Lethal Tide

by Beth Prentice

  That was one way to describe me. My knee throbbed from slamming it on the floor, and my palm stung from where a shard of glass had cut it.

  "What happened to you?" asked Casey, his voice filled with concern.

  I brought him up to date with current affairs, leaving out a few of the more embarrassing details. His jaw started to twitch when I mentioned Bicep Man, but when I got to the part where John had mentioned Casey's name, he gazed into the distance, seemingly forgetting everything else.

  "Casey, there's something you're not telling me, and I feel it's time I know what it is." Whatever else I knew, this mystery felt like it was connected to Casey. Him being questioned by the police wasn't an accident.

  "If you see either of these men again, wait for me. I want to talk to them."

  I sighed and allowed myself to be helped into the car. Only once Casey had started the engine and pointed the car in the direction of home did I speak again.

  "I know you didn't kill Ryan. I know it. But this has something to do with you, Casey. You need to talk to me. I can help you."

  "How can you help me?" he snapped. "By getting yourself almost killed?"

  "Oh, don't exaggerate. You can hardly die from flour and water!" Even though my clothes were getting crunchier by the second and I did have a moment of nearly wetting myself when Bicep Man stepped into my path.

  "No. But you don't know what either man was capable of."

  "Bicep Man could have stepped up to me anywhere. If he was going to hurt me, surely he would have done it by now," I explained, hoping to allay his fears. On closer examination, it probably wasn't the ideal thing to say. "And, chasing John, or whatever his name is, wasn't my best decision-making, I'll give you that. But I can help."

  Casey didn't respond. He just kept his eyes on the road ahead, lost in thought.

  The rest of the trip was in silence. Well, not complete silence. I did an awful lot of loud sighing.

  As he pulled the car to a stop outside my house, he turned to me, his gorgeous blue eyes soft. "I'm sorry for snapping," he said, taking my hand and kissing it. "I just want you to be safe. That's all."

  "Do you know who either of those men is?" I asked.

  "No. I don't."

  "Okay," I said, relenting. For now.

  Luke, Alani, and Roxy were in the kitchen when we walked in. One look at me and a thousand questions were asked. That was to say, Luke and Alani asked. Roxy just ran to me and started to lick the paste off my leg. Thank the good Lord above Mum wasn't home. I could just have imagined the lecture I would have gotten from her.

  I left Casey to explain what he knew while I went for a warm shower and to tend to my cut hand. My body was already starting to ache from the fall, and I needed to wash away the dried blood. Only once I got all of the homemade glue off my skin (and I had to say that was no easy feat), did I turn the water off and pull back the curtain. Casey was sitting on the closed toilet seat watching me.

  Geez Louise, I hadn't even heard him come in.

  "You're going to stay here while we go to the forest for Ryan's bag."

  "Who decided that?" I asked, grabbing the towel he held out to me. I wasn't embarrassed that he was watching me. He already knew my body pretty well, wobbly bits and all. "Let me guess—you and Luke?"

  "No. Just me. Luke doesn't know anything about this yet."

  "Why do I have to stay?"

  "Because you've been hurt enough for one day."

  "And staying here alone will keep me safe?"

  "No. That's why I think you should go to Alani's."

  "Well, first of all, you need Alani with you to know where you're going."

  Casey's shoulders slumped. "Luke will know where to go. He's good with directions."

  "He's not that good. I'm better."

  Casey flashed a smile. "Really?"

  "Yes, really! Ask him who got us out of the maze we were stuck in as kids."

  "I'll add that to a future conversation. For today though, I really think you should stay here." He stood and crossed the room to me, his expression vulnerable.

  "Casey, I'm fine. What happened today was my fault. I promise not to do anything so stupid again. Scouts' honor."

  He pulled me in close, wrapping his arms around my waist. "You were never a Scout."

  "Okay then, Girl Guides' honor."

  "Were you a Girl Guide?"

  "That's just a technicality," I said as he nuzzled my neck. His whiskers lightly scratched me as his soft lips caressed my skin. Oh boy!

  It didn't take long for his mouth to find mine, and somehow the towel disappeared.

  Did we have time for this?

  Bugger it. I was making time.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Bloody best friends. They were supposed to be on your side.

  Not Alani. She sided with the boys. Outnumbered, I had no choice but to go with her while the boys went back to the forest.

  She'd called one of her brothers, Koa, and organized for him go with them, as she was worried we would never see either Casey or Luke again if they went alone. With that, they left in Casey's car, and Alani, Roxy, and I left in Luke's.

  Alani's house was on the outskirts of town. She still lived with her parents and her three brothers. Akamu was the oldest, Kalei next after Alani, and Koa was the baby of the family. I'd visited their house a number of times, and I always liked it. It was reasonably small, made of timber, the siding painted a pale green. The window trims were white, and the shutters were dark green, blending beautifully with the lush gardens that surrounded it. It was homely, friendly, and welcoming. The only thing I ever wondered was how they all fitted inside it.

  As we stepped out of the car and walked up to the house, Roxy trotted past us as the aroma of a home-cooked meal floated towards us on the wind. Stepping on to the front lanai, we found Alani's dad relaxing in a chair with a glass in his hand. With him was another man, who looked an awful lot like him.

  The instant the other man saw Alani, his face lit up with joy.

  "Alani!" he called.

  Her expression matched his, and I remembered why Ohana was so important to them. Family was everything. The love and respect that shone from their eyes was mesmerizing.

  "Uncle Talal!" she cried happily. "I didn't know you were going to be here."

  "Ah well, I decided it had been too long since I last paid my brother a visit."

  "I only saw you last week," said Alani's dad, Haku.

  Both Haku and Talal were large men, with dark Hawaiian skin, deep brown eyes, and smiles that brightened your day.

  "And it's been too long," repeated Talal joyfully. "And who is this lovely little thing?" he asked, turning to me.

  "This is Samantha. Sam, this is my uncle Talal."

  "Pleased to meet you," I said moving to shake his hand.

  His tattooed hand accepted my offer, but instead of shaking mine, he held tight and pulled me in close. Like I said, he was a large man, and before I knew it, I was lost inside his hug, his deep belly laugh reverberating through his chest. I had to admit it was a little overwhelming, yet at the same time, I enjoyed every second of it. His bear-like hold on me was comforting, displacing the low-level anxiety I'd been feeling for the last few days. Uncle Talal made me feel safe.

  "Sam is Luke's twin sister," Alani explained.

  "I see the resemblance," said Talal, releasing his hold on me. "And it's so nice there're two of you. One Luke is just not enough." He obviously had a healthy respect for my brother.

  I smiled up at him, not really knowing what to say to that.

  "What have you girls been doing?" he asked.

  I sat on a nearby chair, allowing Roxy to jump onto my lap. She nestled herself into place and then chewed the piece of meat she had brought from inside the house. I listened as Alani brought the men up to date with what had been happening. By the time she had finished explaining that Luke and Casey had gone back to the forest, both Talal and Haku were shaking their heads, their expressions both ones o
f concern.

  "This is not good," said Haku. "Things like this should never happen there. That is a place of peace, of harmony."

  "Alani, you need to leave this alone," warned Talal. "You should not be involved with these kinds of things. I told you that chasing that treasure is like chasing the wind. It's a waste of time."

  Alani sighed and sat on a chair next to me. "I know. But Ryan thought it was real."

  Talal sighed. "If it was real, it would have been found a very long time ago."

  "For all we know, it was found a long time ago," added Haku. "Talal is right, Alani. You need to stay out of this."

  "I'm sorry. I'm just trying to help my friends," she replied, the light in her eyes dimming as she spoke.

  "I know you are," said Talal kindly. "You are a beautiful girl. You're my kuikawa ekahi. My special one."

  The light returned as she grinned back at Talal.

  "Alani! Samantha!" sang Alani's mother, Iolana, stepping through the front door onto the lanai. "I didn't know you were here. You're just in time to eat with us."

  * * *

  It was nightfall by the time Koa, Luke, and Casey got back to us, and it had started to rain. A storm was predicted, but so far no thunder had been heard. Alani and I were sitting alone on the lanai, and I couldn't vouch for Alani, but I for one had a stomachache from eating far too much of Iolana's delicious cooking. Talal had left for his home a little while ago, and the sound of the television and Haku's gentle snoring drifted out of the open door towards us.

  "Thanks for helping," Alani said to Koa as he made his way inside shaking the rain from his hair.

  "No problem. It was far better than them being lost forever." He gave Alani a big toothy grin, his white teeth contrasting against his gorgeous skin. With that he pushed the door open and disappeared into the house.

  I could happily report that the boys found the backpack.

  "Of course we'll need to hand all of this to Detective Ray," I commented, accepting the bag from Casey. "But there's no reason we shouldn't search it first." I grinned.

  "Already ahead of you," said Casey, returning my grin.

  Unzipping it as Casey spoke, I spotted the iPad nestled against the notebook.

  I gently pushed Roxy off my lap and retrieved it. Pressing the on button, I hoped the battery wasn't flat. Well, it wasn't, but the iPad was password protected. Crap.

  Casey had been looking over my shoulder. "0386." They'd obviously already done this.

  I tapped the screen and almost squealed with delight when the iPad came to life.

  "Casey, you're a genius. How did you know that?" asked Alani, Roxy now settling in with her.

  "He always used the same ones. It was either his date of birth," he said, pointing to the iPad, "or his girlfriend's name. Last I knew that was Claudia."

  "I thought Veronica was his girlfriend?"

  Casey looked at me. "No," he answered quietly. "She was mine."

  My stomach backflipped and fell.

  I'd figured as much, but to hear the words from Casey, my body had a complete overreaction. I wasn't sure why. I knew he had ex-girlfriends. I had ex-boyfriends. Okay—ex-boyfriend. Singular. Yes, I'm twenty-eight years old, and Casey is only the second serious boyfriend I've had. Sure I'd dated quite a bit and may have even found myself in the odd compromising position a few times. But it didn't happen often. I just wasn't that confident a girl.

  Thoughts of what Veronica and Casey would have gotten up to were pushed to the back of my mind when the iPad apps flashed in front of me. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, Candy Crush…the list went on.

  "What if he didn't leave anything on the iPad?" asked Alani. "What if everything is in his phone?"

  "If he used iCloud," I explained, "then everything would have synced to it. We should have access to it all. But I want to check what he has in this app," I explained, tapping the My Safe Notes icon. I knew this app. I used it myself. It responded by asking for a password. I tried Claudia just like Casey had suggested, but it denied my access.

  "Any other ideas?" I asked him, my stomach in knots whenever I looked his way.

  "You could try Veronica," he said quietly.

  "I thought she was your girlfriend?"

  "She was. Until he took her away."

  Okay, now this was making more sense.

  I typed in Veronica. Still no access.

  He listed a few other names he knew were important in Ryan's world. His mum, his sister, and his grandmother. He then tried a few based on recent events—Stephen and Travis. No go. We tried his date of birth in various combinations but still came up with nothing.

  "I think we need someone who knows how to break into these things," suggested Luke. We'd been trying for over an hour, and my eyes were starting to blur.

  "Do you know anyone?" I asked, rubbing them.

  Luke shook his head. "Anyone?" I asked, looking at Casey and Alani.

  We all sat thoughtfully. "Maybe I'll ask Gabby," I said after a few minutes of silence. "I think she used a tech guy not so long ago. She may still have his contact details."

  Alani's brother Akamu walked onto the lanai, wiping the rain from his face. Akamu was a little bit intimidating, if I was completely honest. He was a sweet guy, but he was six foot six of hard muscle. Apparently his soul was comparable to a puppy. I just hadn't spent enough time with him to know differently.

  "Hey, if you guys want to get home tonight, I suggest you hit the road soon. The storm's going to hit shortly, and it'll take the road out for the night."

  I liked Alani's house. It was homey, and her parents were always very welcoming. But there was nothing quite like your own bed. Or Casey's, I thought, glancing his way.

  Though he may not want me around tonight. He'd been distracted ever since he had gotten back from the forest.

  * * *

  We left Luke at Alani's and headed home. I just wasn't sure which home we were heading to.

  The sound of the windshield wipers dancing across the screen filled the silence between us.

  "Where are we headed?" I asked, hating the quiet.

  "My place," he answered. The lights from the dash lit his face as the streetlights flashed past. His eyes were narrowed, concentrating on the wet road ahead, his thoughts unreadable.

  "Okay."

  "Until we know who this guy John is, I don't want you staying at yours."

  "I think John is done with me."

  "It doesn't matter. I still think you shouldn't be there."

  "What about Mum? She's home now."

  "Yeah, that's true. Give her a call, and see if she can stay at Rebecca's tonight."

  "I don't think he wants to hurt me," I replied, thinking of how he helped me up in the co-op and how he handed our spare key back. "He's had plenty of chances to do that."

  "Still, we should be careful."

  I conceded and gave Mum a call, explaining what had happened today. After her initial freak-out, she calmed down and told me she was going to Rebecca's anyway. She'd wanted to pay her a visit this afternoon to talk about their disagreement but had been called into work. She was just about to leave, and she thought she'd probably stay the night there. I gave a contented sigh and ended the call as Casey pulled onto his street, stopping in his driveway.

  We made a quick dash through the now pouring rain to his front door, and I shivered from the cold water that ran down my arms.

  Casey opened the door and flipped the switch on. Then gasped.

  His lounge room had been turned over.

  The couch cushions were on the floor; magazines were strewn across the rug. Drawers had been opened and upturned, and cupboards were open. Someone had been looking for something.

  "Oh my…" I said, following Casey into the room.

  He swore quietly under his breath.

  "Casey, maybe we should wait outside and call the police," I said, grabbing at his arm to stop him from going any further. "Whoever did this may still be around."

  * * *<
br />
  The police officer took a statement from Casey. "I'll fill out a report," he explained. "When you have a list of what's missing, come down and let me know."

  "That's it?" I asked.

  He nodded yes. "It looks like a straightforward break and enter."

  "But the television is still there," I exclaimed.

  "Maybe the burglar didn't want a television today." The officer shrugged. "When we know what's missing, we can start to piece this together. We'll keep an eye open for anything turning up at the pawnshop, and we'll keep checking eBay in case any of the items turn up there. But until we know what we're looking for, all I can really do is file a report. Sorry, Casey."

  "It's no problem. Thanks for coming out," said Casey.

  "Sure thing." He tipped his hat to me and then got back into the squad car and left.

  Casey and I turned and surveyed the mess that was now his house.

  "Have you ever been broken into before?" I asked.

  "No. You?"

  "No. It feels kind of dirty."

  "Yeah." Casey's jaw tensed as he walked into the lounge and picked up the couch cushion, throwing it back into place.

  I moved after him and started to clean up, putting the cushions the way they should be, piling up the surfing magazines, and tidying the remotes once Casey had righted the coffee table.

  Moving to the kitchen, I threw the now empty cereal packets in the bin, put the fruit back into the bowl, and stacked Casey's bills pile. And that was when I saw it.

  Tears stung as I looked at the framed photo of Casey and me. The one of us sitting on the beach outside of the resort. The one with Casey looking at me like I was the only girl in the world. The glass had been shattered, and a knife had been plunged into the paper right where my heart would be.

  Casey crossed the room to see what I was doing. I strangled the cry as he pulled the knife free, angrily throwing it on the countertop.

  "Come on," he said, grabbing my hand. "Let's stay at your place. I can clean this up tomorrow."

  "What about John?" I asked.

  "The mood I'm in, he won't want to mess with me."