He dug a notebook out of his pocket and jotted down the time he’d taken the candy. His mealtimes were spaced properly. It must have been the extra exertion. The doctor said it would take time to figure out how to regulate his illness, but he needed to be as alert as possible if he was going to help the Tagama family.
As soon as his head and vision cleared, he started the car and drove back to his motel. He parked outside and found his room key. He noticed a figure standing outside his door and then recognized the man. Noah Sommers. Mano got out and quietly closed his car door. Noah was on his cell phone with his back to the road. Mano approached as silently as he could, hopeful he might overhear something that would illuminate Noah’s purpose in returning to the island. Gravel crunched under his feet, and Noah looked up.
“Gotta go,” he said, clicking off his cell phone and pocketing it. “Hey, Mano.” He frowned. “You look like crap. Is that blood on your face?”
“I don’t know. You don’t look any better than I feel.” Noah’s wrinkled aloha shirt appeared to have been slept in, and his hair stood up on end. The dark circles under his eyes added to the malaise on his face. “Were you looking for me?”
“Yeah.” Noah shoved his hands into the pockets of his shorts.
Mano unlocked the door to his room. “Come on in.”
“Mahalo,” Noah said. He followed Mano inside.
The maid had cleaned the room, and it still smelled faintly of pine cleaning products. Mano tossed his key on the desk. “Let me wash my face.” He went to the bathroom and winced when he looked in the mirror. His face was scraped and bloody. No bullet holes though. He must have fallen against lava rock. At least Kauhi hadn’t heard him. After scrubbing his face with soap and water, he went back to the bedroom.
Noah sat in the desk chair doodling on a pad. Mano sat on the edge of the double bed. “So what’s up?”
Noah looked up and dropped the pen on the pad. He laced his fingers together and stared at the faded carpet. “I need your help. I know you don’t really know me, but I don’t know where else to turn. Jillian says you’re with the navy. I can’t go to the cops, so you’re the next best thing.”
Mano was supposed to be on vacation. Apparently there would be no rest on this leave. Mano got up and rummaged in the small refrigerator. “Want a bottle of water?” He missed the old days when he could drink half a dozen cans of Pepsi a day. Now all he drank was water. Just another way his life had changed.
“No thanks.” Noah shifted in the chair and began to jiggle his knee.
Might as well get it over with. Mano went back to the bed. “I’m not sure I can help you. I’m on leave right now.”
“I know, Kaia told me. But I’m desperate. I did something stupid.”
Mano straightened. He’d assumed Noah wanted to talk about Jillian’s research. “Go on.”
Noah looked up finally. “I know it looks bad what I did to my family.”
“Yeah, it does.” Bad wasn’t the word for it. More like disgusting.
“My reasoning seemed sound at the time. Now I’m not so sure. I think I’ve gone from the lava bench into the caldera.” He stood. “Maybe I’ll take that water after all.” He helped himself, unscrewed the cap, and took a swig. He set the bottle down on the desk. “I guess I’d better give you some background.”
Mano wished he would get to the point. “Okay.”
“You ever play craps, Mano?”
Mano blinked. Where was Noah going with this? “Not really. I put a quarter in a one-armed bandit once.”
“Good for you. Don’t ever get started.” He lifted his head and stared at Mano. “We’re a lot alike, I think. You live for the thrill of a new adventure. I can see it in your eyes. So did I once. I gambled and lost my family, my reputation, my career. Take a tip from me and learn to temper that adventurous spirit. The thrill of the chase doesn’t last. An empty house is pretty lonely.”
Mano moved restlessly. Noah’s observations hit a little too close to the mark. “You’d better get on with what you have to say.”
“Our type is always in a hurry.” Noah stared into space. “Sometimes all we’re left with is time.” He blinked, and his eyes came back into focus. “Are you aware there’s going to be a casino on the island? And more than just a casino. A bunch of hotels and homes.”
Mano frowned. “No, but I guess it shouldn’t surprise me. Casinos are a blight everywhere else.”
“They promised me a great job if I could make sure Jillian’s research wasn’t published. So I changed it, made it suit their purposes. I thought I could make her understand. But I don’t even have the words to try to explain it to her.”
Noah’s babbles made no sense to Mano. “Why are you telling me this? What’s this have to do with me being in the navy?”
“I want my family back, and the only way for that to happen is for me to tell the truth. But that might get me killed. If you poke around on your own and uncover the story, I’ll be free to tell what I know.”