“No! Someone needs to stay with her. Get Ono and send him out. Tell him I’m at Koma’s cabin. Tell him to bring flashlights. You and Ajax stay with your grandmother.” Bane ended the call, then tried to call Mano. He lost the signal again. Groaning, he tossed the phone to the floor of the tree stand. Stupid technology anyway. It was useless on this island.
He saw the chest Leia had mentioned. He opened it and saw the bones. It was too dark to tell what kind they were, and he didn’t relish touching them, but he had to wait for Ono anyway. A large calabash with nenes carved in the side held some dried leaves. A cloth caught his attention. Just to the side of the bones, it was rolled carefully. He touched it and recognized the feel of kapa. He unrolled it and found a nene carved from koa wood inside the cloth. He picked up the nene and looked at it. It was obviously hand-carved, and by an unskilled hand. Why would someone use a valuable kapa to wrap up a worthless carving? It didn’t make sense.
He turned it over in his hands, but it was too dark to see clearly. Maybe there was a lantern in Koma’s cabin. That might be of some use in looking for Leia. He hurried to the edge of the platform and lowered himself to the first limb, then climbed down to the ground.
He stepped to the cabin and went inside. Just to the right of the door stood a table that held a kerosene lantern and matches. He struck one, then breathed a sigh of relief when the wick sputtered and caught fire. He trimmed the wick and lifted the lantern in his hand. Holding it aloft, he went back outside and down the pathway again. Though the lantern wasn’t a floodlight, he was able to see much more of the path. His eyes strained for anything out of the ordinary as he walked along. He came to a bend in the trail and stopped. Nothing. As he moved forward, his foot struck something. He glanced down and saw only tall wire grass. Kneeling, he moved the vegetation aside and found a slipper. Leia’s slipper.
He cupped his hands around his mouth. “Leia, where are you?” He didn’t expect an answer, but he hoped. And prayed. The only answering call was that of an owl. He held the lantern aloft and began to look for clues. The grass rustled, and he stopped and peered into the darkness. A movement came to his left, and he flinched back.
Hina sprang from the grass and began to coil herself around his legs. “Dumb cat.” He stooped to pick her up, but she hissed and darted away. A few feet from where he found the slipper, he found a flattened spot on the grass and a few drops of blood. Leia’s? The thought left him weak.
He couldn’t let himself panic. Leia needed him to keep a clear head. He took a deep breath, then another. Maybe there were more clues. He began to look again, but there was nothing he could see in the dim glow of the lantern. A shout caught his attention. The voice gave him a shot of hope, then he saw Ono running up the path. He was alone, so Malia must have stayed with Ipo.
“Anything?” he asked.
Bane shook his head. “But I found one of her slippers. It looks like there’s been a struggle here.” He showed the detective the flattened grass.
“I’ll get some floodlights strung up out here and see if we can figure out what this is all about.” Ono had dropped the joking manner. “You two used to be engaged. Did you have a falling-out? A big fight?”
Bane saw where the detective was heading. “We were working on our relationship. Look, you’re chasing a rabbit trail by suspecting me. We’ll waste valuable time trying to figure out who took her. She already told you we surprised an intruder the other night, and she found out she was the target. I’d say those two men she over-heard under the tree came back for another try.”
“Could be.” He eyed Bane. “But dirty work is easily hired out.”
Bane tried again. “I wouldn’t hurt Leia. I love her. We have to find her, and we’re not going to do that by standing around discussing your harebrained idea. Let’s get some lights out here and find her!”
Bane knew the detective wasn’t convinced, but the man nodded and turned to go back down the trail. “I’ll get the lights,” he said.
Leia’s neck throbbed from her scuffle on the ground. They entered a building, and she smelled damp and mold. The odor reminded her of Tony’s grave, and she shuddered. The closest cap-tor thrust her to the dirt floor. Her elbow struck the ground and began to throb. She sat up, and she looked around. Though the place was dark, she saw enough in the moonlight to recognize the cabin where Koma said Ku lived.
“Stay put, or you’ll be shark bait,” her attacker growled. “No smart comments or I’ll gag you.”