Evan continued to smile. “Better grab some acreage while you can.”
“What all do you own?”
“About half of Aloha Shores’s properties. But I’m working on picking up a few more properties. I have a particularly nice lot that overlooks the shore break. Want to take a look?”
It might not hurt to cultivate the connection to Chun. “I’d love to, but I have an engagement I’m late for. Can I have a rain check?”
“How about tomorrow? I have another client interested in that property, and he’s looking at it on Wednesday.”
“I’m free at ten tomorrow.” He might get another chance to look around for Noah. The man had to be around here somewhere.
“Nine would be better.”
“Fine. I’ll meet you at the front gate at nine.” Mano began to walk back toward his car. It was probably a waste of time, but he was curious what Chun had up his sleeve and whether he and his development plans were associated with Noah’s casino people. From what Chun had said, he must know about the casino project. He wondered how many people the man had milked of their property for a song. But maybe he was judging Chun too harshly. The sellers were probably all too glad to unload their property and get back to civilization.
He drove along the black macadam road toward the Tagama house. It wasn’t far from the Aloha Shores estates. He thought again about what Noah had said about the casino project. Maybe today would be a good time to ask Annie if she’d been approached to sell the family property.
Annie was standing in the yard when he pulled up. She was smiling, and he suddenly noticed how white and even her teeth were. Her dark eyes sparkled, and there was a flush to her cheeks. His own lips curved in an answering smile as he ran down the window. “Hey, what’s up? Did Leilani call?” Her smile faltered at his question, then came blasting back at a full wattage.
She shook her head, and her silky hair swung against her cheek. “No, but Tomi did. We’re supposed to meet him and Leilani at the Place of Refuge.”
“Leilani is with him?
She bit her lip. “He didn’t say, but I’m sure she is.”
He hoped she was right. “We’d better get going. It will be almost dark by the time we get there. What’s he thinking? Couldn’t we have met somewhere closer?”
“I asked him about it, but he didn’t say why he wanted to meet there.” She hopped in the car and fastened her seat belt. “I left a note for Father and told him we’d be gone until late.” Her blush deepened. “I told him I was going to dinner with you.”
“I guess I’d better buy you dinner then, to make an honest woman out of you.” He grinned and dropped the gearshift into drive. From the corner of his eye, he saw her biting her lip and knew he’d embarrassed her even more. Still, he began to look forward to spending the evening with her.
“You don’t have to do that,” she said in a low voice.
“I want to. We’ll see Tomi, then stop for dinner at the Kilauea Restaurant.” The restaurant at Volcano was renowned for its unusual dishes like antelope and rabbit. The thought made his mouth water, and he realized he hadn’t eaten since breakfast.
“That’s too expensive,” she protested.
“You’re worth it,” he told her with a grin. “Besides, I’m on vacation.”
“Some vacation.”
“You don’t know the half of it.” He told her about the conversation with Evan Chun. “Has he approached you to sell?”
“Not that I know of. If he had, we might be tempted.” She looked away.
“Money troubles?” he asked cautiously.
“You don’t know how badly.” A long pause stretched between them before she continued. “Father took out a mortgage on the property without telling me and spent it on some research equipment. We’ve never been able to get caught up, and the bank is threatening to foreclose.”
Noah had implied that the Tagama land was part of the casino project. Was that because Tomi had already negotiated to sell it? Mano decided to probe. “Who holds the deed to the property?”
She raised her eyebrows but answered him. “My father, of course. Why?”
He shrugged. “I’m still wondering how Tomi got two million dollars.”
She inhaled sharply. “You’re thinking he might have sold our property?” She was shaking her head as she asked the question. “Even if he had the power, it wouldn’t be worth that much. Not so close to the volcano.”
He decided to tell her what he knew. “It might be if a casino wanted to build on it.”
“What are you talking about?”
He told her what Noah had said.
“But that’s crazy! Why would they build a casino there? Another lava flow could happen along at any time. Besides, there are prettier locations.”
“But the volcanoes are a huge draw. And there’s no other night life around. It would probably be a huge success.”
“It doesn’t matter anyway. The deed is in my father’s name. Tomi couldn’t touch it.”