. The bottom drawer of her sister’s dresser contained a jumble of Leilani’s discards. She selected some foundation, blush, eye-shadow, and mascara.

  Back in her room, she tied back her wet hair, then shook a little foundation onto her fingers and rubbed it onto her face. It was awfully orange. Maybe some pink blush would tone it down. She dotted some cream blush on her cheeks. The garish effect made her gasp. This wasn’t working. She rubbed at the too-dark color on her cheeks. Her face looked like a teenage girl’s first attempt. She started to smile at the thought.

  She either had to forget it or ask for help. Staring at her reflection, she tried to decide. The doorbell rang, and she glanced out the window to see Fawn’s car in the driveway. She hurried to the door and flung it open. “Think I’ll make a runway model?”

  Fawn’s smile faltered when she looked into Annie’s face. “Um, you decided to try some makeup after all.”

  Annie covered her mouth with her hand, but she couldn’t stop the giggles. “You should see your face. It’s that bad, huh? I was thinking about trying out for the part of Cleopatra in the town play.”

  Fawn’s smile broke out. “You’d need more eyeliner for that. But I can fix you right up.”

  “That’s what I’m counting on.” Annie went past her toward the bathroom. “I’ll go wash this off, and you can start over.”

  “What are you going to wear?” Fawn went to the closet.

  “You’ve already nixed the idea of clean jeans and T-shirt. How about khakis? But this isn’t a real date, you know. He’s just going to let me know what he found out today about Tab.”

  “Uh-huh, whatever you say.” Fawn slid open the rice-paper closet doors, which were decorated with a delicate floral pattern. She riffled through the hangers. “Hey, I’ve never seen you wear this. It would be a great color on you.” She pulled out a royal blue silk blouse and carried it past the bathroom. “I’ll be right back.”

  Annie blotted her face with a towel and returned to her room. She heard Fawn rooting through Leilani’s closet. She reappeared a few minutes later. “This skirt is perfect with the blouse.” It was a black silky skirt with a handkerchief hem.

  “That’s way too—too something. And the blouse is too loud. I tried to tell Leilani that when she insisted on buying it for my birthday last year.”

  “You’re wearing them.”

  “Mano will think I’m after him.” The thought made her go hot, then cold.

  “You are.” Fawn propelled her to the seat in front of the dresser and picked up the blow-dryer. “We’re going to make Mano gasp with appreciation. Sit still.”

  Annie watched in the mirror as Fawn put goop on her hair, then scrunched it as she manipulated the dryer. The result was a tousled, carefree look that made her look like a teenager. Maybe she could get into this style stuff. She turned her head this way and that to check out the do. “I like it. I bet I could never duplicate it though.”

  “It’s way easy. I’ll show you.” Fawn grabbed the bag she’d brought in with her. “I brought my makeup.”

  “I’ve got some makeup here. Leilani’s rejects.”

  “I think that stuff was rejected for a reason.” Fawn unzipped a hot pink makeup bag and dumped the contents onto the dresser. “Don’t worry, it’s all natural and won’t make you break out.”

  “I didn’t doubt it.” Annie giggled and gave Fawn free rein. Her friend began to smooth makeup onto her face. She kept her eyes closed, afraid to see the comic results. Fawn soon moved from her face to her eyes. “I’m going to look like a clown,” Annie muttered.

  “You’re beautiful. Look.” Fawn put down the mascara wand.

  Fawn’s hushed voice scared her. Annie cautiously opened her eyes. She stared at the stranger in the mirror. “What did you do?” Her eyes appeared bigger, brighter somehow. There was just a touch of color on her lips. Nothing was glaring. She didn’t even look like she had on makeup. She looked actually—pretty. “You’re a genius.” She began to reassemble the piles of small makeup pots and stick them back in the bag.

  “Quit being such a neatnik.” Fawn took the bag away. “I want to show you how to do it. You can keep all this.”

  “I could never replicate this look.” Annie poked a finger in her hair. “How’d you get it to stay back so neatly?” Fawn had drawn one side back in a glittery comb. Every time Annie had tried a similar look, the comb fell out. She shook her head, testing it, but it stayed put.

  “Here, watch.” Fawn removed the comb and then put it back in, showing Annie how to drag it with
the hair, and then push against it.

  “Now for the clothes.” Fawn tossed her the skirt and blouse. “Put these on.”

  Annie wasn’t going to argue with expertise. She slipped them on and stepped in front of the full-length mirror. The color brightened her skin tone, and the skirt made her legs look longer. “Wow,” she said in an awed voice. “I wouldn’t say I’m beautiful, but I don’t look half-bad.”

  “You’re beautiful. You just didn’t know it. You try to fade into the woodwork. I think you were just afraid of the attention.” Fawn handed her some silver hoop earrings and a matching necklace. “Your birthday is next month. This is an early birthday present.”

  “Father hates makeup. Mother never showed me how to wear it, and Leilani delights in upsetting him over it.”

  “And you always want to be the dutiful daughter.” Fawn shook her head. “That’s admirable, Annie, but you’re an adult. You can make your own decisions.”

  Annie put on the jewelry, then hugged her friend. “Even if Mano takes one look and runs, I still love you for this. At least I feel more confident.”

  “You look killer, and he’s going to be wowed. It’s about time you stepped out from behind your family’s shadow and lived your life, Annie. You’re thirty. In fact, I’d say it’s time you had a place of your own.”

  “You’re going too far now.” Annie smiled, but she was serious. “I’ll never leave my father alone.” If Gina had her way, her father wouldn’t need Annie any more. She wanted to feel happy about that. Gina had always treated her like a daughter. She examined her thoughts and found herself strangely calm about the idea. “Father invited Gina to dinner.”

  Fawn raised her eyebrows. “Wow.”

  The doorbell rang. “That’s Mano!” Panic flared in her chest. “I should change—this is ridiculous. I look like a peacock.”

  Fawn propelled her toward the door. “You’re gorgeous. Go knock him dead.”

  “More likely I’ll die from embarrassment,” Annie muttered. Her knees trembled. She scooped up Wilson and hugged him under her chin. He squeaked, then settled down in her arms. “Come with me.” She pushed Fawn ahead of her down the hall.