Page 12 of Wired Justice

Chapter Seven

Sophie watchedRanger Hernandez approach the tent containing the illegal campers. The two reluctantly emerged at his direction, but they were too far away for Sophie to hear.

The couple were poorly groomed. They held themselves in defensive postures with folded arms and sulky stares as the Ranger lectured them, obviously directing that they break down their camp and move along. Sophie wondered if he were allowed to conduct a search, and surmised not, as Hernandez pointed at the tent, and they shook their heads. Finally, Hernandez returned in their direction as the couple began packing their belongings.

“Where will they go?” Sophie asked the ranger. “Is there a shelter that will take them in?”

“There are a couple of places in Hilo, but I suspect they will just go somewhere else and squat. There are a lot of encampments on private land here on the island where the homeless congregate.”

“Kinda seems like a problem.” Jake had his arms folded in an unconscious imitation of the campers. “Is there another park toward Waimea? Our client’s parents said Julie camped somewhere on the Kona side, but she never told them the name of it.”

“There are a number of places. East Point is one of the most popular.” Hernandez described a park near a lighthouse on a bay that faced Maui. “It’s got a good beach, snorkeling. Tourists on foot seem to like it.”

Sophie felt compelled to defend the choice to camp. “I am enjoying my own backpacking and camping trip. It’s a great way to really see and experience the island.”

Hernandez nodded, his eyes softening. “I can recommend the top five places on this island to hike,” he said. “Some of them you won’t find in any guidebook. Let me write down the details for you.”

Sophie followed him over to the hood of his truck. The ranger removed a blank piece of paper and made a list of destinations for her to explore, including whether or not they had facilities.

Jake paced up and down behind her. She could feel his restlessness, and the way he kept an eye on the campers as they continued to break down their area.

Eventually Hernandez continued around the park checking everyone’s permits, and Sophie and Jake got back into the Jeep. Jake looked up at the overcast sky, already beginning to darken to the west. “I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for some food, a shower, and that aforementioned soft bed.”

Sophie’s belly gave a grumble of agreement. “I guess we could head in that direction, and see what we find.”

They drove into the town of Waimea and had an early dinner at a burger joint featuring a specialty of the ranching area, local grass-fed beef. Jake was a rapid and efficient eater, consuming his burger in about four bites. Sophie ate hers much more deliberately.

Jake gestured to her with a fry. “You need more meat on your bones. You’re getting skinny, Sophie.”

“I know.” Stress over recent events, combined with haphazard packing and nutrition on the camping trip she’d finished in Kalalau, had not helped. “Marcella said the same thing. Some people eat when they are stressed. I work out.”

Jake’s blue-and-silver gaze pierced her. “You’re not in danger any longer. Assan Ang is in the ground.” He pushed the big basket of fries toward her. “Eat all of the rest of these.”

She did, and enjoyed his story of a river raft trip on the Congo to deliver needed supplies to an outpost there. She tipped her head back, laughing at the details of his encounter with a hippo.

“Don’t laugh,” Jake admonished. “Hippos are bigger killers than crocodiles, even. They top the charts ahead of wildcats and piranhas.”

Sophie shook her head. “I did not know that. I would like to see a hippo someday.”

“No, you wouldn’t. They have awful breath.”

Soon they were checked in to the hotel with a pineapple theme on the edge of the quaint town of Waimea. Jake got them two rooms and put the accommodations on his Security Solutions credit card. Lathering up in the shower, and later, washing Ginger’s muddy coat in the same space, Sophie had to admit that Jake had been right. There was nothing quite like a hot shower—and now she had a soft bed to look forward to.

A knock came at the door when she was on that bed, dressed in her favorite lightweight, yet warm, leggings and vest-style top that doubled as a cold weather outfit. Ginger, on the bed beside her, lunged off and gave a happy greeting bark as she ran to the door.

“Hello? Sophie?” Jake’s voice.

Her heart hammered. What was he doing here? She and Jake alone in a hotel room after dark seemed like a profoundly bad idea. She undid the bolt and chain and peered around the jamb. “What is it, Jake?”

“I come bearing an opportunity to log business hours and a nightcap.” Jake held up a laptop and a bottle of some sort of alcohol. “May I come in?”

“For the business hours. Not for the nightcap.” Sophie held the door open and he stepped inside.

Lemony aftershave and the smell of clean skin hit her nostrils as he passed. The hairs on her arms stood up and her nipples tightened. The room suddenly seemed too small because, son of a cockroach! Jake took up a lot of space leaving nowhere to sit but on the queen-sized bed with its exuberant display of pineapples in a repeating pattern.

Sophie drew pineapple-patterned drapes closed as Jake sat on the bed and booted up the laptop. She spotted a single side chair resting against the wall and perched on it. Jake held up the bottle and waggled it. “Best I could do at the corner store. How do you feel about amaretto?”

“I love amaretto.” Sophie’s mouth watered thinking of the taste of the almond flavored, sweet liqueur. “I guess I will have some, after all.”

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