Bree held out her hand to Kaia. “Jesse has told us so much about you. I’d love to meet Nani some time while we’re here.”
“I’ll make sure to do that.” Kaia looked down at the dog. “This is Samson?” The dog woofed and nosed her hand that she’d placed on his head. “What a beautiful dog.”
“He’s my boy,” Bree said, her smile widening. “Let’s get started. Jesse, what do you have for us?”
“Some socks and a brush.” Jesse handed the bag to her.
She held the bag open, and Samson sniffed it. “Search, Samson,” she told him.
The dog woofed then raced around to the back door. They followed him. He nosed the entry then went to the driveway and started toward the street. Bree ran to intercept him and clipped the leash onto his collar.
“Follow us in the Jeep,” she called. The dog dragged her down the street, dimly lit with streetlights.
“I’ll take our SUV too,” Kade said. He ran to his vehicle and followed his wife while Jesse and Kaia got in the Jeep.
Once the dog determined which direction to travel in, Bree and Samson got in the Jeep and rode to the next crossroad, where Bree and the dog got out and figured out which way to go again. Within fifteen minutes they were at a dock looking out toward the dark waves. Kaia noticed her brothers had been here and gone, leaving her truck parked along the water for her.
“They’re on the water somewhere,” Bree said. “It will take some time to find them out there, even with Samson.”
“I’ll call Nani.” Kaia pulled a whistle out of her pocket and blew the call signal for the dolphin. She repeated it several times over the next few minutes, but Nani didn’t come. “She must be out a ways,” Kaia said. “I’ll try the hydrophone.” She got her backpack out of her truck and took the hydrophone to the dock and dropped it in the water.
Fifteen minutes later, Nani still had not arrived. Kaia tried not to worry, but Nani always came when she called. What if the men who took Heidi and Faye had harmed the dolphin? She needed to find Nani now too.
“Thanks for your help,” Jesse told Kade and Bree. He rubbed Samson’s head. “And especially you, big guy.” The dog woofed and licked his hand. “We’ll get in the boat and see what we can find, and I’ll get some birds in the air. I don’t want to interrupt your honeymoon anymore than we have already.”
“Glad to do it,” Kade said. “Call if you need us again.”
Kaia paced the dock while the good-byes were going on. She wanted to get out on the water now that she knew Heidi and Faye were out there somewhere. The breakers rolled onto the shore. Their tops foamed and formed eddies in the sand. She stared out on the horizon but couldn’t see anything in the dark. No boat lights or ships were in sight.
“The Porpoise II is the closest boat. Let’s stop by our dock and get it,” she told Jesse when he joined her.
“I’ll call in some helicopter searches as well.”
“There are bound to be a lot of boats out there even though we can’t see them right now. It’s prime tourist time,” Kaia reminded him.
“Yeah, I know.” His voice sounded depressed. He glanced at his watch. “It’s almost two thirty. Sunup won’t be for a while yet.”
“If only I could find Nani.” Kaia looked out over the whitecaps as they glimmered in the moonlight. The bloated moon gave the ocean an eerie glitter like some gaudy painting that was meant to be viewed under black lights. She shivered. What if the kidnappers tossed Heidi and Faye overboard?
“Let’s get out there. Maybe she’ll come when you call again.” Jesse put his hand at her waist and guided her back to the Jeep.
His touch comforted her, and she realized she craved this connection she felt with him, even though he didn’t share her cultural background. She’d always intended to marry another Hawaiian someday, someone whose roots ran deep in taro like her own. Though Jesse didn’t fit into the plans she’d made, she found she didn’t mind much.
They drove to the dock and boarded the Porpoise II. Jesse fired up the engines, and they headed out to sea. Once they were about a mile from shore, he cut the engines. “Try to call Nani again.”
Kaia nodded and dropped DALE into the water. She called the dolphin four times before she gave up again. “I’m worried, Jesse. She’s never ignored my call before.”
“I wonder if she followed Heidi. She loves that kid.”
Faye held Heidi close as the sea spray struck them. The boat’s bow rose high in the air as the craft slammed into the waves. She couldn’t see shore from here, so they had to be far from land. Far enough to drown if that’s what their kidnappers intended.