Distant Echoes

by Colleen Coble

  “What will that accomplish?”

  At least Mano was questioning the insane suggestion. Kaia wondered if she should enter the shop and break up this little meeting. Mano would be furious though.

  “They’ll know we’re about more than just talk. Our numbers will grow as Hawaiians see we are serious enough to put action behind our words.”

  Mano seemed to weigh this. “Okay,” he finally said. “I’ve got an idea. Where do I get the explosives?”

  Was that eagerness in his voice? Kaia wanted to slam the door and lock Mano in until she could get Bane and her grandfather here to talk sense into him. On second thought, he’d never listen to Bane. She was going to have to figure out a way to save Mano from himself.

  The big man took a paper out of his pocket. “We have the firepower stashed here.” They all bent over the paper.

  After only four hours of sleep, Kaia still felt sluggish. Traipsing down the stone steps, she felt beaten down by what she’d overheard at Mano’s. This was too big for her. Could Mano’s involvement with Nahele have caused their cousin’s death? She didn’t have the strength or the resources to help her brother. She’d have to ask Jesse for help and pray he wouldn’t turn her brother in.

  When Kaia stepped into her grandfather’s cottage, she was enveloped by the aroma of sweet potatoes and roast turkey. She followed the fragrance to the kitchen and found her grandfather at the oven. “What can I do to help, Tutu kane?”

  “Everything is almost ready, lei aloha. You can set the table.”

  Kaia nodded and went to the old pie safe her great-grandfather had made. She pulled out the Banana Patch Studio pottery she’d bought him for Christmas last year. The Plumeria Collection of dinnerware in blue and yellow lifted her spirits. Though she’d spent two weeks’ wages on it, it was worth every penny, she thought, running her hands over the bottom of a hand-painted plate.

  Glancing at the table, she saw her grandfather had opihi as an appetizer. Whatever he wanted to discuss with them must be important if he’d plunked down the money for the highly prized limpet.

  Her brothers came in as their grandfather set the last of the food on the table. Tutu kane sat at the head. He gave thanks then began to pass the food around. Bane talked about his day out fishing, but Mano didn’t have much to say. Kaia wished she could tell him she’d overheard him, but she bit her tongue.

  When their grandfather had finished serving the dessert—haupia, a custard made with coconut—he placed his hands on the table and glanced around at his grandchildren. “I have something I wish to discuss with you. This affects all of you, so I didn’t want to do it unless I had unanimous approval.”

  All three grandchildren put down their spoons and looked at him. Kaia could feel the curiosity zip between them. Their grandfather was seldom so serious. Dark circles rimmed his eyes, and she wondered if he’d slept last night. Could he be sick? She tried to remember if he’d been to the doctor lately.

  “Are you okay, Tutu kane?” she asked timidly.

  “I’m fine. Physically at least.” Her grandfather’s smile was kind. “But I’m seventy-eight. Who knows how many more years the good Lord will grant me? There is one thing I want before I die—to know what has become of your mother.”

  Of all the things Kaia had been expecting, she’d never imagined this. Her gut clenched, and the taste of coconut rose from her stomach. “Is this another of your jokes?” she asked, her suspicions rising.

  “No joke this time.”

  He was still smiling, but not with mirth.

  “Do you have any idea how we might accomplish that?” Bane asked.

  Her brother’s calm tone upset Kaia more than her grandfather’s request. How could Bane act like it was perfectly all right? Was she the only sane person left in this family? No one in their right mind would willingly seek out someone who had left so much pain in her wake. Paie Oana had been like an octopus who sucked the life out of her family and left the shell of the remains behind.

  “I don’t want to find her. She’s better left in the past.” Kaia folded her arms over her chest. “Why do you want to find her after all this time? If she wanted to see us, she knows where we are.”

  “I’ve told myself that for years,” her grandfather agreed. “I’ve been thinking about it for a year. It was the one regret your grandmother had when she passed on—that she never knew what had become of Paie. I woke up in the night last week and realized I didn’t want to die with that same regret. And I want the three of you to have closure as well.”

  “It’s closed as far as I’m concerned,” Kaia said. More than closed. Dead and buried.

  “I’m for it,” Bane said. “How do we do it?”

  “We hire a private investigator,” their grandfather said.

  “No!” Kaia cast a help me! look at Mano and began to gather the dirty dishes. Mano looked away.

  “And you need to think about extending aloha to our mother.” Bane’s voice was grim. “Tutu kane is right. It’s time we know. Pray about it.”

  Kaia carried the dirty dishes to the sink. Her mother deserved no aloha. There was nothing to pray about as far as she was concerned. She stormed into the bathroom, grabbed her toothbrush and began to brush.

  Twelve

  The man paced across the room. The woman and her dolphin were beginning to be a problem. If they found his underwater transmission site, he was in trouble. He pressed the phone against his ear.

  The voice on the other end of the phone raised a notch. “She has no idea what we were doing. She’s not really a problem.”

  “So you say. The big day is in less than two weeks. I’ve got everything riding on this.” No one knew just how much. If he succeeded, he stood to regain all he’d lost. Money, prestige, a purpose. If he failed . . . but he couldn’t let himself think that way. It would be sinking back into the old patterns that had brought his first defeat so many years ago.

  His father’s name was rarely spoken now, but that would change in a few short weeks. His name would be on lips across the world. He shook off the fear that clouded his mind. Fear was his only real enemy. If he could defeat the fear of failure, he could beat anything.

  Kaia went home and tried not to worry about Mano’s betrayal or her grandfather’s plans. She tried to focus on what she’d try next with Nani but found it impossible to concentrate. Her thoughts kept drifting back to Mano. She had left Tutu kane’s without talking to him. Now was as good a time as any. She had a couple of hours before it was time to meet Jesse.

  Grabbing her keys, she hurried to her truck and drove back to her brother’s. A yellow glow of lamplight shone from his front window when she pulled into the driveway. She wasn’t sure how to bring up the subject. He’d take one look at her face and know something was wrong.

  She didn’t even have time to knock on the door when Mano threw it open. “I heard your truck.” His gaze lingered on her face. “Have you been crying?”

  She thought she’d washed all traces away. Her lips tightened, and she shut the door behind her. “I need to talk to you.” He was going to get mad and defensive, but she couldn’t help that.

  “So talk.” Mano pointed at the brown couch, a hand-me-down from Aunt Edena. He sat down and began to twirl a pencil in his fingers.

  Kaia sank onto the worn fabric. “I might as well tell you—I overheard you today.”

  His fingers stilled. “When—what do you mean?”

  She could hear the caution in his voice, and it broke her heart. There had never been this distance between them. “When you were talking to the Pele Hawai’i men,” she said softly. “Don’t do this, Mano. Don’t commit treason. That’s what this is. I couldn’t bear it if you were sent to prison. It would kill Tutu kane.”

  “You don’t understand, Kaia,” Mano began. “Stay out of it.”

  “I can’t. You’re my brother. I love you.” She leaned forward. “Walk away. Now.”

  “I can’t. It’s gone too far.” His jaw was hard as he stood an
d turned his back to her.

  She touched his shoulder. “I’m here for you, Mano. I’ll do anything I can to help.”

  “I don’t need your help.” He turned toward the kitchen. “I’ll get you some coffee and we can talk about something else.”

  Jesse was napping on the couch in his office when his cell phone chirped. He raised his eyebrows at the name on the caller ID. Kaia rarely ever called him, and even before he answered it, he had the feeling it was bad news. “Matthews.”

  “Jesse, we need to talk. Where can I meet you?” Kaia’s voice sounded strained.

  He glanced at his watch. “What are you doing up already? It’s only twelve.”

  “Can you meet me at the front gate in fifteen minutes?”

  “Sure.” He clicked off his phone and went to tell his aide he’d be off base for a while. He hopped in his Jeep and headed toward the gate. The two-hour nap had refreshed him. Kaia wasn’t there yet, so he parked and waited.

  His cell phone chirped again. The caller ID revealed a name he hadn’t seen in a long time, and he stared at it, wondering if he was seeing it right. It chirped again, and he reluctantly pressed the button. “Matthews.”

  “Hi, Jesse. It’s Steve.”

  The familiar voice made Jesse’s stomach clench. “Steve. I saw your name on the caller ID.” He didn’t know what to say.

  “I bet it gave you a start. Got your new number from Jillian. Surprised to hear from me?”

  “You might say that.” Surprise was an understatement. Christy’s family had cut off all contact with him after Christy’s death. Three years had passed since any of them had spoken to him. He gritted his teeth and wondered what Christy’s brother wanted from him.

  Steve gave a nervous chuckle. “You’re not making this easy, Jesse. You haven’t so much as sent a Christmas card.”

  “Was I supposed to? You told me you never wanted to talk to me again. As I recall, you called me a ‘baby killer.’ I’m sure your parents still hate me. They’d be furious if they knew you’d contacted me.”

  “Dad’s gone now. You didn’t know?”

  “I hadn’t heard. I’m sorry.”

  His father-in-law hadn’t had much use for Jesse. Resignation filled Jesse, and he pinched the bridge of his nose hard.

  “We used to be good friends, Jesse. Do you know what today is?”

  Like he could ever forget. “Of course. The baby would have been three today if he’d been born on his due date.”

  “I wasn’t sure you ever thought about it.”

  He didn’t bother to hide the anger he felt rising. “Do you think I’m some kind of monster? My life changed that day, Steve. There’s not a day goes by that I don’t think about it.” What did he really want? Jesse couldn’t read his voice. Steve had always been a little strange—one minute friendly and the next as aloof as if Jesse had been a playground bully who had taken his toys. He was Christy’s twin, and the two had been close.

  “I’m sorry. I probably shouldn’t have called.” Steve’s voice grew husky.

  Jesse sighed. “Well, you did, so you might as well tell me what you want.”

  There was a long pause, then Steve cleared his throat. “It wasn’t your fault, Jesse. I know that now.”

  “Come on, Steve, don’t throw me any bones. You and I both know the truth. It’s something I live with every day.” He didn’t even try to keep the regret from his voice. Part of it had been his fault. He’d come to grips with it, but it didn’t change the truth.

  “No. No, it wasn’t. Christy was to blame, and that’s the truth.”

  “I shouldn’t have argued with her that day. I knew she wasn’t thinking clearly, but I’d thought once the baby was born . . .” His voice broke. Jesse didn’t want to relive that day, but the memories crowded in like a school of piranha fighting over a wounded animal. He closed his eyes. Christy’s agitated voice rang in his ears.

  “You never let me do anything! I’m stifling in this house. I wasn’t meant to be only a mother, Jesse. I want to have a career. We can hire a sitter. This kind of job offer only comes along once in a lifetime.”

  “The doctor said you need to rest, Christy. You’re not able to do it now.” He glanced at her then turned his attention back to the road.

  “If I don’t, I’ll lose the opportunity. I’ll be sitting at a desk all day. I can take a stool and put my feet up. Just think of it, Jesse. ‘Chat with Christy.’ My own radio spot. It’s my dream come true. I’m not giving it up just because you want me barefoot and pregnant.”

  “Our baby is more important than a job, Christy. You can’t endanger the baby and your own health like that.”

  Her voice rose. “I’m doing it, Jesse. And you can’t stop me. If I have to, I’ll abort this baby.”

  Shocked at her words, he jerked his head to look at her. “You wouldn’t!”

  “I will.” She thrust her jaw out.

  While he stared at her in shock, her eyes widened. “Jesse, look out!”

  His gaze whipped back to the front but too late to react to the curve coming up fast. Too fast. He slammed on the brake and fought the wheel. The tires screamed in tune with Christy’s shriek of terror.

  Jesse blinked and realized Steve had said something. “I’m sorry?”

  “I just said I wanted to put the past behind us. I’ve been attending a church lately.” He paused and cleared his throat again. “I treated you badly, Jesse. Can you forgive me for the harsh words I said at Christy’s funeral?”

  “You didn’t say anything I haven’t said a thousand times over to myself. I should have been paying attention to the road. I deserved every word.”

  “No, you didn’t. And I’m sorry.”

  Jesse found it difficult to swallow.

  Steve’s breath sounded erratic and shaky. “We should have been comforting one another. Instead we acted like wounded animals snapping at a helping hand. It made the grief worse not to have you there too. You’d been part of the family since we were kids.”

  “Christy was eight the first time I saw her.” He could still remember the gap-toothed smile she’d given him that day. He’d fallen for her right then. They’d fought and made up and fallen in love over the fifteen years they’d lived next door to one another.

  “Mom and Dad loved you like a son.”

  “They turned on me fast enough.” He rubbed his knuckles into his burning eyes.

  “They had to blame someone for the pain they felt. So did I. You were handy.”

  Jesse’s vision blurred. He didn’t want to talk about it anymore. “I have to go, Steve. It’s been good talking to you.”

  “Don’t shut me out, Jesse,” he pleaded. “I’ll be—”

  Jesse cut him off. He couldn’t take any more. “Good-bye, Steve,” he said. He clicked off the phone and leaned against the headrest.

  Kaia didn’t want to do this. She’d tried to think of a way to get to the bottom of things alone, but she had to be honest. She didn’t have the skills to figure it out without help. She needed Jesse’s help, much as she didn’t want to involve the navy. And Mano’s current situation demanded immediate action.

  Besides, she needed to get her mind wrapped around something other than her grandfather’s crazy plan. She didn’t want to think about seeing her mother again. What if she left again? Kaia knew she could never bear that kind of rejection more than once.

  Jesse was standing beside his Jeep when she got to the front gate. She pulled behind his vehicle and got out, conscious of the way the SPs watched her. Her heart felt as heavy as a boat anchor. Even now, she cast about for some way out of revealing everything to him.

  She thought he looked a little pale today. His eyes were cloaked with some dark emotion she found hard to name—fear, or sorrow maybe. His uniform was a little rumpled too. Maybe there had been a problem with Heidi. This was probably a bad idea. He had enough on his plate without her problems too.

  He didn’t waste time on pleasantries. “You sounded upset. What’s
wrong?”

  The concern in his voice released the valve on her emotions, and she wanted to cry. “I need your help, Jesse. I think my brother is in trouble.”

  His blue eyes softened, and he touched her arm. “Bane or Mano?”

  She was surprised he remembered her brothers’ names. “Mano.” Jesse wasn’t going to be happy with her when she told him why. She dropped her gaze to the ground. “You know those men who tried to grab me the other night when I sprained my ankle?”

  “Yeah.” His voice was deepened with wariness.

  “I recognized them. I just didn’t want to tell you.”

  His face didn’t change. He just nodded as though he already knew. “Okay, tell me now.”

  He was being too nice to her. It made her want to throw herself against his chest and wail out her fear, let him carry it all. She took a step back and told herself she needed to look at him like a father figure. “You remember I mentioned Pele Hawai´i once before?”

  He nodded. “Yeah. I haven’t been back on the island long, but it’s been long enough to hear about them and their violent tactics. They want to force the U.S. government into giving Hawai’i sovereignty. They sound more like a terrorist group than a bona fide political group.”

  “I guess that’s exactly what they are.” It hurt to admit her brother could be involved in something like that. “The leader, Nahele Aki, was there with two of his men.”

  “Why didn’t you want me to know? Is he a friend of yours?”

  His voice had risen, and she wondered if he could be jealous. She shook her head. What a stupid thought. He was justifiably angry with her for not doing what she should have done sooner. “No. I didn’t want you to suspect Mano of being involved with those three. He joined the group in the past month.” She rushed on before she lost her nerve. “I’ve seen such a change in him. He’s turned into a zealot.” It felt wrong to be talking about her brother like this. She should have gone to her grandfather first. Maybe he could have reined in her brother. She bit her lip and reminded herself this affected national security.

  “He’s navy, isn’t he? How does he reconcile the two?”