“I didn’t want your pity.”
She flinched. “What’s your prognosis? I don’t know much about diabetes.” She sounded worried.
“I’ll be fine. I just have to take insulin shots and monitor my meals. I messed up this morning. I was in such a hurry I didn’t eat right. I’m okay now.”
“Good, because the funeral is about to start.” Annie took his arm in a matter-of-fact way. “I want to sit at the back and see who all is here. They say a murderer usually returns to his victim. Maybe whoever killed Noah is here.”
Annie’s heels sank into the soft, uneven ground, and she stumbled. Mano caught her arm, and she gave him a grateful smile. Most of the mourners were beginning to disband after the interment ceremony. She had seen no suspicious characters at the funeral, just close family and a few of Noah’s friends.
Mano drew her toward a lovely Hawaiian woman who stood off to one side. “Makuahine, I’d like you to meet Annie. Annie, this is my mother, Faye Latchet.”
His mother? Annie had heard his mother had deserted him when he was a kid. But there was no mistaking the resemblance. Mano had her eyes.
Faye held out her hand. “I’ve heard so much about your family. I’m sorry to hear about the problems you’ve all been having.”
Annie shook her hand. “Mahalo. Are you going to be on the island long?”
Faye patted her son’s hand with obvious fondness. “I was going to leave this afternoon, but I might hang around a day or two and make sure Mano is going to be okay. I heard about the low blood-sugar attack that happened before I arrived.”
“I’m fine.” Mano waved his hand. An irritated frown crouched between his eyes. “I hate people to fuss over me. Just drop it.”
His mother’s uncertain laugh touched Annie. Their relationship must be fragile. She glanced toward Mano to reprove him, but a movement caught her attention. A big man stood on the grass by a mausoleum. He wasn’t looking at the structure though, he was staring at the group under the awning. Could it be Tab Watson? “Mano, who is the man back there? Is it Tab Watson?”
Mano turned to look, then his frown deepened. “Sure is. Or rather it’s Kim Aki, his real name.” He turned back around. “I don’t want him to see me until I’m ready to talk to him.”
The color in his mother’s cheeks waned. “Aki? The same one who was involved with Kaia’s kidnapping?”
“Yeah, that’s him.”
“Why isn’t he in jail?” She started toward Aki, but Mano grabbed her arm.
“He turned state’s evidence.”
Faye was glaring at the man, and Annie had to cover her smile with her hand. She was like a bantam hen ready to defend her chicks. Maybe they were alike, in spite of their obvious differences of dress and elegance. Annie caught Mano’s eye, and he grinned and winked at her. He put his arm around his mother. “Let’s go back to town, and I’ll buy you a fruit smoothie.”
Annie cast a last look over her shoulder at Aki, but he’d left. She wondered if he was the one who had killed Noah.
Nineteen
After the fruit smoothie, Mano, Annie, and Fawn dropped his mother at the airport, then went back to the funeral home. Annie’s SUV wouldn’t start when they arrived, so Mano volunteered to take her and Fawn home. They dropped Fawn off, then drove to Annie’s. The two hardly spoke on the way home. Mano seemed to be able to sense her mood, a rare ability. She liked the way she could be quiet around him without any discomfort.
She dropped her purse on the end table. “Want some coffee?” she asked him.
He grimaced. “Your coffee is like tea. I’ll fix it.”
He went toward the kitchen with the natural movements of someone who had been at home here for many years. Annie didn’t want to think about how well he fit into her life. His presence here was temporary. She sat on the couch and leaned her head back. Wilson chirped at Annie’s feet. “I’m fine, Wilson.” She lifted her head and looked at the mongoose. Once he knew he had her attention, he ran in a circle chasing his tail, then ran straight up the wall. She laughed, and he ran to her and climbed into her lap. She ran her fingers over his sleek head.
She didn’t know what was going to happen to Tomi. Had the men at the bank followed him? Was he in danger? When he turned up, he’d explain how his tags got to Noah’s body.
Soon the aroma of coffee began to drift into the living room. “Smells strong,” she called.
“It will help us think,” Mano said, carrying two steaming cups into the room. He handed one to her.
She took it and sniffed. “I’m not sure I’m up for shaving my legs tonight.”
He burst into laughter. Wilson raised his head in alarm. Mano’s grin was still wide when he nodded. “Try it. You have good Kona coffee, and even strong, it’s not bitter.”
She took a cautious sip. He’d laced it with a hefty dose of sugar and milk. “It’s good,” she said.