“Jillian didn’t want to believe Noah would steal her research either,” Mano pointed out. “The Bible says a man’s heart is desperately wicked, and who can know it? We’re all capable of more evil than we realize.”
She’d always known Mano was religious. Though she attended church, it seemed to have less and less relevance to her life. “Let’s keep to the facts,” she said. “My brother is not evil.” But she wasn’t as sure as her voice sounded. How did he get all that money? And why would he let them think he was dead?
“Whoever it is, you need protection. Since there’s nothing of value in the garage, it’s likely someone was trying to gain access to the house. We need to tighten security out here.” He glanced around the garage. “I’ll add some locks. Do you have any big chests we can move in front of the windows?”
“There’s an antique shelving system over here.” She led him to a monster unit that used to be a sort of post office.
He groaned. “I’ll get a hernia moving it.”
“I’ll help you.” She flexed her arm to show her muscle, and then grinned at his amused expression.
Mano’s grin faded. He looked around. “There’s an appliance dolly. That will help.” He went to the dolly and wheeled it back to the shelf unit. “Stand back.”
She stood her ground. “I’ll help. I’m no hothouse orchid—I’m the hardy Hawaiian type.” She got on one side without waiting for him to answer. She found a fingerhold and heaved it an inch off the floor, though her muscles protested. Together they managed to get the unit onto the dolly and moved it in front of the broken window.
Mano was sweating by the time they finished, and a sheen of perspiration dampened Annie’s face as well. “What about the other window?” she asked.
“The bars are intact there. But I could nail some boards across it.” Mano rummaged through a lumber pile left from when Tomi built the back deck. He emerged with several boards, which he nailed in a crosshatch pattern across the window.
“That should hold them,” he said in satisfaction. “I need to call a locksmith.”
They went inside, where she gave him the phone book. While he made his call, she went to the back deck and sat in the moonlight. Inhaling the fragrance of the flowers, she realized her brother could walk through the door any minute. Leilani too. Their family would be complete again. At least as complete as it was ever going to be with Mother gone.
Seven
Mano was wide awake and on edge when he left the Tagama house. Too keyed up to go back to his hotel room, he decided to finish scouting out the adjoining land that belonged to Kauhi. He kept his headlights off and crept along the dark road illuminated only by the moon. Parking in the black gravel, he pulled out his key and got out.
Rocks loomed like dragons in the dark, unfamiliar landscape. His sneakers crunched on the rough rock underfoot even though he tried to be quiet. The night air held a scent of flowers. There was no wind, so every noise seemed loud. If Kauhi was alert, he’d be shooting that rifle with no warning. It was probably stupid to be out here.
A light shone in the shack where the old man lived. Mano could see a shadow moving inside. Good. At least Kauhi wasn’t prowling around out here in the dark. The windows were open, and Mano could hear the old guy singing a tuneless song in Hawaiian. He skirted the cabin and wandered through a moonscape land of barren lava fields softened by the occasional ohia tree and tree fern. He nearly fell into several holes. What was wrong with him? His head felt strange—fuzzy. Realization dawned. He was having a diabetic reaction. He needed to get back to the car and take care of it.
He stumbled back the way he came, crashing into boulders and stumbling over shrubs. His confusion and befuddlement deepened, and it wasn’t until he was back to his car that he realized something was running down his face. He opened his car door and touched the sticky mess on his head. His hand came away bloody. Did the old man shoot at him? Mano couldn’t remember. He fell into the car and fumbled in the glove box. His lips were numb as he managed to unwrap a Hershey’s Kiss. He popped it in his mouth and chomped it down quickly. Leaning his head back against the headrest, he waited for the hypoglycemic symptoms to subside.
His body was betraying him. Rage and frustration bubbled behind his foggy state. He didn’t want this—didn’t want to be less than whole and strong. The exertion at Annie’s must have tapped his blood sugars and led to this sinking spell. The helplessness of the diagnosis made the future seem as murky as his thoughts. His mind began to clear as the carbs kicked up his blood-sugar level. He opened his eyes and held out his hand. It shook, and he realized he was still too shaky to explore Kauhi’s tonight.