House of the Hanging Jade (10 page)

I crept silently into the front hall, hoping everyone was asleep and my footsteps would be unheard. But they weren't. Lars appeared in his office doorway as I slipped past.

“Kailani? Why are you sneaking around?”

I resented the implied accusation and forgot about feeling sorry for Lars. “I wasn't sneaking anywhere. I went out for a walk and I didn't want to make any noise going back to my room.”

“Oh. Goodnight, then.”

“Goodnight.”

I went straight to my room. I didn't want to be around when Lars went up to the master bedroom and discovered that Barbie was missing.

But I knew it when it happened. Not long after I curled up in my den with a good cookbook, I heard the front door slam. Lars must have gone off in search of his wayward wife.

I couldn't concentrate on my book any longer. I went to the kitchen for a drink of water and was startled when I heard Justine's voice.

“Kailani? Can I have some water too?”

I examined her face closely. She looked exhausted. “Of course,” I answered. “Is everything all right?”

Standing there in her pink pajamas, her hair in a ponytail, she suddenly looked very little and vulnerable. Her face crumpled.

“I can't sleep,” she whimpered. “I'm so tired, but I'm afraid to sleep. I haven't been able to sleep since Dr. Doug died.”

I pulled her to me. Her small body sank against mine and she began to cry. “All I want is to stop being scared.”

I held her at arm's length and looked in her bloodshot eyes. “Justine, don't you worry. The person who killed Dr. Doug was a stranger, someone who will never come back to this house because he knows the police are looking for him. He was probably just a petty thief who thought he could get lots of good things from such a magnificent house. And Dr. Doug surprised him, that's all. That thief is scared to death to ever come back here. It's nothing you need to worry about.”

“Are you sure?” she sniffled. A glimmer of hope shone in her eyes.

“Of course I'm sure,” I told her, hoping my voice sounded confident. “I want you to go back to your room and get some sleep now. You're perfectly safe in this house—I promise. Do you think your dad or your mom or Liko would ever let anything happen to you or Marcus?”

“No.”

“See? There's nothing to worry about. Now scoot and get some sleep.”

She smiled at me and hugged me around my waist. “Okay. Thanks.”

She drank her water and scampered down the length of the lanai. I had a feeling she would sleep well that night.

And as long as I believed my own words, maybe I could sleep well too. And I fell asleep rather quickly after that. I didn't hear whether Lars or Barbie came back into the house.

The next morning, I was making breakfast when Lars appeared in the doorway. He looked exhausted, his eyes ringed by dark circles, his mouth thin and pinched.

“Can I get you some coffee?” I asked.

He rubbed his hair with one hand. “Sure,” he mumbled. “Have the kids left for school yet?”

“No. I expect them to come in for breakfast in just a few minutes.”

“Could you tell them I had to leave early for a meeting and I said to have a good day?”

“Sure.”

He left and I could hear him closing his office door quietly behind him. I relayed his message when the kids came in to eat. Justine looked rested, her eyes bright. Neither she nor Marcus seemed to realize their mother had disappeared during the night. After they left for school, I knocked tentatively on Lars's office door. “It's Kailani.”

“Come in.”

“Would you like something to eat, Lars?”

He was sitting in his swivel chair, looking at the framed shirts on the wall behind his desk. He spun around slowly to face me.

“No, thanks. I'm not hungry.”

I turned to go, but he called me back. “Kailani, I know now why you were being so quiet when you came in last night. I'm sorry I accused you of being sneaky. You knew that Barbie went out.” It was a statement, not a question.

My heart went out to him. “Yes,” I answered quietly.

Suddenly he pounded his fist on the desk. “If I just knew where she went . . .”

I was shocked. And torn. He didn't know where she had gone.
Should I tell him what I knew? But what if he—not a stranger in the night—really had killed Dr. Doug? What if he harmed Liko? What if he harmed Barbie? She might be behaving badly, but she didn't deserve that.

I decided not to tell him where Barbie had been.

I returned to the kitchen and was preparing a plate for Barbie when she appeared in the doorway, looking fresh and perky as always.

“Good morning, Kailani! Have you got that list of hors d'oeuvres for me?”

I had forgotten all about the list. “I'm working on it. I thought I might try a couple new things today to see if they would work at the party,” I lied.

“Great!” she answered brightly. She helped herself to the plate I had prepared for her and took it to the lanai.

Liko came into the kitchen shortly after Barbie left. “Hey, K! Got anything to eat?”

I looked daggers at him. “Find something yourself.”

He looked hurt. “What's the matter?”

“As if you don't know.”

“You know?” he whispered.

I nodded, scowling.

“Just let me tell you how it happened.”

“Spare me the details.”

“I'm sorry, K. Does anyone else know?”

“If you mean Lars, no. I haven't told him. Yet.”

“Please don't say anything. I don't want him to be hurt.”

“You're considering his feelings now? Now that it's too late?”

“He's my friend.”

“I wonder if he would feel the same way if he knew how you spent last night.”

“Have you seen Barbie?”

“She's on the lanai.”

He headed toward the back of the house, away from the lanai. Maybe he was already having regrets. I hoped so.

Barbie came into the kitchen shortly after. “Have you seen Liko this morning, by any chance?”

I was standing at the counter with my back to her. I didn't turn around. “He came in here a while ago and I don't know where he went after that.”

I spent that day cooking to chase away my stress. I made an elaborate meal for dinner, as well as chicken stock and vegetable stock to freeze and several desserts that could also be frozen and served at Barbie's party. I drew up the list of additional foods for the party and made two new appetizers for her to try.

When they came home from school, Marcus and Justine were happy to see that I had spent the entire day cooking. I had replenished the supplies of homemade snacks that they liked.

Not one to be deceived, Justine spoke up. “What's the matter, Kailani? Are you okay?”

I smiled fondly at her. “Everything is going to be fine, Justine. Don't worry about me. I just felt a little stressed out, that's all.”

She returned my grin, but I noticed Marcus looking at me with concern. He took a snack and looked over his shoulder and gave me a brief, worried look as he left the kitchen.

That night after dinner, Marcus and Liko sat on the lanai doing math homework when the doorbell rang. Justine ran to answer it.

A moment later there was a tap on my shoulder as I stood doing dishes. I jumped, startled. Geoffrey stood behind me, grinning from ear to ear.

“Geoffrey! You scared me! What are you doing here?” I sounded as annoyed as I felt.

“I was just in the area and I thought I'd stop by and see what you're doing.”

“I'm working,” I told him curtly.

“Want to take a break and go for a walk?”

“I really can't, Geoffrey.”

“C'mon, take a walk with me. I won't keep you out long.”

I sighed. “Geoffrey, I really don't have time. Why are you so far from Kona, anyway?”

He winked at me. “Okay, you caught me. I just wanted to see you.”

I took a deep breath and put my hands on the counter. “Geoffrey . . .” I began slowly. “I thought I had made it clear that we are not dating anymore.”

“But why not? I came all the way to Hawaii to show you that I'm willing to go where you want to be. That should count for something,” he whined. “And you're not dating anyone else, right? So deep down you must miss me.”

I knew then that Geoffrey wasn't going to go away. I needed to do something to make him leave, so I lied to him.

It was a decision I would live to regret.

“A
ctually, I
am
dating,” I said breezily.

He looked at me intently, his eyebrows raised and his mouth hanging open. “You didn't tell me that,” he said in an accusing tone. “Who is it?”

I had to think fast. “Liko.”

“That Hawaiian guy? Kailani, you can do better than him. He barely has a job.”

“He works here. He tutors Marcus. And the only reason he doesn't have a job in the school system is that the state doesn't have the money right now for the subject he teaches.”

“Which is?”

“Hawaiian language and culture.”

“Seems like the state would find the money if that's something they wanted the kids to learn.”

“It doesn't work that way, Geoffrey.”

“How long have you two been seeing each other?”

“Since around the time I came back from Washington.” My lie was growing.

“Didn't take you long, did it?” he sneered.

“Geoffrey, please. I don't really want to discuss it.”

“Why did you lie to me when I asked you if you were dating him?” I had forgotten our conversation that night in Hawi.

“I just didn't think it was any of your business. And I still feel that way. I really don't want to talk about it.” I had to change the subject.

“I'd like to meet him.”

“That's not a good idea.”

“We'll see.”

I shuddered. I didn't know what to expect from Geoffrey anymore. He made me uncomfortable and nervous. “Geoffrey, I think you should go now.”

He gave me a hard look. “Okay, but you're not getting rid of me that easily. I intend to find out more about this Liko of yours.” He frowned and turned to leave. My first thought was that I needed to find Liko and apologize for creating this mess.

He and Marcus had apparently finished doing homework, because neither of them was on the lanai. I found him in the workout room in the guesthouse. He looked angry.

“Liko, we need to talk about something.”

He scoffed. “You talking to me again? What do you want? No lectures, please.”

“I'm not here to lecture you. I'm sorry about that. I was just thinking of Lars and the kids, that's all. We can talk about it later if you want, but I'm here to tell you that I told a lie about you and I want you to be aware of it in case it comes up.”

He looked at me, obviously puzzled. He said nothing though, and I continued after hesitating a moment.

“Geoffrey was just here. He scares me a little. He wants to get back together and I told him no. He was insisting, so I told him you and I were dating. I'm really sorry,” I finished lamely.

He cocked his head and smiled at me kindly. “That's okay. From what you've told me about him, the guy's a little crazy. I'm glad you told him that. Maybe now he'll leave you alone.”

“I just wanted you to know in case he ever approaches you and asks if it's true.”

“I'd actually love it if that guy came up to me and asked me about you. I'd let him have it. What's wrong with him, anyway?”

“He's possessive and jealous. I never saw that side of him in Washington.” I thought uneasily of the time Geoffrey followed me home from the restaurant, but mentally brushed it aside.

“Just watch yourself, K.”

“I will, Liko. And
mahalo
for helping me.”

“You're welcome, little sistah.”

I didn't sleep well that night. I woke up cranky and still tired. I blamed Geoffrey for my restlessness and vowed to come clean with him the next time I saw him—and I was sure there would be a next time. I couldn't stand being caught in the middle of a lie of my own making. Barbie was in a hurry when she came in for breakfast, so I wrapped a muffin for her and poured her coffee in a travel mug. She seemed to be in a foul mood too. I wondered if it had anything to do with Liko.

But when Liko appeared for breakfast after the kids left for school, he appeared happy and carefree, quite a change from the day before.

“Lars and I are going to the beach to see if there are any good swells,” he announced. I gave him a sideways look and he read my mind. “Lars isn't going to find out about me and Barbie, so don't worry,” he said quietly. I hoped he was right.

I had the day to myself since no one was home. Dinner was already prepared; I had been marinating two large pieces of butterfish for two days in a mixture of sake, mirin, miso paste, and sugar. I knew Barbie and Lars would like it, but I was hoping for a thumbs-up from Marcus and Justine. They were being great about all the gastronomic introductions I was making, and I wanted to prove to them once again that fish could be heavenly. I decided to head down to Kona to do some shopping.

I drove south with the windows open, the wind whipping my hair and the radio on. I seemed to be leaving some of my bad mood behind me and my spirits rose as I drove into Kona. I had arranged to meet my mom and my sister for lunch, and I was looking forward to seeing them. I had errands to run first, though.

I was cutting through an alley near the library when I saw Geoffrey from a short distance away. His back was turned to me, but I recognized him immediately by his stance and by his blindingly white skin, a rarity in Kona. I turned quickly so he wouldn't see me, but he caught a glimpse of my retreating back and called out to me.

“Kailani! What are you doing here?” He jogged up to me, a wide smile lighting up his face. “Were you looking for me?” he asked hopefully.

“Actually, I was just going to run into the library for a minute to borrow a book,” I said. “What are you doing?”

“I was just at the library too.”

Was he ever leaving?
”

“Well, I've got to run. Bye,” I said after an awkward silence.

“Wait!” he called, walking after me. “How about lunch?”

I shook my head. “Can't. I already have lunch plans.”

“With Liko?” he sneered.

“No, as a matter of fact.”

“Then who?”

“Geoffrey, it's none of your business. I'm leaving. Please don't follow me.”

I walked away, not looking back. I prayed he wasn't behind me. As I turned the corner onto a main street, I glanced over my shoulder. He was standing where I had left him, watching me. I shivered.

It took some effort, but I threw off my nervousness at seeing Geoffrey when I met my mom and sister for lunch. This was the first time I had seen my family since I started my job, so it was a happy reunion. My mom and sister wanted to know all about the Jorgensens and their home. Carefully avoiding all the drama that had occurred since I had begun my job as personal chef, I regaled them with descriptions of the magnificent house on the water. My sister couldn't wait to see it.

“When can we visit?” she asked.

“Probably anytime is okay, but let me ask Mr. or Mrs. Jorgensen first. I've been so busy that I haven't even had time to think of having visitors.”

They told me about my dad, who was working at the bakery, and all my old friends who continued to visit in hopes of hearing about me and my new job.

“Speaking of old friends, how's Liko?” my sister asked.

“Oh, he's fine,” I answered, hoping to change the subject quickly.

My sister looked at me conspiratorially. “I hear he's found himself a new girlfriend,” she said slyly. “Anything you want to tell us?”

I looked at her in surprise. “No,” I answered slowly. “Where did you hear that?”

“Is it true? Are you and Liko dating? That's so exciting!” my mother exclaimed, smiling.

“No, it's not true. I'm not dating anyone,” I told them firmly. “And neither is Liko.”

“But a guy stopped in the bakery and said he had met you recently and that you were dating some Hawaiian tutor who lived with the Jorgensens.”

Geoffrey.
“Who was this guy?” I asked, even though I already knew the answer.

My sister shrugged. “Some guy who said he knew you from a place in Hawi Town. I think he's interested in you too.”

“What did he look like?”

“Tall,
haole
, blond hair, pale white skin.”

Definitely Geoffrey
. I didn't want to alarm my mom and sister by telling them who Geoffrey was or why he was asking about me, but I wanted them to know that they should ignore him.

“I know who you're talking about, and he's weird. A little
pupule
, if you know what I mean. His name is Geoffrey. Don't pay any attention to him.” I smiled broadly to indicate that he didn't concern me at all.

“So you're not dating Liko?” my sister asked with a frown.

I laughed. “Sorry to disappoint you, but no.”

My mom finally changed the subject, asking about Marcus and Justine.

“They're good kids,” I replied. “Marcus is a typical teenage boy, a little withdrawn and moody, but he's coming around a little with Liko tutoring him. Justine is a sweetheart. Their parents don't have much time for them.”

“How does everyone like your cooking?” my mom wanted to know.

“They're definitely making progress. Barbie likes everything I make, but Lars and the kids like heavy meals. They've been harder to please. But I got Marcus to eat
poke
, and he really liked it. I even helped him make some for his school and he had fun.”

Far too soon, it was time for me to head back to the Jorgensens' house, and for my mom and sister to return home too. We said our good-byes, promising to see each other again soon.

I drove north again, watching the sun as it began its descent toward the ocean, thankful once again that I was back at home on the Big Island.

When I got back, Liko and Lars were in the kitchen rummaging for snacks. They turned around when I walked in.

“Kailani, we're starving,” Lars said by way of greeting.

I showed them where I kept the kids' after-school snacks and they helped themselves, taking the food to Lars's office. Liko gave me a quick glance over his shoulder as he followed Lars down the hallway.

I was torn. Liko had been my good friend for many years. He was unwaveringly complicit in my lie about us to Geoffrey. I had helped him get a job working for the Jorgensens. And yet, I disapproved of his behavior with Barbie. I was beginning to really like the family, and I hated to see them hurt because of Liko's indiscretion.

But of course, the indiscretion didn't belong just to Liko. Barbie played a big role too. She seemed to be a shameless flirt—and worse than that, she went far beyond flirting with the men she ensnared. First Doug, now Liko. And who knew how many others there had been? I felt another pang of sympathy for Lars.

My stress level was beginning to increase again. It had receded for a couple of hours as I sat chatting with my mother and my sister at lunchtime, but now that I was back in the Jorgensens' house I was feeling anxious again.

As usual, I soothed myself by cooking, preparing a huge salad for dinner along with an elaborate fresh-fruit-and-meringue dessert to go with the butterfish I had been marinating. At least the Jorgensens' appetites were benefitting from all my stress.

That night after dinner I sat on the lanai again, nursing a glass of wine, when I thought I heard low voices. I walked quietly in the direction of the sound and was dismayed when I saw Liko and Barbie lying on a blanket in the grass under the awning of a large
hala
tree. A nearby landscaping lamp gave off just enough light for me to see their bodies entwined in the darkness. I was seized with a sudden urge to throw up. My heart ached for the rest of the family and for the mess Liko was making. He didn't seem to understand or care that he was hurting Lars and the two children. And me.

I turned and practically ran to my room. Meli obliged as I stroked her soft fur until I had calmed down. I wondered if Lars could see the two lovebirds from the upstairs master suite, but I knew Liko and Barbie had chosen their spot carefully, as the leaves of the
hala
tree would block any view from above. And apparently they weren't worried about Lars spotting them from the lanai. He was always in his office, anyway.

Once again, I couldn't sleep. When I got up in the morning to fix breakfast, I was angry at both Liko and Barbie. It troubled me that they could carry on an affair in the very house where the rest of the family was sleeping and, most likely, oblivious to their activities.

I couldn't very well accuse Liko of indiscretions when I had asked him to go along with my lie to Geoffrey, though I felt his dishonesty was far greater than mine. And I couldn't approach Barbie about her behavior if I wanted to keep my job. I needed to keep my opinions to myself, as hard as that would be.

When Barbie came in for breakfast later, I found it hard to look at her directly. When she spoke to me, my answers were terse and clipped.

“How are you coming on that list of foods for the party, Kailani?”

“Good. Here.” I took the list I had completed out of a drawer and handed it to her. She perused it with a look of interest.

“These sound
won
derful!” she gushed. “Did I try a couple of these already?”

“Yes.”

“What's for breakfast?”

“Muffins from my parents' bakery and fresh fruit.”

“Ooh!
Yum
my!”

Barbie's cheerfulness was starting to grate on my nerves.

“I'll bring a tray out to the lanai for you.” It wasn't a very subtle attempt to get her to leave the kitchen.