“You do,” the girl repeated insistently.
“Hey,” Lani broke in mildly, “I thought you wanted to hear the story.” Her tone, though soft, carried the unmistakable ring of authority. The two combatants fell silent.
Lani nodded. “That’s better,” she said with a smile.
“There! He did it again,” the girl called out, pointing a finger at Johnny as he stuck his tongue out at her.
“Johnny,” Lani admonished sternly, “that’s enough. If you and Debbie don’t stop squabbling, you’ll both have to go home without hearing the end of the story. Is that understood?”
Eyes downcast, two dark heads nodded obediently.
“Now, where were we?” Lani murmured.
“The giant was calling people bad names,” a helpful listener offered.
Lani flashed the boy an appreciative grin. “Thank you, Paulo.”
The color deepening the boy’s already dark skin told Donovan that the dazzling smile was no less effective on six-year-old boys than it was on grown men.
“Anyway,” Lani continued, “people were getting very tired of this nasty, ill-tempered old giant. Finally, another giant tossed the obnoxious fellow into the ocean where sharks ate every bit of him. Except his tongue. It was too bitter even for a shark to eat. They spit it back out and—”
“It turned into the black rock on Shipwreck Beach,” someone broke in eagerly.
Lani rewarded her audience with a smile. “That’s right.”
“Read us another.” The group took up the cry, young voices high and enthusiastic.
“Well, I suppose we have time for one more. Who wants to hear the legend of Kanunu?”
A flurry of hands shot up. All except one, who’d caught sight of Donovan.
“Who’s that?” the little girl with sleek black hair and almond eyes inquired, pointing toward Donovan.
As she lifted her head, Lani’s gaze met Donovan’s steadily watchful one. Soft color bloomed in her cheeks. “I think,” she said, “that we’ve read enough for today.” The resultant complaints sounded like a Greek chorus of doomsayers, but one that Lani ignored.
“Nolina,” she instructed the girl who’d first taken note of Donovan, “would you please tell Mrs. Yukimura that I’m going to take a short break and will be back in a little while?”
“Are you Lani’s boyfriend?” the little girl asked, lingering behind the others to study Donovan with somber, unblinking eyes behind her round glasses.
Donovan smiled down at her. “I’m working on it.”
“Mr. Quinn is my brother’s best friend,” Lani said decisively. “He’s simply here for Christmas vacation. Now scoot. If you’re a good girl, maybe Mrs. Yukimura will let you date-scan the books.”
Apparently those were the magic words because the young girl took off like a shot, leaving Lani and Donovan alone.
“How was your breakfast with Taylor?” she asked.
“I ate Spam.”
“That’s no surprise. Given that it’s the island’s national meat product, thanks to all the GIs eating it during World War II. I was referring to what clues you came up with regarding Ford’s disappearance.”
“I’m still working on the clue thing. How long have you known Taylor Young?”
“We’ve been best friends since fourth grade. Why?”
“Do you know of any reason she’d lie about her boyfriend’s vanishing act?”
“Lie?” She shook her head. “Taylor doesn’t lie.”
“She did this morning.”
“I don’t understand. Are you saying that she knows where Ford’s gone?”
The warm sun was reflected in her hair, and unable to resist, Donovan walked over to her and ran his hand down the molten copper strands. “I’m not sure. But she does know a helluva lot more than she’s telling.”
“Why?”
He shrugged. “I’ve no idea.”
“But you’ll find out.”
“I’ll do my damndest. Not for her. But because you asked me to. Meanwhile there’s something else I need to tell you…
“I thought of you, Lani,” he said, getting to his real reason for having come here. Since he hadn’t managed to get anything out of her friend, he could’ve called or texted her about the unsatisfactory breakfast meeting. “All night. And not just last night, but the night before that. I can’t get you out of my mind.”
“You certainly don’t sound very happy about it.” Nor was his frown at all encouraging.
“This can’t go anywhere,” he warned, as his hand slipped beneath her hair.