“Mahalo,” Mano muttered. His head lolled back, but she could see the effort he was making to stay conscious.
“I could help you manage your diabetes with homepathics, Mano. When this is all over, I’d like to show you.” With the offer, Leia realized she had to take the residency in natural medicine Dr. Kapuy had told her about. She wanted to cure people, not just treat the illness. Leia waited for the tablets to work, turning to look out over the sleepy town. Not many tourists here today. A familiar figure caught her eye, and she waved at Candace. Leaving Mano to recover, she advanced a few steps to meet her friend. “What are you doing here?”
“A guy chartered the boat to come out here today. He was willing to pay an outlandish price, so I couldn’t refuse. He just wanted to wander the place and take pictures. I guess his great-grandfather died out there. I thought you’d be out on the ship. How’s the excavation going?”
“It’s a bust.” Leia hated to burst her hopes even more. She told her about the morning’s events. Candace closed her eyes and sighed. “Try not to worry,” Leia said, pressing her hand. “It will work out. You’ll see. God has it under control.”
Candace opened her eyes. “I don’t think so, Leia. I think I’ll have to move to the mainland, find some way to support us.”
Leia hated to see Candace so discouraged, but the minutes were ticking by. Mano should be recovered in another few minutes. The cell phone in her pocket rang, and she opened it gingerly and held out a few inches from her head. “Bane?”
“Yeah, it’s me. I just got to the cabin. How’s Bane”
“Recovering. I’ll meet you at my grandmother’s, and we’ll figure out where to go from there.”
“Is something wrong?” Candace wanted to know.
“We’re looking for Eva. I thought she might be at the old cabin up the trail from my grandmother’s. Bane went to look, but she’s not there.”
“I could help you look,” Candace offered. “The guy said he’d be here a couple of hours and I have nothing else to do.”
Leia glanced at Candace’s attire: slim-fitting sundress and high-heeled sandals. Not suitable for hiking through the jungle. “It’s okay, we’ll find her.” She tried to keep her tone light and unconcerned. Word about what her dad had done couldn’t be allowed to get out, not even to friends.
Twenty-six
Mynahs squawked from the trees, and Bane looked up. He wished he had a clue where to go. A fishpond. No other places came to mind. Kicking ajar the unlocked door, he stepped inside the empty cabin. Its dampness enveloped him. It didn’t feel as if anyone had been inside recently. He prowled the room, looking to see if anything appeared different from when he was here last. His gaze settled on the old table. EVA had been carved in block letters on the surface.
He touched the lettering. She had been here! He dug out his cell phone and dialed Mano’s phone again. When his brother answered, Bane told him what he’d found. Mano told him they were at Ipo’s cottage and could be at the abandoned cabin in minutes. Bane shut his phone and continued his search. He checked the cabinets, the rusting metal cooler, and the heap of sleeping bags in the corner. He pulled the blankets from the bed, but there was nothing under them but stains. He tossed them back onto the cot and looked around. He’d checked everywhere. His gaze fell on the cot again. Except for under the mattress.
He dragged it from the metal frame and hit pay dirt. A small yellow Big Bird backpack he’d seen Eva tote around forever was pushed under the cot, clear back to the wall. He tossed the mattress off to the side and pulled the cot out from the wall, then grabbed the satchel. It was heavier than he’d thought. As he unzipped it, he heard Mano’s voice calling him. “In here,” he yelled.
Mano and Leia rushed through the door. He held up the bag. “It’s Eva’s, isn’t it?”
Leia nodded wordlessly. She held out her hand and walked toward him. He gave her the bag. “Look inside and see if there are any clues to who has her, anything unusual.”
“She usually carries her paper and watercolors in it. And anything else that’s important to her.” Leia went to the dusty table and set the bag down and began to rummage through it. Bane and Mano stood behind her and looked over her shoulder. She drew out a snorkel mask and fins, then drawing pads and colored pencils. “Her honu.” Leia held up a rock that looked like a sea turtle. Leia picked up the sketch pad and began to flip through the pages. “I haven’t looked at her drawings in a while. Maybe she did a picture of the guy she’s with. She likes to draw people best of all.”