Fawn jumped into the conversation. “It’s good to see you, Mano. We’re just about to go fix dinner. You might as well join us.”
Annie caught her breath at her friend’s brazen invitation. Fawn winked at Annie, and Annie scowled back. Her matchmaking wasn’t welcome. Fawn was studiously avoiding her ferocious scowl.
“Sounds great! I’m starved.” Mano picked up Annie’s purse, tucked it under his arm like a football, then followed them to the house.
Annie scooped up the wet mongoose and hurried on ahead. Let Fawn talk to him if she was so eager to invite him to stay for dinner. The two chattered like old friends, and Annie remembered how well the pair had gotten along before Tomi’s death shattered their lives. Jealousy welled in her, and she shoved it away, appalled at the unwelcome emotion. She loved Fawn and wanted her to be happy, but the thought of that happiness involving Mano made her claws come out. She told herself she should be ashamed, but her gloom persisted.
She fixed seared Spam with Hawaiian slaw and macaroni salad. Fawn’s carrot cake would do for dessert.
“You remembered how much I like Spam,” Mano said.
“It’s generally a safe bet for everyone,” she said. “The islands have the highest per capita consumption of Spam in the country.”
Fawn’s cell phone rang. She glanced at the caller ID and made a face. “My brother. I’ll be right back.” She flipped her phone open and walked with it to the living room.
Annie’s father finished his meal. “I don’t wish to be rude, but I have much work to do this evening.”
“Go ahead,” Mano said. “I understand work issues.”
Edega nodded courteously and went to his office.
Annie kept her eyes on her plate. She didn’t have the energy to make small talk with Mano.
Mano cleared his throat. “Are you ever going to get over being mad at me?” he asked softly.
Annie knew she was being childish. “I still have no proof that anything you’ve said is true,” she said. “We wasted half the day looking for Tomi, and there’s no guarantee he’s even alive. Besides, you’ve accused my brother of treason. How do you think I should feel?”
“I think you should trust me.”
“That’s pretty hard to do, considering you left Tomi to die in foreign waters.” Her gaze lingered on his face. “I never took you for a coward. What really happened that day?”
He looked away and didn’t answer her question. “I’ve told you all I know, Annie. I care about your ’ohana. That’s why I’m here.”
She just wished he could care about her with the same passion his voice showed for her family.
Mano left after dinner, begging off when Fawn threw down the Scrabble challenge. Annie knew he intended to scope out Orson Kauhi’s land. She was so distracted that Fawn beat her in three games of Scrabble.
“Your mind is obviously not on the game,” Fawn said. “I’m done for the night. Will you be at work Monday?”
“I have to be.” She wanted to keep searching for her sister, but she had no idea where to look. Besides, she was already in enough trouble at work. Gina liked her, but she’d made it clear Annie wasn’t to shirk any more duties.
Fawn hugged her. “It will work out. I’ve been praying.”
“Mahalo.”
Fawn smiled and patted her shoulder. “Try to make it to church tomorrow.”
“I’ll try.” Annie shut the door behind her friend, then went to find her father in the garage. Her father had turned it into an office years ago. A top-of-the-line computer sat in one corner, and papers overflowed the battered desk. Seismic equipment was scattered around the room.
“How’s your paper coming?”
“Working on the final touches,” her father said. He gave her a sly glance. “Once my work is published, we’ll have more research money than we know what to do with. I know you’ve been worried about money, but this will fix everything.”
It was always going to fix everything. Annie didn’t know how to tell her father that the research paper was hardly earthshaking. He hypothesized that there had been violent explosive eruptions on Hawai’i in the not-so-distant past, even though the prevailing scientific opinion was that Hawai’i was created by gentle lava flows. Don Swanson’s research had already documented explosive events, but her father had conveniently ignored the other man’s research.
She didn’t have the heart to burst his bubble, not when his face glowed like this. “I’m going to lock my car.” She went to the outside door. The knob jiggled loosely in her hand. She stepped out and angled the door so it caught the light from the garage. She stooped to look at the lock. She’d installed it just last month, but the shiny brass surface was marred with scratches, and deep gouges had been dug into the wood around the hardware. Though the dead bolt and knob lock had foiled the intruder, an uneasy feeling settled in her stomach like a lump of hard lava. Why would someone try to get into the garage? The cars were parked outside.