Big Island Blues Read online

  “If only I didn’t.” She took a deep breath. “Did you find out anything?”

  “McKenna and me think there’s something about Andi you not telling us.”

  Benni turned and left us standing alone. Annoyance and trepidation faced off in my brain. I wanted to find Andi for her, but was failing miserably because I didn’t have all the information. Even though it wasn’t my fault Benni wouldn’t open up, I felt responsible for the delays.

  Across the room, Benni stared out the screen door at the city lights. From here, you could even see twinkles out on the ocean. Her shoulders shook and I heard gentle sobs. I tilted my head in Benni’s direction a couple of times, which prompted Alexander to go stand behind his sister. When he tentatively raised his hand to caress her shoulder, she whirled around. There was fire in her eyes. “Do I intimidate you, Snoopy?”

  Alexander stepped back. He put a hand on his chest and his jaw worked, but nothing came out.

  Here it was, my grand opportunity to help my friend save face. I tried to come to his rescue. “I wouldn’t say he’s intimidated by his big sister, maybe just trying to be respectful.”

  She glared at me. “Do I intimidate you?”

  It was my turn to go blank. And, Alexander wasn’t jumping in to save me. “Uh—well, right now—maybe just a little.” Like, completely.

  “You two need to go home,” Benni said. She slid the screen door open and stormed out onto the lanai.

  Neither of us had any idea of what to do or say next. We each encouraged the other to initiate contact with Benni by jerking our heads in her direction and making wild facial gestures, but neither of us would budge. Finally, Alexander whispered, “She likes you. She ain’t gonna bite your head off.”

  I shook my head. Wrong, pal. She hated me because I was failing her. Besides, human sacrifices had been almost nonexistent in Hawaii for 200 years and I did not want to be the one to break the string. “She’s your sister,” I hissed.

  Playing the sister card worked. Alexander gathered up his courage and went outside to talk with Benni while I waited patiently. I left them alone, still wondering what the hell was going on. Benni’s demeanor had changed so suddenly. Was everyone who lived in Kona whacked out? Maybe it was the vog? All those volcanic gasses coming in when the trades died might be messing with their brains. If the vog was killing banyan trees, could it be killing brain cells, too?

  Amid my visions of locals knocking each other off or their gray matter absorbing alien particles every time they breathed in the volcanic equivalent of smog, I saw that the brother and sister were spending a lot of time staring off into the distance. This was going to take some time. With nothing better to do, I might as well check Andi’s email and social media accounts again. Maybe something new had come in since my last check.

  The entire exercise turned out to be a waste of time. I found zilch. How did an attractive, twenty-something like Andi have nothing exceptional in her email, on Facebook, or Twitter? The diva was running silent. Why? To make her mother worry? Test her independence? Or was she afraid of something? Over the years, I’d seen people run out of fear of having their car repossessed, their wages garnished, or any of a dozen other credit-related issues. This situation, however, was completely new to me.

  I sat, staring at the monitor, reveling in what was rapidly becoming my feeling of choice on this trip, doom and gloom. For once, I was at a loss. To take my mind off of my growing sense of inadequacy, I logged into my Facebook account. Maybe one of my so-called friends had posted a funny picture. I needed something, anything, to lift me out of the black mood descending upon me. Whoopie. I had two messages. In all the time I’d been “connected,” I’d probably seen maybe a half dozen of these things. The even bigger surprise was that both were from Blueslover.

  How had he found me? The first one, which had come in four hours ago, simply read, “Leave before there’s trouble.” Again, I wondered how he could possibly know who I was. Why would he even want to torment me like this? The second email was even more disconcerting. My stomach tightened as I read it.

  This was all too déjà vu. “You won’t get off so easy next time.”

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  The next morning, the air was already warm and moist when I awoke. Here in Kona, we were in for another scorcher—temperatures would be a whole two degrees above the normal 85. Talk about spoiled by consistency, my blood was now so thin I could never move to someplace where they actually had a season called winter.

  Apparently, my roomies had been up for a while. The coffeepot looked like it had about one cup left and the green digits on the stove clock read 7:45. This was way late for me, but I’d spent half the night debating about what to do next to find Andi. The other half of the night, I’d worried about my stolen wallet and Blueslover’s emails. Eventually, I’d dropped off to sleep, but at what time I couldn’t say.

  Alexander and Benni were in the same place I’d left them last night, leaning on the wooden railing of the lanai, watching the view. Obviously, they hadn’t stayed there all night because they were wearing different clothes and had cups flanking them. I could hear their hushed voices through the open slider. The cup Benni had assigned me last night, with the words “Aloha from Kona” stenciled on the side, sat on the counter next to the pot.

  She must have heard me clanking around because the hushed voices ceased. “Hey, sleepy head.” Her welcome was melodic, almost playful. It was as though all of last night’s tension had evaporated.

  I stepped outside and breathed in the refreshing morning air. “Trades are here again.”

  “Our air conditioning,” Benni said with a smile.

  “Guess I overslept. Too much going on in my brain last night.”

  Benni’s brow crinkled for a moment, then her smile returned. “The wallet thing?”

  “At about three, I decided the kid from the coffee shop had to be the one who did it. If it had been a real pickpocket, the ID, the cards, and the money would have been sold or used. Then there was the timing. It was more than coincidental, it was deliberate. I’m convinced he’s Blueslover and somehow involved in Andi’s disappearance.”

  “McKenna, he got a worry-bug eatin’ at him.” Alexander pointed a finger at my face. “I can see it.”

  “Sometimes you can be kind of annoying, my friend.” I smiled at him, then looked at Benni. “You’re looking lovely this morning. Mo’ bettah than this guy.”

  Alexander let out a huff and reached for his cup. He glared at me, but when Benni hit him with the back of her fist against his chest he smiled at her and said, “I got plenty kine I could say fo’ McKenna.”

  “I feel like I’m in the barnyard with two roosters,” said Benni. “What are you boys doing today? I’m back on Cam duty. Thank goodness it’s mostly business meetings today. It’ll be boring as hell, but at least he won’t be drinking. By the way, the jazz festival starts tonight. It’s just the kick off, but if Andi turns up, she can get you in.”

  “You won’t be joining us?” I asked.

  “That depends on Cam’s manager. If he doesn’t double book himself and takes Cam to dinner like he said he would, I’m free tonight. Otherwise, I have no idea what will happen.”

  “Well, I’m watching The Roasted Bean,” I said without waiting for Alexander. “I’m going to prove Blueslover stole my wallet.”

  “I don’t see how that’s related to finding Andi,” Benni said.

  Alexander waved away my statement with a flip of his hand. “McKenna, that kid’s a waste of time.”

  I shook my head. “Nuh uh. He’s involved. Why would he go running out of that place like the world was on fire, then show up later just when we’re out front? Then, why would he bump into me?” I’d spare them the four-letter words, but I wanted to make my feelings about the kid clear. “The little brat picked my pocket. I want to know why.” I looked Benni in the eye. “And I bet it’s got something to do with your daughter going underground.”

  “What’s this kid
look like?” she asked.

  “Five-four, maybe. Weird eyes, some sort of gray color.”

  “He’s five-six,” said Alexander. “I saw him next to the height thing by the door. But, you right about the eyes, McKenna. Grandma Alice would’a called them ghost eyes.”

  “Snoopy,” said Benni as she shook his arm. “Grandma Alice? Seriously? You’re going to bring her into this?” Benni glanced at me, her own dark eyes sparkling in the morning light. “Grandma Alice saw ghosts everywhere. She said she was descended from a great priest.”

  My heart pounded a bit faster. I wasn’t sure if it was the talk of ghosts or the thought of the kid as some sort of supernatural being. I licked my lips, took a sip from my cup, and said, “How nice.”

  The two of them stared at me as though I was a nut case. “Maybe I should have hit Dr. Chuck up for some happy pills,” I said.

  Benni groaned. “Seriously? Chuck up?”

  I hadn’t even realized what I’d said. Still, it had been a fairly clever, if unconscious, play on words. “I guess upchuck would be worse, yah? No?”

  “You two can stand out here and laugh at your jokes, but I’m getting some breakfast.” Benni walked away and left me facing her brother.

  With Benni out of the way, Alexander leaned in close. “Look, brah, we gotta step up this search for Andi. Benni’s worried sick ‘cause she feels like she can’t do nothing. I gonna go see a friend who moved here a few years ago. He maybe got a suggestion, yah? I’m sure my sis can drop you down by Warren’s place. You might be right about that kid.”

  In the kitchen, Benni was getting out some bowls, cereal, milk, and juice. She was in the process of cutting a papaya and seemed to be paying attention to that and not us. I said, “The only thing I can figure is that she’s embarrassed by whatever it is. I might be able to get it out of her when you’re not around.”

  Alexander gave me a thumbs up. “I’m countin’ on it, brah.”

  After breakfast, Alexander left to talk to his friend. I hoped his source might know something. I’d settle for gossip straight from our infamous Coconut Wireless, which is the island equivalent of cell phones without the equipment, downtime, or per minute charges.

  With Alexander gone, Benni and I drew clean-up duty. I washed; she dried. In the middle of the last dish, a mass of suds still on my hands, I asked, “Have you and Alexander stayed close over the years?”

  Her face saddened. “Not as close as I’d like. I would have loved to have been closer to family, but I wasn’t about to take Andi away from here. She grew up with local friends and no matter how weird her dad is, this is where he lives. I’d like to visit Oahu more often now that she’s older and on her own most of the time.”

  “You said the last time she was in the store Warren didn’t have time to talk to her?”

  She shrugged. “I guess Warren’s not that big on this family these days. That’s what it looks like to me, anyway.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “He made an offer to let Andi work in the store a couple of years ago. She thought it would be a good way to make some money and maybe get a little closer to him. She said she asked him about it when she went to see Donny, but he didn’t remember making the offer. Andi said it didn’t bother her that he forgot, but I could see through that.”

  Given Warren’s mental state yesterday, there wasn’t much he could do that would surprise me. He’d forgotten, though? That seemed too weird to me. A parking ticket, sure. A carton of milk at the grocery store, no problem. I could even buy not remembering to pay his bills. But forgetting his daughter was going to work for him? Not likely.

  “Warren’s a real puzzle box. I think he’s a quirky entity with a cache of secrets.”

  Benni laughed. “Yah, and if you make the wrong move, the secret compartment locks itself.”

  “It’s either that, or he really is looney tunes.” I leaned against the counter, drying my hands on a spare dishtowel, while Benni dried one of the plates. She still had that distracted air about her. “You don’t think he really forgot, do you?”

  “Only Warren can say for sure. What happened at Warren’s house, anyway?”

  “It’s so weird. There was a woman with a little girl there. The girl’s name is Luana, and she seemed to know Donny, but her mom denied knowing Warren. Could they be together?”

  Benni paused as she dried the last plate. After a moment, she opened the cabinet, but turned to face me with a stack of plates in her hands. “You know, until I found out Warren had cheated on me, I never would have believed him capable of it. The address I gave Alexander was his house and someone would have told me if he’d sold it. No, he’s either living there or she’s renting from him. Either way, she lied to you.”

  “That’s how I read it, too.” The situation was irritating, but nothing I hadn’t seen while chasing deadbeats.

  Benni shoved the stack of plates into the cabinet, then slammed the door. What did surprise me was her volatility, which I could only attribute to too much stress in her life all at once. “I didn’t realize he was that type,” she hissed.

  “What type is that?”

  “The kind who would cheat on his wife.” Her voice was cold.

  “I’m sorry,” I said. “He must have hurt you deeply.”

  She winced before glancing away. When she looked back at me, her eyes had misted over. “It’s not your fault. I married Warren, not because I loved him so much as I wanted to secure Andi’s future. I think I’m more angry with myself than I am with him now that I realize I could have made it on my own. What hurts most is that he made me realize I failed myself.” She inhaled sharply. “Enough of that.”

  About fifteen minutes later we left for The Roasted Bean. Benni planned to drop me off before she drove up to the Mauna Kea Resort to meet with Cam. I’d be on stakeout duty looking for Donny, Blueslover, or whoever he was. When she pulled to a stop to let me out, she surprised me once again. “Be careful, okay?” It wasn’t the words that threw me, it was her hand on mine. What was I supposed to do now?

  CHAPTER NINE

  I glanced down and Benni pulled her hand away. Fear engulfed me for the first time since I’d started this search. The longer Andi was missing, the more likely something bad would happen to her. What Benni didn’t seem to realize was that Andi’s behavior, that of not following her normal routine or talking to her friends, meant she was a very smart skip. Those were the hardest to find. With my feelings growing for Benni, I wasn’t at the top of my game, either.

  “Are you okay, McKenna?”

  I put on my best happy McKenna face and lied despite the fact that I desperately wanted to ask her about her secrets. “I’m good.”

  She winked at me. “You know what? I’ll park the car. I can hang out a little bit.” Apparently, she’d seen right through me.

  “What about Cam? All those meetings?”

  “I got a text before we left the house. Everything’s been pushed back a couple of hours. Cam would sleep all day if he could. I’ve got time.”

  While Benni was dealing with the car, I went in and got two cups of Today’s Special Brew. It was just after ten and there were a few people in the store I recognized from the last time. Donny, however, wasn’t one of them.

  Benni and I met in the shade of a grouping of small trees on the makai, or ocean, side of Ali’i Drive a short distance west of The Roasted Bean. Benni carried a blanket, which she said she kept in the trunk of her car. The blanket let us create a relatively soft cushion on the stone seawall. Our little lava rock bench surrounded the grass in this little park-like area. We were far enough from the store to avoid being noticed, but close enough to watch customers enter and exit. While we chitchatted, the ocean crashed against the rocky shoreline behind us. Much like the surf, our conversation became a rhythmic dance that explored a number of subjects, but never strayed beyond our own established boundaries. About twenty minutes into our stakeout, I felt lightheaded.

  “McKenna? What’s wrong?
You look like you just saw a ghost.”

  I watched a blonde woman walking arm-in-arm with a man dressed in flowered board shorts and a white tank top on the opposite side of Ali’i Drive. The blonde’s white sundress rode at about mid thigh. “It’s nothing.” But, it wasn’t nothing, not if she was who I thought she was. “I saw someone I thought I knew for a second.”

  Benni put a hand on my arm. “That blonde wahine? You were looking right at her when your face went all pale. Who is she?”

  “I’ve got to be mistaken. I thought it was Harris Galvin. But, after what she pulled, she’d never come back to Hawaii.” I looked at Benni. Even though her eyes sparkled in the filtered sunlight, there was sadness on her face. I said, “Do you want the legal or the illegal part?”

  Her smile was weak and forced. “Sounds like maybe it’s one of those things I shouldn’t know about.”

  Maybe so. It had been a couple of years, but I still missed Harris despite the fact that she’d conned me blind and had almost gotten me killed. It didn’t matter. She was the one who’d helped me learn to live again. I took Benni’s hand and said, “It’s just a mistake.” Deep down, though, I couldn’t help but wonder if I might be making the same mistakes I had with Harris. It was best to avoid that path and maintain distance.

  It wasn’t long before Benni’s phone dinged with a new message. Sure enough, the meetings had been rescheduled—back to their original times. Benni grabbed the blanket and rushed off, leaving me alone with my stupidity. No doubt about it, I much preferred her company to my own. In no time at all, the whole stakeout thing became tedious. I paced the grass while counting customers going in and out of Warren’s store. When I got to a hundred, I was ready to surrender my determination. The dregs of Today’s Special Brew had long since gone cold in my cup and churned in my stomach.

  The traffic on Ali’i Drive was nonstop and tedious, hence the locals called it pau hana. At least the trades cooled me down and reminded me that this gig was far better than many I’d had over the years. The morning sun still cast shadows long enough to ripple in the gentle breeze. Life in paradise. Not a bad gig at all. I picked up the cup and took it to the nearest trash can. Good life or not, the kid wasn’t here and I needed a restroom.