Chapter 24

Later that afternoon,Aunt Fae drove me to the Hana Clinic for my follow-up exam. I was too exhausted from the morning's activities to argue with her insistence that she not only come with me, but drive.

After an examination, the doctor cleared me to return to work, but for clerical work only. "No heavy lifting for another two weeks or so," she said, providing a note to back that up.

I grimaced; Pua was NOT going to like helping Chad with all the packages. Maybe Mr. Hanoi, my boss, would leave the clerk he'd sent to help out until I was able to move stuff again.

Afterward, Aunt Fae reluctantly dropped me at the K K office on the way home; Keone had called and told me he was back from Honolulu, and he'd be hanging out at the office hoping to see me.

"I'd rather you came home and rested," said Aunt Fae. "But I know you're raring to get back in the saddle and for life to return to normal."

I wasn't "raring" for anything, but I was eager to see Keone and try to get our relationship back on track. I waved goodbye to Auntie and went up onto the tiny porch.

I winced as I took a deep breath, and then opened the door.

"Kat!" Keone got up from the table and came to me, looking delicious as hot chocolate in a snug brown tee and jeans. "Hug?"

"How about a honi, instead? I'm feeling a bit banged up after all the prodding and poking at the clinic."

We leaned in and touched foreheads. I wanted more, and I could tell he did too, but I pulled back after only a few seconds. We sat down in our usual chairs. "Can I get you anything?" Keone asked. "Some water? A pain pill?"

"No, thanks." Even while the doctor had been checking my ribs, I'd been seriously close to hyperventilating over the physical contact. She'd asked if I'd had any issues with the pain meds and I assured her I hadn't used them all. "Keep the rest of the prescription just in case," she'd said. "But make sure they're locked up. We see too many cases of kids getting into their parents' medicine cabinets."

Thinking about kids brought to mind the picture of Maile Ortiz now on my phone. She'd gone from a ‘maybe' to a ‘for sure' as the girl in the window, and I could easily imagine what she'd looked like with her hands pressed against the glass.

Rita Farnsworth had said she felt "guilty." For me, it was "regret." I'd probably been within fifty feet of Maile when I'd gone out to the hermit's place. Why had I allowed him to intimidate me with that machete? Would he have used it on me? Or was it just an act? Didn't matter. I could have tried to disarm him, and now I'd never know.

Maile paid the ultimate price because I'd lacked the courage to call Dragoon's bluff.

Keone gazed at me, worried, as I shook my head and came back to the here and now. "I'm sorry. It's been an intense day."

"Tell me about it?"

"We know who Maile is, and where she came from. We don't know how she ended up with the hermit." I told him about the home visit. "We might not have helped Maile, but two kids are going to be better off because we shut down that foster home." I rallied with an effort. "Do you think you'll be offered the new job?"

"I don't know. They said they have their eyes on three people." He smiled. "You'll be glad to hear that one of them is a woman."

"Hey, I'm all for affirmative action, but in this case, I hope the best man wins." I forced a smile.

"Do you mean that? I mean, I'd be away for at least a month during training. I could probably come back for weekends, but that's not for sure. If I got the job, I'd likely be stationed in Honolulu."

I considered what I was about to say, and decided to focus on my personal process. "I need to let you in on something, Keone. While you were on O'ahu, I didn't want to bother you—but the truth is, I'm not doing that great. Now that we know who the girl is, I'm having a tough time with it."

"But you said you were okay." He cocked his head. He wasn't annoyed, exactly—more like sad and frustrated.

I blew out a breath and winced as it twinged my ribs. "That's the problem. I wasn't being completely honest with you. I can't stop feeling that it was my fault. I set that whole tragedy in motion."

Keone shook his head. "I don't know how to help."

"You can't."

Mr. K swaggered over to the Murphy bed, currently strapped to the wall, and patted it suggestively. "Let me distract you."

"Oh, you know how to play dirty."

"As a mud wrestler. Let me show you exactly how far I'll go to make you feel better."

"Gah. I'm sorry, I can't!" I threw my hands up. "I'm the worst girlfriend ever. You might as well dump me and get it over with!"

Keone left the bed and came over to me. He set his hands slowly and deliberately on my shoulders, then squeezed gently. He leaned in and kissed me on the lips; I let him, and gradually the gentle contact melted my resistance—but he didn't push it further and try to grab for more. The man was a saint. "I'm here when you need me," he said. "And for all our sakes, please consider getting some professional help."

Okay, nope. Not a saint.

Mr. K kissed me lightly on the cheek, grabbed his backpack, and left without another word.

I turned and addressed the geckos, ever-present on the wall over the stove. Miss Prissy was off hunting somewhere else, thankfully. "I deserved that, didn't I?"

The two bobbed and chirped in the affirmative.

"Sophie said she'd set up a referral for this Dr. Kinoshita, but I haven't heard anything. I guess I can follow up on that," I said.

Tweedledum got distracted and ran after a moth. Tweedledee chirped loudly that I should make the call.

But I didn't. Instead, I turned off the lights, locked up, and walked slowly back to our house in New Ohia. Maybe Aunt Fae would have dinner ready and I could get to bed early; after all, tomorrow was another day and things just had to get better.

Aunt Fae glanced at my pale face as I limped in and commanded me into one of the recliners in front of the living room TV. "I'll nuke us some frozen dinners," she said, turning on the news. "You just rest here."

As Auntie busied herself in the kitchen, I watched the screen with glazed eyes—but turned up the volume when the top story came on: the report from the investigation at the Halepua‘a Road explosion site had been completed!

Neighbor island news is rarely featured on the Honolulu television news stations due to a lack of time after they reported all the murders, burglaries and general mayhem that takes place on O‘ahu, but tonight, East Maui was front and center.

"Federal and local agencies have concluded the explosion that obliterated a house on Maui was arson. They agree that the perpetrator used high-grade explosives and accelerants, resulting in total destruction of the dwelling and the surrounding area to the point that human remains in the ashes would be undetectable," said the coiffed anchorman, his tanned face suitably grave.

The scene switched to a traditional briefing, this one on the steps of the Honolulu courthouse. "The occupant of the house on Halepua‘a Road on Maui hasn't been seen since the explosion, but unlike most arson scenes, this one left nothing behind," said an agent standing at the podium wearing the customary navy-blue FBI windbreaker. "We can't confirm or deny loss of life, as we found no physical evidence on site, nor would any have remained after a fire that hot."

The agent concluded by expressing condolences for anyone who might have perished in the blast but concluded that the FBI and the other agencies working the case agreed they'd examined all the available evidence and were suspending the investigation as "inconclusive" for now.

He then opened up the press conference for questions.

I sat frozen. There was much more to know about what happened out on Halepua‘a Road than the authorities were going to uncover now.

Aunt Fae set my TV dinner in front of me on a folding tray. "You have to eat," she said.

"Thanks." I finished the food quickly, without tasting it, so she wouldn't worry further. "I've got work tomorrow, Auntie. I need to get to bed."

I used the banister to pull myself upstairs. I needed a shower, and the doctor had replaced the uncomfortable elastic bandages with a lightweight Velcro brace. She'd apologized that the only color they had available at the clinic was black.

"Women usually prefer the white or beige, because they don't show as much under clothing," she'd said. "But the black brace is better than the wrapping was, right?"

I agreed it was. The eight-inch Velcro strip made a loud noise when I peeled it open. Skrittttch.

Tiki, who'd come to the bathroom door to greet me, hissed at the sound and ran to nestle into her kitty bed with her baby. Misty mewed a "Welcome back, Mommy."

The hot water relaxed me, and we were all tucked away for what I hoped would be a much-needed eight hours of blissful slumber, when my phone rang.

I checked the caller ID before answering. The screen showed Edith Pepperwhite. "Kat, I'm sorry to call so late," said Edith. "But it's Lola."

I straightened up. "Is there a problem?"

"She's here. At my house. And I'm pretty sure she's been drinking."