Page 38 of Tiki Beach
“We’ll be there in a couple of hours unless Keone can fly us,” I said, hunting for a clean shirt. “In which case it’ll be a lot sooner. Have you called him?”
“Keone’s next up. I wanted to reach you first.”
“Thanks, Lei. We’ll be there as soon as we can.” I ended the call and quickly finished dressing, my mind racing.
Pearl had woken up—that was the good news. But someone had been watching and waiting for precisely that moment—and had tried to silence her again by coming at her caregiver.
Returning to the kitchen, I found Aunt Fae and Tiki waiting for me expectantly. I quickly told them about Lei’s call.
“Good lord. The Santos family isn’t messing around, are they?” Aunt Fae scowled. “I never liked either of those men. Just a little too slick, and not just their hair pomade.”
“We don’t know who it was,” I cautioned. “But Lei has officers guarding Pearl now.”
“You be careful,” Aunt Fae said firmly. “And take this for Kawika.” She handed me a wrapped loaf of banana bread as well as the slices she’d toasted for me. “Hospital food is terrible.”
I accepted the bread. Trust Aunt Fae to think of comfort food in a crisis. “I’ll call you with updates,” I promised, heading for the door.
Tiki trotted after me. “Oh no, you don’t,” I told the cat firmly. “Hospital security is tight enough without trying to smuggle in a cat.” Tiki sat, wrapping her tail around her paws, and fixed me with a look that suggested she would magnanimously allow me to go without feline supervision this time. “I’ll be back soon,” I told her. “Keep an eye on the house for me.” Addressing her like this had stopped feeling silly a long time ago.
As I got into Sharkey, as I’d nicknamed my white SUV, I called Keone. He had already heard from Lei.
“Meet me at the Hana airport,” he said. “We’ll take the project plane to Kahului.”
“That’s what I was hoping you’d say.” Keone had a tiny three-seater personal aircraft he’d built himself from a kit. I’d ridden all the way to Oahu in it and lived to tell the tale. “That’ll shave off a few hours.”
I put the pedal down for max speed to the airport; fortunately the famously windy and narrow Road to Hana was deserted this early on a Saturday morning. The sun was climbing higher, casting long shadows across the tarmac and illuminating the ocean and lush greenery that lined the coastal highway. This was the kind of perfect Hawaiian morning that normally would have me feeling grateful and peaceful.
Instead, all I could think about were the few words Pearl had said—“1942” and “crane box.”
What old secrets were hidden there that someone would risk attempted murder, twice now, to keep buried?
The Maui Memorial Medical Center was bustling with activity when we arrived in a rideshare from the airport and hurried inside.
At the information desk, I identified myself to an officer I recognized from community events—Officer Palakiko, a young Hawaiian man whose usual friendly demeanor looked strained. “Detective Texeira is expecting you two. I need to see ID though.”
We showed our IDs. “ICU, third floor,” the officer directed.
The elevator ride to the third floor seemed interminable, but holding Keone’s hand made it better. When the doors opened, I could see Lei and an officer in conversation through the glass windows of a small waiting area.
“How’s Kawika?” I asked Lei as we approached.
“Conscious but hurting,” Lei answered, joining us. “Doctor says he has a concussion and needed stitches where he was struck. He’s in the room next to Pearl’s, under guard as well.”
“Can I speak to him?” I asked.
Lei nodded. “Briefly. I was about to get his official statement.”
We followed Lei down the corridor to a private room where another officer stood at attention. Inside, Kawika lay propped against pillows, a large bandage visible. His normally robust complexion was pale, but he managed a smile as we entered.
“The investigative team arrives,” he said, his voice hoarse. “Sorry about the dramatic summoning.”
“Save your strength, cuz,” Keone said, moving to stand beside the bed. “Lei said you spoke to Pearl before the attack?”
Lei took out her phone. “I’m going to record this for your statement, ok?”
Kawika nodded, then winced at the movement. “Yes. Okay.” He sighed and closed his eyes. “Pearl opened her eyes around four a.m. I was half asleep in the chair beside her bed. At first, I thought I was dreaming when I heard her.”
“What exactly did she say?” Lei asked.
