Even Annie winced at her father’s attitude. Wilson came out from under the chair, and she picked him up and began to stroke his head. Mano eyed the mongoose and wondered about Annie’s purpose in keeping it. Most people on Hawai’i hated the animals for destroying the bird population, and Annie had never been one to go against the grain. She cared too much about what other people thought of her. The animal must mean a lot to her for some reason.
Mano forced the muscles in his jaw to relax. Just get it over with. Annie moved to the chair opposite him. She was staring at a spot just past his right shoulder. A cramp lodged in the calf of his leg, and he began to jiggle his knee up and down.
He wasn’t sure how to start. The silence between them seemed to have a life of its own. Mano heard a mynah squawk from the trees behind the house. A breeze brought the scent of white ginger through the open windows. He tried to gather his thoughts, but they remained a jumble of regret, fear, and anticipation. He cleared his throat.
Annie finally lifted her gaze to his face. “This isn’t a good time. What do you want with us?”
“I thought you might have questions about what happened.” Mano held her gaze.
She swallowed but continued to stare at him steadily. “I have all kinds of questions. Most importantly, why?”
He wanted to pretend he didn’t know what she meant, but he couldn’t play that kind of game with them. But oh, how he didn’t want to explain. “I wish I could make sense of how it happened, but it’s still confused in my head.”
Annie leaned forward. “You let go of him, Mano. He trusted you, and you let him down. And us as well. He would have drowned before he let go of you.” Tears magnified her eyes. “Explain it then.” Wilson squeaked in her grip.
He found himself caught in the depths of her pain-filled eyes. “The mission had been meticulously planned. Four of us were to parachute down with two Zodiac rubber boats. Tomi and I had our scuba gear, and it was our job to extract the kidnapped prisoners from that Iranian hellhole. The drop went just like we’d planned. The boats inflated, and Tomi and I went overboard and swam along the bottom of the bay to shore.” He swallowed hard. He wished he could leave without telling them the full story.
Edega moved toward the door. “I’ll be in my office.” He slammed the door to the garage behind him.
Annie put out her hand as though to stop her father, but Edega didn’t see. What had happened to the caring man Mano used to admire? Mano hadn’t expected a red-carpet welcome, but he had assumed the family dynamics would be the same. Instead, Edega had turned into a petulant child who depended on his daughter for everything. And Annie let him. He wished someone else would help her deal with what he had to tell her.
“Go on,” Annie said.
The cramp in Mano’s leg grew, and he stood and went to stare out the window. He couldn’t watch her face. “When we got to shore, they were waiting for us.” He curled his fingers into the palms of his hands. “Bullets flew around us. Tomi was hit right off. He yelled at me to get out of there. I remember grabbing him and dragging him into the water with me. We left our dive gear behind so we could move faster. We were swimming for the boat.” Tell her. He resisted the impulse. No amount of explanation about his illness would erase what he’d done. Revealing his weakness would make it worse, not better. “I don’t remember anything after that until I woke up on the ship, and they were asking about Tomi.”
“That’s it? You don’t remember? You have to remember what happened.”
He wheeled. Her eyes were dark pools in a face as pale as jasmine rice. “It’s the truth. I can’t change it.”
“I’ve heard enough of this tall tale.” She stood. “Get out.”
“There’s more, Annie.”
“I won’t listen to another word.” She grabbed his arm and tried to tug him away from the window. Surprisingly strong for such a tiny woman, she pulled him toward the door.
He didn’t try to fight her. At the door, her grip slackened, and he pulled his arm from her grasp. “I found a bank account book in Tomi’s things. There’s two million dollars in it.” He plunged his hand into his pocket and withdrew the slim booklet.
Annie swayed as she stared at the account book in his hand. “You’re lying,” she whispered. She reached out to take the book, then snatched her hand back.
“I wish I were.”
“Where did it come from?”
“I don’t know,” he said simply. “Tomi was my best friend. I thought I knew everything about him. I want to figure out what happened to him, Annie. And where he got this money. When we were doing reconnaissance for the rescue mission, Tomi got involved with the consul’s daughter. But I can’t believe . . .” The questions had eaten at him the whole time he was recuperating. Had his best friend betrayed them all for money?
“You’re despicable,” Annie said. “Now you’re accusing him of espionage? I’m not going to listen to another word of this.” She tried to close the door, even though he stood in the way.
“Wait,” he said. “I don’t think he’s dead. And I’m wondering if maybe Leilani is with him.”