by Nella Tyler
“Hi, Noah.” He listened. “All right. Bring it over. See you in a bit.” He disconnected the line. “We have to get dressed. Noah and Kai are coming over. You might want to call Beni and have her and Ashlee come here as well.” He gently set her aside.
“Why? What’s going on?” she pulled a coverlet over her naked form.
He began dressing.
“You know that Noah has the video equipment at his house that we’re using to spy on Doug.” She nodded. “There’s something on the tape that he thinks we should see.”
“Has Doug done something to really implicate him or Denise of wrongdoing?” Meg asked excitedly.
“Maybe. We’ll soon find out. Hurry and get dressed. Noah doesn’t live far from here,” he said.
Meg hopped from the bed and grabbed some clothes from her bag. She then went into the bathroom to wash up. When she came out, she was dressed in red shorts and a yellow tank top. Drake watched her as she brushed her hair. He liked the fact that her hair had natural gold streaks in it. It was warm and soft, just like she was.
She’d slipped her feet into white flat sandals. He recalled kissing each one of her toes just moments ago. She was so incredibly sexy. If only Noah wasn’t about to knock on their door in a few minutes, she wouldn’t be wearing those clothes. And a knock sounded right on cue.
“Noah is here,” he said and moved through the living room to open the door.
He opened the door and stared at the visitor in shock.
“I need your help, Drake.” Doug burst through the door without waiting to be invited in.
“My help?” Drake looked at Doug in disbelief.
“Doug! Why are you here?” Meg exclaimed as she came out of the bedroom.
“I think Denise is in trouble,” Doug cried.
Meg looked at Drake in confusion. Drake slammed the door shut.
“What are you talking about, Murphy?” Drake demanded.
Doug wrung his hands and paced the floor.
“I couldn’t understand why Denise was so insistent on coming to Oahu, and specifically to this resort,” Doug began. “She knew that Meg was here. It was just an all-around bad idea. But Denise was determined that we come. I was reluctant but I gave in. I shouldn’t have. I should have stuck to my guns and said no. But Denise has a way of talking around me and getting her way.”
“Why did she want to come here?” Meg asked.
Doug shook his head.
“I’m still not sure. She kept saying that we could be rich. We just needed to go to Oahu and find it,” Doug exclaimed.
“Stop pacing, Murphy. You’ll wear a hole in the carpet,” Drake snapped. “What does she hope to find?”
Doug flopped into the retro high back rattan chair and leaned his elbows on his knees. He held his head in his hands in despair. He didn’t answer.
Meg was beyond frustrated with Doug. He needed to answer.
“Answer him, Doug!” she bellowed.
Doug lifted his head abruptly.
“I … I don’t know what she wants to find,” he mumbled.
“Aw! Come one, Murphy. You live with the woman. You’ve got to know what’s going on in her crazy head,” Drake retorted.
“She’s not crazy … maybe a little misguided,” Doug retorted.
“Same difference,” Drake muttered.
“You’ve got to have a clue as to what she’s after. She must have said something to you about it,” Meg insisted.
“No, nothing,” Doug sighed.
“So you came all the way to Hawaii, against your better judgment, not knowing the real reason why you were coming.” Drake was in total disbelief.
“I know it sounds ridiculous. It makes me look like a fool. But I really don’t know what Denise is about,” Doug mumbled.
Drake turned his back on him in disgust. Meg could understand Drake’s attitude. She was feeling much the same way. Something wasn’t ringing true with Doug’s tale.
“And what do you expect Drake to do? You said you needed his help,” Meg probed.
“I need you to help me bring her back.”
“Back from where?” Drake said as he turned to face Doug.
“Where is she?” Meg asked in astonishment.
“Well, if I knew that I wouldn’t be here asking for your help,” Doug returned.
“Are you saying that Denise is missing?” Meg asked.
“Yes. Since yesterday afternoon,” Doug replied.
Meg shook her head.
“We saw her last night and she was fine. Nosey and pushy, but fine all the same.”
“But I haven’t,” Doug asserted. “She left the suite while I was napping and I haven’t seen her since.”
“I’m sure she’ll turn up. She’s not lost, Murphy,” Drake said grimly.
“But she is. Denise wouldn’t stay away from me overnight. She just wouldn’t,” Doug professed.
Meg thought about how Denise seemed when she came into their tent last night. She appeared her usual self. She didn’t seem upset or bothered. Of course, she could have hidden it well.
“Perhaps she’s miffed with you and needs some space. Did the two of you quarrel?” Meg asked.
“No. I mean not really. We had a difference of opinion. But we made up in our normal fashion.” Doug smiled slyly. “She wouldn’t want to stay away from me after our interlude.”
Meg wanted to vomit at the implication. Perhaps that was the reason why she walked away.
“Give it a few more hours. She’ll return,” Meg said.
“But she won’t. She …” Doug stopped.
“She’s what?” Drake snapped.
Doug looked like he was about to break down in tears.
“I think she is unable to return,” he whispered.
“Why?” Meg asked.
Doug pushed his hand through his thinning hair. His closed his eyes as though in agony. Meg wondered if his behavior was a dramatic performance. He then drew a piece of paper from his shirt pocket. The paper was crumbled as though it had been read many times.
“I received this note this morning,” Doug mumbled.
Doug extended his hand and Drake took the crushed note from him.
“If you want your precious fiancé back, bring us the treasure. You have seventy-two hours to give us what we want. Otherwise NeCe dies. And don’t go to the police. We’ll be in touch,” Drake read aloud. “What treasure? What the hell are they talking about?”
“It’s probably what Denise wanted to find on Oahu. I think she has fallen in with some bad people and is in over her head,” Doug said pitifully.
“You think?” Meg muttered. Doug looked at her balefully and Meg regretted her sarcasm. “I’m sorry, Doug. But I don’t see how Drake can help. You need to go to the police.”
“I can’t. They’ll kill NeCe if I do,” Dug whined.
“And what do you expect me to do,” Drake asked incredulously.
“I thought maybe you could help me find this treasure they’re talking about,” Doug replied.
“What? Do you really think treasure exists? It’s probably a myth that has been misconstrued, exaggerated, and fabricated over the centuries,” Drake said dismissively.
“Did Denise get this idea of treasure from a legend?” Meg queried.
“Possibly. While we were still in Wayman, I saw an article on her iPad about the Legend of Ekewaka,” Doug said. “The Ekewakas were a Hawaiian family in 1734 who had amassed a tremendous fortune in jewels. It is said that the riches were handed down from generation to generation. But Kimo Ekewaka was the last of the line and he did not have any offspring. It’s said that he buried the treasure somewhere on the island and no one has been able to locate it.”
“And you expect me to find it,” Drake said derisively. “A treasure that no one has been able to find in hundreds of years. A treasure that probably doesn’t exist. This is what you expect me to find.” Drake’s voice raised at least ten decimals with each sentence that he spoke until Doug was cringing.
“I didn’t know where else to turn. I can’t go to the police,” Doug mumbled.
“This whole story is too incredible to be true,” Meg said.
There was a knock on the door. Drake moved to open it.
“Hi Doug. I’ve got—”
Drake put his forefinger to his lips to silence Kai. Kai looked at him askance.
“Come in, Kai. Doug is here, but he’s leaving,” Drake said.
“Leave? I can’t leave until we discuss finding the treasure,” Doug expostulated.
“Treasure?” Kai questioned. He looked at Doug with skepticism.
Drake moved to grasp Doug’s arm.
“We’ll be in touch,” Drake said as he pulled Doug from his chair.
“But we’re not finished,” Doug protested.
“We are for now,” Drake replied. Drake forcibly walked Doug to the door and opened it.
“You can’t just put me out. Denise’s life is at stake. We have—”
“Goodbye, Murphy. I will call you,” Drake said, then closed the door in Doug’s face. He then turned to face Meg and Kai. “I don’t trust a single word that he uttered.”
“What was that all about?” Kai asked in wonder.
Meg sighed.
“I should have Ashlee and Beni to come up to tell you all at once.”
“Let them all be flabbergasted together,” Drake muttered. Drake turned to Kai. “I’ll pour you a drink. You’re going to need it.”
*****
“He’s lying,” Beni declared.
Beni, Ashlee, and Noah had arrived at Drake’s suite. Meg and Drake had related Doug’s story, which had been met with skepticism.
“Denise is hiding out somewhere safe and sound while Doug is giving an Oscar-worthy performance,” Ashlee snorted.
“But to what purpose? They must believe that the treasure exists or else why bother with the drama,” Meg countered.
“And they think we know where it is,” Beni said.
“What if Doug is telling the truth? Is it so out of the question that he is being truthful?” Noah asked.
“Well, I’ve never known him to make up this kind of lie,” Meg admitted.
“And if he is telling the truth and we didn’t help him, how would we feel then?” Kai asked.
“Oooh! This is impossible!” Meg exclaimed. “A fool if we believe him and damned if we don’t.”
“What are we going to do?” Ashlee asked.
Everyone looked at Drake. He held up his hands as though to ward off their stares.
“Don’t look at me. I’m open to suggestions.”
Meg smiled weakly at him.
“It’s that leadership quality you exude. It makes people trust you and look to you for guidance.”
“Well, trust me a little less and look to someone else,” Drake grumbled.
Meg moved to sit on the arm of his chair. She rested her arm around his shoulders.
“Let’s put it aside for now. Doug’s note gave him three days to comply. If it’s valid, we have a little time,” Meg said.
“I think I have something that might shed some light on Doug’s story,” Kai said. He took his laptop out of his computer bag and opened it on the coffee table. He quickly accessed the video. “Watch this.”
Everyone gathered around the table to look at the video. It showed Doug sleeping on the bed while Denise furtively eased off of it. She looked at Doug briefly as she straightened her clothes. She then picked up her cell and moved into the living room, closing the door softly behind her. Kai then switched to another video segment. It showed Denise making a phone call as she moved to stand by the window.
“Their room doesn’t have a balcony?” Ashlee asked.
Kai shrugged.
“I guess not.”
“Not all of the rooms in the hotel have that luxury. The less expensive rooms do not,” Drake said.
“It’s a good thing that she can’t go onto a balcony. I’m not sure the camera mic would have picked up her conversation,” Kai said.
“Shhh! She’s talking,” Beni shushed them.
“Where are you?” Denise said urgently.
Denise listened.
“Do you have any news—and it had better be good news,” Denise said.
Again she listened.
“Doug is snoring like an English bulldog. I go and come back and he’ll never know the difference,” she smirked.
Denise listened.
“Those girls will have to come clean. I’ll be there shortly.” Denise said then connected the line. She then grabbed her purse that was lying in a chair and left the room.
“This is about twenty minutes later,” Kai said as he started another segment.
It showed Doug coming into the living room looking around wildly.
“Where the hell is she?” he muttered. “She had better not have gone to see them without me.”
He then left the suite slamming the door.
“Those two are up to their necks in dirty dealing,” Noah said.
“And maybe Doug is afraid that Denise is trying to double cross him,” Drake said.
“Two crooks who don’t trust one another. It’s not surprising,” Meg said. “So how much of what Doug said can we believe?”
“Maybe none of it. What if they’ve found one of the cameras and are putting on a show?” Ashlee asked.
Kai shook his head negatively.
“I would swear that they haven’t. I’ve been watching their every move. They haven’t gone near the figurines or book,” he said.
“Then from what we’ve seen on the video, Doug could be telling the truth,” Beni said unhappily.
“He could be. And having seen this, we can’t ignore his request for help,” Noah said. “Denise could very well be in danger.”
“It still could be a ploy on their part to find out what we’re doing,” Drake said.
“We’ll just have to do what we can for Doug without him finding out,” Meg said.
“What will we do for him? We have no idea where Denise went or whom she met,” Beni said.
“We can use her cell phone to get her location,” Kai said. “My cousin, Lono, is a FBI agent based in Hawaii. I can ask him to run a check on Denise’s phone to see what numbers she called and who they belong to. I just need Denise’s number.”
“Is that how you got the surveillance equipment?” Ashlee asked.
Kai smiled.
“Yes. It comes in handy having a cousin in law enforcement.”
“I will tell Doug that we will help him, but I won’t give him any details of what we’re doing,” Meg said.
“Maybe we should. It might make him antsy and he will reveal something,” Drake mused.
“He might let something slip that could reveal more about Denise’s search for treasure,” Noah said.
“Or it could force him to tip Denise off and she won’t use her phone,” Beni said. “I don’t think we should tell him what we’re doing. If he’s lying, then he will eventually call Denise and we can get her number that way.”
“I agree. Good reasoning, Beni,” Noah smiled.
“All right. We won’t tell Doug what we’re doing,” Drake agreed.
“But we can still track Doug’s phone. I have it,” Meg responded.
“Let the search for Denise begin,” Drake said.
Chapter Twenty-One
“Is everyone ready?” Drake asked.
Everyone said they were ready. It was the next morning and everyone sat on a scooter. The men wore backpacks with tools inside. They wanted to be prepared in case they had to break down another wall or a door at the end of the tunnel. The group started off. It was dim in the tunnel and they wore helmets with bright lights. As they traveled, Meg could hear what sounded like a flowing brook. That would explain the dampness of the wall they had taken down. The stone on the left tunnel wall was damp as well.
“There must be a river or brook on the other side of this tunnel. I can hear the water,” Meg
said. She was glad that they had small headsets inside their helmets. It made talking easier.
“I hear it too,” Ashlee replied.
“I will have to bring in a geologist to examine this tunnel. I have to determine what we’re dealing with and how this water will affect the resort,” Drake said.
“You know Doug didn’t sound too pleased when we put him off for a day,” Meg said.
Drake chuckled.
“I could tell that his temper was close to erupting.”
“I still don’t know what he expects us to do if Denise really is in trouble,” Beni said. “He should be talking to the authorities.”
“Like Kai’s cousin,” Ashlee added.
“I’m sure my cousin does not want any more headaches,” Kai said.
“Well, he will have to wait one day,” Noah said. “And maybe he will call Denise or somebody else who is a part of their scheme.”
“Lono is tracking Doug’s number as we speak. We will know of every call he makes,” Kai said.
They chatted for a while longer then dropped into silence. The tunnel narrowed and curved a great deal. They slowed their pace as they focused on the dark path.
“Is it my imagination, or has the tunnel gotten darker,” Ashlee asked.
“It’s not your imagination,” Kai answered. “It’s like we lost our light.”
“But we never had any light,” Beni said warily.
“Perhaps not. But it’s definitely darker,” Meg said worriedly.
“Stay alert,” Drake advised.
They drove in single file. Drake led while Noah rode in the middle and Kai brought up the rear. After about forty minutes, they entered a clearing that dead-ended at a cave-like wall with a door in its center. They got off of the scooter and approached the door. They touched it; it was made of metal.
“It feels like solid steel,” Noah said as he thumped on the door with his fist.
“There’s a keyhole. Shall I try the key?” Kai asked.
“Yes. And pray that it works. Otherwise I doubt that we will get in. I don’t think our tools will penetrate this steel,” Drake replied.
Kai took the key from his pocket and inserted it in the keyhole. It fi,t but would it turn? He tried to turn it. It wouldn’t move. He took it out and inserted it again. This time pushing it as far as it would go into the keyhole. Then he turned. Click. It was loud and clear. The door had been unlocked.