“Get her in the boat.”
The Zodiac rode the motion of the water with ease as the three men in aloha shirts and shorts hefted the fit blonde woman over the side and dropped her unceremoniously to the bottom. They sat there, waiting as the sun beat down for a while until another head crested the surface of the water. Two of them reached back over to help one final diver in.
The diver sat along the edge and removed the canister of spare air from his mouth. He had three more hanging from his belt. A belt he removed even as he kicked the dead body lying there. “Cover her up and let’s get going. We have to move her if we’re going to get her over to Maui to be discovered.”
The one at the motor nodded and pull started the engine. Soon, they zipped over the water, bouncing and skimming easily.
The sun had begun to set when they pulled up to another boat out on the water. A few more men and women walked on the deck and came to help them carry the body.
Gloved hands were the only way they touched the body to get her into the Zodiac and now she lay wrapped in the tarp. Not taking any chances, they had protective gear on again as they moved her to the boat that was going to take her over to Maui’s waters and dump her.
No words were exchanged as they body transferred transportation. The boats went off in opposite directions. One on to Maui and the other off to Molokai. The rest of the world, none the wiser about what just happened.
αβ
Natasha inhaled deeply. This was her town. City. Metropolis. Concrete jungle. Some with other names. All ending the same, her home.
Exhaust mixed with the wafting scents of street vendors, commuters walking by her with fresh coffee. Overwhelming perfume. Come on people, just take a shower, no need to kill us with your teenage smelling body spray.
People strode by, an endless stream of worker bees, streaming to do the bidding of their queen. Or king. The moving hustle well in progress.
Hand on the rail to her home, she maneuvered down to the sidewalk and smiled at the man holding the door open to her chauffeured ride.
“Good morning, Miss Zion.
“Morning, Zacharias. How are you doing this lovely day?”
“Another day in paradise.” He grinned and touched the brim of his cap.
She patted his arm as she slid by to enter the cool interior. Her ears picked up a perfect blend of business and homes. She loved it. Many thought she would move somewhere more upscale as she’d progressed through the company but she’d stayed. Her place might be small and old but it had character.
And she wasn’t going to change it for the world.
She closed her eyes as Zacharias pulled them smoothly back into traffic for the long trip to her office.
As they rode, her phone rang. She drew it from her pocket and answered, “Zion.”
“Is this Natasha Zion?” The woman had a strong voice.
A brief peek to the screen of her smartphone and Natasha frowned with the realization that the number wasn’t familiar. “Yes this is. And you are?”
“Detective Texeira.” A brief pause. “Detective Lei Texeira.”
She wasn’t friends with the detectives in her city. Still not ringing any bells. You’d think if you had to ask who I was, you would be a bit more forthcoming in the deets on who the frack you were. “What can I do for you, Detective?” It had been on the tip of her tongue to call this woman “Dick” and for no other reason than it would amuse her. But that’s how her humor worked.
“Do you know an Ashlee Obin?”
Her blood thickened and ran cold. Ashlee was in Oahu for a ‘vacation’ that was more like a hunting trip. Ashlee had been a treasure hunter for as long as they’d been friends. She traveled all over the world doing this. And somehow, she’d recently come into possession of some documents and secretive knowledge of lost treasure near the islands. Offhand, Natasha couldn’t recall which island. All she remembered for sure was she had booked a room on Oahu.
“Are you there?”
She blinked a few times in rapid succession. After clearing her throat, Natasha adjusted on her seat. “I am and I do know her. Why?”
“You were listed as her emergency contact.”
A sigh of relief escaped. Injured she could handle.
“I’m afraid Ms. Obin is dead. In her phone you’re listed as her ICE contact.”
Her world fell silent as she met Zacharias’ gaze in the rear view. His mouth moved and somehow, she figured he was asking her if she was okay.
Was she?
No.
Most definitely not.
“Ms. Zion?”
Swallowing back her tears, she dug her nails into her palm, allowing another focal point on something other than this news she had to hear, but didn’t want to. “I’ll be on the first flight out I can get.”
The detective continued talking about where the body would be but she’d shut down. Her mind, typically sharp couldn’t quite grasp that her friend was dead. Best friend.
Mumbling a farewell to the detective, she hung up and leaned forward to tap the back of Zacharias’ shoulder.
“Yes, Miss Zion?”
“Change of plans. I need to head back home. I have to catch a flight to Hawaii.”
“Right away.”
Natasha exhaled and leaned back. Her hands shook and she narrowed her attention to steadying them. It didn’t work.
“Miss Zion?”
She yanked her gaze up to her driver who no longer sat behind the wheel but next to her as he held the door.
“Your apartment, Miss.”
Shit, she’d never even noticed him turning around or parking at her building. Instantly, everything hit her that she should have accomplished on the ride home. None of which were completed. “I’ll be right back.”
“I’ll be here.” He helped her out then leaned against the door.
She pasted a smile on her face as she walked across the sidewalk to the steps of her place. Work bag in hand, she juggled it to put her keys in the lock. “Honey, I’m back,” she commented dryly. There wasn’t any answer, which was good, as she probably would have pissed herself had there been an actual person replying to her.
She dialed the airport as she pulled out her carry on. This wouldn’t be a long trip. After booking the soonest flight she could manage, her bag had been packed.
As she strode back through her place, she called her boss, Lyn Storie.
“Is there a reason I’m not seeing you across my desk at this moment?”
Lyn’s deep voice reminded her of a smoker. Life long. Raspy and graveled. Totally not fitting the actual person. Lyn barely hit five foot and couldn’t weigh more than a buck-five. He actually reminded her of a jockey. But he was damn good at his job and demanded the same from his employees. She’d had a meeting with him this morning.
“I just got off the phone with a detective in Hawaii. My friend died over there. I’m on my way now to identify the body and bring her home. I don’t know when I’ll be back.”
“I’ll have Trevor cover your accounts. Take all the time you need.”
He hung up.
She did as well.
Zach took her bag and put it in the trunk after closing the door on her.
Her body clamored for a drink and Natasha wondered if she could drink enough to get over her mind-numbing, body trembling fear of flying.
Maui
She fought a yawn as she removed the lei someone had draped around her neck. Dropping it in a trashcan, she smoothed her hands down her suit.
Outside, she scanned the grounds for the nearest taxi. Readjusting her hold on the handle of her luggage, she made her way to it.
The driver, a handsome Hawaiian, flashed her a smile as he reached for her bag. “Where are you headed tonight on our beautiful island?”
“The morgue.”
His dark eyes widened but she gave him credit for not pushing her with more questions. Passing along the address she’d been given, she climbed into the backseat.
At least the taxi is clean.
As they pulled away, she pinched the bridge of her nose. Exhaustion gnawed at her ankles like a dog with a fleshy bone. She wanted a hotel bed, and long hot shower.
She paid and walked up the front path, dragging her bag behind her. With a deep breath at the door, she opened it and stepped inside where she paused once more before continuing toward the large desk that had an officer at it. Her heels clicked across the tile floor, accompanied by the whir of her bags’ wheels.
The man looked at her, ran his dark gaze over her before dusting the granulated sugar from his donut hole off his hands. “How can I help you?”
Snapping her attention to his nametag, she read Takemoto.
Instantly, her mind went to the lyrics of Mr. Roboto by Styx. Again, her mechanism for coping. At least she kept it to herself and didn’t sing it out loud to them man watching her. And the answer to her previous question was no, she couldn’t get drunk enough to get over her gargantuan fear of flying. “I’m here to identify a body. Ashlee Obin.” She pulled out her phone and stared at the screen to give herself time to finish without breaking down and crying. She didn’t need to look at the names, they were permanently etched into her mind. “Either a Dr. Gregory or Ms. Tanaka.”
“I’ll take her from here, Takemoto.”
Natasha slid her focus from Donut Eater to the man approaching. He was over six feet, not by much, but a few inches. His stocky muscular build let her know he could take care of himself. He moved with confidence and the ease of one who knew both strengths and weaknesses.
Cop.
While he wasn’t in uniform, there wasn’t any doubt, not even with the fact he’d come from a part of the building she was positive only authorized personnel could access.
His dark skin had some markings around his wrist, she thought they were triangles but wasn’t positive. The others she took to be tribal tattoos. She could see the tan lines around his eyes and hid her smile; he didn’t like to be without his eyewear. His football jersey wasn’t one she recognized. As she took another look over him, she picked up on the gold cross around his neck.
He raked a hand over his buzz cut. “I’m Detective Kaihale.”
Which means shit to me. She blinked. “And you’re taking me to Dr. Gregory or Ms. Tanaka?”
Taking a second to rub his lips, he continued on, as if she’d not asked a question, “I’m Detective Texeira’s partner. She had something come up that she couldn’t miss.”
Why should the death of my friend rank high on anyone’s radar? She took a deep breath. “That’s fine. Shall we?” She didn’t need someone looking over her shoulder.
Something akin to unease flickered in his dark gaze.
Now, her suspicion kicked up another notch. She tamped it down, maybe he just didn’t like the morgue. She couldn’t fault him that.
“This way. Would you like to leave your bag here?”
“No.” Her response fell sharp and she cleared her throat and tried again, “No, thank you.” The bag was now her anchor. She was using it to keep her upright.
He gave her a cursory look before striding off down the hall.
She followed him, her heels clicking as she went along. The sound echoed not just in her head but her heart. An overwhelming since of dread began rising in within her chest. Tears burned the backs of her eyes, pushing and clawing to be set free.
She bit the inside of her cheek, refusing to cry in front of a stranger. Digging deep, she found that chill she used at her job to keep herself distant and professional no matter what was being hurled in her direction.
He stopped outside a door and propped one large hand on it. “There is a window, if you would prefer, we can have you identify her from there.”
I would prefer my friend be alive and me not have to be here at all. Life’s full of shit, ain’t it, though? “No thank you. I want to see her without using a window to keep me from her side.”
The door opened and she trailed him in.
A small, wiry man stepped up to the other side of the table. “I’m Mr. Wahine.”
“I thought Dr. Gregory was supposed to be here.” Anger began unfurling in her gut. First, the detective wasn’t there, now not even the M.E. could be bothered to make an appearance? What kind of place was this? “Or… a Ms. Tanaka.”
“I’m on nights. I performed the autopsy on Ms. Obin.” He grasped the white sheet.
Natasha stared at the shade difference between his hands and the white sheet covering over her friend. Those damn tears came back with a vengeance.
“Are you ready?”
Of course not. She nodded twice and repositioned her bag in front of her. Using both hands on the handle, she gripped it tight.
He moved it back.
She flicked her tongue over her lips as she stared down into Ashlee’s face. Dr. Wahine kept her covered from the neck down, she assumed to hide the marks from the autopsy. “Cause of death?”
“Drowning.”
Her legs buckled and she locked her knees to keep upright. Part of her wanted to reach out and smack Ashlee in the face, telling her to wake up. She looked so peaceful lying there. Her tanned skin paler than it had been and her golden blonde hair slicked back, allowing her heart shaped face to be seen entirely. Ashlee had always had part of her hair covering her face, citing how she hated the shape.
Peeling one hand from the handle, Natasha touched her friend’s face. Her world went black.