by Neal, Toby
Becky turned to them, the mask pushed onto her head, lips pale with cold.
“Looks like some sort of offering cache. There’s a lining of ti leaves in here and several nonnative stones. I’m going to bring the whole thing in for analysis.” She pulled a waterproof evidence bag out of her vest and carefully scooped the contents of the hollow into it.
Stevens and Lei exchanged a glance. The nonnative stones clinched it—this was definitely related to their case.
“I’m going to take a look around the bottom. See if anything ended up down here.” Stevens put his mask down and the regulator back in his mouth and sank in a stream of mercury bubbles. Lei and Alika watched his flashlight sweeping back and forth across the cave floor.
Becky let herself fall backward into the water with a splash. She tucked the sealed evidence bag into the front of her vest.
“Let me shine the light for you guys; then I’m going to join Stevens and search the cavern floor, make sure we get everything.”
There was nothing for Lei to do but follow Becky’s flashlight through the water and across the darkness. She shone it all the way to the edge, and Lei and Alika climbed out and wrapped themselves in their damp towels, watching the eerie crisscross of submerged beams moving through the black gloom of the cavern.
“This sucks.”
“Yeah. I don’t even know what the hell is going on and I have to work tomorrow.” Alika’s voice had an edge to it. Lei joined him on his boulder, snuggling close.
“Wish we had our own flashlight. We could at least get back to the truck and get warm. I’m sorry about all this.”
He looped his arm around her in what was becoming a familiar gesture. They watched the intermittent movement of the beams and flare of the underwater flash, eerie as a soundless war.
“Don’t think Stevens likes me,” Alika said.
“Don’t think he likes me either. Seems like he likes Becky well enough, though.”
“Jealous?”
“Of course not.” A flashlight beam speared them out of the darkness. Lei resisted the urge to spring apart and held her hand up to block her eyes.
“We found a few things.” Stevens’s voice. The beam moved away. They stood up as he splashed to the edge of the water. “Check these out.”
They looked at what he held in his rubber-gloved hands—long heavy femurs and tibias, bleached and glowing in the flashlight beam. Becky splashed up beside him. She held a skull.
“Nice,” Alika said. “We were swimming in that.”
“If it’s any comfort, the bones have been here awhile,” Becky said. Water drained out of the eyeholes, splashing on the stones. “The water’s got high alkalinity, so decomp happened a long time ago. These bones are beginning to calcify.”
“Was that all that’s out there?” Lei asked.
“No. But we thought we’d bring in our first load. There’s more.” Stevens was already putting his mask on after piling the bones on a rock.
“Can we get a quick light back to the car? Alika has to get on the road, and I think I should call for backup.”
“Guess so,” Stevens said. “Call Fury. He can come out. Tell him to bring scuba gear if he can. And you can call it a night.”
Lei tried not to let the dismissal sting. After all, there wasn’t anything more she could do, and cold was racking her with nonstop shivers. She and Alika took Becky’s flashlight and picked their way back to the vehicles. Alika beeped open his truck.
“Interesting day.”
“I know. I’m sorry about how it ended.”
“I told you—I wouldn’t have missed it—and I meant that.”
“You can’t talk about it. It’s an open investigation.”
“I’m not an idiot.” His tone was brusque. He got into his vehicle and turned the key. “I’ll call you.”
“You better.” She leaned into his open window to kiss him goodbye. He turned his head, and she set her lips on his sculpted ones—firmly and with intent. The brief stamp she’d intended turned into more, and her arms wound around his shoulders and neck. He reached out to haul her closer and she found herself hanging halfway in, toes barely touching the ground as he returned her kiss with hunger of his own. Her mouth buzzed. Her face was hot and body tingling with what he’d woken in her in the cave.
She extracted herself slowly, holding on to the window frame as she released his shoulders and slid back down. Her knees felt too wobbly to hold her up, so she clung to the doorframe of the truck. “Thanks for all you did today.”
“You’re welcome.” He kissed her once more. “Okay. Stay safe.”
“Will do.” She got in her truck and turned on the heater as he bumped back down the rugged track. She was able to get ahold of Captain Fernandez, and after promises that he was notifying Dr. Hasegawa and rangers from the Park Service, she drove home and fell into bed. Keiki lay next to her until she’d thawed out enough to fall asleep.
Chapter 25
Thursday, October 28
Lei took Keiki out for a run on the beach the next morning before her shift at the Guardian. She ran hard on the sand near the water’s edge. She needed to shake off the effects of adrenaline and overstimulation from the day before, but she couldn’t stop thinking about the implications of last night’s find. Her phone toned against her side. She stopped, leaning over to catch her breath as she answered it, oblivious to the dawn-blushed waves lapping the silvery sand at her bare feet.
“Hey, J-Boy.”
“Sweets, it’s been a long night. Stevens, Fury, Becky, and Flea found what looks like three skeletons in the water, and the shrine held hand bones and some of those stones like those at the disappearance sites. They’re still reconstructing what goes with what, but the bones had tool marks as if the bodies were cut up first, and many have scorch marks. Stevens and the captain want the whole team to pull in to the War Room for a confab.”
“That’s a lot of bodies.” Lei pinched her arm to stop her overactive imagination. “Sounds like a plan. When?”
“Nine a.m. What up? Every time you turn around something pops on this case!”
“I know. Weird, huh? Speaking of weird, I better call Esther and see what she thinks of the shrine in the Blue Room. Maybe there’s a cultural angle to that.”
“Good idea. See you at nine. Oh, and by the way, they caught Darrell Hines in Honolulu. Fury’s flying over to question him about Lisa Nakamoto’s murder.”
“Glad to hear it.” Lei’s eyes squinched shut to block out the memory of Lisa’s still, bluish face with the bullet hole in her forehead. It didn’t work.
She finished her run in record time, burning nervous energy, and back at her house packed up her hippie gear for her shift at the Guardian after the station conference. She called Esther on the way into Kapa`a Station.
“You found something important.” The older woman’s voice was matter-of-fact.
“We did. How did you know?”
Silence.
“Well, anyway,” Lei continued. “We found a cache of human bones in the wall of the Blue Room at Waikapala`e Cave. They were arranged on top of ti leaves, with nonnative stones mixed in—like the ones I showed you. Any cultural angle there?”
“Ti leaves. They have spiritual significance. People often wrap them around stones as an offering at the foot of bridges, waterfalls, and other places for good luck or to show honor and respect, though that is recent and not a true Hawaiian tradition. Ti leaf is believed to have protection against evil, and that’s why people plant it around their houses. This arrangement sounds like it’s borrowing some elements of our culture, but it is not a part of anything I know. It’s a corruption of our ways.”
“There were also bones from up to three people in the cave pool. The bones were separated, as if the bodies were cut up, and they had scorch marks on them.”
When Esther finally spoke, her voice vibrated. “This is evil at work. I have to pray.” She hung up.
Lei shook her head. She wished praying m
ade her feel better, but though she’d tried last night it had brought no comfort—ten people were still missing. She pushed the accelerator down hard, and the truck surged forward. For now she preferred to trust in what she could see and touch.
Even so, she whispered, “Lord, help me find Jay Bennett. Protect him, please.”
There wasn’t anything else she could do.
Lei stopped at the morgue on the way to the station. Every available surface was taken up with bones in the process of being reassembled. Becky looked up from where she was bent over a collection on a rolling table, camera in hand, eyes ringed with fatigue and blond hair in a bedraggled ponytail. Dr. Hasegawa was at work beside her, holding a magnifying glass.
“Pulled an all-nighter, I see. What’s the verdict?” Lei asked.
“Got three skeletons here—we’re still trying to figure out what goes with what. See these scorch marks?” Becky pointed. Lei leaned in to look. “Some deterioration has occurred. It’s surprising they weren’t more disintegrated by the fire—he must not have wanted them to burn up completely. See these tool marks?” Lei nodded, examining the notched surfaces around the joints.
“I’m not really trained in this kind of forensic work. I’m asking the captain for some outside help,” Dr. Hasegawa said. “This case is too much for our limited resources.”
“Any ideas about cause of death?” Lei asked.
“Not yet. But this one looks clear.” Becky reached over and retrieved a skull. The forehead was caved in with a dent the size of a baseball. “Head trauma. Some sort of blunt instrument.”
“Hm. Could be how he subdues the victims.”
Stevens entered, looking as sleep-deprived as Becky, but darkness under his eyes just made them bluer, whisker-shadow on his jaw adding a rakish edge. “Dr. Hasegawa, Becks—how’s the jigsaw puzzle coming?”
“Slow. I already told the captain I need help identifying what kind of tool was used to cut up the bodies, and on this.” Dr. Hasegawa held the skull up with its concave dent. The bone was bleached-looking, the depression on what would have been the forehead webbed with fracture lines that looked like cracks in old china.
“I’m trying to take some good pictures we can e-mail to Dr. Hasegawa’s contact in the lab on Oahu,” Becky said. “We’re going to be working on this awhile.”
“Well, the FBI will be joining us this morning at our conference at the station. They might be able to bring in some experts or specialized equipment. We’ll let you know. Keep at it. You’re doing good work.” Stevens directed this comment to Becky, and Lei remembered the grin she' saw on Stevens’s night-shadowed face—a combination of respect and male appreciation. She hadn’t seen that grin in a long time.
Lei pushed past him and went toward the door. “Thanks for the update.”
“Better get to the station,” Stevens said, following her. “We’ll call as soon as we know anything.”
She felt him behind her in the hall and sped up, only to feel his hand touch her arm. She yanked it away. “What?”
“You were pretty cozy with that Alika guy yesterday.”
“I could say the same of you and Becky.”
“It’s hardly the same. I haven’t even asked her out yet, and you’ve had roses and a ‘thanks for last night.’”
Her stomach dropped. He’d read the card with the roses. She couldn’t blame him; she’d have done the same. Still, the best defense was always a good offense—her dead junkie mother had taught her that.
“Keep out of my things. Playing the psycho-jealous boyfriend doesn’t suit you, and you might not like what you find.”
“I already don’t.”
They swished out through the front doors of the hospital, and Lei practically ran toward the parking area, where their vehicles were parked side by side. She beeped the truck unlocked. He leaned against the cab as she opened the door and got in.
“Thought I’d tell you Captain Fernandez asked me to transfer here. He says he needs someone with my perspective on his team. I’m thinking about it.”
Lei’s heart hammered. She didn’t know what it was—terror, anger, happiness. Maybe a little of all three.
“There isn’t room here for us,” she blurted.
“What do you mean—us?”
“Becky. You. Alika. Me.”
“For someone who dumped me, you seem pretty concerned about who I’m even thinking of dating.”
“You said you were going to ask her out.”
“That’s what I mean—always jumping to conclusions. Maybe I want to think about staying—to see if you’ll change your mind about us. You and me. Not them.”
“Oh God. I can’t deal with this now.” She reached for the door to slam it shut, but he put his arm out and held it. She tugged to no avail, then turned the key. The truck roared into life. “This isn’t the time or place. We’ve got a meeting to get to.”
“I’ll take that as a maybe.” He let go of the door. She yanked it shut and rolled down the window for one last word. Stevens stepped in, and as the glass slid down, he reached in with both hands to cup her face, pulling her toward him.
His mouth was hard and a little painful, but the instant combustion of it stole her breath and objections. Lei’s eyes closed, her hands coming off the gearshift and steering wheel to wrap around the column of his neck, pulling him closer.
The kiss seemed to be telling a story: all that had been, was longed for, could be. She sank into it, lost in sensation, a mutual claiming. Her fingers moved up to tangle in his curling hair, and she wasn’t even aware of climbing halfway out the window into his arms.
Stevens finally eased away, looking into her eyes. His were a bruised-looking dark blue, clouded with all he didn’t say. She was stunned by the hold he still had on her, by the need he so instantly awoke—and by terror that she’d hurt him.
Maybe that was why she couldn’t marry him. Not that any of it made sense. Some part of her knew that and mocked the repeat of a kissing scene she’d just played out with Alika—only this time she was the one sitting in the truck.
“I’ll take that as a maybe,” he repeated, softly this time. “God knows I can’t seem to get over you.”
She cleared her throat. Nothing came out when she tried to speak. Instead she pressed the automatic button and the window rolled up between them, a transparent barrier. He put his hand on it and she put the truck in reverse, pulling away.
The shape of his hand remained for a few seconds on the window, outlined in a mist of condensation.
Chapter 26
“Special Agents Marcella Scott and Matt Rogers.” Captain Fernandez gestured to two gray-suited agents who were studying the white board with its branching timeline as Lei and Stevens slid into empty chairs around the conference table along with Jenkins and Flea. Fury was still on Oahu in pursuit of Hines. “I called and apprised them last night when the bones were brought in, and they wasted no time getting on the plane from the Honolulu field office.”
“Welcome to Kaua`i. We’re glad you’re here,” Stevens said deliberately. Lei remembered he’d always advocated for getting them involved.
The captain continued with a recap of the case so far. He filled the agents in on Lei’s discovery of Jay Bennett’s disappearance, the pattern of May and October missing persons, the connection to the transient hippie community she and Jenkins had discovered in the parks, the contributions of Jazz Haddock that had led to her undercover job at the Health Guardian.
“I’m on a schedule for my undercover role. I don’t want to cause comment being late on my third day,” Lei said.
“So tell me again how you think this role will lead to a connection with the killer?” asked Agent Rogers. He turned away from the board with a movement that hinted at the coiled strength of a powerful build and aimed flinty blue eyes at her.
“I’m investigating the cult angle. We think the TruthWay cult may be involved because of its leader’s behavior when we interviewed him, and Jazz Haddock’s connected
with them and he’s our best lead. We think the killer may have help in his activities.” Lei tried not to squirm and babble under the agents’ unblinking gaze.
The female agent, a Jennifer Beals lookalike, turned on a high-wattage smile complete with dimple. “Special Agent Marcella Scott. Good to meet you.” She extended a hand to Lei.
“Lei Texeira.” Lei shook her hand. The woman had a grip like a weightlifter, contrasting with a curvy figure that strained the top buttons of a plain white shirt. Scott seemed to be trying to downplay her dramatic looks—long glossy curls were tightly scraped back into a ponytail and there was no makeup on her flawless face.
“Seems like you had a lot to do with breaking this case open.”
“I guess.” Lei sneaked a glance at the clock.
“The cult angle is pretty thin; we know that,” Stevens said. “But if the bones from the cave are some of our missing, which seems highly possible, disposing of bodies that way is a lot of work and may take more than one person. Besides, it seemed like a good idea to follow wherever Jazz Haddock is going. The man knows too much.”
Stevens was covering for her. Lei felt a squeeze of gratitude.
“Gotta go,” she said, standing up.
“We’re going to give you a little more surveillance support,” Agent Scott said, with that disarming dimple. “Soon as our observation van gets here, we’ll be hooking you up with some more equipment, maybe even working another agent in.”
“Seems like you talked the situation over before getting here,” Captain Fernandez said.
“We did. And we got clearance, based on the discovery of the bones last night, for the full support of ViCAP and the BAU.”
“Acronyms?” Stevens asked with a smile. He was able to put on charm too.
“Sorry. Violent Criminal Apprehension Program. We come in to work with you, but when the arrests go down, it’s all you making the busts. The BAU is the Behavioral Analysis Unit. We have agents trained in profiling; we use these resources for hunting serials. Like I said, we have enough to work with on your case to deploy more agents and our mobile evidence investigation unit. They’re on their way. ” Rogers set fists on his lean hips, pushing the gray jacket back to reveal the ornate Federal Bureau of Investigation badge clipped to his belt. Lei tried not to ogle it, but, damn, it was a pretty badge. She’d dreamed of working for the Bureau in secret fantasies.