Midnight Sea (Aloha Reef Series)

by Colleen Coble

  “How can they say that?” Her voice rose, and she pushed the dog off her lap and stood. Fisher gave her a look of outrage.

  “It’s not too hard when it’s my fault a man is blind,” he blurted out. He waited to see her recoil.

  She was extending her hand to him but dropped it at his words. “How?” she whispered.

  “An auto accident,” he said in a hard voice. “I was driving, fiddling with the radio and not paying attention. I missed a curve and rolled the truck. It was my fault Tyrone was blinded.” He wanted to see her turn away in horror. Maybe that would kill the budding infatuation he felt.

  She reached out for him. He made no move to take her hand, but instead stepped around her and scooped up Meg. “I’m going to get back to work.” He strode away without looking back.

  Chapter Fifteen

  With clenched fists, Kato stomped into the room where Thresh sat going over books. He looked up. “Did you find it?”

  Kato shook his bald head. “I searched the Driscoll house again. It’s not there. I’d say it’s at the bottom of the ocean somewhere.”

  His euphoria vanished. “Have you sent down divers?”

  “It’s blue hole there. The bottom is too deep.”

  Thresh swept everything to the floor with one hand. “You have to find it! Do you have any idea what that’s worth? Could he have given it to his brother? Did you search there?”

  “Yeah. I came up empty.”

  “Ethan has to have it at the house. We’ll look again, and this time, I’ll go with you.”

  Silence enveloped the car as they drove to the Driscoll house. Thresh fumed with the need to find the treasure. It was for Blossom when all this was over. Streetlamps illuminated the dark night. The clock on the dash read twelve fifteen. He pointed out a parking spot down the street. They got out of the car and sneaked along the quiet streets to the back.

  “Break the lock,” he snapped. Kato nodded and threw his shoulder against the door. The jamb splintered and the door flew open. They stepped inside, and he wrinkled his nose at the stench. “It smells like they haven’t taken out the trash in weeks.”

  Kato’s flashlight swept the room. “Turn on the lights. I doubt anyone will notice,” he said.

  He was right for once. Thresh flipped on the light, and they began to tear the house apart. But two hours later the treasure was still missing.

  “What about the kid?” he asked. “Maybe he hid it with her stuff. How did he know it was in the bags of coffee anyway?”

  “He started to take the bags we were using for camouflage. I think he got suspicious when I stopped him from taking them.”

  “I don’t care who gets hurt at this point. I’m not about to give up my treasure. Find it!”

  When Ben didn’t find Tyrone at the shop, he walked along Ali’i Drive. Traffic rumbled by, and he could hear the sound of the surf on the other side of the road. His pace quickened when he saw the Mokuaikaua Church ahead. He turned in and passed under the lavastone arch into the grounds. This first church built on Hawaiian soil held a mystique for Tyrone, and often he could be found here with his rosary beads.

  Ben stepped inside and gazed around the interior, paneled with koa wood. Tyrone sat in the front pew. He lifted his head at the slap of Ben’s slippers on the wood floor.

  “I figured I’d find you here.” Ben slid into the pew beside him. Ranger nosed at his foot, then lay down on the floor. “Lani told me what she did. She’s torn up about it, Tyrone.” What was he doing—trying to get the two of them back together?

  “Maybe she is.” Tyrone slumped against the pew back. “I’d like to blame her for all of it, but I can’t. It was just as much my fault. I turned my back on everything I knew was right, just for a pretty face. Now I have blood on my hands.”

  Ben put his hand on Tyrone’s arm. “Guess we’re all in the same boat, buddy. We’re always going to fail at something we think we should have done better. Even Paul did. I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately. God doesn’t want us to be bound up by guilt. Jesus died so we would be free from that.”

  Tyrone rubbed his forehead. “I guess you’re right, but man, it’s low to feel so weak and ashamed.”

  A familiar emotion to Ben as well. But he was beginning to understand his own failings. “Let’s go get a shave ice.”

  “I’m game.” Tyrone stood and grabbed Ranger’s lead. “What are you doing taking Lani’s case? I thought you couldn’t stand her.”

  “We’ve become friends.”

  “Friends, huh? Maybe more than that?”

  Ben put his hands in his pockets. “Would it bother you?”

  “Dude, you kidding? Of course it would bother me. I still care about her, chump that I am. But don’t let that stand in your way. She and I have too much past to get over. I’d like to see you happy.” Tyrone leaned forward and slapped Ben on the back. “I’ll dance at your wedding, even if I cry in my beer a little.”

  Ben chuckled. “I’m not thinking along those lines. We’re just friends.” He shook his head. Who was he trying to kid?

  Lani sat on the shore beside Fawn at the Place of Refuge. She tossed the Frisbee. “Go get it, boy!” She had no idea where it went, but Fisher’s paws kicked sand at her as he ran off. His happy bark floated back to her, then a loud splash came. “Uh-oh, I must have thrown it in the water.”

  “Yeah, the wind caught it.”

  Shadows cooled her arms, and she knew the sun must be going down. Lani traced her fingers over the sketch pad in her lap. “Do you think it looks okay? I usually have colored-pencil sketches of the different colors in my design. This black-and-white won’t be very impressive.”

  “Then what I bought should be just the ticket.” Fawn placed a book in her hands.

  “What is this?” Lani ran her hand over the slick cover.

  “It’s orchid stickers. Punch-out ones of different colors and varieties. It might not have all the ones you planned, but it should have most. You chose standard Hawaiian varieties of plants. I ordered it last week when we got started on this.”

  “Fawn, you are a genius!” Lani hugged the book to her chest. “You’ll have to help me.”

  “I can do that.” Fawn took the book and riffled through the pages. “Here are the phalaenopsis orchids. Let’s do those first.”

  The women set to work sticking clumps of orchids onto the design sheet. The sound of the surf lulled Lani. Life wasn’t so bad. She had good friends, her family. And Ben. That was a new thought. She lingered on it a moment. Their friendship might lead to more, but she didn’t want to count on it. Still, the possibilities made her heart thump like the surf hitting the rocks.

  Flash. Lani winced and blinked her eyes. The bright flash of yellow came again. She inhaled sharply.

  “What is it?” Fawn asked.

  “I don’t know,” Lani said slowly. “I saw a flash of light, like golden sunshine.”

  “Your vision?”

  “Maybe.”

  Fisher’s paws pattered on the ground, and droplets of water hit her legs. Her dog. What would happen if she got her sight back? She couldn’t give him up.

  She heard the roar of a Harley. “Is that Ben?” she asked Fawn.

  “Yep. Hey, Ben!” Fawn’s voice moved away. The bike’s motor changed from a roar to a growl, then died.

  Footsteps crunched in the sand. “Fawn said you saw light?” Ben asked.

  Lani nodded. “Just a flash. It’s gone now.”

  “You’d probably better go see the doctor,” Fawn said, her voice worried.

  “It’s after hours. I’ll call Jerry when we get home.”

  “You don’t sound very happy about it,” Ben said.

  “I’m trying not to get my hopes up. Maybe it’s something normal for blind people. Has Tyrone ever mentioned it?”

  “No.”

  Lani touched Fisher’s head. “What if I get my sight back? I can’t give Fisher up, Ben. You can’t expect me to do that.”

  “Look, w
e’ve discussed this before. Fisher is still in training. He could give someone else the freedom you have with him.”

  Lani knelt and put her arms around Fisher’s wet neck. He licked her cheek. “He’s mine, and I’m not going to give him back. Never ever.” Maybe it was selfish, but Fisher was part of her now.

  Later, when Jerry couldn’t see any improvement with her vision, she didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

  It was too lovely a day to bury Ethan and Natalie. Thursday morning Ben sat in the third pew close to the open window, next to Tyrone. The breeze held the scent of ginger and plumeria that blended with the oppressive fragrance of roses from the flowers covering the caskets. He kept glancing back at the door and realized he wanted Lani with him.

  The door opened, and she came in with Yoshi on one side and Rina on the other. Her hand pressed against Yoshi’s elbow; she hadn’t brought Fisher with her. Lani walked with a tentative stride. The place was unfamiliar, and Ben watched her take small steps.

  “Here,” he said in a hushed voice. He stepped out of the pew and let them step past him. He settled beside Lani, and she reached out her hand for his. He didn’t need words from her—the comforting press of her fingers was enough.

  His mother hadn’t made it. Maybe she’d run into an attractive man at the airport and decided she had better things to do. She normally ran from anything that resembled responsibility. Loneliness left him isolated in spite of Lani’s touch. Ethan had been his only sibling, and while Ben didn’t approve of the choices he’d made in his life, the void he left loomed huge in Ben’s life.

  The caskets stood open, and he’d walked to them when he first came in to say good-bye. If only he could have done something, helped Ethan to get out of the mess.

  Natalie’s parents were in the aisle across from him, but they hadn’t so much as glanced toward him. He’d met them at Ethan and Natalie’s wedding, so he doubted they’d have trouble remembering him. They would likely demand to see Meg as soon as the service concluded. The Driscolls’ next-door neighbor had a little girl Meg liked to play with, and the mother had offered to keep Meg during the funeral.

  The preacher stepped to the podium and looked out over the crowd. “You’ve all come today to pay your respects to Ethan and Natalie Driscoll.”

  The back door of the church banged open, and a wail escalated into a keening shriek. Ben turned and saw his mother stagger up the aisle. She wore a black suit and heels. Mascara ran down her face with the tears that flowed from her eyes. She lurched toward the coffins, her cries growing louder. “My boy, my boy.”

  Ben rose and tried to intercept her, but she darted to the casket and threw herself on top of Ethan’s body. The casket shuddered, and so did Ben, envisioning the collapse of the stand. But it held. He moved quickly down the aisle to grab his mother. “Come sit with me,” he said softly.

  She tried to shake off his hands. “My baby boy. How will I survive this?”

  He hung on to her hand and pulled her insistently back to the pew. Everyone stared as they made their way down the aisle, which was what she wanted. In spite of her great show of grief, anyone who knew her well realized the only thing she loved was Jim Beam.

  Ben settled her into the pew. All through the service, she kept her gloved hands folded in her lap and her gaze straight ahead. He tried to do the same, but the minister’s words went over his head. He had hoped to draw comfort from the service, but his mother’s appearance left his thoughts churning.

  As soon as the service ended, his mother rose from the pew. “I want to say good-bye to my son,” she announced in a loud voice. “I’m sure some of you will understand.” She tossed a pointed glance toward Ben.

  He choked back his response and followed her to the caskets again. She wasn’t going to make a spectacle of the funeral if he could help it. To his surprise, she merely touched Ethan’s forehead, then turned and walked toward the back of the church with her head held high.

  Ben stared into his brother’s face one last time. His throat felt thick, and he couldn’t have spoken if his life depended on it. Good-bye, Ethan. His eyes burned as he turned to follow his mother out of the church. He nodded to Natalie’s parents, but they didn’t respond. Would his mother’s behavior be used against him in the custody suit? He exited the church, blinking when he stepped into the bright sunshine. Tyrone was getting into a car with some employees from the Harley shop.

  His mother met him on the front steps. “Ben, where is my granddaughter?”

  “With a friend.”

  “She should have been here.”

  “I decided she was too young.”

  “You decided. I should have been consulted.”

  “Well, that decision fell to me.” He refrained from pointing out that she had no right to make any decisions about a grandchild she’d never seen.

  “Don’t curl your lip at me,” she snapped. “Show me some respect. I’m still your mother.”

  If she only knew how hard he was trying to be respectful. The Bible’s mandate on respect demanded it, but it was a struggle when she’d done nothing to deserve it. “I’ll go get her after the interment.”

  “You’ll go get her now. I want to see if she looks like me.” She fluffed her black hair.

  It was darker than he remembered and had not even a strand of gray. The wings of white at her temples had changed to fully black. And he’d never seen her in a suit. She appeared imminently respectable. What had happened?

  He offered her his arm. “Meg looks like Natalie, not you.”

  “And you sound pleased about that,” she said, her eyes tearing. “I’m not the ogre you like to think, Ben. I did the best I could.”

  He merely nodded. “I’ll pick her up on the way to the meal at the church. I’m not going to miss the interment.”

  She pressed her lips together but didn’t argue. He smelled whiskey on her breath when she took his arm. That hadn’t changed. Lani, Yoshi, and Rina came up behind them, and he stopped to introduce them.

  “Blossom!” his mother said. “Oh my, I can’t believe it.”

  Nancy made a move to hug Rina, but Rina stepped away. “I never expected to see you again, Peekaboo.”

  Lani’s eyes widened, and he knew she was remembering the things she’d heard about Peekaboo. He should have admitted she was his mother long ago.

  Nancy pouted. “Are you still carrying a grudge, Blossom?”

  “What do you expect?” Rina backed away.

  “It’s been over thirty years. I’d expect you to get over it.”

  “Your lies put me in prison those thirty years, Nancy. That’s pretty heavy.”

  Nancy shrugged. She turned to Lani with a smile and held out her hand. “I’m Nancy Mahoney. And you are?”

  “Leilani Tagama.” Lani held out her hand.

  “But everyone calls you Lani, of course.” His mother took Lani’s hand.

  “Your son has been a big help to me. He brought me Fisher.”

  “Fisher?”

  “A Seeing Eye dog,” Ben put in. He winced at the way his mother turned to stare at Lani once she knew the younger woman couldn’t see her.

  His mother turned from her perusal of Lani and appraised him with a curious glance before turning back to the others. “Oh, Ben is a wonderful son. So helpful.”

  Ben raised his brows. He’d heard many descriptions from his mother about him. Helpful and wonderful had never been in the mix. “We’d better get going,” he said, noticing the hearse idling.

  The day grew longer by the minute. He ran down the window and let the wind blow in his face. Ethan had loved the wind. He said it blew away the pain, but it didn’t seem to work for Ben. His mother chattered away, but her words were like gnats buzzing around his ears. They turned into the cemetery. A police car parked in front of the hearse, and Yoshi got out and waved to him. Ben walked over to meet him.

  “I know this isn’t the best place for this, Ben, but you said you wanted to be kept up on the investigation,” Yo
shi said.

  Ben nodded. “What is it?” Ben’s stomach soured at the look on Yoshi’s face. Ben didn’t know if he wanted to hear this.

  “The boat was rigged with explosives. It was no accident.”

  Someone had murdered his family. Ben balled his hands into fists. “Who?”

  “No idea.” Yoshi squeezed Ben’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, buddy. I’ll do my best to find out who did this.”

  Ben nodded, his throat thick. Murder was such an ugly word, and an even uglier deed. Someone had callously snuffed out two young lives. The killer hadn’t even cared about the baby. Meg’s survival had been a miracle.

  Cars and trucks began to arrive for the interment. He nodded to Yoshi. “I’ll talk to you later.” Right now he had to focus on saying good-bye to his brother, then he’d make sure whoever had ripped his family from him paid for it.

  Standing on the neighbor’s sidewalk with Meg in her arms, Lani listened to Ben’s mother chatter to him. He answered mostly in mono-syllables, and though he said nothing disrespectful, his curt tone made it clear his mind was with his brother, not his mother.

  So she was the infamous Peekaboo. Lani told herself it didn’t matter that Ben had kept that news to himself. Maybe she would have too. It wasn’t something he’d want the world to know.

  Lani hugged Meg gently. The little one didn’t realize they had buried her parents today. She still asked for them constantly. She’d been happily playing when they picked her up a few minutes ago, but she’d called for her mother the instant the door opened.

  “Baby,” Meg said, thrusting her doll into Lani’s hands.

  Lani took the doll and ran her fingers over it. “Pretty baby. Just like Meg. What’s her name?”

  “Baby,” Meg said again.

  Lani tried to give her back the doll, but Meg shoved it away. “No!” she proclaimed loudly. “Daddy. Mommy. Baby.” Meg tugged at the doll. Lani relinquished it.

  “That child will be a handful,” Nancy said.