“Convenient,” Ron said. “No one knows who shot him?”
She shook her head. “I was with him, and the shot came out of the blue. He said he was taking me to the treasure.”
Ron eyes brightened. “Did you believe him?”
“He saw Ku the week before, so I wasn’t holding my breath.”
“Great. He sounds like a crackpot.” Ron rubbed his eyes. “I want that ship. Not just the gold, but the artifacts. I can’t give it up with it being right under us.” He looked to Bane. “Hang with me on this, Bane. I’ll go down with you. We’ll keep an eye on the eruption. Just one good dive. That’s all I ask. We can haul up some artifacts even if we don’t find a treasure of gold doubloons. I’ll give you a twenty-five percent share in whatever we find in addition to the salary I’m paying you.”
Bane was tempted—Leia could see it on his face. “Don’t go, Bane,” she said softly. “It’s too dangerous. I don’t want you down there when an eruption starts.”
“She’s right,” Mano said. “Annie and I have lived through an eruption. You don’t want to experience it.”
Bane chewed on his lip, then finally nodded at Ron. “One dive, and that’s all. Get us some deep-sea gear here, and we’ll go down tomorrow.”
Ron’s relieved smile came, and he clapped his hand on Bane’s back. “You won’t regret it, my friend. I’ll make it worth your while.”
“I’m doing it for friendship, Ron, not for money. My twenty-five percent goes to Candace. But one dive is all I’m doing.”
Ron nodded and went toward the control room. Leia tried to hide her disappointment. She’d thought Bane would take her wishes into account, but why had she even thought he might? He didn’t owe her anything, not anymore.
“I’ve got to get back to work,” she told Bane. “Can someone run me to shore? I’ve got to run the shop today while Dirk takes a group out on a dive.” They had a week before they had to shut it down, and she was going to help Candace milk every dime out of it.
“I’ll take you,” Bane said. “I need to drop Kaia at the airport anyway. She has to get back today.”
“I want to stay here and tabulate this data. Do you think Ron will mind?” Annie asked.
“I’m sure he’ll want to know what’s going on. There’s all kinds of equipment and computers in the control room. Make yourself at home.” Bane helped Leia into the boat, then joined her there. He went to the helm. “Eva ought to be out here with us. It doesn’t feel right not to have her here. She likes to steer.”
“She’s working today. She’ll be sorry she missed you.” Leia watched him fiddle with the controls before he got the engine started. They cruised the tops of the waves, and Nani followed them for a while, then turned back to the research boat. Leia decided she would go to Koma’s cabin and look around. If she could find a lead to the treasure on land, maybe Bane wouldn’t dive in dangerous conditions. She’d check out Koma’s cabin, then talk to her grandmother again. Maybe she would draw them a map this time. Leia had about an hour before she had to be at the dive shop. She glanced at Bane. Best not to tell him though.
Mynahs screamed from the treetops over Leia’s head as she followed the sound of the waterfall by Koma’s house through groves of coconut, lauhala, and banana trees. Insects hummed near her head, and she batted them away after a quick glance at her watch. She needed to hurry. She’d stopped by her grandmother’s cottage to check on T?t?, but Malia and Ajax had everything under control.
Koma’s cabin had always seemed to her like the one belonging to the witch in Hansel and Gretel. When she was a little girl, she used to have nightmares for several days following a visit here. Even now, she suppressed a shudder as she approached the structure. It hunkered in the woods like a malevolent scorpion. The hipped roof reminded her of the humped back of a beetle, and the shuttered windows looked like two half-closed eyes. She shook her head at her fanciful thoughts. It was an old cabin, nothing more. There was nothing to fear here.