The Department of Land and Natural Resources involvement meant whatever had Pete in a stew was big. Leia put Eva’s hand in Bane’s. “Wait here.” She approached Pete. “What’s going on, Pete?”
His dark eyes registered her presence. “Leia, just who I need. A doctor could give an opinion on this.” He took her arm and ushered her past a line of men who stood shoulder to shoulder around an area cordoned off by yellow rope.
She didn’t bother pointing out she wasn’t really a doctor. Most of the islanders seemed to forget she’d stopped shy of her residency. Several long white objects lay half buried in the sand. The closest one was mostly exposed to the sun, and Leia squinted to make out what it was. She caught her breath. “Bones? Where did they come from?” The remains looked pitiful in the sand.
“We don’t know yet. I think they’re human. Can you tell?”
Leia knelt on the hot sand and touched the smooth surface of the bone closest to her. “This one looks like a tibia. Definitely human.” The bones looked old and weathered by surf and sand. Bones were revered among her people. The mana of a chief was said to be in his bones, and in the old days, when a chief was defeated, his successor took possession of the skeleton to gain his rival’s power. By Hawaiian custom, these remains would need to remain buried to preserve what mana was left in them and to keep them from an enemy’s power. She had a length of kapa she could donate for the burial.
She stood and dusted the sand from her hands. “How did they get here?”
“They washed up in last night’s surge.”
“You’ve been out here all day?” This discovery was probably why he never showed up with her students today.
He nodded. “This could be a huge find.” His voice was hushed with suppressed excitement.
“Any artifacts to help date the remains?” Leia glanced around and saw many more bones strewn about.
“Look here.” He showed her a la’au palau that was used by the ancient Hawaiians as a weapon. The three-foot-long club had a stone mounted on the end and shark’s teeth embedded in the handle. “I think the surge last night uncovered a Hawaiian boat or burial spot of some kind. I want the DLNR to look into it.” He seemed to finally look at her. “You’ve been diving. Were you with Tony? I heard about his death. I’m sorry.”
“Yes, Bane and I are on our way to see Candace.”
“Bane is here?” His gaze went past her to Bane. A flicker of an eye showed his interest. “I should have known he wouldn’t miss the festival.” His eyes gleamed.
The two men were friends and professional rivals at the same time. Both had a passion for cave exploration and playing the ukulele, and neither liked to lose to the other, though they respected each other as men. Leia never understood the complexities of their relationship. It was like watching two jungle cats circle each other before deciding to be friends.
“Let me know what you learn about these remains, Pete. I’d better get back. We want to see if there is any news about what happened to Tony.” She hurried back to Bane and Eva.
Bane listened as she told him about the bones. “I wonder if it’s a hoax. There’s no likely spot for the surge to uncover bones. Could Pete be staging something for attention?”
“What is it with you two? One minute you’re listening to his advice, and the next second you’re trying to one-up him.”
Bane was looking out over the water. “The ukulele festival is coming up. Think I can beat him?”
“You didn’t hear a word I said, did you?” She sighed. “Winning a ukulele festival isn’t the most important thing in life.”
His white teeth flashed in a wide grin. “I live to win.”
That was Bane’s problem—he was so caught up in the notion that everything depended on him that he never relaxed enough to enjoy life. It was admirable to be dependable, but Bane took the trait to an extreme. The world wouldn’t come to an end if he failed at something.
She took Eva’s hand. “It’s getting late. If we’re going to see Candace, we’d better get moving.” And then she was going to go home and forget Bane Oana. If she could.
They left the cat patrolling the beach and got back in the boat. No one said much as they rounded the eastern side of the island and headed to town. Leia nodded toward the parking area beside the dock as they approached. “I keep my car in the lot to use when I come to town. We can take it.” They docked and headed toward the car.
“Want me to drive?” Bane jogged to catch up with her.
“I don’t let other people drive my car.”
“You let me drive your car once.”
“And you wrecked it. That taught me a lesson.” She made the mistake of looking at him. His grin made it hard to stay mad at him.
“It wasn’t my fault!”
“You ever hear of defensive driving? You drive like you do everything else—full steam ahead with your eyes on the goal.”
“You just like being in control.”