House of the Hanging Jade (9 page)

Liko, Marcus, and Justine dug into their dinner with surprising gusto. They seemed to enjoy the fish even more than I thought they would.

While they were eating, Barbie came home from the office and joined the rest of them at the table. I hadn't seen Lars since lunch.

“How are the lessons going, Liko?” I heard Barbie ask.

“Great! Right, Marcus?”

“Yeah. I've gotten a couple good grades this week.”

“Liko, it's all thanks to your help,” Barbie said sweetly.

I couldn't see Marcus from where I stood, but I had a feeling he was rolling his eyes. As good as Liko was, Marcus had something to do with his better grades too.

Marcus and Liko did homework in the family room after dinner, since it was too windy on the lanai. They worked late into the evening on Marcus's science project. Justine seemed content to be in the room with them, listening to music on her headphones. I took them all some popcorn right before Justine went to bed.

Lars poked his head in while I was in the family room. “Liko, surf's up tomorrow at Pohoiki. Want to go?”

“Sure!” Liko answered with a big smile.

“Can I go sometime, Dad?” Marcus asked.

“Sure! Maybe over the weekend.”

Marcus smiled happily and got back to work. He and Liko bent their heads over a science textbook and spoke together in low voices. Lars looked at me and nodded. He seemed to have made a new friend too.

T
he next morning I made sure I had on hand all the ingredients we would need to make a spicy ahi
poke
. Marcus went to school—I walked to the bus stop with him and Justine and watched them both get on the bus—since I had told him that I wouldn't help with the
poke
fund raiser if he skipped again.

Liko came looking for me as soon as I got back. “K? Can I talk to you in your room?”

“Sure, Liko. Is everything okay?”

He shrugged. “I guess so.” He helped himself to a cup of coffee and followed me into my den. He seemed to be in a pensive mood.

“Is this about Marcus?” I asked quickly. “Because I talked to him about yesterday and—”

“What about yesterday?” Liko looked at me quizzically.

Apparently this wasn't about Marcus skipping school. “Oh. Never mind. What do you want to talk about?”

Liko took a deep breath and leaned in toward me. “K, it's just that Barbie is coming on to me. What do I do?”

Uh-oh.
I stared at him. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. First Doug, now Liko. What was she thinking?

“Are you sure?” I already knew the answer.

He smirked at me. “K, I'm not
pupule
. I know when I'm being hit on.”

“Okay, okay, Liko. I just can't believe she'd do that to her family after all everyone has been through. What are you going to do about it?”

“I really like her, K. But I know it's the wrong thing to do. I'm really torn.”

“If you know it's the wrong thing to do, then there's your answer. Don't do anything stupid,” I urged him. “And don't forget that Lars is your friend too. And your boss.”

He hung his head. “I know. I know. But things aren't good between them.”

“Things will be much worse if you and Barbie . . .” I trailed off.

“I know,” he repeated. “I'll see you later. Lars and I are going up to Pohoiki today.”

I was dismayed that Liko would even consider a relationship with Barbie. I was also worried about the kids, about the family, and my job, if the Jorgensens' marriage crumbled. I was preparing dinner that afternoon when Marcus came into the kitchen. “Have you seen Liko?” he asked.

“He's surfing at Pohoiki with your dad. Anything I can help you with?”

“Nah. I have a question for him about my math test.”

“How'd you do on it?”

“I got an A,” he said with a wide smile. “But I got one wrong and I need him to explain it to me.”

“Nice job! I'll tell him you're looking for him when I see him.”

Liko was home in time for dinner. He and Lars joined the kids on the lanai for homemade pizza. It was a big hit. Lars and Liko regaled the kids during dinner with stories of their surfing prowess. As I refilled glasses of
lilikoi
iced tea, I saw Marcus's eyes shining with excitement. “Are you still planning to go surfing this weekend?” he asked. “I want to go.”

“Sure thing, son,” said Lars.

I was glad Marcus had something to look forward to. Time with his dad would be good for him.

At 5:00 the next morning my alarm went off. I texted Marcus.

I waited for him in the kitchen, then we went out to my car in the darkness and headed for the fish market. On the way we picked up James so he could help choose the fish for our
poke
. Both boys were tired, but they seemed to be excited. They wrinkled their noses when we walked into the fish market. We weren't the only ones there; there were two fishermen talking to the owner, and one chef waiting patiently for his fish to be wrapped. When it was our turn, I told the boys to ask the owner for two very large pieces of sashimi-grade ahi. If we needed more, we could always return to the market before school started.

We took the fish back to the house and went straight to the kitchen. We had also bought some
masago
. The boys weren't thrilled with the idea of putting roe into the
poke
with the raw ahi, but I convinced them that it would add a beautiful texture and flavor to the
poke
. Justine came into the kitchen just as we were starting, so she helped us. We sliced the deep red ahi into small cubes and coated them with sesame oil, added Japanese mayonnaise, Hawaiian salt, scallions, onion, wasabi oil, and the brilliant orange
masago
.

Marcus stood back and snapped a photo of the
poke
when we were done. He showed it to me with a smile. “This looks so cool!” he said, beaming. James looked over my shoulder and nodded.

“You need to try it now,” I told them. “A good chef never lets anything leave the kitchen without tasting it first.”

James went first and pronounced it delicious. His family ate a lot of
poke
, he told me, and our homemade version was better than he had ever tasted. I was thrilled.

Next it was Marcus's turn. He looked at me, then James, then took a big chunk of the ahi and popped it in his mouth. He chewed and smiled.

“
Ewww
,” said Justine.

“You should try it, Justine,” he urged. “It's really good.”

“No, thanks. I don't eat raw fish.”

He shrugged. “Your loss. Kailani, can you drive us to school so we don't have to carry the
poke
on the bus?”

“Sure.”

Just then Lars walked into the kitchen. “Is there any coffee, Kailani?” He stopped and looked at the large bowls of
poke
sitting on the counter. “What's all this?”

“There's a
poke
fund raiser at school today. Kailani helped me and James make
poke
to sell. It's really good. Want to try some?”

Lars looked at his son dubiously. “Isn't that raw fish?”

Marcus grinned. “Yeah, but try it. It's good.” He handed Lars a fork. “You're really supposed to eat it with chopsticks.”

“All right. I'll just try a small piece.” He chose a tiny piece of ahi and closed his eyes tightly as he put the fish in his mouth. We all waited expectantly for his reaction.

He nodded as he chewed. “This isn't bad at all. I expected something much different.” He looked at Marcus appreciatively. “You made this?”

Marcus smiled proudly. “Kailani helped us make it. We used her recipe.”

“I didn't know you were interested in cooking,” Lars marveled. He helped himself to another piece. “This is actually very good. You taking all of this to school?”

“Yeah.”

“Maybe you can make some more for dinner,” Lars suggested. Then he poured himself a cup of coffee, wished the kids a good day, and went off whistling to his office.

Marcus wore a wide smile. “Can we make more after school?”

I nodded. “I'll go pick up more fish after I drop you all off.”

We set off, the kids talking happily in the backseat. It was nice to see Marcus happy and excited about going to school. I would have to tell Liko—he would be thrilled for Marcus.

My thoughts darkened as they turned to Liko. I wondered whether he would give in to Barbie's charms or do the right thing and continue as nothing more than Marcus's tutor. Barbie could be captivating, but I had also seen that she was capable of willingly causing great pain to her family. And Liko, who didn't have a girlfriend, could easily give in. Barbie was pretty, petite, lively, and gregarious—just the combination that Liko would find attractive. I decided to talk to him about Barbie again that evening.

But Barbie had other plans. She came home early, in time for dinner with the family, with an announcement. Orchid Isle Wellness had won a coveted award, an “
Ono
” Island Favorite. The wellness center had been voted by residents and visitors to be the best provider of wellness services on the Big Island and this meant the Jorgensens would be hosting a celebration.

Lars took her by the elbow and drew her to the small dining room near the kitchen. They probably didn't realize I could hear their entire conversation.

“Barbie, you shouldn't be throwing a big party so soon after Doug's death. It's in poor taste. We don't even know who killed him yet.”

She scoffed. “You think I don't know you did it?” she hissed. “You think I don't know how jealous you were of Doug? Of my relationship with him?”

“
What?
” he spluttered.

“You're just lucky I've protected you. So far. We're having this party, Lars.”

“What are you talking about?” he whispered loudly. “I didn't kill Doug! I couldn't care less what you were doing with him! I just couldn't stand to see the kids being hurt. You're nothing but a selfish—”

“Dad!” Marcus's voice could be heard coming from the other end of the lanai. “Dad! Want some
poke
for dinner? I made more after school.”

“We'll continue this later,” Lars said curtly.

“We certainly will.”

I ducked into my room until I figured Lars and Barbie were both gone, since I didn't want them to think I had heard their argument. I hoped they would both eat the
poke
. I knew Justine wouldn't, but it was important to Marcus that his parents enjoy the meal he had made.

And they did. Lars came into the kitchen after dinner and thanked me for helping Marcus make the
poke
. Barbie followed him several minutes later, exclaiming that Marcus had made the best
poke
she'd had in a long time. I was thrilled for him.

Barbie stayed in the kitchen for quite a long time, discussing her plans for the award celebration.

“We'll be inviting everyone from the office. Let's see . . . that's Lars and me, the other doctors and their significant others, the massage therapists, the receptionists, the nutritionist, the office manager. Let's plan for forty people. I'd rather have too much food than not enough. Can you come up with a menu for me?”

I nodded, reaching for a pen and paper.

“I'd like to serve a mix of healthy and decadent snacks,” she began. “You know, crudités, bruschetta, yogurt dips. And then a selection of savory, rich hors d'oeuvres for the people who prefer that sort of thing, and of course, small desserts.”

I wrote furiously, trying to keep up with her wishes. “I'll put a list of pupus together and you can let me know if it looks okay,” I told her.

She wrinkled her nose. “Pupus,” she repeated. “I never liked that word.” She waved a hand in the air. “English works just fine for me.”

I ignored her slight jab and told her I would have a list for her in the morning.

Marcus came to see me that evening as I sat on the lanai on a large daybed with a book and a cup of tea. “I just wanted to thank you for helping me and James. We sold out of our
poke
at school today and almost nobody else did. We raised a lot of money for the school too.” He smiled at me shyly.

“I was happy to help, Marcus. You're a talented cook. Anytime you want to help me make a meal or want help doing it yourself, let me know.”

He nodded and walked away. Liko wandered by just a short while later. “I hear the
poke
you and Marcus made was a big success.”

“That's what he told me. I hope he gains some confidence from this and starts to make some more friends. He made another batch for dinner. There's some in the fridge if you want it.”

“I ate already, but thanks. I just wanted to tell you that I think you're helping him just as much as the tutoring is.”

“Thanks, Liko.” He wandered off and I was left alone with my book again. I clicked off the lamp glowing next to me, set the book aside, and spent the next few minutes being mesmerized by the moonlight rippling on the waves. I let my mind empty of worries about the Jorgensens and allowed the serenity of the evening to seep into my mind.

It was getting late. I wasn't tired yet, so I walked slowly down the length of the lanai, unable to take my eyes off the moonlit black water, listening to the insects nearby and the waves
shooshing
into the rocky shoreline just a short distance away.

At the end of the lanai I turned
mauka
and walked slowly past Marcus's room and toward the front of the house. As I turned the corner toward the front door, I stopped short when I saw someone stealing out the door and whisking down the breezeway under the veils of hanging jade. I froze and flattened my body against the wall, my heart pounding and my breath caught in my throat. Was it all going to happen again? Was tragedy going to strike this house once more? Was I watching a murderer steal away in the night?

As the figure stepped onto the path between the breezeway and the guesthouse, soft light from one of the landscaping lamps illuminated the person's face.

I watched as she made her way to the side of the guesthouse that was facing me. I remained on the lanai, hidden in the shadows. Barbie knocked quietly on the door, glancing around behind her as she waited for admittance. The door swung open and Liko appeared in the doorway. She ducked under his arm and the door closed behind her.

I groaned inwardly and pleaded silently with Liko, as if he could hear me.
Don't do it! Don't destroy this family!
My heart broke for Lars and the children as my anger toward Liko and Barbie increased quickly from a simmer to a rolling boil with each furtive step I took toward the front door.