Pointing Leaf

by Lakes, Lynde

  Toni hadn’t seen this side of Tukaha before. He shouted orders to his sons like a general in battle. The young men quickly did his bidding. She hoped Rad noticed that Tukaha could be commanding when necessary. Rad would need someone to take over Tinihanga’s job.

  “A storm’s coming our way,” Tukaha said, helping them into their jackets. “Thought you two might be cold.”

  He turned to his sons again. “Bring the stallion and the roan.” The young men hurried to get them.

  The others in the search party approached. “Thank Atua, we found you,” one of them said. Rad smiled. “This is Toni,” he told everyone. “My Toa Mumu.”

  Toni’s breath caught. Did he just say his valiant warrior? She must have misunderstood him. He wouldn’t claim her as his anything in front of his people.

  “I’m glad you came along, Deputy Greene,” Rad said, shaking the lawman’s hand firmly. “We need to return to the cave and capture a rustler.”

  “Who?” the deputy asked.

  “Manu-Wuruhi-Tane.”

  All the men crowded around Rad. Interest and curiosity reflected in bright, excited eyes.

  The deputy furrowed his brow. “You folks haven’t been eating off the loco bush, have you?”

  Rad sent him a sharp look.

  Deputy Greene rubbed his pointy chin with long-fingered hands. “You really saw Manu-Wuruhi-Tane?”

  Rad nodded. “In Mutunga-iho Cave. He has something to do with the rustling.”

  “What makes you think that?” the deputy asked, frowning.

  Rad wondered how many times this veteran lawman had fired that gun on his hip. Usually deputies were unarmed. Rad pulled a red ear-tag out of his pocket and displayed it on his calloused palm. “I found this at the bottom of a pit in the cave.”

  The deputy’s expression looked blank.

  “There were dozens more of these tags in the pit. I use them to identify my sheep. This number is my sheep’s I.D., and that one is my station’s code.”

  Toni eased closer and looked. So that was what those red squares were. “And the birdman smelled sheepy,” she said, giving support to Rad’s statement.

  All the men stared at her. Several shook their heads and snickered. What was their problem?

  Tukaha tried to mask his grin with a cough. “No offence, Miss Toni,” he said, “but we all smell sheepy after a day of shearing.”

  She met his gaze. “But should a man who spends all his time guarding a cave smell like sheep?”

  “She’s got you there,” Rad said.

  Tukaha’s weathered face broke into an accordion of laugh lines. “Ae. That she did. Good point, Miss Toni.”

  She bowed her head, acknowledging his roundabout apology, then turned to Rad. “Maybe our birdman is guarding the cave for reasons other than just protecting the sacred room. Perhaps it has something to do with the underground thermal pools and the energy produced by the waterfall.”

  “Yesterday I would’ve thought you were way off the mark, but I’m beginning to believe you’re right.”

  “Well, let’s get going,” Toni said eagerly. “We don’t want the birdman to get away.” She was careful not to mention Taureka’s name, wanting to

  give Rad a chance to break it to Tukaha about his twin in his own way.

  “Not we, Toni.”

  Rad glanced at Tukaha. “Have one of your sons take Toni back to the station.”

  “Forget it, Rad. You’re not doing this without me.”

  Their gazes locked in a challenge of wills. The air crackled. She lifted her chin, emphasizing her determination.

  “Better let her go,” Tukaha said. “She’ll just follow us anyway. This way we can keep an eye on her.”

  Toni smiled at Tukaha. How great to have him in her corner.

  “Someday you’re going to push me too far, Miss Conners,” Rad said in a low growl, meant for her ears alone. He came closer. His hands extended as if he intended to shake her. Instead he grabbed the roan’s reins from Koa and thrust them into her palm.

  His nearness stole all thoughts of a snappy comeback from her mind. Judging by the stony expression on his face, maybe that was for the best.

  Toni stuck her foot into the stirrup. Rad’s hands pressed firmly on her hips as he helped her mount. She fought the disturbing warmth of his touch, then missed it when it was gone.

  She watched him swung himself onto his stallion. In spite of the tiredness in his eyes, his movements were strong and vital.

  Rad rode close to Tukaha. “I was surprised to see you,” he said.

  Keeping pace with the men, Toni’s heart went out to both of them. She wondered how Rad was going to tell Tukaha that his twin was Manu-wuruhi-tane and not a good guy.

  Tukaha pushed his hat back and wiped a blue paisley handkerchief across his leathery brow. “When I got to the station at four this morning,” he said, “I knew there was trouble. The men were lying all over, sick as dogs.”

  “Any news about Damon?” Toni asked, praying Tinihanga had lied.

  “Dead, miss. Went down fighting, emptied his gun.”

  Toni fought her sadness at Damon’s death. They had never been close, but she cared and felt responsible. She’d told him not to take chances, but she knew the way he worked. Why couldn’t he have followed her instructions and stayed hidden, then followed the rustlers unseen to their hide-out? If he’d done that, he’d still be alive, and she’d know where to find the rustlers.

  ****

  Rad saw the crestfallen look on Toni’s face and the slight downward curve of her shoulders. “Sorry, Toni,” he said.

  He wanted to take her in his arms, ease her grief, but now wasn’t the

  time. Rad forced his eyes away from her. A dozen blackbirds flew low into a

  gnarled gum tree. The long grasses covering the hillsides were dark green from the last heavy rainfall. Rad inhaled the reedy scent. “Where is Tinihanga?” he asked, holding the stallion to a steady pace.

  “No one’s seen him. At first, I thought he might be with you and Toni.”

  “He’s in with the rustlers.” Rad’s hold on the reins tightened. “He kidnapped Toni and me and imprisoned us in Mutunga-iho Cave.”

  Tukaha didn’t look that surprised about Tinihanga. Was I the only one who hadn’t seen through him?

  “I knew you’d left your house in a hurry,” Tukaha said. “Your bedroom doors stood open, beds weren’t slept in, the pool motor set on manual, pool skylight still open, your gun cabinet door unlocked and ajar and the dirty dessert dishes still out by the pool. It just didn’t feel right.”

  “How are the men?” Rad asked.

  “The doc says they’ll be all right, but we’ve lost a day’s work. The sickest ones may not make it to work tomorrow either. Doc said they were drugged.”

  “Tinihanga’s handiwork.” A muscle in Rad’s jaw flexed.

  “I saw some things,” Tukaha said, shaking his head dismally. “Had doubts. But he was someone who’d saved your life. Sorry, boss, I should have warned you about my suspicions.”

  Toni rode parallel to them now. Rad glanced at her. “It’s all right. I wouldn’t have listened.”

  Looking at her had been a mistake. It made him want to forget his need to catch Manu-wuruhi-tane and ride off in the subdued daylight, find shelter under a tree with thick branches, draw her down in fragrant tall grasses and make hot sweaty love to her again. I’d start out slowly, trailing my fingers over her silky flesh.

  Suddenly Rad realized that Tukaha was talking to him. “…The constable didn’t want to do anything until you were missing at least forty-eight hours. I convinced him that the murdered man and the drugging proved you were in trouble. He’s still skeptical about the drugs. Wants to see the doctor’s report. But he gave in and sent us Deputy Greene.”

  Rad hoped Greene knew his stuff. “What about the sheep?”

  “Lost a hundred head during the night while the men were down. If only I’d stayed in the bunkhouse.”

  �
��What are you talking about? If you’d stayed and eaten with the men you’d be sick, too.”

  Rad stared ahead at the rolling hills in the distance, searching for the right words to tell Tukaha about his twin. Maybe there weren’t any. After a few moments, he rode closer and faced Tukaha.

  “Tukaha, I…” He cleared his throat. “I have something to tell you before we reach the cave.”

  “What’s the big aitua?” Tukaha asked. “Just say it.”

  Toni reined her roan closer. “I wish I could help you make this easier,” she said, her voice soft with empathy.

  Tukaha’s eyes clouded. “What could be so bad?”

  “Taureka is Manu-Wuruhi-Tane,” Rad said, feeling like sheep dip.

  Tukaha looked first at Rad and then at Toni. “You’re joking, ae?”

  “I’m sorry, but it’s the truth.” Rad’s throat felt tight.

  Disbelief and befuddlement flickered across Tukaha’s weathered face. “But that’s impossible.”

  “We don’t know the details,” Rad said. “But he disguised himself as Manu-wuruhi-tane and tried to kill us.”

  Tukaha’s face paled, as if the blood had drained from it. “Why?”

  Rad swallowed. “I knew you’d take this hard. He’s guarding Mutunga-iho cave, just like the ancient Manu-wuruhi-tane did. It was greed then. I suspect it’s greed now.”

  “I don’t want him hurt,” Tukaha said flatly.

  “I know. I don’t either.” Rad tried, but he couldn’t conceal the ragged edge to his voice.

  ****

  Toni wished she could hug both men. They all settled into a troubled silence. The sky had grown darker, foreboding.

  Toni reined her horse slightly behind Rad’s as they started down the ravine.

  She braced herself against the descent. Horses ridden by Tukaha, his sons, Deputy Greene and the other ranchers trailed several yards behind.

  “It’s risky for you to be with us,” Rad said. “I should have left you behind, even if I had to tie you up.”

  She forced a toughness into her tone she didn’t feel. “You and what army?”

  “Just remember that coming along was your idea.”

  “Are you gearing up to blame me if things don’t work out?”

  He glared at her. “I didn’t say that.”

  “Exactly what did you say?”

  His umber eyes darkened. “Let’s drop it, all right?”

  She shot him a sideways glance. “You started it, not me.” She knew the tension between them had nothing to do with her being with the search party. The passion they’d shared had complicated everything.

  They left the top of the hill where the power lines converged, and soon the humming and the moaning of the overhead wires faded. The humming hadn’t rubbed her nerves raw. It was her resentment. He didn’t want her along; he didn’t want her.

  A graph of lightning scrawled the sky. She yanked her jacket collar higher around her neck and held her breath in anticipation of the explosion of thunder that would follow. It rumbled down through the valley. She felt the deep reverberation in her bones. Gusts of wind swirled around her. Strands of hair whipped across her face; one clung between her lips. She brushed it away. It would take luck to reach the cave before the downpour. Getting rained on wouldn’t help her edgy mood.

  She was barely aware of the change in terrain as they galloped past a weather-beaten gum tree into a wilderness of high grass, weeds and a few dead, contorted trees. Her attention was on Rad. He rode tall in the saddle. Did he regret they’d made love? Perhaps that was why he’d wanted to leave her behind. To get her out of his sight, so he wouldn’t have to think about it. Was he thinking about it? She wished she wasn’t. His lips had tasted like waterfall mist. His arms were warm and strong, drawing her closer and closer. Her fingers still tingled from the feel of his muscles moving seductively beneath them. Even thinking about it, she felt a quickening of her heartbeat and a clenching of her warm, moist core.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Rad felt Toni’s gaze. It made him uneasy. He cared too much for this woman, far too much. His mind was too full of her, his body too easilly aroused by by the intigueing, brave little pakeha.

  He tried to cool his thoughts by staring at the snow-covered mountains in the distance. Nothing helped. There was no controlling his feelings, even when common sense told him a city woman like Toni would never be happy on a sheep station.

  Too bad, she looked so natural in the rural setting, as if she belonged here. Her green eyes and auburn hair brought needed light and color to the gray, cloudy day.

  Rad shook his head at the incongruity about Toni. She was tough yet feminine, womanly, yet girlishly playful. The divergence reflected in her appearance as well; her hair blowing in the wind made her look like a teenager, but the way her jeans and sweater molded to her curves confirmed she was all woman.

  By the change in terrain, he knew the rear entrance to the cave lay just ahead. Once they rounded the curve he saw it.

  Rad glanced back at Tukaha. His friend’s usual jovial ways were missing; tension registered in his rigid demeanor. No matter how he looked at it, they were riding into an unpredictable, dangerous situation.

  His gut told him to order Toni to go back to the ranchhouse where she’d be safe, but his knowledge of her determined nature made him realize it would be useless.

  As they dismounted and entered the cave, he tried to convince himself they had more than enough manpower to handle Taureka. Everyone was armed, so there was nothing to worry about.

  One circle of light after another flashed onto the stone walls as each person in the group flicked on their flashlights.

  “We’d better split up here,” Deputy Greene said, as the cave forked into two narrow tunnels. “Cover more ground faster that way.”

  “It’d be better if we stay together,” Toni said. “As tense as everyone seems to be, we might accidentally shoot each other.”

  “She has a point,” Rad said.

  “Shooting?” Tukaha asked. “What shooting? We’re going to reason with Taureka. I told you I don’t want him hurt.”

  Rad put his hand on Tukaha’s shoulder. “No one wants to harm yourbrother. We just have to catch him, question him, find out who is behind all of this.”

  “I vote we stay together,” Tukaha said. “If anyone finds him, I want to be there.”

  “Why so nervous?” Deputy Greene asked.

  Tukaha glared at him. “You’d be nervous too if your twin had gotten himself into a pit of trouble.”

  Deputy Greene grumbled about the inefficiency of staying together, but he trailed along after everyone voted against him.

  ****

  Toni inhaled deeply, trying to force down a gnawing foreboding.

  Rad and Tukaha walked ahead side by side. A current of brotherhood vibrated between them. Even though they spoke almost in whispers, Toni heard the comradeship in their words.

  There was doubt in Tukaha’s voice. “Maybe I made a mistake asking the constable to send a deputy with us,” he said. “He’s not one of us. Hedoesn’t understand about family.”

  “It’ll be all right,” Rad said. “I—”

  A piercing bird-wolf call rang out and echoed through the tunnel ahead of them, drowning the rest of Rad’s words.

  “It’s Manu-wuruhi-tane!” Deputy Greene said, with a quiver in his voice.

  “That’s what he’d like us to think,” Rad said. “But it’s just Taureka, trying to scare us away.” Rad paused from his fast pace and grabbed Toni’s hand. “Stay here, between Tukaha and me.” When his big, callused hand closed over hers, she felt the strength built by years of sheep shearing. A tremble went through her. His grip made her palm and fingers feel soft and pliable. If she allowed herself, she could become putty in his hands. She had to fight her feelings.

  As they continued on, it got colder, darker. The dim lighting from the small pockets of glow worms threw eerie shadows into the indentations in the cave walls. If T
aureka hid in one of them, they had him outnumbered.

  Still, her skin prickled. A strong premonition told her this search would end in disaster. Her mom had warned her to stay out of caves, and here she was in one again. It was crazy to tempt fate, but it was too late to think of that now.

  Cobwebs brushed across her face. She stepped aside trying to avoid them.

  “Toni, watch out, don’t fall in that hole,” Rad said as he tightened his hold on her.

  She skimmed the rim of the hole with a circle of light and then aimed it inside. “We’re heading in the right direction. I remember our friend down there,” she said as her beam found the skeleton.

  “Ae,” Rad said. “I recall a short unscheduled visit with him.” A faint grin briefly creased the corners of his mouth.

  Rad’s rope of black hair swung across his back like a pendulum as he picked up his pace. His posture, as always, was erect, proud, and his stride wide and swift. Like a warrior, she thought, a warrior who craves peace. With his desire for harmony he’d be glad to put all the intrigue of the last weeks behind him and get back to his life of raising sheep. After all that had happened lately, she’d enjoy a little serenity herself.

  Rad pulled her aside, or she would have bumped into the spear-like stalagmite built from the floor to meet the stalactite above. His touch made her feel boneless, protected.

  Because of her mostly sleepless night, her feet were dragging by the time she heard the roar of the falls. They came out of the narrow tunnel into the enormous cathedral-like part of the cave. Ahead, the forty-foot high waterfall, with its silvery waters crashing into a swirling pool of foam and mist, blocked their way. She welcomed the warmer air, but something was awry.

  “We took a wrong turn,” Rad said. “We missed the tapa ruma.”

  “Missed what?” Greene asked.

  “The sacred room,” Toni said.

  Rad raised an eyebrow at her understanding of the Maori words, and then he and Tukaha exchanged pleased glances over her head. “We have to backtrack,” Rad said. “Tapa ruma is the most likely place to find Taureka.”

  Suddenly shots rang out. A bullet whizzed past Toni’s head. She whipped around and drew the gun she’d taken from Taureka earlier. It spite of the noise of the falls she suspected there was more than one sniper.