House of the Hanging Jade (16 page)

“Yes. Now tell me what's going on.”

“It's Geoffrey. He came here today and scared me.”

“
What?
”

I nodded. “He just came into the kitchen from the lanai. He walked around toward the front of the house and stepped onto the lanai from the side lawn. I told him he had to leave, but he didn't until he heard Marcus and Justine come in from school. Thank God they got home when they did.”

Liko shook his head. “K, you have to call the police. What are you gonna do when he shows up here again?”

“I'm hoping he won't.”

“Hoping isn't good enough. We have to make sure he never comes back here.”

“I don't know what to do. I don't want to call the police because I'm afraid they'll say I'm overreacting. I mean, he hasn't done anything except grab my arm. That's not exactly enough to put him behind bars.

“And guess what?” I continued. “He said he's trying to sell his restaurant in Washington so he can invest in one here.” I covered my face with my hands. “I don't know what I'm going to do if he stays here forever,” I groaned.

“Well, for one thing, I think I should pay him a visit,” Liko said, gently pulling my hands from my face. “And I can't force you to call the police, but I think you should.”

“It's a lot easier for you to pay him a visit now, because he's moved to Hawi, if you can believe it.”

“I can believe it. Do you know where he's staying?”

“No. You wouldn't be able to find him.”

“Hawi's a small town. It shouldn't be too hard to track him down.”

“I don't know, Liko. I don't want you to get in trouble trying to protect me.”

“Don't worry about that. I can take care of myself. I think Geoffrey could use a taste of the way we deal with his kind around here.”

I smiled my thanks. “I'm not going to say go ahead and do it, but I'm not going to tell you not to, either.” Liko walked through the doorway and stood at my bedroom window, looking through the slats of the blinds.

“Does Geoffrey know this is your room?”

“I don't think so.”

“When you're in your room, I think you should keep the light off so that he can't snoop around—you know, so he can't look through the blinds from the outside and see you in here.”

“I am not going to live in the dark because of Geoffrey.”

“I'm not saying you have to live in the dark. I'm just saying for now, for a little while, until we can get him back to Washington, I think you should keep the light off in here at night. You can have the light on in the den—just keep the door to your bedroom closed.”

I sighed. “All right. If it will make you feel better, then I'll do it. By the way, why did you come in here tonight?”

“I came to find out if there was any news about Dr. Rutledge.”

“Not that I know of. The police were here this morning asking more questions, but they didn't say anything.”

“I knew they were here. Barbie told me. But they didn't say anything about how Rutledge died?”

“No. I think they're still waiting for the autopsy report.”

“Okay. That's all. G'night, K.”

“Goodnight.”

I lay awake for a long time that night, wondering what would happen if Liko actually paid Geoffrey a visit. On one hand, it would be nice if Liko could convince him to leave me alone, maybe even to return to Washington. On the other hand, I was worried that Liko would be hurt or get in some kind of trouble with the police and I didn't want that weighing on my conscience.

Finally, the sounds of the Pacific lulled me to sleep. I didn't sleep well, but I slept long enough to be coherent in the morning, when the brilliant orange sunrise found me on the lanai with a cup of coffee, listening to the birds singing raucously in the nearby trees. Visitors to the Big Island often remarked that the birds woke them up in the mornings; that the birds were annoying and loud, but I loved their songs and calls. I could practically set my clock to the bird sounds during the day and the insect and frog sounds at night. Lars wandered onto the lanai as I sat there. I stood up and offered him some coffee, but he waved me back into my chair.

“Looks like another beautiful day,” he commented.

I nodded. “Aren't they all?”

“They are. But don't you ever get tired of the nice weather? Don't you like the rain too?”

“Sometimes, but if I want rain, I can always go over to Hilo. It rains a lot there.”

“Have you ever been to the farmers' market in Hilo? I had to go to the airport up there to pick up a buddy of mine once and he wanted to stop there for fruit on our way back to Hawi. It's fantastic.”

“I have been to that market. I love it. All the honey my parents use at their bakery comes from one of the suppliers at the market, and some of the fruit too.”

“I have to go up there on business one day this week. You should go with me and stop at the market.”

“That sounds great. I'd love to pick up some of their papayas. And some of the fresh flowers. I love the bouquets they put in the coffee cans covered with ti leaves.”

“I'll let you know when I go and you can come along.”

I thanked him and hurried to get breakfast ready before the kids were ready for school. They had been relatively quiet since the death of Dr. Rutledge; I often wondered what was going through their young minds. I didn't know whether Lars or Barbie had sat down with them to talk about everything that was going on, but I hoped one of them had.

Liko came in for something to eat just after the kids left for school.

“What's going on today?” I asked him.

“I'm heading up to Waimea today. Got some stuff to do,” he replied.

“I have to go to one of the shops up there too. Can I hitch a ride?” I asked.

“Um, well . . . I'm going to be all day. Maybe you should take your car so you don't get stuck waiting for me.”

“Okay. Maybe we can have lunch together?”

“I wish I could, K, but I have plans for lunch. Sorry about that.”

“No problem,” I answered with a grin.

After everyone had eaten breakfast and the kitchen was clean, I drove up-country to Waimea. I picked up the pantry staples I needed at the large grocery store up there and I visited some of my favorite small shops. Waimea was home to one of the largest private ranches in the country and cowboys were a common sight; many of the local shops and businesses paid homage to the town's
paniolo
history.

I had finished my grocery shopping and wandered through several of the shops in town when I started getting hungry. I was driving past a sandwich shop on my way back to the Jorgensens, debating whether to go in and spend part of my paycheck on one of their delicious wraps, when I saw Liko sitting outside under an umbrella. He hadn't seen me. I had slowed the car to pull over and call out to him when the door to the shop opened and his face lit up. Barbie was coming out of the shop holding a small tray. She sat down next to him and placed her hand on his thigh as she leaned over and kissed him.

Had she no shame? No respect for Lars? For Dr. Rutledge? Did Liko not care who saw them together? For a brief moment I considered getting out of the car and going to confront them, but reason prevailed. Barbie would probably fire me on the spot and I could possibly lose Liko as a friend too. It was best to handle the problem another way. As much as it would hurt Liko, I wished Barbie would leave him and find someone else. Their relationship was complicating everything, and if the police found out about it, there would be no end to the speculation about Dr. Rutledge's death.

I drove back to the Jorgensens, lost in thought. Lars was in the driveway when I pulled in.

“Surf's up at Upolu,” he said in greeting. “I'm heading up there now. Marcus is at school or I'd take him. And I was going to invite Liko, but I can't find him.”

I bit my lip and didn't say anything. I told myself it was none of my business. The relationships among Lars, Liko, and Barbie were not my concern.

And I didn't want to hurt Lars by telling him the truth.

“If I see him, I'll let him know,” I promised, then I hurried past him and into the house. I went into the kitchen, where I made myself a shrimp Caesar salad for lunch. My desire for a wrap had evaporated as soon as I had seen Liko and Barbie together in Waimea. I was feeling down; I didn't even want to eat on the lanai, where the sunshine and trade winds would mock my mood. Instead, I took a tray into my den and ate my lunch in there.

Where was Meli? She always came sniffing around when I had shrimp. I called to her, but she didn't appear. I shrugged and continued eating. I ate slowly while I flipped through the television channels, and I muted the sound when I heard a noise coming from my bedroom. I hoped Meli wasn't trapped somewhere. I remembered she had once gotten herself stuck inside the box spring of my bed back in Washington and I'd had to rescue her. She hadn't been as appreciative as I had thought she'd be and I had the scratches to prove it. I hoped she hadn't pulled the same stunt again.

I walked into my bedroom, listening for the noise again. I heard something behind me and turned just in time to see Geoffrey closing the door quietly behind me. I'm sure he heard me inhale sharply. He must have known I was terrified, but I tried to keep my voice level as I spoke to him.

“Geoffrey, why are you here?”

“I just wanted to see you, that's all.”

“You can't just come here like this. You have to be invited like everyone else.”

“But you're my girlfriend. I should be able to see you whenever I want.”

“No, Geoffrey. I'm not your girlfriend. Not anymore.” His lips were a thin white line. He took a step toward me and I backed away.

“You don't really feel that way,” he said quietly. Somehow the tone of his voice was more terrifying than the fact that he was in my room.

“Yes I do. I can't be your girlfriend anymore because you are not the person I thought you were.” I felt like I was talking to a five-year-old.

“I'm the same person I always was,” he said in a whine, his shoulders drooping. “You have just been ignoring me because of that jerk Liko.” He spat Liko's name, as if it left a bad taste in his mouth. “I wish Liko was dead!”

“Liko has been a good friend since we were little. We grew up together,” I said in a soothing voice, hoping to talk some sense into him.

“Good friend,” he sneered.

“Yes. Good friend,” I replied quietly.

“I'm going to kill your
good friend,
” Geoffrey hissed through clenched teeth.

I had listened to enough. I couldn't go on lying to Geoffrey about Liko, because I was afraid now that my lie might actually put Liko in danger.

“Geoffrey, listen to me. I lied about Liko. I'm not dating him. I just said that to keep you away from me. I'm sorry.”

He gave a loud snort. “Ha! You expect me to believe that? You can't protect him, Kailani. Don't even try.”

“I'm telling the truth, Geoffrey. He has a girlfriend, but it's not me.”

He took another step toward me. His nostrils were flaring and his eyes blazed. I had backed up to the edge of the bed, so I scrambled over it to the other side.

“Kailani, I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to talk. About us.”

“Geoffrey, there is no
us
. There's nothing to talk about. My life is here, and you belong back in Washington.”

“My life is here too. With you.” He came around to my side of the bed and grabbed my arm.

“Geoffrey, that hurts.”

“You've hurt me too. In here,” he said, pointing to his chest. “And if you hurt me, I have a right to hurt you.”

“No you don't, Geoffrey. You have no right to hurt me.” My breath was becoming shallow and ragged, when out of the corner of my eye I saw a quick movement between the bed and the nightstand. Meli. Geoffrey apparently hadn't seen her, and she obviously wasn't keen to see Geoffrey, as she had hidden from him. They say animals are better judges of people than other people are, and my thoughts flitted back for a moment to my apartment in Washington, when Meli had refused to let Geoffrey pet her. She had known, and I hadn't.

I was jerked back to the present as Geoffrey dug his fingernails into the flesh of my arm. In an instant I bent down, with Geoffrey still holding one of my arms, and snatched Meli around her midsection with my other arm. Geoffrey was so startled that he let go of me for a moment, and I seized my opportunity.

Praying that Meli would forgive me, I threw her at Geoffrey's face and ran to yank the bedroom door open. Behind me I heard the cat yowl and hiss and Geoffrey scream. I knew her claws had sunk into his skin.

Meli extricated herself from the situation rapidly, because before I could even reach the den door she streaked by me and squeezed herself under the small sofa. Knowing she was safe from Geoffrey's reach, I ran into the kitchen and jerked open the drawer that had the police officer's business card in it. There was no one else who could help me—Lars was surfing, Liko was up in Waimea with Barbie. I didn't know how much help Akela would be. Geoffrey was yelling my name and got to the den door as I turned the corner down the hallway outside the kitchen.

I ran into Lars's office and locked the door behind me seconds before Geoffrey started banging on the door. I grasped my cell phone with trembling fingers and dialed the number on the card.

“Kailani! Let me in! We need to talk!”