Distant Echoes

  Curtis put down his paper. “Why so glum, sweetheart? I would have thought you’d be floating on air this morning.” He patted his lap.

  Faye tried to smile as she went to perch on her husband’s knees. “I don’t think it’s going to be so easy with the rest. Especially my father. He’s going to be so angry with me.” She blinked rapidly to keep the tears from rolling.

  “I think you’re going to be pleasantly surprised how well it goes. The prodigal daughter’s return is probably something that he’s dreamed of and prayed about for years. Remember what Kaia told you about him wanting to find you?”

  “You’re more optimistic than me. My father was never that way. I couldn’t do anything right while I was growing up. I don’t expect that to change now.” Faye leaned over and kissed him. “You’d better get going. You’ll be late.”

  “I’m not too eager to get in today.” He frowned and picked up his coffee cup.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Two more investors bailed on me yesterday. Our funds have dwindled to practically nothing. I never would have gone into this if I’d realized it would be such a drain on our resources.”

  “Are we going to be okay?” Her muscles stiffened. Faye had worried about money all her life until she married Curtis a year ago. She wasn’t eager to be living on a shoestring again.

  “Don’t worry; we’ll be fine. But I’m not going to continue to let Seaworthy lose money. If I can’t come up with a way to make it a viable business, I’ll sell off the assets.”

  “The equipment?”

  “And the animals.”

  Faye frowned. “The dolphins are wild, aren’t they?”

  “Now you sound like Kaia. I bought those animals. All eight of them are listed as assets.” He was sounding more annoyed by the minute.

  “You can’t sell Kaia’s dolphins! You’ll alienate her from me for good.” The thought of it made Faye jump to her feet. Her movement spilled coffee down the front of Curtis’s shirt.

  “Ouch!” He held his shirt out from his skin.

  “Oh, Curtis, I’m so sorry.” Faye rushed to the kitchen and grabbed a towel. She soaked it in water and hurried back to her husband. He was already peeling off his shirt. “Let me take it. I’ll get you a clean one.”

  “I’ll get it. I need to get out of here.” He hesitated then kissed her. “Don’t worry about this, Faye. You keep your mind on meeting your family, and I’ll take care of the business stuff. We might turn things around yet. I don’t want to sell the dolphins, but I may have no choice.”

  “We could just take a loss,” she pleaded. “I could get a job if I need to.”

  His gaze softened. “That won’t be necessary, sweetheart. We’ll be fine. It’s the principle of the thing for me, I guess. I don’t like to lose. I’ll try to figure out something.” He kissed her again then went down the hall to the bedroom.

  Faye wrung her hands. Kaia would hate her if Curtis sold the dolphins. She took the empty coffee cups to the kitchen. The phone rang as she put the last dish in the dishwasher and turned it on.

  She glanced at her watch. Heidi was late. “Latchet residence.”

  “Faye, it’s Jesse. I’m not bringing Heidi today. I hope you don’t mind.”

  “Oh no, that’s fine. Is everything all right?” She thought his voice sounded strained.

  “Someone tried to take Heidi last night.” Faye gasped and put her hand to her mouth. “I’d better keep her close until we figure out what’s going on.”

  “Oh, Jesse, that’s terrifying! Is she all right?”

  “She was fine once the chloroform wore off. I hope we’re not messing up your day too badly.”

  “Not at all. I’ve got some errands to run. But how will you get any rest?”

  “We’ll all take turns guarding her. We’ll be fine.”

  “Okay, well, give Heidi my love. Let me know if there’s anything I can do.”

  “I will.”

  The phone clicked in her ear, and she put it down slowly. She wished she’d told Jesse she could come there to be with Heidi. Jesse was competent though, she reminded herself. No harm would come to Heidi while he was around.

  She heard the garage door go up then saw Curtis drive his car onto the street. The day stretched ahead of her. She could spend it cleaning house or shopping, but she knew what she needed to do.

  Where are we going?” The wind tugged tendrils of hair loose from Kaia’s braid, and she pushed them out of her eyes as she turned in the seat of the Jeep to face Jesse.

  Jesse tried not to watch her. He imagined that glorious hair flying in the wind. “My brother-in-law bought a security business. Remember when he mentioned it at church? He might be able to help us. I thought we’d get some motion detectors for the boat and maybe some security lights.” Jesse turned the SUV into the parking lot of Prickett Security. He pulled into a spot near the door. “You’d both better come with me. I don’t dare leave you alone.”

  “I think I did pretty well by myself last night,” she reminded him. “I’m not some insipid female who faints at danger.”

  He grinned. “Sorry if that sounded chauvinistic. You were amazing.” He got out of the Jeep and flipped his seat forward to let out Heidi. He noticed Kaia’s cheeks turn pink and hid a grin. Maybe she wasn’t immune to him. He’d tried to ignore his attraction to her, but after last night, he realized there was something more between them, something he couldn’t blame on the goose egg on his head.

  Slamming her door behind her, she followed him into the first building. The complex consisted of four slump-block buildings painted an institutional gray and trimmed in navy.

  A receptionist greeted them and went to tell Steve they would like to see him. Steve stepped out of his office. His shirt was rumpled and his eyes shaded with fatigue. His face brightened when he saw them though.

  “Jesse, it’s good to see you.” Steve grabbed Jesse’s hand and pumped it.

  “Looks like you haven’t been home all night,” Jesse remarked after making small talk for a few minutes.

  “I haven’t,” Steve said. “You know how a new business is. Let’s go back to my office.”

  “Things that busy?” Jesse pointed out a chair to Kaia then dropped into the one closest to Steve’s desk.

  “It’s crazy here. We’re behind schedule, and my foreman quit, so I stayed to keep things on track.” He went to a coffeepot on a caddy by the door. “Coffee? I’ve got Red Bull in the fridge too.”

  “Coffee’s fine.” Kaia and Jesse spoke together.

  He poured them all coffee and asked the receptionist to bring Heidi some juice. “Now what can I do for you?”

  Jesse told him what had happened. Steve’s abstracted air turned to sharp focus as he listened.

  “I’ve got just the system for you. I’ll have it delivered this afternoon. Will you be at the boat?”

  “We’ll be there by six or so.” Jesse sipped his coffee. He glanced at Kaia. She needed to get some rest. She looked ready to fall asleep in the chair. They were going to need someone to keep guard while they slept a few hours.

  Walking back to the parking lot, he tried to think of who he could call.

  “I see that look,” Kaia said. “You’re worrying.”

  “We need help. I’m all in and so are you. We won’t be much good without some shut-eye.”

  “I’ve been thinking about that too. We could stay at Tutu kane’s cottage. No one will look for us there. I can call some cousins to hang around while we get some rest. Bane is there too.”

  “You think your grandfather wouldn’t mind?’

  Kaia laughed. “He’d relish the chance to smother me.”

  “Should we call him first?”

  “No, we can just go over. But I need to call some of my cousins.” She dug her cell phone out of her purse and made a couple of calls. “You mind if we stop for some cat food for Hiwa?”

  “No problem.” As he drove along Highway 50, Jesse’s mind raced. They couldn’t ke
ep reacting to things. He needed to take charge and dig out the truth. Once they got some sleep, he would pay a visit to Nahele Aki and see if he could rattle him enough to make him admit he’d tried to take Heidi.

  He didn’t know what Pele Hawai´i would want with his niece though, especially since Jesse was no longer in charge of base security. They couldn’t threaten her as a way to make him do anything. Nothing made any sense.

  They stopped to get cat food for Hiwa then went on to Kaia’s. As he stopped in front of Kaia’s house, his cell phone rang. “Heidi and I will wait here,” he told Kaia. He answered his phone. “Matthews.”

  “Jesse, what is going on?” Jillian’s voice was agitated. “I called Faye and she told me someone tried to kidnap Heidi last night.”

  “I was going to call you.”

  “You should have called me last night! It was probably Noah.”

  “Jillian, you don’t believe that.”

  “I don’t know what I believe anymore.” She took a ragged breath.

  “Noah might be a lot of things, but he wouldn’t put Heidi through an ordeal like last night. The thugs used chloroform. You know how Noah hates drugs.”

  His sister sounded near tears. “Is Heidi suffering any effects from it? Faye didn’t say anything about chloroform.”

  “She’s right as rain this morning.” He glanced in the rearview mirror and watched the concentration on his niece’s face as she played Mario. The beeps and noises from the GameBoy assured him she was back to her old self.

  “I’d better get there,” Jillian said. “I should have brought her with me. I wasn’t thinking.”

  “I can’t let you take her until we get to the bottom of this.”

  “You can’t let me take her? She’s my daughter, Jesse.” Jillian’s voice rose. “I’m coming home. I couldn’t bear it if anything happened to Heidi.”

  “I know she’s your daughter. Just calm down. You would have been no match for those men last night. Heidi needs to be protected. If you want to come here, fine, but don’t expect to take Heidi until I’m sure she’ll be safe. The men could follow you to whereever you are and just take her. We don’t know why they wanted her. Until we do, we have to keep her safe.”

  “They wouldn’t follow us to Italy,” his sister insisted.

  “They had obviously laid their plans well last night, sis. I think whoever is behind this is capable of anything.” He told her about being relieved of his duties and the investigation.

  “That’s nuts, Jesse! The captain has to know your character.”

  “It was a shock,” he admitted. “But it’s for the best now. I can go about things my own way.”

  “I’m scared.” Jillian’s voice fell to a whisper. “What can I do?”

  “I’ve got it under control, little sister. Try not to worry. Nothing will happen to her. We’ll get the culprit soon.”

  “You’ve always been there for me, Jesse. For both me and Livia. School would have been impossible if you hadn’t protected us.”

  “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”

  Jillian laughed. “You and your motto. I don’t feel very strong right now.”

  “You’re stronger than you realize. Some women would have gone into hiding after what Noah did.” He could tell his sister was getting her spunk back.

  “The wheels of justice grind exceedingly fine,” Jillian said. “He’ll get what’s coming to him, and I wouldn’t want to be in his shoes when he does.”

  “Have you heard from him?”

  “There was a message from him on my answering machine. He just said to call him and left a number. I looked it up. He’s in India.”

  “What’s he doing there?”

  “I don’t know. I didn’t call him.”

  “Are you going to?”

  “And say what? If I have to listen to any of his excuses, I’ll puke. What he did was unforgivable.”

  “I’ve always liked Noah. Maybe you should listen.”

  “You listen then,” Jillian retorted. “I never want to hear his voice again.” Her voice changed. “I’ll book a flight tomorrow. I’ll call and let you know when to come get me.”

  Jesse wished he could make everything right for Jillian. Once he figured out what was happening here, maybe he’d go looking for Noah.

  Twenty-one

  Faye wiped sweaty palms on her shorts. All she had to do was lift her hand and knock on the door, but her limbs felt frozen. The safety of her car was right behind her. She could rush back there or go forward. The way her heart was throbbing out of her chest, she wasn’t sure she could even say anything to her dad.

  God has not given us a spirit of fear but of love and a sound mind. She reminded herself of the verse that had gotten her this far. Though the preacher who’d prayed with her had assured her God had answered her prayers and was waiting to listen to her, she still felt inadequate and undeserving when she tried to pray. She didn’t see how God could want to hear from anyone like her.

  Steeling herself, she raised her hand and knocked on the door. Maybe he would be gone. Then she heard the sound of movement from inside.

  “Coming,” a man’s voice said.

  The familiarity of those gruff tones sapped the strength from her knees, and she nearly crumpled on the porch. Her smile felt frozen in place.

  The door swung open, and the familiar scent of cloves greeted her. Otherwise, she almost didn’t recognize the man standing there. His thick black hair was now as white as the oyster shells he used to dive for, and his muscles had thinned. He looked almost gaunt compared to her mind’s picture of the vibrant man of fifty-three she’d last seen. Twenty-five years had passed since then. He was seventy-eight now, though he still held himself erect.

  “May I help you?” her father asked. His sharp eyes settled on her face. He gave a start, and a tiny frown crouched between his eyes. His gaze swept her figure, then he blinked rapidly as though to clear his vision. He leaned against the doorjamb. “Paie?” His voice trembled as he called her by her Hawaiian name.

  “Yes, Makuakane, I have come home.” The screen door still separated them. Faye wanted to fling it open and throw herself into her father’s arms.

  As if he felt the longing in her heart, he pushed open the screen door and stepped onto the porch. “You’ve come home.” He lifted his hand then dropped it as if he didn’t know if she’d welcome his touch.

  Faye was sobbing in earnest now. “I’m so sorry, Makuakane. I hurt you so much. You and the children.” She burrowed into his arms, pressing her face to his cotton shirt and inhaling his spicy scent.

  His hand finally came up, and he smoothed her hair. His touch felt alien to her. He’d never been one for hugs and kisses like her mother. She could feel his chest heaving and thought he might be crying as well. Peeking up into his face, she saw tears trickling down the furrows in his cheeks. His hands gripped her shoulders, and he ended their embrace. “Come inside, Paie. I want to hear everything.”

  She followed him inside and glanced around the living room. The sights and scents of her home swept over her like a rogue wave and nearly threw her onto the rocky shores of unendurable remorse. She closed her eyes and swayed on unsteady legs.

  “Sit.”

  Her father pointed to her favorite chair, a wooden rocker he had made when Faye was a child. Her mother had always used that chair, and Faye had often sat on the floor and leaned her head against her mother’s knees. “I didn’t know about Makuahine until I came back to the island. I wish I could have asked her to forgive me.”

  Her father was silent. “She always longed for you.”

  Faye’s throat closed. “I brought you both so much pain.”

  “Perhaps. But I’ve learned from it. Where there is great joy there is always great pain as well. They are two sides of the same shell.”

  “I’m afraid you experienced more tears than laughter with me,” she said.

  His head bowed. “You are here now.”

  “Do you
forgive me, Makuakane?” she whispered.

  He looked up, and his dark eyes pierced her soul. “I worked through that long ago. I forgive you, Paie, but you have amends to make with the children.”

  “I know.” She hesitated. “I saw Bane yesterday.”

  “Ah. And Mano and Kaia?”

  “Kaia knows me but not who I am. I’ve been watching Heidi, her friend’s niece.”

  His eyes widened. “You are the Faye I’ve heard so much about?”

  “When she learns I am her mother, I don’t know how she will react.”

  Her father’s gaze went to the window. “Perhaps you are about to find out.” He nodded toward the vehicle pulling in front of the house. “Unless I’m mistaken, there is Kaia with Jesse.”

  Kaia felt clumsy and awkward as she let Heidi out of the backseat. “I forgot to take the cat food in,” she said when she saw the cans still in the back of the Jeep. It was no wonder. She was so tired it was hard to make her hand obey her brain. She knew Jesse felt the same way. The thought of the soft bed she’d slept in every night of her young life was as tempting as a rainbow shave ice.

  “Looks like your grandfather has company.” Jesse nodded toward the Volvo convertible.

  “Faye’s here! Yay!” Heidi shouted.

  Faye? Kaia was almost too tired to wonder what the older woman was doing here. Maybe Jesse had told her to meet them. Kaia was in no mood to socialize, though they’d bonded. That afternoon seemed very far away now, however, and the thought of smiling and making small talk was overwhelming when all she wanted to do was creep under the quilt her grandmother had made.

  Heidi rushed inside the house without knocking. Kaia smiled at how the little girl had become part of the family.

  “I’ll get your bag,” Jesse said. His steps were slow as he reached in the back and grabbed Kaia’s suitcase.

  “Mahalo.” She waited for him then led the way up the flagstone path to the cottage. How many times had she walked this yard? Thousands. Being here was like entering a cocoon where nothing could hurt her.

  She poked her head in the door. “Tutu kane? We’ve come to throw ourselves on your mercy. We need a place to crash.” She forced a smile when she looked at Faye. “Couldn’t stay away, huh? I’ll admit Heidi is a keiki who is hard to resist.”