Page 75 of Hidden Falls

“That poor kid,” she said. “Badly done, Cruz, whoever made whatever call.”

Cruz sighed, and it sounded as weary as she felt. “I argued for Ramirez’s takedown to happen after Malia was wheels up for Hawaii, but I’m already on probation for my role in this thing.”

“Why?” Lei’s brows drew together in consternation.

“I was supposed to be off the case after the first day—but I couldn’t tear myself away.” His eyes, when they met Lei’s, were full of things he couldn’t say, and she couldn’t bear to hear. “If you ever need anything . . . I’m here for you.”

“I appreciate that.”

He opened his arms. “Hug?”

She shook her head. “We both know how that ended last time.”

He laughed; she got to see his gleaming smile once more. “I made a lasting impression. That hug was almost twenty years ago.”

“Some hugs you never forget.” Lei smiled back. “I’d better catch up with the others. I don’t want to have to take a taxi or something to the airport. Do me a favor, will you?”

“Anything.”

“Stay alive. I don’t want to lose you.” And then, Lei hurried down the hall without looking back.

35

Marcella gave Jenkins a brief, collegial hug on the sidewalk at the Maui airport, on her way back to Oahu at last. “We did good work together on this case.”

“We did. Nothing left but disassembling the drug distribution chain.” Jenkins cocked his head. His freshly styled, buzz-cut hair seemed aquiver with excitement for the day ahead. Jenkins’s upbeat mood was a total contrast to Marcella’s exhaustion, though she had slept a solid eight hours at the Maui Beach Hotel last night after their case wrapped up. “I’m hoping to get a few more teenage CIs out of this situation. Some of those kids in Paulson’s operation seemed eager to make a deal to stay out of juvie.”

Marcella frowned. “I hope you can do something for that kid Penny that Johnnie the opportunist kept locked up at the Paulson rental house.”

“I’ll do what I can. Lei always has some good contacts for teens in trouble; hopefully she’ll be back soon.”

“I hope so too. She’s been gone way longer than her husband is happy with, I know that much.”

Jenkins lifted Marcella’s travel bag out of the back seat of his vehicle and handed it to her. “Hope we get to work together again someday.”

“Right back at you, J-boy.”

He threw her a mock salute, then hopped into the front seat of his ridiculous Mustang, pulling away with a squeal of tires.

Marcella headed for the check-in counter at her airline. She couldn’t wait to get home to her husband and son, but there was a long workday to get through first.

The flight to Oahu was uneventful. At her debrief meeting with SAC Waxman, Marcella was dismayed to hear about the FBI’s decision to take down Ramirez on US soil; the decision had been made by the Bureau in California and was already underway.

She texted Lei, but her friend’s phone was off.

The rest of the day was a whirl of meetings about the operation on Maui, and it was five p.m. before she was finally able to drive home.

As always, pulling up in front of the old-fashioned plantation style cottage she and Marcus had bought outside the Honolulu city limits was, in itself, the beginning of relaxation.

She’d hardly pulled up in the driveway when Tutu, Marcus’s mother and their part-time caregiver for Jonas, threw the front door open. “Someone is happy you’re back!”

“Jonas!” Marcella barely had time to shut the car door before her little boy charged down the steps and threw himself into her hug.

“Mama!”

He was still small enough that she could lift him off the ground and spin him around in a whirl. “I love you, buddy.” She gave him a smacking kiss, and he gave her one back.

Inside the house, Marcella sat on the plumeria print couch with Jonas on her lap, and after his peppering of questions, read him a favorite story. He was finally ready to let go of her for a minute when Marcus arrived, shedding his badge, gun, and accoutrements straight into the safe they kept inside the coat closet. “My woman is finally home! It’s about time.”

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