Holy Night

by Colleen Coble

  Bane’s fingers tightened around Leia’s arm. “You haven’t been around Eva much. She trusts everyone. If he gave her a present, even a candy bar, and was nice to her, she’d think they were best buddies.”

  Annie winced and stared at Leia with sympathy in her eyes. “I bet it’s hard to watch out for her in today’s world.”

  “It wasn’t quite so hard on Moloka’i. We know everyone, and there aren’t many visitors to our area. It’s very different here with so many tourists.”

  “We’ll find her,” Jesse said, his blue eyes intense. “I’ve informed the Navy base to be on the lookout for her, and I’ve instructed our patrols to keep an eye out when on the water.”

  “D-Did you call the police? The kidnapper specifically said no police.”

  She glanced around the full patio. Could he be here even now watching her? She edged away from Bane. When he lifted a brow, she shrugged. “He might be watching. We’re not supposed to be engaged any longer.”

  His lips flattened, but he pulled his arm back and moved away a few inches. “I didn’t call them yet. We have resources to tap ourselves first, just in case he has a mole in the police department.”

  Mano leaned forward on his muscular forearms. “I’m going to go to the local hotels and ask around.”

  “And I know some real-estate people who rent to tourists. I’m going to get a list of single male renters and scope out the units.”

  Leia frowned. “What if there’s more than one person involved?”

  “You mean like a couple?” Kaia’s eyes widened. “You’re right. I should probably stake out every condo complex and ask for a list of rental houses.”

  “It’s like looking for a mongoose in the weeds,” Annie put in. “There are so many rental units on the island.”

  “I bet he’s close by, though,” Bane said. “He’s keeping an eye on Leia. So we should only have to check out the South Shore rentals.”

  “I’ll start with the ones on Hoona and Lawai Roads. Lots of tourists out that way, and it’s quiet. A perfect place for someone to hide out,” Mano said. “Some of the big homes out by Kukui’ula Harbor are rentals, and they are very private.”

  “And expensive,” Kaia added.

  Her brother shrugged. “Whoever put this plan together has some money. It wasn’t cheap to pull this off. The ticket alone would have been a thousand dollars. Add lodging, food, and rental car, and you’re up to a good three grand or more.”

  “What about up along Omao Road? Some of those places are very private with long lanes back into the trees,” Bane said.

  “I’ll add that to the list.” Mano rose. “Annie, you come with me. We’ll get a list and see what we can find out.”

  Annie stood but paused long enough to touch Leia’s shoulder. “Try not to worry, honey. We’ll get to the bottom of this.”

  Leia nodded. “Mahalo for giving me hope.”

  “You’re one of us.” Kaia rose as well. “We Oanas stick together.”

  The rest of the family murmured agreement as they headed out to scour the island. Leia took the last sip of her coffee. “What are we going to do?”

  Bane shrugged. “It will have to be separate, though I don’t like it. I don’t trust this guy. He seems to be watching, though, and if we go anywhere together, he’s bound to think you aren’t following the rules. I’m going to follow my hunch and have the police try to find Zimmer.”

  He held up his hand when she opened her mouth to object. “This will not appear to have anything to do with Eva. The guy slashed my tires. When someone flies in from the mainland, they have to put on their agricultural form where they’re staying and for how long. I’m hoping to track that down. It will give us some place to start.”

  “I didn’t realize there was a form like that, but then I’ve never been to the mainland.” She allowed a tiny spark of hope to hover in her chest. “That would be wonderful if the form said where he was staying and we had Eva back by evening!”

  “I’ll do all I can.” Bane started to lean forward to kiss her, then checked himself. “You could walk through the area around Shipwreck in case he has her in one of the condos or rentals around Poipu Kai. She might call out to you.”

  “Even though she’s willing to be friends with anyone, she’ll be asking for me.” Her eyes filled with tears. “We have to find her before another night goes by.”

  Five

  Eva rubbed her arm where Chris had grabbed her. Though she kicked and screamed, he dragged her back into the house, then locked her in her room. The window was nailed shut from the outside. The bedroom wasn’t for a kid like her. It was dark and dingy with a faded flowered spread. The floor was tile but it didn’t look like it had been washed in a while. Leia would have gotten her mop out the minute she saw it.

  Eva rubbed her wet eyes and rocked back and forth with her arms clasped around herself. She wanted her sister.

  The door opened and Chris poked his head inside. She tensed before she realized he was smiling. She returned his smile tentatively. At least if he was smiling, he wasn’t going to hurt her again.

  “Hungry?”

  Her stomach growled at the word, and she nodded. “Can I come out?”

  “You promise not to try to run away again?”

  She rubbed her arm. “You hurt me.” She didn’t like him anymore. Not even when he smiled.

  His smile faded. “It was your own fault, Eva. I told you the rules. You didn’t obey them, now did you?”

  She hung her head. “No.” Rules were important. But what if the rules were mean like his? What would Leia tell her to do?

  “If you’re going to be good, you can come out and eat now. I bought you some cereal.”

  She rose from the bed and went toward the door. “Leia fixes me eggs with runny yolks. I don’t like cereal.”

  “Well, that’s all we’ve got. Don’t be so demanding.” He gave her a shove out the door.

  She scurried ahead of him to the small kitchen. At least the cereal had chocolate in it. Maybe it wouldn’t be too bad. While she got down a bowl from the cabinet and pulled the milk from the fridge, he walked over and looked out the window. There weren’t any other houses around. She didn’t know Kaua’i very well, so she didn’t know where they were. Bane had said the west side was warmer and had fewer people. Maybe that’s where they were. But no, the flowers and plants in the yard were nice and green, and she hadn’t seen any cactus.

  Even if she’d gotten away, she wouldn’t have known where to run. She forced herself to take a spoonful of cereal, but it sat like sand in her mouth. He’d be mad if she spit it out, so she managed to chew and swallow while she watched him. What if he hurt her again? She didn’t like him anymore.

  He saw her staring. “What? You look like you’d like to stick me with that spoon.”

  She folded her arms over her chest. “You’re not my friend anymore.”

  He grinned. “Honey, I was never your friend. You’re the means to an end.”

  She didn’t know what that meant, but she didn’t like his sneer. “I used to like you.”

  “Yeah, well, I never liked you. I’m going to make your sister and her boyfriend pay for what they did to me.” He went past her to the living room.

  The sunlight reflected off something metallic on the counter. His cell phone! She glanced into the living room. His back was to the doorway as he aimed the remote at the TV. She slipped from her chair and grabbed the phone, then stuck it in her bra. Returning to the table, she gulped down the rest of the tasteless cereal, then went to the doorway.

  “I’m done eating now. I’m going to go to my room.”

  “Fine.” He didn’t turn around as he changed channels.

  Her bare feet fairly flew down the hall, and she shut the door behind her. She tried to lock it, but he’d broken the lock on the inside. She went to the far corner and punched in her sister’s number. Her pulse throbbed in her neck as it rang.

  “Hello?”

  The sound of
Leia’s voice brought tears surging to Eva’s eyes. “Leia? It’s me. You have to come get me. He’s being mean now. I’m sorry I went with him.” Her voice broke. “You told me to be careful, but he seemed so nice at first.”

  “Eva! Where are you, honey? I’ll come get you.”

  “I don’t know. In a house. There aren’t other houses around. You have to come get me. I want to go home.” She started to cry, hiccuping sounds that would bring him in to yell at her. Swallowing back the sobs, she peered out the window. He’d be so mad if he knew she’d called her sister.

  “Whose phone is this?” Leia sounded in charge and confident.

  “It’s his. I found it on the counter. He’ll be missing it soon so I have to take it back. He’ll hurt me again if he sees me with it. Come get me, Leia.”

  “I will, honey. We’re looking for you. Don’t go. What do you see out the window?”

  Eva heard a noise in the hall. The doorknob began to turn. “He’s coming!” She clicked off the phone and turned to face him.

  The Java Kai coffee shop in Kapaa was hopping as usual, and the streets were filled with Christmas shoppers. Bane ordered a large black coffee and a Maui Mocha, then grabbed a newly vacated table outside. He’d just sat down when he spied his friend heading up the walk. “Ron, over here. I’ve got your mocha already.”

  Ron Parker was a tall whip of a man with a shock of amazingly red hair and strong features. He was out of uniform today in jeans and a black T-shirt with a Dodgers baseball cap on backward. His smile was genuine when he spotted Bane.

  Bane slid the coffee drink across the table to where Ron was seated. “You remembered, brah.”

  “Hard to forget a coffee drink that has coconut in it.”

  Ron’s grin faded. “I heard about your soon-to-be sister-in-law’s drowning. I’m sorry.”

  Bane badly wanted to tell his friend the truth, but he bit back the confession. “Mahalo. We’re still holding out hope she turns up. She’s a really good swimmer.”

  “That’s encouraging.” Ron took a cautious sip of the hot mocha. “You said you needed my help?”

  Bane nodded and leaned forward in his chair. “Did you see the report about my tires getting slashed yesterday?”

  Ron shook his head. “I’ve been off the last couple of days. We don’t see much vandalism on the island. Where did it happen?”

  “In front of Tomkats.”

  “Wow, that’s bold. Broad daylight?”

  Bane nodded. “Town was a little deserted, though.”

  “Sundays can be that way this time of year. The biggest influx of tourists will start in another day or two.” He took another sip of his mocha. “You ask around to see if anyone saw the perp?”

  Bane nodded. “Called police headquarters too, and an officer came out. No one seemed to see anything.”

  Ron eyed Bane. “Sounds like you have a suspect in mind. How can I help?”

  “A man I helped convict for robbery and manslaughter got out of prison last week. He has carried a grudge against me a long time. I believe he’s on the island. I’d like you to see if you can get hold of his agriculture form to see where he’s staying.” Bane told him about Zimmer.

  “Whoa, buddy, you don’t need to confront an ex-con. That is a job for me and mine.”

  He would have to confide in Ron. They had gone to school together and had been friends since first grade. Bane could only pray Ron kept it to himself. “There’s more, but you can’t tell headquarters.”

  Ron put his cup down. “I don’t think I can promise that. Do you know about another crime?”

  Bane exhaled and sat back in his chair. “If you tell anyone, someone I love could lose her life. I need you to promise me, brah.”

  Ron’s green eyes widened. “Is this about Eva?”

  He should have known Ron would guess. The man was no slouch when it came to investigations. “Yeah. She’s been kidnapped. Leia has received a total of two calls from the kidnapper. He told her she had to break our engagement or he’d kill Eva.”

  “I see why you think it’s Zimmer then. This is someone with a personal vendetta.” Ron’s expression hardened. “I bet Eva’s terrified.”

  “I don’t know. She’s very trusting, and if the guy is nice to her, she’ll take it with a smile. Leia’s a mess, though. And Eva will start missing her family very soon. I have to find her.”

  Ron tapped his fingers on the table. “And if he listed his address on the form . . .”

  “Exactly. We can find him and rescue Eva.”

  “I’ll get a warrant for that form. Buddy, you really should have reported this. The entire force was out last night looking for her. The officers won’t be happy they were misled.”

  “They weren’t! I didn’t know myself until early this morning.”

  “Leia didn’t even tell you? Whoa.”

  Bane picked up his cup. “Yeah, can’t say I was happy about it. Kind of a slap in the face.” He hadn’t wanted to admit his feelings to his siblings because he wanted them to love Leia. It felt safer somehow to talk to his longtime friend. “I gotta be honest—it’s starting to make me wonder how much she really loves and trusts me.”

  Ron’s gaze was sober when he nodded. “I can understand that. You talk to her about this?”

  “Not much. She was already upset about Eva, and I didn’t want to add to it.”

  “Brah, it’ll have to get out in the open. The last thing you want is to go into a marriage that isn’t right.”

  “I know. Once we find Eva, we’ll talk it out and I’ll decide what to do.”

  “So the wedding is off for now?”

  Bane nodded. “That was the kidnapper’s main demand, and he is checking up on her. He called her at midnight and told her he knew we hadn’t canceled the food order.”

  “How’d he know where you’d ordered the catering?”

  Bane shrugged. “No idea. Maybe he called around. There aren’t that many catering places on the island.”

  “Or maybe it’s not Zimmer at all. It could be someone local.”

  Bane hadn’t even considered it could be someone else. “Like who?”

  “Hard to say.” Ron swallowed the last of his coffee. “I’ll do some digging.”

  “And keep it to yourself?”

  He stood and turned his cap around the right way. “For now. But if we haven’t found her in the next few hours, I’ll have to ask for help. You know the first few hours of a kidnapping are critical. I don’t feel good about not reporting it even now.”

  “I know.” Bane rose and tossed his cup into the trash. “Give me until morning.”

  Six

  The back of Leia’s neck prickled, and she whirled on the sidewalk along the back side of the Grand Hyatt by the ocean. The hotel had brought out all kinds of Christmas decorations, from giant wreaths to towering snowmen. A few tourists looked at her from their lounges around the saltwater lagoon, then went back to their books. She examined each one with care, but no one looked suspicious. She could have sworn someone was staring at her.

  Where was her sister? She was frantic to find Eva after that phone call. Eva was so scared, and Leia felt helpless to rescue her. Maybe she should call the police. Even though the call had come up Unknown, the police might be able to trace it. But the man’s threats left her frightened at the possible consequences.

  She was hot and itchy from the sun, and the lagoon water looked refreshing. Averting her gaze, she resumed her stride toward Poipu Sands. The popular condos would be filled with tourists. She turned to walk to the lobby and heard her name. Turning, she saw Bane running toward her.

  Her pulse leaped and she rushed to meet him. “You found her?”

  He shook his head. “Sorry, honey. But I just got a call from Ron. He’s got an address.”

  “Already?” She grabbed his hand, then realized they might be seen and quickly dropped it and stepped back. “Where?”

  “A house in Poipu Kai, back along the green belt. Let’s go.”


  It warmed her that he’d come to find her first without going straight there. Eva would need her if she became frightened. She hurried with him along the path to the houses fronting the green belt. Maybe Eva would be in her arms in just a few minutes.

  They paused when they reached where the sidewalk split. “Do we have backup? What if he has a gun?”

  Bane patted his pocket. “I’m prepared.”

  She looked around the green belt. Some people jogged along the walk, others strolled with their dogs on leashes. The lush vegetation shimmered with color and fragrance, and Christmas lights adorned the shrubbery. The feeling of being watched persisted, but she saw no one staring in their direction. The sea breeze blew her hair into her face, and she plaited it while she waited for Bane.

  She followed him when he set off on the right fork of the walk, toward Keleka Road where beautiful homes lined the shaded streets. “He paid some bucks to rent back in here.”

  “Yeah. Wonder where he got the money after being in prison.” Bane paused and surveyed the house, a single-story plantation style with a wide front porch and beautiful vegetation in the yard. “There’s a car in the drive.”

  “I noticed.” She wanted to march to the door and demand her sister, but the wide windows would reveal who stood on the porch. The guy was liable to appear with a gun. She tugged on Bane’s hand and pulled him behind a large palm tree. “I don’t want him to see us. I think you should call Mano so you have backup.”

  Bane glanced at his cell when the text alert dinged. “Ron just drove through Koloa so he’ll be here in ten minutes. He’s going to meet us here. We can stake it out while we wait.”

  Pacing seemed like a bad idea in case they were seen, so to corral herself, she settled on the stiff, springy turf and clasped her knees to her chest. “What did you tell Ron? He just thinks it’s about vandalism, right?”

  He shook his head. “I told him the truth. All of it.”

  Her stomach plunged. “I assumed you told him about the tire slashing. The kidnapper said no police.”

  His dark eyes were expressionless. “I had to tell Ron. He knew there was more going on than what I was revealing. I needed his help tracking down Zimmer. He wouldn’t give me the address otherwise.”