Eva dragged the he’e holua sled behind her on the grass. It was heavier than it looked. She’d watched Makua show it to clients. He stood and balanced on it as it raced down a slope. She hoped Hotshot wasn’t going to take up the sport. Her father said it was very dangerous, and she didn’t want anything to happen to her new friend.
His car was waiting where he’d said it would be—in the alley behind the drugstore. He got out to help her when he saw her lugging the sled. “I didn’t realize it was quite so big. That’s a real beauty.” He ran his hands over the lines of the sled, then turned it upside down and examined the rail.
“My father makes the great lava sleds.” She knew this because newspapers called all the time. “The only one who makes better sleds is Tom Stone. This is Makua’ s personal one, but he never uses it.”
Hotshot pulled on pieces of it, but they didn’t move. The sled was one solid piece. “You’re right, it’s a beauty. I hear Tom Stone makes secret compartments on his sleds for wallets and keys and stuff. Does your dad do that?”
“No.” Why did he look disappointed? Did he think it should be bigger? It would be hard to balance on such a narrow thing. She didn’t think she could do it. “I have to get it back before my dad gets back. He went to get his hair cut. I wasn’t supposed to go anywhere.”
“I could take you part of the way home. You brought this a long way. I should have met you closer to your house.”
She knew he was ashamed to be seen with her, but that was okay. Lots of people didn’t like her to hang around. At least Hotshot wanted to be her friend. She’d told her best friend, Lani, about Hotshot, and Lani hadn’t believed her, even when she’d shown her the pocketknife. They weren’t talking right now. Lani should know Eva didn’t lie. Maybe she’d ask Hotshot if they could meet Lani for a shave ice. Then they could be friends again. Before she could ask him, he looked around like he was afraid someone was watching.
“You didn’t tell anyone about me, did you?”
She couldn’t lie. “Just my best friend, Lani.” As he began to scowl, she hurried to explain. “It’s okay, she didn’t believe me anyway.”
He grabbed her arm. “What did you tell her?”
“Just that I had a friend named Hotshot who was a man and not a little kid. And that you gave me a pocketknife.” She forced herself not to cry out, but her arm hurt.
“Such a silly name for me.”
He let go. He was smiling again, and Eva found she could breathe. “All the kids call you that. It’s because of what a hotshot you are in basketball.”
“Do you even know my real name?”
She searched her memory. She’d heard it once, but it eluded her. “I can’t remember,” she said, hanging her head.
“That’s okay, Eva. It’s better that way.”
Eleven
Leia still shivered on the deck of the research boat, even though Bane had wrapped a thin blanket around her shoulders. She couldn’t stop her teeth from chattering, though the salt-laden trade wind was warm.
Bane paced the deck in front of her as she huddled on the bench. His short black hair, as thick as fountain grass, still held droplets of water. He barked orders at the staff preparing the small manned sub. Leia could see the tension in his shoulders. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I know going off by myself was stupid. I won’t do it again, okay?”
Before he could answer, the roar of a small speedboat caught his attention. Bane turned to face the water, his hand shading his eyes. “It’s Pete Kone. I wonder what he wants?”
With the blanket still around her shoulders, Leia stood and joined him at the railing. “Be nice,” she murmured.
“I’m always nice to Pete, except when he beats me.”
Pete’s boat reached the larger craft. He cut the engine and threw a rope to Bane, who caught it with one hand and tied it up. Pete clambered aboard. Dressed in shorts and a green aloha shirt, he wasn’t smiling. Leia wondered if the bones he’d found had been identified.
Bane lifted his hand in greeting. “Hey, Pete, what’s up?”
“You all need to stop whatever you’re doing.” He thrust a paper at Bane, who took it and began to read.
“We’re just looking for an old sunken ship.”
“You remember the bones that washed up on shore? The OHA asked the courts for an injunction to stop any excavation until we determine if this is the site of Hawaiian burials.”
The Office of Hawaiian Affairs fiercely protected the Hawaiian culture and its artifacts. “They must be sure the bones are Hawaiian,” Leia said.
Bane balled up the paper and tossed it to the deck. “There are no native Hawaiians buried out here. We’re looking for a Spanish galleon.”
“That may be what you’re looking for, but there’s more than that out here. The bones belong to a Hawaiian chieftain.”
“How do you know that?” Leia strove to keep her voice calm and even. She narrowed her eyes in a warning gaze at Bane. Let me handle him, her gaze told him.
“We had an expert on Hawaiian history look at the la’au palau that was found with the bones. He confirmed the club dated from at least as far back as 1850.”