"I didn't think I needed your permission," Amelia said.
"No, of course you don't." Reynolds took a quick look around. All eyes were on him. "I'm concerned about his medication. That's all."
"I know. I'm sorry, but you know how he is. It's hard to stop him sometimes."
"Yes. I know. We'll talk about it later," the man said.
Only Josie seemed to realize how distressed Bernard Reynolds was; only Josie seemed to hear the catch in the girl's throat. A lie of that magnitude was not easy to tell, and yet she had done it. Josie had the feeling that she had done it because her father – her dead father who had risked so much to bring Josie here – would have wanted her to. So Josie did what she had to do, too.
She left Ha Kuna House, taking her questions with her, already making plans to get her mother home to Hermosa. Bernard Reynolds moved to the doorway to stand beside Amelia Francis and watch them go. When Josie and Stephen were on the stairs he said:
"I wish you had consulted me about your father. I'd like to get some information on his living arrangements."
"But he's not a resident. I was allowed," Amelia answered.
"Technically, no, he isn't, but we cared for him long before you came to us. I can't help but worry." Bernard Reynolds turned toward her. He was so close it made Amelia nervous. "Tell me where he's staying and with whom, and I'll coordinate his care."
"You can just give me a prescription for his medicine." Amelia moved around him.
"Let me ask about that," Reynolds said. "It's an intricate compound."
"Okay." Amelia started down the hall but he called her back.
"Give Emily two doses tonight. She's had a very hard day."
"She's fine. She's not upset," Amelia objected.
"Give her two, Amelia," he insisted. "Please. It will make me feel better."
"Yes, sir."
Amelia hurried down stairs but before she went to the kitchen to make the lunch trays, she slipped into the sitting room and took her cell phone out of her pocket. She hoped she wasn't too late.
CHAPTER 12
Neurocentrism" or the view that human experience and behavior can be best explained from the predominant or even exclusive perspective of the human brain is a delusion according to authors of the book Brainwashed: the Seductive Appeal of Mindless Neuroscience … the authors chide the premature application of brain science to commerce, psychiatry and ethics. Most neural real estate is zoned for mixed-use development… – LA Times Book Review
"You can't blame her, Josie. You can't blame her one little bit. I mean that, of course, in the most practical sense. The woman is daft."
"Don't say that, Stephen. Just don't," Josie warned.
They were back on the main road headed to Kaunakakai boat harbor where the No Problem was docked. Josie's head was back and her lashes lowered but her eyes weren't closed. She watched the road, taking no pleasure in the scenery. She was exhausted and her hand was beginning to hurt like the devil. Her thoughts were at once immovable objects refusing to be prodded into some sort of order and stream of consciousness washing away before she could grab hold.
Hours
That word flashed in her brain. The hours in her life that she had been alone. The hours she had spent searching for her mother. For Hannah. For herself.
Minutes
Minutes she spent with Ian Francis. The minutes looking at her mother who had no idea that they belonged to one another.
Seconds
Seconds locked in silent conversation with Amelia Francis.
Josie turned her head to look out the window, half listening to Stephen. She appreciated his good intentions but she wished he would just give it a rest. He didn't.
"I didn't mean daft daft. Not like a loony bird daft. I mean she's not right in the head because it's physiological. You think she was perfectly normal before she took off, but there may have been signs." He shook his head, one hand left the steering wheel and he poked his temple. "Alzheimer's. Insidious, if you ask me. She lives in an alternate reality because of her body, not because she's crazy. Certainly it's not because she disliked you or likes that girl any better. Believe me. I know. I've seen it. There's no rhyme or reason and that's what you're looking for. Rhyme and reason, my lady. Pshaw!"
His hands were back on the steering wheel. That was that. Stephen Kyle had spoken. He laid out the whole situation and then wrapped it back up quite nicely, ready to put it out for the trash man and be done with it. Josie swiveled her head and looked at him. He was a funny man. Generous, kind, and brash and she was lucky to have met him. She knew she would believe that eventually.
"I hate to point this out, but you couldn't know anything about me or what I'm looking for."
Josie's didn't want to fight with him. She was weary. Her hand hurt. Her head hurt. She wanted to be with Archer or Faye or Burt or Hannah. She wanted to be with someone who understood her. That's what she was trying to tell Stephen Kyle. Instead she challenged him and he rose to it.
"Hah, you don't know who you're dealing with! I am Keoloko, and I know a great deal about everything, including you." He chanced a glance her way, which was not much of a gamble without the rain. "You're a looker and you don't even know it. You're a bit of an adventuress, considering how far you've come, but the way you talk about your man and that girl you're looking for you've got the making of a fine wife and mum yourself. You're a brave girl. If you weren't, you would be hysterical having seen a man kill himself. You would have gone back to Hermosa Beach and taken to your bed. You're kinder than you let on; a bleeding heart, actually. You would have handed Hannah off to the dole and been done with her if you weren't. You're a virtuous woman otherwise you would have seduced me by now and enjoyed the pleasures of my intimate company. Don't know you! Cripes!"
Josie chuckled despite herself and sat up straighter, feeling better for his nonsense. "You are hard to resist."
"And your resistance makes you a unique woman."
Stephen made a turn and the harbor came into view. The sun was low and the light rippled over the water. The white boats were startling against the blue. Some had tall sails and others fly away bridges and satellite dishes. There was a lot of money in the world, and a lot of beauty, and none of it mattered when a heart was broken. Stephen pulled into a parking space marked Keoloko, ratcheted the emergency brake, and contemplated the silhouette of Maui on the horizon.
"It's a rough shake, Josie. I know that," Stephen admitted. "My dad had Alzheimer's before they really knew much about it. He forgot everything but me. Funny that."
"At least he remembered you," she answered.
"It's not as fine as it may seem. He was so angry. That's what Alzheimer's does. Makes a man angry and scared and he expected me to fix it. He was angrier still when I couldn't."
"What did you do?"
Stephen's body answered the question before he voiced it. He was lost and disheartened for a moment. Keoloko was gone, replaced by a good son remembering a dying father.
"I endured the slings and arrows. Not a word of love or gratitude he had for me. When he passed, his death left quite a void. Him going that way wasn't exactly how I imagined he would end his days."
"Finding my mother wasn't how I imagined it would be, either." She laughed sadly at the understatement.
"I know what you imagined." He nudged her a little, held out a hand as if he were showing her the future. "You saw her across a room, tears come to her eyes, you take her in your arms, she tells you she's been looking for you all these years. She tells you it's a miracle."
"Something like that," Josie agreed. "But then I realize all she would have to do was Google me if she wanted to find me. She'd get a bunch of hits and send me an email."
"Ah, so you're someone. Lovely. But let me finish," Stephen chided. "The heaven's open, a chorus of angels sing, the sun shines, and you and your mum shop and lunch."
"Everything except shopping. I'm not much into that," she
laughed.
"I met Sophia Loren once, you know."
"Really?" This was a ridiculous tangent but she was game.
"Yes, indeed, I did. It was a beautiful evening in Rome. We were in the same restaurant. I crossed her path and was so taken with her magnificent bosom that I inadvertently spilled my drink. Sadly, not on her bosom."
"And this has something to do with our current situation?" Josie asked.
"Please, woman," Stephen complained. "Anyway, Sophia turned sideways so that I could get by. Which I did as gracefully as my divine body would allow. I said my thank yous, naturally. Those glorious breasts of hers brushed my chest. I went back to my table and ordered another drink."
"The point being?"
"The point being, Josie, you simply must accept certain things. I will never have the pleasure of putting my hands on Ms. Loren's bosom, but I was blessed to see said bosom up close. You were blessed to have your mum for the years you did, she can't help you get the other years back. You may never know why she left, or why she's in that place, so be satisfied with the glorious moment of seeing her up close. Like seeing Sophia's bosom, you must not lament what could have been. Make the best of the situation, I say."
"What is the best in a situation like this?" Josie asked.
"Bullocks!" Stephen exclaimed. "How am I supposed to know? But we'll figure it out. You'll stay with me and the girls. Certainly, that will lift your spirits."
"No. I'll be fine. Just get me back to the hotel," Josie said. "But thanks for the offer."
"A bad decision, if I may say so. Support is what you need, and I am here to give it. Free of charge and happily."
"And why would you do that?" Josie asked.
"I do it because island life makes you batty and something as interesting as this is a wonderful diversion. I do it because there's a chance you might forget that man of yours and come to me for comfort in the dead of the night. I do it because I have a soft spot for an honorable quest. I do it because now you are a Keoloko girl and no one messes with them."
Stephen patted her knee and then threw open his door. He came around to her. The door creaked a bit when he opened it. Josie took his hand and stepped down. Even in flats she was taller than he was but it didn't seem that way to her. The longer she knew him, the taller he stood. Stephen put his arm around her waist and gave her a squeeze.
"All right, then. Come on. The water's going to get choppy, and I swear I cannot bear to be on that boat if there's more than a ripple. As soon as I drop the keys with the harbor master, we'll go home, pour a stiff toddy, and I'll let you spend the rest of the evening wailing and swearing and weeping before I take you to your hotel if that's what you want."
"I don't weep," she assured him.
"May I suggest weeping is a more practical way to express yourself than putting your fist through glass." He gave her one more squeeze then let her go as they walked toward the harbor master's office. He opened the door for her. "The girls are dancing for an engineering convention. They won't make much off those cheap bastards. You can gnash your teeth while they're gone that way no one will ever know. Or, we'll go to the show tonight and watch the girls. You'll be enchanted. I guarantee it."
Stephen dropped the keys, gave his thanks to the young man at the counter, and they were at the boat a minute later. Josie stepped from the dock to the deck while Stephen dealt with the tether. She wandered to the stern while she dialed Archer. As much as she appreciated Stephen Kyle's help, it was Archer she needed to talk to. His phone rang four times. He didn't answer. She left a message.
I found my mother.
Josie considered erasing it. There should have been some more eloquent way to make such a momentous announcement. Or maybe she should have kept it all business, reporting on the circumstances, offering a tightly worded strategy for the next hours and days but that was impossible. She had no strategy; she didn't know what would happen in the next minutes much less days. Josie also realized that the message was exactly right since those were the words that had run through her mind when Emily looked at her. It had been so simple, so satisfying, during that microsecond of recognition and relief. I found my mother. Rage was what happened the second after that.
"Josie. Josie! Come here and put out your good hand, woman."
Josie pocketed her phone and looked over the side. Stephen held the rope, ready to toss it. She caught it awkwardly and stowed it. He had hold of the chrome railing and was ready to swing onto the deck when the man from the office hailed them as he ran down the dock.
"Bloody hell. Now what?" Stephen stepped down. Josie put her hip against the railing as the man came up to her.
"Are you Josie Bates?"
"That's me."
"Got a message for you." He handed her a piece of paper up and left with a quick wave and an even quicker 'aloha'. Stephen got on the boat.
"Bad news?" he asked as he tried to look over her shoulder.
"It looks like we've got a date tonight," Josie said.
"Ah, a three way. Lovely of you to include me." Stephen moved about, still trying to get a look. "That note isn't from Reynolds is it? Wouldn't fancy a three way with Reynolds."
"Nope." She gave him the paper. "I hope you know where that place is because my newly found sister wants to bond."
CHAPTER 13
"Where are you?" – Josie
"Just across the Oregon border. Hardly a town, but there's a place that serves good coffee. I'm running down a guy who took in Linda a few years back." – Archer
"Like Linda tells the truth." – Josie
"There's always a first time. What about you and this girl?" – Archer
"I don't know. I'll call after we talk to her." -– Josie
"What's this guy's name again? The one who's hanging around?" – Archer
"You mean the man who helped me find Emily? Stephen Kyle." – Josie
"Okay." – Archer
"He's helping, Archer." – Josie
"I'm not worried. What's he look like? Stop laughing, Jo." – Archer
Stephen Kyle put on his Sunday best to keep their date with Amelia Francis. His head and face were freshly shaved, his nails were buffed and the faint scent of coconut and mango clung to him. A shark's tooth dangled from a gold chain around his throat. There was another slim chain on his wrist and he was decked out in a purple silk Tommy Bahama shirt emblazoned with yellow hula girls that set off his white shorts.
Josie had changed into a short t-shirt dress and traded her gold studs for hoops, but still wore the flip-flops Stephen had given her. She felt better for the two hours she'd spent at the hotel. Showered and rested, she had searched the Internet for mention of Ha Kuna House and found none. Finally, Josie rested because there was no sense trying to devise a strategy before she heard what Amelia Francis had to say. She caught a cab back to Stephen's house.
"Don't you look elegant," he crowed when she arrived. "Even the bandage on that hand seems chic."
"You don't look too bad yourself." Josie returned the compliment.
"I can already see the desire in your eyes and we haven't even had our evening cocktail. Do try not to lose your head, Josie."
"I'll try to restrain myself." She raised her voice when he went to close up the house. "I talked to Archer."
"And what is he making of all this?" Stephen called back.
"He was pretty surprised. He's going to stay where he is and run down the missing persons report for me on my mom. That will have an official description of her, times and dates. He's also going to get a copy of her birth certificate and mine. That should be enough for Reynolds and anyone else who's interested."
"Ah, Josie, men at your beck and call. Between the two of us we should be getting your mum back to you in no time." Stephen locked the last window and picked up his keys. "Malia! Aolani! Anuhea! Get your lovely rears in gear. Time to go. Chop. Chop."
The girls came through the living room, Aolani giggling, Malia s
elf-contained as always, and Anuhea after that. They looked like beautiful birds with their flowers and sarongs. Anuhea took the keys to the van, gave Stephen a quick kiss on the cheek, and said:
"Someone called about the Tiki bobble heads. A whole bunch of them were broken."
"Thank you, dearest. I'll see to it. Now, off with you. Josie and I are going out on the town."
He watched long enough to see the van make the turn onto the main highway before he settled Josie in the Porsche.
"Let's see what's on the little blond girl's mind, shall we?"
He stepped on the gas and they flew through the black Hawaiian night. Josie had no idea what Amelia wanted but she knew one thing: this was probably going to be the last smooth road she traveled for a while so she sat back and enjoyed the ride.
***
Eugene had thought to call the girl on Ian Francis' phone one more time. He had been thinking about that for the last three hours while he worked on policy statements, made budget notes so Senator Patriota would appear to be well versed should he be asked why the Foreign Relations Committee spent three times what other senate committees did on administrative expenses. Of course, Eugene's figures had nothing to do with reality since there was no reason that their spending should be so high. The trick was to make it all appear to be reasonable. Eugene had moved that phone – Ian Francis' phone – from one side of his desk to the other. It bothered him like a bratty child would, sticking its tongue out, daring Eugene to pay attention.
He was grateful that Morgan had brought it to him. In fact, for a brief moment, Eugene was almost giddy with the thrill that Morgan had come to him, but now having the thing on his desk was making him nervous; in the same way the spotlight being turned on the NSA was making him uneasy; and the new rounds of declassification made him anxious.
Eugene glanced at the time. It wasn't late, but he was tired. He tidied his desk. He sent an email to the staff reminding them that punctuality was expected. He sent a private email to the intern who was taking just a bit of a liberty by being too familiar with Ambrose. The last thing he did was pick up that cell phone, consider it, and then open his top drawer. It would be best for him to forget about this darn thing. In fact, in the morning he would send it back to the medical examiner's office and have it placed with the body. No one would ever claim either the body or the phone. They would eventually be disposed of and Eugene would laugh at how he worried.
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