“I think that would be good,” Annie said. A strange sensation swept over her, a yearning that she found hard to recognize. Mano had mentioned God earlier in the day as well. It must be nice to have that kind of close relationship with God, that kind of peace and certainty. She went through most of her days without giving God a thought.
What did she have, really? An obscure job studying volcanoes, a family that hardly noticed her unless the laundry needed to be done, and no social life to speak of. She stirred restlessly on the wicker sofa. Maybe Fawn was right—about everything.
Heidi gripped Annie’s hand and prayed a halting yet somehow confident prayer for God to watch over her dad and to take care of her mom and her. The trust and total belief in Heidi’s voice gripped Annie by the throat. She tried to be strong for her family, but she wished she could let go. Maybe there was more, something deeper, that she was missing.
Heidi nestled against her, and soon her rhythmic breathing told Annie that she’d fallen asleep. With her arm around the little girl, Annie was wedged into the cushion. She heard a car door slam at the front of the house, then the sound of an engine starting. Maybe Sam was done with Jillian.
The quality of the air changed. The sensation that she wasn’t alone brought her head around, and she saw the shadow of Mano’s bulk in the doorway. “She’s asleep,” Annie whispered. “How’s Jillian?”
“Devastated and blaming herself for not listening when Noah wanted to talk.”
“You can’t blame her after what he did.”
“I know, but she is. I called Jesse and Kaia. They’re on their way and should be here by midnight, along with our mother. My grandfather is still not feeling well, so Bane will stay with him.”
“You sound tired.” The lanai was too dark to see well, its only illumination the dim spill of light from the house. But she heard the fatigue in his voice. His usual confidence seemed subdued.
He moved into the lanai and sank onto a chair that faced her. The light from the house touched his face, and she saw the weary lines around his eyes. “Is Jesse doing okay?”
“He’s upset, of course. He really liked Noah.”
“Does Sam have any idea what happened?”
Mano shook his head. “Noah was shot in the back of the head from close range. Definitely murder. Sam’s trying to find Tomi.”
“Tomi had nothing to do with it.”
“You have to admit it looks bad that his dog tags were by Noah’s body.”
“There has to be some other explanation. Do they suspect Jillian?”
“I’m sure they’ll look at her too. Did she have an alibi? Did you see her today?”
Annie shook her head. “No alibi. She was out by herself at the lava fields all day.”
He grunted. “That’s not good.”
“You’re going to wish you’d never come here on leave,” she blurted.
“Not a chance,” he said softly. “I wouldn’t want to miss being here and helping out.”
She could feel his stare, taste the way his gaze traveled over her face and lingered on her lips. She knew he couldn’t forget the afternoon any more than she could. She didn’t know if that was good or bad. Either way, she wasn’t in his league, and when she hit the bump back to reality, the fall might destroy her.
Eighteen
The area buzzed with the news of the murder. Annie wasn’t able to get much work done over the next day with coworkers stopping to ask how she found the body. She parried the discreet and not-so-discreet questions about how Tomi’s dog tags happened to be there.
She took a bite of the granola bar she’d pinched from Fawn and stared at her computer screen. None of the numbers made sense to her tired brain.
“Annie?” Gina stood in the doorway. “Monica had a flat after lunch. The earthquake swarms have increased. I need you and Fawn to get some lava samples.” She glanced at her watch. “If you take the ATV, you should still be able to get out there and back by four.”
Lava samples. Annie stood, and her sudden movement knocked papers to the floor. She knelt and scooped them up. “I— I can’t, Gina. Please don’t ask me.” The papers in her hands shook.
“If there was anyone else to ask, I would. But Monica won’t be back today. And Shawn is on the other side of the park working on a broken GPS receiver. Obviously, Jillian won’t be in for at least a week. Besides, the only way to get over this fear is to face it, sweetie. You can do it.”
The compassion in her boss’s voice made Annie’s eyes burn. “You’re right. I know you’re right.” She took a deep breath. The key to the ATV was on the top of her filing cabinet. She picked it up.
“Good girl,” Gina said with approval in her voice. “Fawn is already outside.”
Annie wouldn’t have been surprised to see her knees knocking together. She went down the hall and out into the parking lot. Fawn was strapping their equipment to her ATV. Her eyes widened when she saw Annie. “Isn’t Shawn coming?”
Annie shook her head. “No, Gina wants me to do it. And Shawn is on the other side of the park.”
“Are you going to be okay?”
“Do I have a choice? If I want to be a scientist, I’ve got to get over this. Otherwise, I might as well quit now and find another line of work.”