Midnight Sea (Aloha Reef Series)

by Colleen Coble

  Then the rope began to slither past him. He made a grab at it, but it fell so fast he nearly missed it. He snatched at it again, then his fingers caught a loop of it and he pulled it into the cave. It wasn’t nearly as long now. His fingers found the clean cut on the end. Master must have cut it loose. There was no way it was long enough to get them down, and now they couldn’t climb up. Simi sat on a rock with his head in his hands and wept.

  The light kept getting brighter, then dimming again. Lani didn’t say anything, because her vision wasn’t the most important thing right now. She was also beginning to make out faces, dark spots for eyes in the people she stared at. Maybe by the time they found Meg, she’d be able to see the toddler. And they would find her.

  Fisher had his head on her lap in the backseat as they rode toward Kealakekua Bay, and she rubbed his ears to keep herself calm.

  “We should have a bunch of people to search,” Yoshi said. “Aunt Rina and her friends are en route too. It was near the intersection of Highway 11 and Napoopoo Road.”

  “There’s a two-mile trail to the bay near the Captain Cook monument,” Lani said. “Could they be heading toward the water?”

  “Why? There’s nothing out there but the bay. If you go the other direction, it leads back toward Aunt Rina’s coffee farm. And the orchid farm. I’m betting they’re heading that way.”

  “Wouldn’t that be the first place you’d look?” Ben put in. “And they’d be cornered. There’s only one road in and out unless they try to escape on foot. They’ll be tired by the time they get where they’re going.”

  Yoshi opened his car door. “Maybe we should wait until the other searchers get here.”

  “I don’t want to wait,” Ben said. “I’ve got my cell phone on me. Call me if you find anything. I’m going to head toward the coffee farm.”

  Lani let Fisher out of the car. She could even see the color of Ben’s hair, a rich russet, though his other features were still fuzzy. It was like looking at a whole new world. A smile tugged the corners of her lips, but she quickly squelched it. She nearly gasped with the realization that her sight wasn’t that important now. If they could find Meg, she’d gladly give it up.

  She watched Ben strike off up the hillside. Yoshi and Mano stood talking by the hood of the car. “I’m going to take Fisher and head down to the water,” she called.

  Yoshi looked up. “I don’t think that’s smart, Lani.”

  “I’m seeing more and more, Yoshi. I won’t get lost with Fisher anyway. I can’t just stand around. I want to help.”

  He stared at her. “Your sight is back?”

  “Not totally, but it’s better. I can see the color of your hair.”

  “Okay, just be careful.”

  “I will.” She took Fisher’s harness and headed for the path toward the water. It was a gentle slope down to the bay and the cliffs. This wasn’t her favorite spot. She could never look at the cliffs without staring into the pockets of caves, layered with the bones of Hawaiian rulers. She shuddered.

  Fisher was nosing through some ti leaves. “Come, Fisher,” she called. She blinked her eyes. She could actually see his tail wagging. The movement, at least. Details were still fuzzy.

  The path was rough and treacherous, and Lani nearly slipped and fell several times. She knew she should turn back, but something drove her on toward the water. The bay was probably only another mile.

  She skidded down a steep place on the path and landed on her behind. Fisher licked her cheek and whined. He ran a few feet and pawed at the grass. “What’d you find, boy?” She stood and walked to him. His head came up, and he held something in his mouth. He pressed his muzzle against her hand and dropped his find into it.

  “Meg’s doll,” she said softly. Fisher woofed at her voice. She picked up the doll and hugged it. Yoshi and Ben needed to know. The doll had been in bed with Meg last night. She had to have come this way. Glancing back the way she’d come, she hesitated. Going forward would put her closer to the little girl. What if she went back and the man disappeared with Meg? While she couldn’t fight him, she could see where he went. Her vision was nearly normal now. She could see the golden russet of Fisher’s eyes, the curl in his coat.

  “Let’s go,” she told Fisher. People often kayaked into the bay to snorkel, and there were boats that brought in tourists as well. She could get someone to call Yoshi on his cell phone once she figured out where the man had Meg.

  “Rockin’ idea,” Thresh told Kato. They stood at the top of the cliff over-looking the bay. “They’re trapped until we’re ready to use them.”

  Kato never smiled much, and his grin made Thresh shudder. The guy looked way too pleased at the thought of the two kids trapped in a cave. Thresh just wanted to do what was necessary, even though it was unpleasant.

  “Did the kid have it?”

  Kato shook his head. “Like I said, I think it’s at the bottom of the ocean.”

  “I would know if it was gone. I have a connection with it. I want you to call Mahoney and tell him he gets his niece back if he turns over the goods.”

  Kato nodded and pulled out his phone.

  Thresh grabbed his hand. “Not on your own phone, meat! The fuzz can trace it. Use a pay phone.”

  “The nearest one is in Kealakekua.”

  Thresh’s lip curled. “Don’t be a sissy. Just do it. I’ll wait down by the water.”

  Kato jerked a thumb toward the cliff ’s edge. “What about them?”

  “They’re not going anywhere.”

  Ben walked all the way to the coffee farm but found no one around. They’d all turned out to search for Meg. Maybe they had her at the orchid farm. He walked past the sugarcane fields toward the lane. An egret scurried out of his way, and several laughing thrush sang in the trees over his head, though he took no pleasure in their chirps.

  A truck turned out of the orchid farm and came barreling down the road, and he stepped behind a tree. As it flew past, he caught a glimpse of the Waldens. He stared after them. Maybe his guess that they were involved in the smuggling wasn’t so far off. He stepped back onto the road and picked up his pace to a jog. When he turned into the orchid farm lane, he slowed and listened. The place was as deserted as the night he and Yoshi dropped in. The memory put him on guard.

  He walked up to the house and rapped on the door. If they had Meg, he was going to break in and get her. No footsteps echoed from inside. Glancing around, Ben tried the door, but it was locked, just as he expected. Pyracantha screened the side of the house, and he couldn’t get close enough to peer in the window. He went around to the back and tried the door. Locked.

  Glancing around the yard, he saw the hothouse at the back of the property. Maybe something would be inside it. But it was locked too.

  Ben stared at the house contemplatively. He needed to get inside, but he didn’t want to end up in jail. He decided to walk the grounds. Maybe there was something else he’d missed. Neat beds of orchids covered a good two acres of land. Ben strode through the rows of flowers, but he really didn’t know what he was looking for.

  Passing the back of the rear bed, he walked into the woods toward a small shed. He’d never seen it before. A shiny lock barred him from entry. The place was hardly bigger than an outhouse. Not expecting it to budge, he jerked on the door. To his surprise, the lock popped open. Someone hadn’t latched it properly. Simi?

  Ben opened the door and peered inside, expecting to see a dank, dusty interior. Instead, it was clean and swept. A trapdoor stood open in the floor. He stepped to the edge and peered down, but it was too dark to see. A switch was on the floor, so he flipped it, and light flooded the hole. A ladder stretched down to a dirt floor.

  He could only hope there were no scorpions or spiders. Using his good hand to hang on to the ladder, he tucked a flashlight he saw lying on the floor into his waistband, swung his legs onto the ladder, and started down.

  Simi crouched by the front of the cave and stared down. He didn’t know how long they’d bee
n here, but his belly hurt with hunger. The little girl slept on the weathered cave floor, but she would want food when she woke up.

  His mouth was dry, though he’d popped in a stone to suck on. It was so hot. He wiped his face and began to cry. He and the little one would die with no food or water. It wouldn’t take long, especially for the little one. He cast a sorrowful glance at her blond hair. He’d meant to save her, but instead he had brought about her death.

  He tried to bend his stung hand, but it hurt so badly he whimpered. It scared him to look at how swollen it was. He looked out toward the sea and tensed. A small dot moved along the water not far from the crashing surf. Closer than was safe, really, but maybe they could hear him. He leaned out as far as he could and screamed at the top of his lungs. The cry burst forth with such power it scraped his throat and tore at his chest. He called again. “Help!”

  The kayak continued to move along the whitecaps. It never slowed. Simi continued to scream until it was out of sight, then slumped back against the wall of the crevice. He put his hands over his face and sobbed. They were going to die, and there was nothing he could do about it.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Light, color, and shadow danced in Lani’s vision. Leaves on the trees around her blew in the breeze, and she could see them. Puffy clouds floated across a sky of wondrous blue. Her sight wasn’t sharp yet, but she thought she’d be able to recognize her sister or cousin from about five feet away. With glasses, she might be able to see perfectly.

  Holding the doll close, she and Fisher walked the last two hundred feet or so to the bottom of the slope. Its harsh edges softened by green vegetation, the cliff face loomed over the sea. Lani glanced around, but all she saw were snorkelers in the water. No sign of a little girl, Simi, or the man.

  The waves ran up onto the beach with white foam. Lani marveled at the detail. It was a whole new world to her. She tipped her head. Was that a cry? Her hearing was so much more acute now. It sounded as though it had come from up the cliff. Taking Fisher’s harness, she walked toward the cliff and found the faint impression of a path leading upward. Vegetation lashed her bare legs, and she nearly lost her slippers several times climbing over rocks in the way. Her head spun when she finally stood panting at the top of the cliff.

  Pausing to catch her breath, she listened again, but this time she heard only the breeze and the faint shouts of children playing in the water. The waves crashed on the rocky black shoreline below. Still holding the doll, she wandered closer to the edge, then realized she was too close when vertigo made her sway. She stepped back quickly.

  Fisher nosed at a gum wrapper that lay on the ground. Lani picked it up. Meg’s? The bugs hadn’t gotten into it yet, so it must not have lain here long. A rope wrapped snugly around a rock. Its cut edge stuck up at the top of the stone like an exclamation point. She sat on the rock and wondered what to do next. As she contemplated her next move, she toyed with the weighted hemline at the doll’s ankles. The hem was pulling loose, and she plucked at the threads absently. A weight fell into her hand. It felt smooth and different.

  Lani pulled it close to her face to examine it. She gasped at its beauty. Hesitantly, she ran her fingers over it. The surface was smooth and perfect. Could it possibly be real? She’d seen pictures of La Peregrina, the famous pearl owned by Liz Taylor, and this looked nearly as large. It was a pale gray with a hint of blue. Her pulse beat faster just touching it. If it was real, it would be worth a small fortune.

  Someone had ransacked Ethan’s house and searched through Meg’s things. Could they be looking for this pearl? The more she touched it, the more convinced she was that it was genuine. Pearls had a special luster that was hard to duplicate.

  Jerry collected pearls. Lani rejected the idea at once, but it hovered in her mind like vog. But even if Jerry was after the pearl, how did the coral and the orchids fit in? Lani rubbed her head where a heaviness pulsed. This was too much for her to figure out. She needed help from Ben and Yoshi. Maybe the smuggling had nothing to do with this pearl.

  She stood to go back to find Yoshi when she heard the cry again. The back of her neck prickled; it seemed to come from nowhere. This mountain was said to be haunted with the spirits of the Ali’i who were buried in the caves and crevices up and down the cliff face. Fisher whined, then the sound came again, and she realized it was coming from below the ledge. She sidled as close to the edge as she could get and tried to peer down, but dizziness left her head spinning again, and she saw nothing below except the foaming waves.

  “Hello?” she called. “Anyone down there?”

  “Help, help!” The cry came again.

  Please help me, Lord. Free me from my fear. Lani dug her fingers into the crevices of the large rock beside her and tried to get closer to the edge. She took a quick glance downward and thought she saw a face peering up at her. All she caught was a quick glimpse. She had to be brave and take a better look. Maybe if she laid down. She dropped to her knees and then onto her stomach. At least she couldn’t fall this way. Inching closer to the edge, she finally got her head out over the drop-off and looked down.

  Sure enough, a small face was looking up at her, and she saw a hand wave. She thought it was Simi, but her blurry vision made her uncertain. She had to get help. She scrabbled away from the edge and stood up. As she started down the path, a pair of large shoulders loomed before her. She caught her breath and stepped back, but it was too late. The man had already seen her.

  Ben heard water dripping somewhere. The dank odor of dirt filled his nostrils as he walked along the narrow corridor. The tunnel walls were smooth, rammed earth. Lights had been strung up along the way, their beams casting a sickly glow over the dark space. A scorpion scurried away from his feet, and the place echoed with silence. Being this far down made him feel like he was buried alive.

  The passage ended in a cavernous room filled with light. Modern and bright, the room held tables and lab equipment. An underground lab meant whatever was going on down here was probably secret. He walked to the closest table, sleek stainless steel that held beakers and an assortment of devices he couldn’t even attempt to identify. Two stainless bins had covers. He lifted off the first one. Coral. The second held two-inch pieces of what looked like orchid parts.

  Curiouser and curiouser. Was this some medicinal thing like coral calcium? Maybe orchids were medicinal as well. Josie might know. He looked around a bit longer, then glanced at his watch. He’d been down here way too long. If Yoshi had tried to call him, he wouldn’t have been able to get through. As he started to retrace his steps, he noticed a steel ladder affixed to the wall. Peering up, he realized it led to another trapdoor. Maybe it would be faster to get out this way. He put his foot on the first rung and began to climb. His injured arm ached from the movement.

  At the top of the ladder, he inspected the trapdoor. It didn’t seem to be locked, so he gave it a shove with his good shoulder. It opened with a shriek, and he winced. If the bald guy was around, he’d come running. His head poked through into clean fresh air. The door had dislodged a shrub that covered it.He touched it and found it to be fake, an excellent imitation that had camouflaged the door. Looking around, he realized he was on Rina’s property facing the back of her house.

  He didn’t want to believe she was involved, but the evidence was beginning to mount. Lani would be crushed. His cell phone rang, displaying Yoshi’s number. “Mahoney,” he said, answering it. “Did you find her?”

  Yoshi’s voice came over. “Hey, where are you?”

  “Behind the coffee farm. Did you find her?”

  “Not yet. I was hoping you did.” Yoshi sounded discouraged.

  They hadn’t found Meg. “Can you come get me? I’ll be at Rina’s house. It’ll be faster than walking.” His throat closed, and he clicked off his phone.

  He went to the porch to wait. Putting his head in his hands, he tried to pray. “Please, God, let us find her. Let her be okay,” he whispered. His eyes and throat burned.

&
nbsp; A car came tearing up the drive. Yoshi was laying on the horn. Ben bounced down the steps to the car. He was almost thankful he didn’t have to pray anymore. If God’s answer was no, he didn’t want to hear it. He glanced into the backseat. “Where’re Mano and Lani?”

  “Mano is out searching. Lani went down toward the water to look.”

  “Alone?”

  “She says her vision is coming back.”

  “Yeah, but there’s a maniac out there somewhere.”

  “I shouldn’t have let her go,” Yoshi admitted. “I was distracted, and she slipped away.”

  “How long has she been gone?”

  “As long as you.”

  Ben glanced at his watch. Nearly an hour had passed. “I hope she’s back by the time we get there.”

  “I told her not to go far. And she knows the area well.” In spite of his calm words, Yoshi wore a worried frown.

  The car rolled to a stop. Ben jumped out and rushed to meet the other searchers. Please, God, let Meg and Lani be all right.

  Lani’s gaze darted past the big man, but she didn’t see how she could get around him. Then Fisher grabbed the doll from Lani’s hands, laid his ears back, and ran past the man, just out of his reach.

  “Hey, come back here!” The man turned to give chase, and his feet slipped on the loose stones along the path. He went down hard.

  Lani dashed around him. Her slippers threatened to lose their grip along the narrow path at any moment, but she managed to keep her balance. The man shouted behind her, but she hurried faster without looking back. Pebbles slid down the slope ahead of her, and she clutched at small shrubs along the way to steady herself.