Page 74 of Forgotten Promise

John looked pained. “Right. We’ll have to handle this ourselves.”

Lachlan nodded. “Quietly.” He was prepared to add another black mark to his soul if necessary. He’d hoped to be done with that when he left the service and moved to Boston to study, but right now the Trinity Masters needed him.

“That truck is registered to one of the electricians,” Makani said. “But he hasn’t been on-site in weeks. The wiring is mostly done, and they won’t come back until after the walls are up to do some finishing work.”

“Meaning, he shouldn’t be here,” John said. “I’m guessing he’s in that room.” He pointed to where they’d rounded up everyone.

“No,” Makani said. “I just talked to him. He’s one of the people we called in, along with the rest of the electrical crew.”

“So why is his truck here, and who’s driving it?” John posed the question before he stuck the crew list to the wall, studying it.

This was like watching a detective show. Lachlan leaned back against the table and grinned.

“Who do we question first?” Makani answered.

John looked over at Lachlan. “I realize this is more your operation, so if you want to take the lead…”

Lachlan repressed a soul-weary sigh. “I can handle the questioning, just tell me what answers you want, and I’ll get them. I mean, they’re not always reliable, but—”

John held up a hand, cutting him off. “If I say ‘interrogation’, what are you picturing?”

“We don’t have time for sleep deprivation, so waterboarding.” Lachlan knew his words would probably shock most people, but he didn’t have time to be anything but truthful and direct.

“Kahaha,” Makani said in a tone of surprise and possibly disgust.

That was fine, Lachlan knew what he was.

“No,” John said slowly, drawing out the vowel. “We don’t torture people.”

“Maybe you don’t.”

John put his hands on Lachlan’s shoulders. “Torture bad. No torture.”

Lachlan let out a surprised bark of laughter. “If you say so.”

“I do…also pretty sure torture by definition is bad. We’re going to use our words to ask questions.”

Lachlan was smiling for the first time since Franco called him. “If I handle the questioning, it’s going to be straight out of the CIA’s playbook.”

“Okay, then you… Just…stay here,” John said with a sigh.

Lachlan watched the detective walk away, and he called out, “I can stand in the corner and look threatening.”

John just shook his head, and Lachlan allowed himself a moment to enjoy the smile. If John didn’t get the information they needed, well…Lachlan’s soul was already forfeit. He’d do whatever it took to protect the Trinity Masters.

Chapter Seventeen

When in doubt, food and wine.

Benjamin felt helpless, and he hated that feeling. Hated that he could do nothing but wait. Wait for Kailani and the keyholders to finish opening the waihona. Wait for John to find the thief.

He wasn’t the only one waiting, and after looking around at the odd collection of people who, like him, had no specific role to play at this moment, he’d taken charge.

Luckily, it was the same hostess from two days ago, and he’d been able to arrange for them to have a large table in the back corner of the downstairs restaurant, Hibiscus. It was late, so not all the tables were occupied, and those that did have diners were the ones on the lanai with views of the ocean or Diamond Head. Their large table was in the back corner, near the door that led out to the bathroom hallway—and the entrance to the waihona. An interior wall and the bar area blocked any views, both their views of Oahu’s coastline and any other diners’ views of them. Benjamin and the server designed a quick family-style meal based on the menu, and he selected several good wines. After that, the restaurant staff left them alone.

Benjamin plucked the bottle of California white out of the bucket and circled the table, checking to see if anyone needed a refill. They’d only been here for a few minutes, but Rose’s glass was already empty.

It was an odd collection of people—Carly and Lance, Preston’s spouses, were seated together, her shoulder against his chest while his arm rested on the back of her chair. Oscar, Selene’s husband, had angled his chair so he could see out the restaurant doors to the hallway. He was watching for Kailani, Preston, and Selene to appear.

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