Shattered Palms (Lei Crime Series)

by Neal, Toby

  They worked their phones, and by the time they got to her house, they were able to verify that Kingston was at his vacation rental (his landlady verified his whereabouts), and Marcella tracked the name Lei gave her to a Chinese national wanted for smuggling tiger parts and elephant tusks. She had no record on Xu Chang, murder victim.

  “Chang is probably an alias. I’ll help with processing for this guy Xiaoping, if he recovers from his wounds,” the FBI agent said. “How bad is he?”

  “We don’t know. The arrow wound wasn’t bleeding too badly, but he was pretty incoherent. On the other hand, I don’t think he spoke English.” Lei reached her truck and beeped it unlocked. “Did you hear anything from Ang about finding a ‘contract’ for native Hawaiian birds on the Internet?”

  “Not yet.”

  “Well, let me know of anything else that comes up on this guy. See you tomorrow. I can’t believe it’s so soon!” Lei clicked off.

  “Can you go check on our victim at the hospital? I’m just in time to pick up Aunty if I hurry,” she told Pono.

  “No problem. I’ll make sure he’s secure. Good to know we caught a bad guy, at least.”

  “Yeah. I just hope he makes it, so we can question him.”

  Chapter 13

  As she drove down the mountain, Lei’s phone vibrated with a call from Dr. Wilson. Lei put her Bluetooth in and picked up for the petite blond psychologist.

  “Dr. Wilson! So glad you called me back!”

  “Lei. Always good to hear from you. Sounds like you and Stevens are having some last-minute jitters.”

  “Maybe that’s what it is. Did you get my invitation?”

  “I did, and I’m flying over with Bruce Ohale.” A pause. “Lei, are you trying to provoke something? Push Stevens away?”

  “Maybe. I don’t know.” Lei kept her eyes on the road, but one hand crept up to rub her medallion. “I just need some space because—I’m worried I’m pregnant.” She told the psychologist about the test and how she was handling it.

  “Okay. I need you to stay in adult mode now. Rely on the decisions that brought you this far—the happiness you two have made. Don’t listen to your emotions right now—they aren’t a reliable guide. You don’t have to have all the answers about being a parent and whether or not you are going to be a good wife. Heck, if any of us knew what life might hold, we’d all be too scared to leave our houses in the morning! Just stick to the course you’ve chosen. Remember the choices that brought you to this point and that the times you veered off that course out of fear didn’t end well.”

  “I wish you were right here,” Lei said, her voice small.

  “I wish I were, too. Consider yourself hugged,” Dr. Wilson said. “You can do it. Just put one foot in front of the other and say ‘I do.’”

  Lei laughed. “I will. Or, I do.”

  “There. See? Whatever happens, I’ll be there to support you. Also, I want to know what that pregnancy test says.”

  “Thanks, Dr. Wilson.”

  Lei hung up, heartened. She wasn’t to trust her emotions. This time, she liked that advice.

  Her tall, curly-haired father, Wayne Texeira, and his short, round sister, Rosario, were already waiting at the curb of the airport when Lei pulled up. A mountain of bungee-corded coolers, assorted boxes, and bags were mounded beside them. Lei leaped out, not sure who to grab first, and ending up in a three-cornered hug with both of them.

  “It’s so good to see you!” Lei exclaimed, kissing her father’s craggy cheek and hugging her aunt again. “I can’t believe you folks are really here and we’re really doing this!”

  “You stole the words right out of my mouth.” Aunty Rosario smiled, laugh lines bracketing brown eyes framed by mobile black brows. She was wearing her “traveling muumuu,” a denim garment embroidered with plumeria at the neckline, her thick hair escaping the braid she’d captured it in.

  Lei opened the back door of the extended cab for Aunty Rosario as Wayne began loading the mountain of foodstuffs and luggage into the back of the truck. Lei noticed more gray in Rosario’s hair and that her aunt had lost weight—the muumuu was loose, and Rosario’s shiny brown complexion was ashy. Lei remembered her aunt had said she was having medical tests, and her chest tightened with worry.

  “Tiare has done some trading and found you guys a vacation rental for the week with two refrigerators and a big freezer, so let’s go straight there and get the food put away,” Lei said as they settled into the truck. Lei twisted to look at her aunt in the backseat, and winced, putting a hand to her injured ribs.

  “What’s happened to you now?” Wayne asked, a furrow between his deep-set eyes.

  “Took a tumble into a gulch. Just a few bruises,” Lei said. “It’s much better already.”

  “So do you know where you’re going on the honeymoon?” Rosario asked as Lei pulled away from the curb and merged into traffic.

  “No. That maddening man is keeping it a surprise. And you know how I like surprises.”

  “Not at all,” Wayne said. “Even when you were a little girl, you always wanted to know what was coming.”

  “Good survival instinct,” Lei said. The brief phrase summarized a world of hurt.

  Wayne reached over and squeezed her shoulder. “It’s time you learned surprises can be fun.”

  Lei just smiled, afraid the telltale prickling in her eyes would turn to tears. The wedding was making her way too emotional. They chatted, eventually pulling up at a sprawling Asian-style estate in Haiku on a bluff overlooking the ocean. Lei got out of the truck first, turning to survey the lush vista, the ocean sparkling cobalt off the end of the velvety bluff. “How did Tiare swing this?”

  “You didn’t see it before?” Aunty asked, getting out of the truck, carrying her capacious purse.

  “No. She just told me she’d worked something out with the caretaker.”

  “What a great place. You’ve obviously got friends who’ve got friends.” Wayne went around to the back of the truck to get the food and supplies. They each took a load and carried the items into the gorgeous teak-floored mansion. Once the truck was unloaded, Wayne surveyed the huge steel refrigerators, a gleam in his eye. “Rosario, take Lei for a walk. I want to unpack this.”

  Lei and her aunty walked through the modern house, all shining wood and open beams, out a sliding glass door, and across smooth grass toward the ocean beyond. Rosario took Lei’s hand, an unusually affectionate gesture, and they walked all the way to the edge of the cliff. Lei looked out at the vista of ocean, West Maui Mountains dressed in green, bowl of sky. Far out on the sea, she could see the spume of a passing humpback whale.

  “I can’t believe this is happening.” Lei leaned her head against her aunt’s. Rosario circled an arm around Lei’s waist, and Lei flinched.

  “Oh, honey,” Aunty said.

  “It’s okay. The ribs are really much better,” Lei said. “I was chasing a suspect on Haleakala and couldn’t see a gulch through all the ferns and fell in. Lucky it’s not a broken leg. That would have been great on my wedding day.”

  “You have to take better care of yourself. I’ve been telling you that for years,” Aunty said, shaking a scolding finger at Lei.

  “You should talk, Aunty. What did those tests say?”

  “It’s not important. What’s important is that you have a wonderful wedding.”

  “Oh, Aunty.” Lei turned, put her hands on the shorter woman’s shoulders, gazing into her dark brown eyes. “It’s bad news?”

  Aunty just gave a single nod of her head. Both their eyes filled, and Lei folded her aunt into a tight embrace.

  “Tell me,” she whispered into her aunt’s ear.

  Rosario shook her head and pulled away. “There’s a time and a place for everything. This is your time.” Her aunt turned and walked with her usual energetic stride back toward the magnificent edifice of the house.

  Lei took a moment to pull herself together. Her aunt had always been stoic and wouldn’t tell her anything befo
re she was ready. Lei would just have to wait, and she’d never been good at waiting.

  Wayne had got the food unpacked, and they helped put it away in the big silver refrigerators. Lei exclaimed over the deep aluminum dishes of laulau, teriyaki chicken, and kalua pig, the bags of Aunty’s purple poi rolls. “We’re making the poke, noodle salad, regular salad, rice, and appetizers tomorrow so they’re ready for your big day Saturday,” Aunty said.

  “Oh my God. It’s the day after tomorrow,” Lei said, feeling the blood drain out of her face. She put a hand on the counter to steady herself. Lei thought of all the officers they worked with who’d be off duty and attending with their families, her grandfather, her colleagues from the FBI.

  And she’d be standing up in front, making promises she’d always been afraid of.

  “You can take down hundreds of perps and kill a man with your bare hands, and you’re scared to wear a dress, stand in front of a crowd, and say a few words,” Wayne said, reading her mind. “Good thing I’m going to be up there doing the service. I got my minister’s license finalized just in time.”

  “Dad! Really?” Lei embraced her father. “Congratulations. That’s such good news!”

  “I’m not sure. That guarantees everyone at the wedding will need tissues,” Rosario said. She opened a covered dish, serving up plates she put into the microwave. “Thought we could try some samples.”

  “When did you decide you wanted to become a minister?” Lei asked her father.

  “God was showing me the rest of my life belonged to him back in prison,” Wayne said. “I just needed a few years on the outside to confirm it. Did an online course in Bible and ministry and applied for my license. I already lead services at the homeless shelter in San Rafael.”

  “You should hear him speak. He does good,” Rosario said, serving up plates loaded with laulau, kalua pork, and sweet potato. She set a roll on each plate. “Missing the vegetable, but this will give you an idea of what we’ll be eating.”

  Lei hugged her aunt and kissed her cheek. “You’re too good to me.”

  They took their plates outside to the wide deck looking out at the ocean and sat around a round teak outdoor table. The sunset gilded the outline of the West Maui Mountains to the east, and palm trees swayed at the corners of the lush lawn. Wayne took Lei and Aunty’s hands for grace, bowed his head, and prayed over the meal.

  “Thanks, Lord, for bringing our family together to welcome a new member, Lei’s soon-to-be husband, Michael. Bless this food, and let it make our bodies strong. Amen.”

  Lei sneaked a glance at her father’s silvered head, feeling love and worry as she did so, similar to how she felt about Aunty Rosario but for different reasons. She still wondered who’d hired the hit man who killed her childhood molester, Kwon, last year—and she suspected her father, in spite of his repeated denials and his seemingly selfless lifestyle. She shook her head to clear it of those negative thoughts and stood up.

  “We forgot drinks.” She got up and went back into the kitchen, pulled cold beers out for each of them—but when it came to popping the top on her own, she paused.

  They said not to drink when pregnant. Until she was sure, it might be better to pass. She poured water for herself and brought the beers back out with glasses on a tray she found.

  “None for you?” Aunty’s eyes were sharp, assessing.

  “Counting calories,” Lei said.

  Wayne snorted. “You need a few pounds, if anything.”

  “You haven’t seen the wedding dress,” Lei said, thinking of the design being created that capitalized on her slender build. “You’ll look graceful,” the designer had said. “Not everyone has your figure.” Lei was supposed to try on the dress for a final fitting tomorrow.

  They ate and chatted about the wedding, discussing the plans for the next days.

  “It’s not a big deal,” Lei said, for about the third time. “I only have Tiare and Marcella as attendants. Stevens has his brother and Pono standing up for him. Tomorrow Stevens’s family and my grandfather get in, and I’ve got a final dress fitting. I don’t know how I’m going to fit it all in with work—I can’t leave this case just when it’s heating up. It’s about conservation of these amazing endangered birds on Haleakala.” She sketched a few details about the unusual case.

  “Doesn’t matter what’s going on with your case,” Wayne said. “Day after tomorrow, it’ll be time to let Pono handle it.”

  Lei knew he was right, but she couldn’t imagine being able to just walk away.

  On the way home, she called her partner, navigating the winding, two-lane road along the picturesque coast with her Bluetooth in. “What did you find out from the latest victim?”

  “They wouldn’t let me talk to him. Took two hours to extract the arrow and stabilize him. He’s still heavily sedated, but I did get a cuff put on him in the hospital bed. The staff thought it was ridiculous. He’s in no shape to talk, let alone get out of the bed, but I insisted.”

  “Good. Did you find anything in the stuff we took off of him? Like where he’s staying?”

  “Haven’t had time. Dropped it all off into evidence. We’ll have to go through that tomorrow. Speaking of, Tiare tells me you’re picking up Sophie and Marcella and having a fitting tomorrow. Why don’t you let me take the case from here? Your family’s in town. It’s time to switch gears, get into wedding mode.”

  “No. I can still work tomorrow.”

  Her partner was silent. She pictured him rubbing his lips beneath the bristling mustache, his forehead knit. He sighed. “Lei, seriously. You gotta let go. The world will go on without you for a couple of weeks.”

  “I feel bad leaving the case when it’s just heating up again, leaving you to deal with everything.” Lei couldn’t help noticing the shining golden light of sunset gilding the galleons of cumulous cloud scudding over the ocean. Even in the most ordinary moments, Maui was an ever-changing visual feast.

  “What, you don’t trust me to handle the case?” Pono had injected hardness into his bass voice.

  “I do trust you. You know I do. It’s not that.” Lei squeezed the medallion at her throat.

  “What is it, then?”

  “I’m—nervous. Working helps me.”

  “Well, tough. Take a Xanax.”

  “I’ll be in to the hospital to interview the poacher with you before I pick up Sophie and Marcella at the airport.”

  “Would you just pick up your girlfriends in the morning, and let me handle things for once?”

  He clicked off abruptly, but Lei knew behind the gruffness he was just trying to help her. Too bad. She was going to talk to that victim, and Pono could be pissy about it all he wanted.

  Lei pulled into her driveway and rolled the gate shut behind her. The little cottage was dark and cool under its shading trees, empty and silent but for her dog’s ecstatic greeting. She missed Stevens with a sudden and terrible longing, but she resisted calling him.

  She’d made her bed, and now she’d lie in it—alone.

  Chapter 14

  Lei sat down on one of the molded plastic chairs next to the hospital bed with Pono standing behind her. The victim from Haleakala was propped against pillows, his face bleached-looking in the overhead fluorescent lights, eyes closed. The nurse, checking his pulse, frowned at them. “I don’t think he speaks English.”

  “Have you been able to determine what language he does speak?” Lei asked.

  “No, but I don’t think he understands our questions.” The woman tweaked the handcuff on the man’s wrist. “He’s weak from loss of blood and he’s on a ton of medication. Are you sure this is necessary?”

  “We need to make sure he doesn’t escape.”

  “Well, he’s not going anywhere.” She eyed them once more, gave an audible sniff, and left. Lei took out a small handheld voice recorder and turned it on. She stated the location and names of all present, including the name on the man’s passport.

  She shook the wounded man’s arm. “Wa
ke up.”

  Several shakes later, the man opened his eyes. Focusing on them, he burst into a spate of foreign language that Lei was pretty sure was Chinese.

  “Do you speak English? We need to find out who shot you,” Lei said, slowing her words down.

  “I never see,” the man said, his words heavily accented. “Why I am…?” He seemed to grope for words and shook the handcuff.

  “We need to find out more about your situation. Do you speak Mandarin?”

  The man nodded.

  “What is your name?”

  “Chen Xiaoping,” the man said. Lei thought that sounded dimly like the name on his passport. She had him repeat it, and she spelled the words out phonetically in her notebook.

  “I will be back with a translator to interview you further,” Pono said. “What were you doing in Waikamoi? On the mountain?”

  The man looked down, folded his lips, and shook his head.

  “Who were you catching the birds for?” Lei caught his eye, made a fluttering gesture with her hands. “Who? The birds?”

  Now the man lay back and shut his eyes—and though Lei shook his arm, he was done talking.

  She handed Pono her notes out in the hall. “Hope you can find out more with a translator. Seems like a Chinese national to me. Wonder what you’ll find in his room.”

  “Probably a pile of fake IDs,” Pono said, disgustedly. “I hope he’s the last poacher we find on the mountain.”

  Lei pulled the Tacoma up to the curb outside the Kahului Airport for the second time in two days. Marcella Scott and Sophie Ang stood on the sidewalk, each so striking they caused heads to turn. Marcella wore a clingy wrap dress splashed with scarlet poppies and little heeled gold sandals. She waved, large brown eyes brightening at the sight of Lei, long chocolate hair tossing in the Maui wind.

  Sophie Ang was a tall, toned foil to Marcella’s feminine glory. Sophie’s regal cropped head and sculpted shoulders were set off by a crisp white tank the tech agent wore with a pair of slim black pants and ballet flats. The only feminine touch Sophie wore were baroque pearls the size of cherries dangling from her ears, drawing the eye to lustrous golden-brown skin.