Lani felt an idiotic smile curving her lips. “Oh no, you don’t. I hear that matchmaking tone. We’re just friends.”
“I didn’t say a word.”
“It’s the way you didn’t say anything,” Lani said, laughing. “Um, so what does he look like?”
“I already told you,” Fawn said. “You don’t believe he’s as yummy as I said?” Her voice was teasing.
Annie chuckled. “I’ll give you a second opinion. He’s about six three. His hair is a rich chestnut, nearly the same color as Fisher’s and just as thick and curly. His eyes are kind of a golden brown and kind. Broad shoulders. And big feet. I bet he wears a thirteen or fourteen shoe.”
“I wish I could see.” Lani took Annie’s hand. “It’s so good to have you here.”
“It sure is,” Fawn said. “I have to go back to work tomorrow, but I’ll come by every day.”
Lani twisted a lock of hair around her finger. “Um, how do I look, Annie? I’ve wanted to know, but I didn’t feel comfortable asking anyone else. I thought they might lie.”
“Hey!” Fawn protested.
Lani chuckled. “You’re all trying to spare my feelings. Do my eyes seem strange? Is my hair in order? Aunt Rina says I look fine, but she’s not exactly the fashion queen. I know you’ll be honest.”
“I wouldn’t know you can’t see if you didn’t tell me.” Annie squeezed her fingers. “Your hair looks a little wind tossed, but you haven’t left soap in it or anything. It’s still shiny and beautiful. You’re not wearing makeup, but then I always thought all that goop you wore just covered up your natural beauty.”
“So my appearance isn’t so bad that someone would run screaming in the other direction?” Lani began to smile.
“You still turn heads,” Fawn said. “Especially Ben’s. There’s a good energy between the two of you.”
“Tell Annie the news, Fawn,” Lani said with a grin.
“What news?” Annie asked.
“I’ve been dating Yoshi,” Fawn said. Her voice held a joyous lilt.
“Fawn! I’m so glad.”
“Me too,” Fawn said. “I don’t know if it will go anywhere, but it’s fun while it lasts.”
“He’ll realize the treasure right under his nose,” Annie said. She leaned over and squeezed Lani’s hand. “Now more about you. What do you remember?”
“Not you too,” Lani said. “That’s all everyone wants to know. They all think I remember more than I’m saying, but I don’t. I wouldn’t lie to you, Annie. I can’t remember anything.”
“I believe you.” Annie fell silent for a few moments. “If we could convince the murderer of that, you might be safe.”
“Ben thinks the culprit wants me dead before I regain my memory and ID him.”
“Are you seeing anything, Lani?”
“Not now. Before I hit my head again, I saw a blurry image, a sensation of movement. When I woke up, the darkness had come back.” The glimpse of vision had been entrancing, something she remembered over and over again. And longed for. “And last night I saw yellow light, but Jerry couldn’t see any change in my vision when he examined me.”
“Do you have any idea why they would target the coffee farm and kill an employee?”
“No.”
“Ben’s brother and his wife were killed too. Any connection?”
“Maybe. I haven’t heard for sure if the coffee used for the smuggling came from here.” Lani chewed on her lip. “I think Aunt Rina’s neighbor is smuggling orchids.”
Annie gasped. “Then maybe they’re all connected. That seems a big coincidence.”
“That’s what Ben thought, but we have no proof. The Asian slipper orchid was gone when we went down to investigate.”
“Smuggling,” Annie said in a pensive tone. “Coral and orchids. Very different commodities.”
“But both very valuable.”
“Do you think Aunt Rina’s involved?”
“No!” Lani told Annie about their aunt’s confession.
“I’m going to mingle and see what I can find out,” Annie said. “Will you be okay by yourself?”
“I might take a nap with Meg,” Lani said. Her eyes felt heavy. So much had happened lately, she felt as though some new problem bombarded her on every side.
“I’m going to get a fruit smoothie,” Fawn said. “You want one, Lani?”
“Sure.” The two women moved off through the grass. Lani lay back on the blanket with the leaves rustling overhead and the sweet scent of plumeria on the breeze.
“Psst, missy.” The hushed voice came from her left.
Lani sat up. “Who’s there?” She strained to see, but there was only darkness.
“Me Simi. I watch orchids.”
The young boy who’d warned them away from the orchid farm. “Where are you?”
“In bushes. I afraid, missy. Man say he sell me to woman in California. She bad woman. Beat Simi last time. I no go there.”
“Sell you? He can’t sell you. It’s illegal to sell someone.”
“Is to pay for cost to bring me here. Send back money to my family in Tonga. If I no go, I send no money.”
“Come here, Simi. I’ll help you.”
“No, no, missy. He see me.”
“Who are you afraid of?”
“Big man.”
The man who had attacked Ben. Lani put her hand to her mouth. “He can’t hurt you,” she said, more to reassure herself than the boy.
“He say if I tell policeman, they send me back. My family need money to live.”
Lani had heard of the illegal immigrant trafficking, the taking of children and working them like slaves. She’d never expected to meet anyone enslaved like that. “Let me help you, Simi.”
“No, must go back.” His voice rose.
“Why did you come if you won’t take my help?”
“Must warn missy. Big man watch little one. You watch. Tell friends. Show this.” He thrust something hard into Lani’s hand. The bushes rustled.
“Simi?” When he didn’t answer, she realized he’d left. Little one. Did he mean Meg? Lani’s fingers brushed the sleeping child. The baby had no part in this. And what had he given her? Her touch couldn’t make out what it was.
Chapter Seventeen
The stench of rotting coffee cherries nearly made Ben gag. He stood beside Rina and looked at the ruin of her coffee crop. An odorous sludge filled the top of the tank. It made his stomach turn.
“It’s all ruined,” Rina said in a choked voice. She passed her hand over her eyes, then straightened her shoulders. Jerry put a comforting arm around her, and Arlo frowned.
“What’s happened?” Ben asked.
“The beans were only supposed to ferment twenty-four hours, just long enough to break down the parchment.” She plucked a messy bean from the mixture. “See, this is the parchment. It’s a thin layer of fiber that’s hard to remove, and we ferment it a few hours so we can get it off easily. The fermentation adds to the coffee flavor. But it can’t ferment too long.” She dropped it back in the sludge and wiped her hand on her shorts.
“Who do you think did this?” Yoshi asked.
“Willie?” Ben asked.
She put her face in her hands. “I don’t know what to think. I don’t think it would be Willie. But who else could it be?”
Ben had no answer for her. He looked back at the stinking mess.
“How did the perp manage this?” Yoshi asked.
“Honi was supposed to move these beans to the patio to dry. She’s gone. Just left a note saying she quit.”
“Coincidence?” Yoshi asked.
“Not a chance. Honi wouldn’t just leave like that for no reason. Something’s happened.”
“I’ll try to track her down,” Yoshi said.
“Can anything be saved?” Jerry asked.
She shook her head. “The rotting meat of the cherries will make the seeds inside bitter. There’s no way to get out the taste.”
“What if you decaffe
inated all of them? Would the chemical take it out?” Yoshi asked.
“Nothing will take it out,” she answered, her voice taking on a slight edge. “The entire batch is ruined.”
“You’ve got more cherries to pick, don’t you?” Ben put in.
“Yes, but this was the bulk of the crop. We’ll have three more pickings. All I can do is hope and pray it’s enough to see us through until the second, smaller harvest in the spring.” She sounded weary. “I’d better clean this out. You can go back to your guests.”
“I’ll stay and help,” Yoshi said.
“I’d rather do it alone,” Rina said. “If I want to cry, I can.”
Yoshi studied her face. “Okay.”
He and Ben walked back toward the house. Ben could hear his mother’s laughter as they approached. She stood talking with Arlo and Josie. Batting her eyes at Arlo, she stood closer to him than she needed to. Ben sighed.
“What?” Yoshi asked.
“My mom. Looks like she has her claws out for Arlo. He’d better be careful.”
“Doesn’t seem like he’s trying any too hard to get away. I thought he was stuck on my aunt.”
“Maybe he’s trying to make her jealous.” Ben hoped that was all. Arlo had his arm slung around Nancy. He threw back his head and laughed at something she said. Ben had noticed a wedding ring on his mother’s hand. Whoever his new stepfather was, Ben wouldn’t be surprised to see him get the heave-ho pretty quickly.
“Wonder why they’ve been out of touch all this time.” Yoshi said.
“Josie told me that they’d tried to find her, but she didn’t show up in any online searches. Probably because she’s had so many last names.” As far as he knew, there had been six stepfathers. His mother went through men like he went through disposable razors.
“What about your dad? Was he at the camp too?”
“She always told me I looked like my dad. He died before I was born.”
“I’d like to take a look at that orchid farm,” Yoshi said, changing the subject.
“Now?”
“Later tonight. You go ahead and talk to your guests. You need to grieve your brother. I’m trying to get a search warrant but not having much luck with no evidence.”
Annie waved to them from the trees. “Get over here now!” she shouted.
Ben and Yoshi jogged over to where she stood. “What’s wrong?” Ben asked.
“This.” Annie pushed a jack-in-the-box into his hands. “Recognize it?”
“It looks like Meg’s. She had one just like it.” Ben turned it over and saw Meg’s name on the back. “It is hers. Where’d you get it?”
“Simi brought it to Meg.”
Ben looked at Yoshi. “The last time I saw this was in Meg’s toy chest. How could Simi get hold of it?”
“The only way was if it was at the orchid farm. I can get a warrant now.” Yoshi took out his phone and dialed. After talking a few moments, he hung up. “Johnson is going to meet us at the orchid farm with the search warrant. It will be a few minutes, but we’ll wait for him.”
“Let’s take the back way. Rina showed me a path through the ‘ohi’a trees.” Ben didn’t wait for another protest. Leading the way along the narrow path, he brushed through a thick forest of manele and ‘ohi’a until they came to the hillside where he’d seen the orchid the first time.
The house looked empty of everything but secrets. Ben went to the flower bed where he’d seen the Asian slipper orchid. An ordinary variety had been planted in the hole he’d found empty the last time.
“Let’s sneak around the back of the house and see if anyone’s there,” Ben said.
“Not yet, buddy. We need to wait for that warrant. He should be here any minute.”
Ben paced while they waited. The house had a closed-up look to it, as if no one had lived there for a while. But he’d seen people here. A squad car rolled to a stop beside them. Officer Johnson handed the warrant out through the window. Yoshi thanked him and told him to return to the station, then started toward the house.
Ben followed Yoshi. They walked along the edge of the woods with the wind blowing the strong fragrance of orchids against his face. His slippers sank into the soft ground. Yoshi bounded up to the front door, past the stone pillars shaped like dolphins. No one answered his pounding on the door. He looked at Ben and shrugged.
They circled around the side of the house to the backyard, where they found a goldfish pond filled with brightly colored koi that were a foot long. The back of the house had a deck that spanned its length. Vertical blinds blocked the view through the sliding glass door.
“I don’t think anyone is here,” Ben said. He stepped past the gas grill.
Yoshi strode up the deck steps and tried the door. “Locked,” he said. He pounded on it, but again there was no answer.
Ben glanced around the backyard at the masses of orchids. These all seemed ordinary to him too, though he was no expert. A chest sat outside the sliding glass door. Made of cedar, it seemed familiar. He touched it, and a memory flooded back. His brother had spent hours bending over that chest.
“It’s Meg’s toy box. Ethan made it.” He knelt and lifted the lid. On the underside an inscription read, “To my baby girl, Meg. Daddy loves you.”
A lump formed in his throat, and his eyes burned. A hoarse cry tried to force itself past his lips, but he managed to stave it off. Ethan would never see his baby girl grow up, never give her away in marriage, never hold her children. Ben wouldn’t cry. Men didn’t cry.
“Ben?” Yoshi touched his shoulder.
“I’m fine.” But he wasn’t.
“I’m going to go around front again,” Yoshi said.
Ben nodded. “I’m going to look in the woods.” He didn’t wait for an answer but jogged to the trees. He plunged into the cool recesses of the dark woods. For the first time he found himself questioning God. “Why!” he screamed to the treetops, and his shout caused a flock of Hawai’i creepers to take wing. “How could you do this? I thought you loved me.” Lani had questioned her situation, and his words had been glib and sure. Now he slumped to the ground and put his head in his hands.
Thresh watched Ben with a smile. Ethan had been a weakling—unworthy of such grief. It had been a favor to get rid of him, really. He and his family were on a sure road to destruction. He went still. What a perfect chance to be rid of the reincarnate Ash. He’d been rising up, his face mocking at every turn. He’d been a jinx, the reason the girl was still alive.
No one was around, and it might take days to find his body in this jungle. With luck, maybe it would never be found. Thresh reached into his backpack and pulled out a gun. Firearms were so messy, but they were effective.
Ben raised his head and stood. He’d been numb before this moment, blocking out the way he really felt. What a hypocrite. Birds chattered in the trees over his head, and some small animal skittered through the underbrush. Then he heard something else. A furtive sort of sound that made him cock his head and listen. Crack! At the sharp report, he threw himself onto the ground. A burning pain struck his shoulder. When he touched it, his fingers came away bloody.
The gun sounded again, and Ben rolled toward a ditch on the other side of a tree. Tumbling into it, he glanced around for some kind of weapon. Leaves crunched under someone’s feet, but he didn’t dare raise his head. It would be a perfect target. He crawled along the ravine to where the forest thickened, and the canopy of kuku’i trees blotted out the spotty sunshine.
The trees had shed their nuts, and the leathery, walnutlike orbs lay everywhere. Ben scooped up a handful. Ducking behind a big tree trunk, he watched for an opportunity to drive off his attacker. A shadow moved quickly through the underbrush. He stood and began to pelt the figure with the nuts.
Then the shadowy figure vanished. Retreating steps ran through the leaves. He glanced down at his left shoulder. It burned like the dickens, and blood soaked the front of his shirt. His head spun, and he doubted he could make it back to the ho
use. He was going to have to call for help. He pulled out his cell phone, but no bars showed. The thick jungle foliage blocked the signal.
He took a handkerchief from his pocket and jammed it against the wound, then plodded in the direction of the house. Spots danced in his eyes, and he began to stagger. Trying to focus, he looked at his cell phone again. Only one bar, but it might be enough. He dialed 911, but his vision darkened, and he fell to the ground.
The rest of the mourners had left. Arlo took Nancy to Ethan’s place after an hour of her complaining that Ben didn’t care enough to get her there himself. Lani heard the low voices of her aunt Rina and her friends. The night air coming through the open window held a taste of freshness from the gentle rain that had driven them all indoors. Lani sat on the sofa and listened to the conversation. She didn’t know if she would ever get used to the isolation she felt with this blackness all around her.
“Is there enough harvest left to cover expenses for the rest of the year?” Jerry’s gravelly voice held a touch of concern.
“I doubt it. I may need a little money from all of you to keep our heads above water. Would any of you be willing to invest more?”
Lani heard the near panic in her aunt’s voice and wished she could help. She’d been the one who was supposed to oversee the milling process. If only she’d been able to be out there to make sure nothing like this could happen.
“I know I’m asking a lot,” Rina said. “But the farm’s good reputation is really getting around. I’m confident the profits next year will be good. We just have to hang on.”
The coffee farm meant the world to Rina. If only there was something she could do to help. “Could you get an extension on the loan from the bank?” she asked.
“Maybe. I’ll try. But even with that, I’m going to need some more capital.” Rina sounded weary. “I’ll repay you, every last cent, guys.”
“I’ll help,” Jerry said. “How much?”
“I’ll need to think about it. Go over the books,” Arlo said.
“I’ll show you now if you want,” Rina said. “I have nothing to hide from any of you.” The room rustled with noise, and footsteps moved off down the hall.
Midnight Sea (Aloha Reef Series) Page 18