Page 16 of Hidden Falls

Harry followed slowly, clearly battling the urge to go back inside.

“She’s gone, Lei. I can feel Malia getting further away the longer we mess around here.” Harry’s voice broke.

“That’s your intuition, and it may or may not be accurate. But I understand how hard this is.”

“How could you possibly?”

“Because I’m a mother, and we’ve been threatened too.” Lei fed a dollar into the machine and pushed the button; a water bottle clanked into the dispenser. Lei took it out and handed it to Harry. “Drink. You need to hydrate.”

“Why haven’t we had a ransom demand? A demand of any kind?” Harry held the cold plastic bottle to her forehead and closed her eyes. “I need a smoke, that’s what I need.”

“You need to go home,” Lei said softly, definitely. “You’re not helping this investigation. We have more delicate interviews ahead. Everything is going to take time. Harry, you’ve lost perspective.”

Harry lowered the bottle and glared at Lei. “I dare you to order me off this case.”

Just then the door to the office opened. Both women whipped their heads around.

Marcella came out, trailing a long piece of old-fashioned computer printout paper. She folded it as she walked toward them, a tight smile on her face. “Got the info. Let’s roll.”

10

The gust of activity that had carried Marcella, Lei, and Harry forward ended when the three of them arrived at the station to use the phones and computers to begin investigating the passengers and contents of the flights but were summoned to a team meeting by Captain Omura with SAC Waxman on video instead.

Marcella took a moment in the restroom to redo her wind-whipped hair, dust down her jacket, and refresh her lipstick; looking professional helped her make progress with cases, a credo Harry and Lei paid less attention to—eroding credibility at times, something Marcella worried about on their behalf.

“Not my problem,” Marcella told her reflection in the speckled mirror. “I’m not their big sister.” She felt like she was, though.

The Maui Police Department’s well-worn conference room hadn’t changed since a few years ago when Marcella was last on the island for a case. A battered Formica table ringed with cheap stacking plastic chairs, a series of whiteboards on the walls, and a wooden podium flanked by the US and Hawaii flags provided the room’s entire decor and furnishings.

Absent were the refreshments Marcella had come to anticipate at the Maui team meetings. Not even a carafe of water decorated the table’s bare surface, let alone a familiar box of Komoda’s famous malasadas, or Omura’s mom’s healthy fruit and veggie trays.

The higher-ups were not happy.

“Where are we with leads?” Omura asked without preamble as the women took their seats. SAC Waxman, piped in on conference visual on a monitor, wore his sternest expression.

Lei dug in her backpack and produced the printout Marcella had procured from the airport coordinator. “We have flights to follow up with that Malia might have been on or could be on in future. So far, nothing has popped on facial recognition with the TSA. We contacted the Coast Guard, circulated her photo, but nothing so far.”

“I asked about leads,” Omura said.

“We have leads to follow up from her blog—possible drug connections she was in the process of flushing out in her confidential informant role,” Marcella chimed in. “Our tech guy at the Bureau is running down the contacts for us to sort through.”

“And we revisited her vehicle,” Lei said. “Nothing of note in the car, except her cell phone.” Lei placed the bagged device onto the table. “Harry had the code to unlock it and gave it to us. Nothing of interest as far as phone calls or texts, but we do have the boyfriend and other friends to interview, as well.”

“And what aren’t you telling me about a motive?” Omura had her laptop open and was typing, making no eye contact. “Information that I had to hear from the FBI, not my own team.”

A long beat of silence.

Lei opened her mouth to answer at last, but Harry cut her off with a hand gesture. “I’ll handle this one.” She pushed her wild hair back and spun it into a ball, then speared it with a pencil. “I rescued Malia as an infant in Mexico and failed to follow through with proper adoption procedures. It is a remote possibility that her biological parents have tracked her via DNA and fingerprint records and kidnapped her back. One of today’s flights was a private charter to Mexico.”

Omura looked up at last; her dark gaze was hostile and split between Lei and Harry, her subordinates. “I’ll deal with you two detectives and your failure to present me with all the facts later. Detective Clark, you’re off the case and relieved of duty. Go home to your family and await a ransom demand, or updates from our team.”

“No!” Harry exploded up from her chair, fisting her hands on the table. “I can help!”

“Detective Clark. We are not unsympathetic to your situation, but this redirect can’t be a surprise.” Omura’s steepled fingers tapped together lightly. “Please leave your badge and weapon here with me. You will receive full pay during this necessary administrative leave.”

Harry’s mouth opened and shut. “What about my other cases?”

“They will be handled.”

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