Black Sands

by Colleen Coble

  Annie was seated on the stone altar with her arm around Leilani. “Hurry!” she called.

  Gina’s hand was almost on the knife. Mano started to fire, but another quake knocked him down once more, and the gun flew off into the dark. He patted the rough shelf of a’a for the weapon, but it eluded his grasp. There was no time. He stood and ran toward Gina. She seized the knife and turned toward the women. Holding the knife aloft, she ran shrieking toward the altar. The blade began to arc toward Leilani.

  Mano put on another burst of speed. He wasn’t going to make it. Then, with a ferocious growl, Wilson leaped out of the darkness to Gina’s shoulder. He bit into her skin, and the knife fell from her hand.

  “No-o-o,” Gina moaned. She flicked the mongoose off her shoulder and threw herself at the knife as it skittered on the slick rock toward the open fissure. Just as her hand touched the knife, the ground heaved. She sailed into the air. Her legs and arms flailed as she tried to find something to hang onto, then with a last, despairing shriek, she plummeted into the fiery waves.

  Mano halted and tried to find his balance. He wanted to pray for her soul, but knew she was beyond that. She’d chosen her path, one of vengeance and retribution. The ground was swaying under his feet as if it were alive. His hair crackled with electricity. They had to get out of here. He moved toward the women. “Let’s go!”

  Annie shuddered and buried her face in Leilani’s hair. Mano reached her and lifted Leilani into his arms. “Come on. You lead the way.”

  A loud rumble built under them, vibrating like a cage that contained a ferocious beast. Terror gripped Mano by the throat. “Hurry!”

  Annie blinked and seemed to come out of the trancelike state she’d been in. She gazed at the gaping wound in the ground. Fountains of burning rock spewed into the night sky like a deadly Roman candle. She leaped in front of Mano. “We have to get to the sea. It’s our only hope.” She turned and called for Wilson. The mongoose dashed toward her. He climbed her leg, and she tucked him into her shirt. “Let’s go.”

  “What about me?” Jason wailed. He staggered to his feet.

  “Help him!” Mano struggled with Leilani in his arms. They couldn’t leave Jason here to die. Annie grabbed Jason’s arm, and they began to move over the rough lava rock. Leilani was small, but the extra burden of her weight was no small matter as Mano struggled to find enough oxygen in the hot, sulfuric air. Ash began to rain down around him. He heard several thuds and turned to see the volcano spewing rocks as well as lava.

  “It’s an explosive event,” Annie panted, still hanging onto Jason. “We all knew it might come. Pray we don’t get a pyroclastic surge. This way.” She led the way down the slope toward the ocean.

  They stood on a cliff and looked down into the water. Rocks were raining down behind them with more fury now. The ash cloud that billowed from the volcano blocked the bright moonlight. One boulder landed only two feet from them and lay smoldering. The water was twenty feet below, and there was no path down. “Now what? Is there a better access point?” He wasn’t sure of this plan. If the lava reached the water, it was sure to parboil them.

  “There’s a ledge right down there.” She pointed. “We can climb down to it and jump.”

  “Jump?” Was she nuts? He stared down at the whitecaps. “We don’t even know how deep it is here.”

  “I can’t jump,” Jason howled.

  “I’ve dived here. It’s deep enough.” She shoved Jason toward the edge. “Go, or you’ll burn!”

  Jason moaned but did as she said, slinging his wounded leg over the edge. He slid to the rock shelf below. Annie followed him.

  Full of misgivings, Mano waited until she was down, then lowered Leilani to the ledge. The younger woman was finally beginning to awaken. Once Annie had Leilani, he joined them. The racket above them increased until it was almost impossible to be heard.

  Annie pointed down. She leaned toward him and put her lips against his ear. “I’ll go first so I can get to Leilani.”

  He nodded. Looking into her eyes, he wanted to say something profound and loving, but he couldn’t think with the explosions going off.

  Annie pressed her lips to his. “I love you,” she said. Then she pulled Wilson from her shirt, turned, and they both plunged over the side.

  Mano leaned over to watch and saw the splash that she made. Then her head bobbed up in the hazy moonlight. He saw Wilson swimming beside her.

  Leilani backed away, shaking her head. She was awake enough now to be frightened.

  There was no time to reassure her. He grabbed her and flung her over the side. Leaning over, he watched her fall into the sea. Annie was by her side in moments.

  “You next,” he told Jason. He didn’t wait for a response from the young man. Giving him a shove, Mano sent Jason sailing over the edge. He saw him splash into the water.

  A huge boulder came rolling toward him. It was still sizzling. He dove over the side of the ledge just a moment before it reached him.

  Twenty-seven

  The water was already hot. Off to her left, Annie could see lava dripping into the sea like a bloody fountain. The hiss and crackle as it hit the waves was deafening. Ash rained everywhere. She tried to support her sister, but Leilani was thrashing about in the water and wailing.

  “Hush,” Annie said. “We’ve got to swim.” She released her sister and made sure she was swimming, then looked around. Mano was just to her right with Jason. She pointed down the coast. “There’s a landing about a mile down that way,” she called. A mile. She didn’t know if she could make it. Her foot throbbed.

  She reached under the waves and struggled to undo her wet laces. The heavy boots weighed her down, and she gulped in a mouthful of seawater mixed with ash. Trying again, she finally kicked free of them. Wilson paddled nearby. He loved a swim, but even he seemed to realize the danger that threatened them. Annie’s head went under the water again. The heat of the water was beginning to get uncomfortable.

  Steep rocky cliffs rose straight up from the water. There was no safe place to come ashore. They began to swim toward a speck of light in the distance. Annie knew there was a house on the hill near the landing she had in mind. It seemed so far away. She didn’t see how they could make it. The wind blew tiny fragments of ash, cinders, and Pele’s hair—lava so fine it was like spun glass—onto her head. Called tephra, the various forms of lava was a sign to Annie that the volcanic eruption was shooting fountains of lava high into the wind.

  Mano and Jason came alongside Leilani and Annie. “You doing okay?” Mano panted.

  “I don’t think I’m going to make it,” Leilani whispered. “Go on without me.”

  “If only Nani was around,” Mano said.

  Nani. Annie glanced over at Wilson. “Wilson, call Nani.” The mongoose barked and kept paddling. “Nani, call Nani.” Wilson barked again, but Annie knew it was doubtful that the dolphin would hear him. They were going to have to do their best to get out of this on their own.

  The volcano’s fury increased. The mountain began hurling rocks that struck the water all around them. “Dive,” Mano yelled. “Swim underwater as far as you can.”

  Annie had little breath left, and she was sure Leilani was in the same predicament. But she took a gulp of air and dove under the waves. Her feeble kicks did nothing to propel her forward. She kicked out again, and finally began to make slow headway. Coming up for air, she gasped in a lungful and stared wildly for her sister and Mano. There was no sign of them in the boiling cauldron of waves.

  Annie fought back the fear. They were probably still under water. She struck out in an overhand stroke, then saw her sister’s long hair trailing in the water as her head broke the surface. Moments later, Mano came up as well. Then Jason’s head popped up. Just ahead she could see Wilson paddling for all he was worth. He was still barking for Nani.

  It was getting hard to breathe with all the ash in the air. The heat scorched her lungs, and Annie was beginning to realize they wouldn’t make it. She d
ecided that was okay. God was with them, no matter what happened. She paddled in place and turned to look back at the mountain. A fabulous light show was going off with fountains of lava being hurled into the night sky. Tiny flecks of burning lava lit the sky like fireworks. If this was her last sight on earth, it was one guaranteed to confirm God’s awesome power.

  Something nudged Annie’s arm, and she looked down. A dolphin bumped her with its nostrum, then another surfaced, and another. They were swimming in a pod of dolphins. She grabbed hold of the closest one’s dorsal fin, and the animal pulled her through the water at a fast clip. She started to let go to grab Leilani but saw another dolphin was already helping her sister. Mano had hold of Nani, and he scooped up Wilson as he passed. Jason grabbed a dorsal fin as well. The four of them zoomed away from the danger.

  The water temperature began to cool slightly. Fifteen minutes later they were in calm waters just offshore from the landing. When her feet touched bottom, Annie gave her dolphin rescuer a final, thankful pat and let go. She waded toward shore where Mano and Leilani were already waiting. Every part of her body ached, but they were alive. She could hardly believe it. On the sand, she stopped and looked back at the mountain. It was still spewing fountains of lava. The sight was even more beautiful now that they weren’t in the thick of the ash.

  Mano rushed to meet her. “Are you okay?” He cupped her face in his hands, and his gaze searched hers.

  “I think we’re all in one piece.” She drank in the devotion on his face. Wilson poked his head out of Mano’s shirt and broke the moment’s poignancy. Mano dropped his hands as the mongoose scurried down his arm to meet Annie. She laughed and took her pet, then stepped past Mano to where Leilani sat on a large lava rock. Jason lay on the ground a few feet away, his chest heaving with exertion.

  Leilani had her face in her hands. Annie sank to her knees in front of her sister. Leilani’s eyes looked dark and enormous in the moonlight, and Annie thought they must be dilated from the drug. “We need to get you looked at. I’m not sure what they gave you.”

  “I’m okay.” Leilani hesitated, then threw her arms around Annie’s neck. “Mahalo,” she whispered. “I’ve learned a lot through this, Annie. I’ve taken so many things for granted in my life, especially you. I want to be different from now on.” Tears leaked from her eyes, and she sniffled.

  Annie hugged her back. She couldn’t speak. “Let’s go home,” she said.

  Annie’s skin burned and stung. They probably all had first-degree burns, maybe even second-degree in some places. She could feel some small blisters on her upper arms. But they were lucky to be alive. No, not lucky. Blessed by God’s providence. She stopped and put her hand on Mano’s arm. “Let’s thank God we’re alive. Would you pray for us?” All but Jason knelt together on the cinders, and Mano praised God for bringing them safely through the maelstrom of fire. His arm was pressed closely around Annie, and gratitude swelled in her that he was here, safe and whole. And that he loved her.

  Behind them, the volcano still spewed, but they were at a safe distance now. The ground trembled beneath their feet, but Annie knew God’s hand held them steady. They left Jason where he lay on the sand. He wouldn’t be able to walk without help, and they could send Sam back for him.

  They trudged toward town. By the time they arrived, dawn was lightening the gloom, though heavy cloud cover from the eruption hovered low overhead. Crowds lined the streets. Vans with equipment and supplies were already speeding out to the site to see the extent of the eruption. Mano waved at Sam.

  Sam’s gaze took in their state. “What happened to you?” he asked.

  “It’s a long story.” Mano told the detective about Gina and her part in Leilani’s abduction. Sam sent a car to pick up Jason.

  “You’re saying Adele was murdered by Gina as well? Talk about an old-time harpy, just like in the old Greek myths. We picked up Aki, by the way.” He clapped Mano on the shoulder. “Good job.”

  Annie was drooping. She wanted to crawl into bed and close her eyes. “Where are my father and brother?” Wilson was already sleeping inside her shirt.

  “I haven’t seen them,” Sam said.

  “Maybe they’re at the observatory. I’m sure Father is anyway.” She clasped her arms around herself. She hated to be the one to tell him about Gina. Even if it was too soon for his heart to have been touched, his honor would be tarnished by his association with her.

  Sam motioned for another officer. “Run these folks home, would you?”

  “My Nissan,” Annie said, suddenly realizing her SUV was probably destroyed.

  Leilani slipped her hand into Annie’s. “You can have my car.”

  Her sister’s Ford Mustang was her pride and joy. Annie squeezed her sister’s fingers. “I’ll just get another one.”

  “I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t come, Annie,” Leilani said in a small voice. “I’ll never be able to repay you.”

  “Your love is enough.” Annie kissed her sister’s cheek, then they all crowded into the back of the patrol car. In front of their house, she and Leilani got out.

  “Where to now?” the officer asked.

  “I’ll get out here. That’s my car,” Mano said, pointing out his car in the driveway. He climbed out and went toward it. He stopped and came back to Annie. “We’re both too tired to think. All I want to say to you can wait until tomorrow night.”

  “Come for dinner?” she suggested. Her heart swelled at the promise she saw in his eyes.

  “If you let me help.”

  “You can keep Wilson out of things.”

  His smile lit his tired eyes. “Deal.” His gaze searched hers. “I’m going to have to call navy security and straighten out the mess with Tomi tomorrow. He might be arrested until it’s all squared away.”

  Annie gulped. She’d hoped the worst of the ordeal was over. “Can I come?”

  “It would probably be easier on Tomi if you didn’t.”

  “Will you call me when it’s over?”

  “I’ll come tell you in person.” He dropped a kiss on the tip of her nose, then went to his car.

  Mano sat in Sam’s office in a cracked vinyl chair. Ash lay thick on the furniture, and his throat still burned. Tomi sat beside him. Two navy security officers were waiting to take Tomi into custody when Sam finished his interrogation. A preliminary necessity only, Mano hoped. It was nearly five.

  “So let me get this straight. Gina’s dead husband was CEO of Banos. He’d begun negotiations to build the casino here and died with his daughter while diving. Gina blamed Tomi for the deaths and came here to get her revenge. Noah altered research that would have shown the development was on unsafe ground so that the conglomerate could go ahead with the sale of land to developers and homeowners.”

  Mano nodded. “Noah was killed when Gina’s associates thought he was going to renege and spill the beans. They’d be stuck holding worthless land.”

  Sam grimaced. “They are anyway. They own most of the land the lava is spilling onto now. It looks like Aki actually pulled the trigger. At least that’s what Jason tells us.”

  “And Gina planned to pin the murder on me,” Tomi said. “Jason and Aki were going to plant the gun among my things. She killed my mother.”

  “Your poor mother never had a chance.” Sam’s eyes drooped, and he blinked rapidly.

  Tomi bent his head and just nodded. Mano swallowed the lump in his throat. He’d loved Adele Tagama like a mother, and he could only imagine how devastated her children were at the realization of how she really died.

  “What about the calls to Annie, the ones with the altered voice?” Sam asked.

  “Jason. He was jealous of how much his mother loved Annie.”

  “Some love. She was going to kill her.”

  “I think she really cared about Annie in her own way. Killing Annie wasn’t something that she planned to do.”

  Sam drummed his fingers on the desk. “What about this money in the bank?”

>   Mano looked up at the security officer. “Planted there by some Iranians who were trying to blackmail Tomi into giving them some intelligence. With him in custody and the whole thing in the open, they won’t have any option but to go back to their own country.”

  “I’d like to find them first,” Sam grumbled.

  Mano wished the detective luck, but he knew the men had probably flown out this morning when the news began to leak.

  The security officers shifted restlessly. Tomi stood. “I think these men are ready for me.” He gripped Mano’s hand. “I heard from Afsoon this morning. She’s in Egypt. When she gets here, she can corroborate my story. Mahalo for everything, my friend.”

  Reluctant to release his friend’s hand, Mano gripped it tightly. “Hang in there, Tomi. This will all be sorted out.”

  “All thanks to you.” Tomi let go of Mano’s hand, then pulled him into a hug and slapped him on the back. “Talk to you soon.” He went out the door with his head held high.

  Mano hoped Annie and her father would take the news of Tomi’s apprehension as well.

  Wilson barked and ran in circles around Annie’s feet, then raced up the wall and back down again. “What’s with you?” she asked. The mongoose ran to the door and barked again. Someone must be here. Her hand went to her throat. Was Tomi’s interview over? The doorbell rang, and she quickly stepped to throw open the door.

  “Hi,” Mano said. His eyes were bright above the royal blue and white aloha short he wore.

  “Where’s Tomi?” She opened the door for him.

  He stepped inside. “He’s in navy custody, Annie. Only until this is sorted out,” he added when her eyes filled with tears.

  Annie couldn’t speak. She nodded and went into the living room. The hope she’d clung to all day ebbed away and left her feeling bereft.