She glanced at her Bible on the stand beside her bed and reached for it, then changed her mind and picked up a thick research paper she’d been wanting to read. Flipping open the cover, she pulled her knees into a tent position and propped the manual on her legs. Wilson poked his head between the pages and closed his eyes.
She laughed and eased him onto her chest. The article was just getting interesting when the phone rang. Wilson sprang to his feet and began to bark. Annie brought her hand to her throat. Who would call at this hour? The luminous numbers on her alarm clock said twelve twenty. She almost let it ring, then realized it might be Tomi.
She picked it up and clicked it on. “Hello?” she said softly.
“Annie?”
The voice was like nothing she’d ever heard. Some kind of weird electronic sound altered the person’s voice. Her pulse kicked into high gear. Maybe it was Leilani—or someone who had her. “This is Annie.” Her knuckles hurt where she gripped the phone.
“This is just the beginning,” the voice whispered. “Are you enjoying the ride, Annie? Better fasten your seat belt, it’s going to get rough. Your family ruined my life. Now it’s your turn. And it’s all Tomi’s fault.”
“Who are you?” Annie heard the panic in her voice, but she didn’t care. “What do you want? Is this about Leilani?”
The laugh that followed raised the hair on the back of her neck. “She’ll join her mother in hell. You ever wonder how she really died?”
Annie heard a click. “Hello? Hello?” She shook the phone, then threw it across the room and burst into tears. What had the caller meant about her mother? She’d committed suicide. Annie kicked off the covers and practically fell out of bed in her scramble to retrieve the phone. She had to call the police. She got through to the station and told the officer on duty about the call. He took down all the information.
“So you weren’t specifically threatened? Maybe it was someone who knows your sister is missing and is trying to rattle you.”
Annie hadn’t thought of that. “You think so?” She wished she could believe it. “The voice seemed so—so—evil.” She clung to the hope that Leilani was with Tomi. If she only knew for sure.
“Those electronic voice synthesizers can really be upsetting,” the officer said. “We’ll check it out. I’ll talk to Sam about putting a tap on your phone.”
She didn’t mention what the caller said about her mother. No sense in putting the call into even more dispute by passing along that lie. Annie hung up the phone not at all comforted.
Eight
The fresh, clean scent of the sea washed over Annie’s face. Nani did a backward flip and splashed her, and Annie laughed. Nani had such personality. Annie slipped her mask over her head and let it dangle around her neck. Yesterday after church, the day had dragged by while she waited for the phone to ring. It never did. Her work today would keep her mind off the silence in the house.
Fawn sat on the edge of the boat and pulled on her fins. “You’re sure Nani knows what she’s supposed to do?” she asked Jillian, who was steering. Wilson stood on his hind legs on the dash. His nose quivered as he sniffed the wind.
Jillian nodded. “Kaia showed her and said she was ready.” Her voice was hoarse, and she fished a tissue out of her pocket and wiped her red nose. “We’re always hearing stories of wild dolphins helping people who are shipwrecked or drowning. This is my first up-close-and-personal experience with a wild dolphin though, and I’m disappointed I don’t get to go out with you.”
“Where is Kaia?” Annie asked. She pulled on her own fins. The brilliant turquoise of the bay washed away the last traces of the weekend’s stress. There was no sense in worrying right now anyway. She couldn’t do anything until she heard from Tomi and Leilani.
“She went back to Kaua’i. She’s in the middle of wedding plans.” Jillian cut the engine, and the boat sloughed sideways. “It’s a little rough out here. I should be going down with you.” She wiped her nose again.
“We’ll be fine.” Annie slipped into the water, and it wrapped her in a warm caress. Wilson leaned over the edge of the boat and barked at the dolphin. Nani rose out of the water, twirling several times before splashing back down. She swam to the boat and chattered at Wilson.
“I think she likes Wilson,” Annie said. She hit the water with the palm of her hand, and the dolphin swam to her. Nani thrust her nostrum into Annie’s hand. She smiled and patted Nani. The wet inner-tube feel of the dolphin’s skin brought a sense of comfort that surprised her. “Ready to help us, Nani?”