House of the hanging jad.., p.23
House of the Hanging Jade, page 23
“Can I call the police for you, honey?” she asked, her voice filled with concern. “Are you all right?”
“I am now, thanks. And yes, I’d like you to call the police.”
It wasn’t long before I heard a car speeding through Hawi and I knew Liko had come. He leaped out of the driver’s side of the car and ran around to where I stood; Lars just as quickly got out of the passenger side.
Suddenly the day’s pain and fear caught up with me and I stood on the sidewalk sobbing until I couldn’t catch my breath, letting them take turns holding me in their arms, caressing my hair, telling me everything was okay. I had never been so happy to see anyone.
As they helped me gently into the front seat of the car, two police cars with flashing lights pulled up. I recounted for the officers the events since arriving at the farm stand in Waimea. Though they tried their best to convince me to go to a hospital to be checked out, all I wanted was to go home. They left in search of Geoffrey, though I was sure he would have found another place to hide by the time they discovered the dirt road where we had parked so many hours ago.
Finally, it was time to go home. Liko drove and Lars sat behind me, his hands on my shoulders.
Lars explained what had been happening in my absence. “There have been people out looking for you all afternoon. We got a call from the state police that your car had been found at the farm stand in Waimea, but you were nowhere to be seen. They talked to the police in Hawi and there’s been a search for you since then. Everyone figured Geoffrey had something to do with your disappearance, but no one knew where he’s been staying, so they didn’t have any specific places to look. I’ll bet they drove right past the place where you were hiding.”
Liko nodded his agreement. “If I find Geoffrey, I’m going to kill him,” he said between gritted teeth.
I didn’t know what to say. I wanted to discourage him, but part of me found the idea appealing. We swung into the driveway and Liko parked the car. “Tomorrow we’ll go up to Waimea and get your car. That is, if you’re up to it,” he said.
“Let’s wait and see what tomorrow brings,” I answered with a wan smile. I turned to face Lars. “I’m sorry I’ve brought all this chaos to your house. Maybe it would be better if I just went home and stayed with my parents.”
“Of course you can leave if you want to, but I hope you’ll stay,” he said gently. “As I’ve told you before, none of this is your fault.”
“What are we going to tell the kids when they see me?” I thought for a moment. “I haven’t even seen me. How bad do I look?”
Lars and Liko exchanged glances. “Never mind,” I said with a sigh. “You just told me everything I needed to know.”
Lars started to say something, then stopped.
“What are we going to tell the kids?” I repeated.
“Marcus can handle the truth,” Lars said. “And I think we can simply tell Justine that you were in an accident and you were injured. Period. Marcus won’t tell her what really happened. Don’t you agree, Liko?” Liko nodded.
We had reached the front door, which was yanked open by Barbie, dressed only in a nightie.
“Kailani!” she squealed. “What happened?” She peppered me with questions as she drew me into the house, then looked over my head at Lars and Liko. “I’ve got this. I’ll get her cleaned up.” She put her arm around my shoulders and walked slowly with me to my room, where she insisted on waiting while I quickly showered. When I went into my bathroom I saw my face in the mirror for the first time all day. I gasped. One eye was swollen partially shut, part of my face was purple, and dried blood crusted on my forehead and chin and pooled below my nose. I hadn’t even realized my nose was bleeding. I looked away with a shudder and stepped gingerly into the shower. The water felt good on my body, but when I tried to wash my face the pain was just too much to bear. When I was done, Barbie and I went upstairs to her bathroom. I sat on a tufted stool while she dabbed at my cuts and scrapes with cotton and sterile water and ointment.
“I appreciate this, Barbie. Thanks,” I told her gratefully.
“What on earth happened?”
I told her the story I had told Lars and Liko. She was horrified. “What are the children going to say when they see you?” she fretted.
“Lars already decided to tell Marcus the truth, but he thought it would be best to tell Justine that I was in an accident and not give her any more details. He thought she could handle that.”
She nodded. “I suppose that’s right. She’s too young to hear it. It would scare her to death.”
Barbie finished her ministrations to my face and stood back. “A little worse for wear, but you’ll be okay. Tomorrow we can apply some makeup that will help hide the bruises. They’re pretty angry-looking.” I nodded ruefully.
“Now you go get some sleep,” she instructed me. “I’m sure Liko will sleep near you tonight to make sure you’re all right.”
I hadn’t thought of that, but the idea gave me some comfort. I returned downstairs, where Lars and Liko were waiting for me on the lanai. They both stood up when I appeared.
“How are you feeling?” Lars asked, concern obvious in his eyes.
“Better than I was.”
“We’ve been talking and Liko wants to sleep in your den tonight. Do you mind?”
“Not at all. In fact, I think that would help me sleep better.”
“Just let me go get my stuff,” Liko said, and walked quickly down the lanai toward the guesthouse.
Lars and I were left alone on the dark and quiet lanai. He stepped forward and took me in his arms, kissing the top of my head. Silent tears rolled down my cheeks.
“I can’t tell you how relieved and happy I was to see you tonight in Hawi,” he said. “I have never been so worried about anything in my life.” He tilted my chin up toward him. “Are you sure you’re going to be all right?”
“I am now that I’m here.”
He held me for a few moments, gently wiping away my tears, until we heard Liko approaching. I wished Lars and I could tell everyone how we felt about each other, but it wasn’t time yet. He held me away from him. “Liko, take good care of her tonight,” he said with a smile. “And Kailani, I want you to sleep all day tomorrow.”
I looked at him gratefully. That sounded so tempting. I wondered if I would be able to, though. In my thoughts, I could picture Geoffrey’s face looming large.
Liko led the way to my rooms and helped me into bed, pulling the sheets up to my chin. I thanked him and fell asleep almost immediately. It was very comforting to have him nearby during the night, and I’m sure that was part of the reason I slept so well.
I woke up late the next morning to the sound of a very noisy bird outside my closed bedroom window. For one brief, carefree moment I forgot the horror of the previous day, then it came back to me in a rush of dread. Lying in bed would only increase the apprehension I already felt, so I stepped out of bed cautiously, wondering whether my muscles would protest.
They did. My legs and back ached, my arms were leaden, and my shoulders were knotted and tense, as if all the stress of the last twenty-four hours had spread overnight and seeped into every corner of my body. I reached up and touched my face, wincing as my finger brushed against one of the lacerations that Barbie had treated. I looked into the bathroom mirror. The swelling had gone down a bit, but the bruises had purpled overnight.
I ventured into the den, where Liko was sitting in my armchair with the newspaper.
“K!” he greeted me. “How are you feeling?” He put the paper aside and stood up. “Can I get you coffee?”
“I’ve been better, thanks, but at least I’m here. I’ll go out and get some coffee. I need to move around a bit. Thanks for staying with me last night. I hope you weren’t too uncomfortable.”
“You kidding? I can sleep anywhere,” he replied with a wide smile. We went out to the kitchen together, where the coffeemaker was on. It smelled wonderful.
“Did someone take the kids to the bus stop this morning?” I fretted.
“Lars did. Stop worrying.”
“I can’t help it,” I replied, pouring each of us a large mug of steaming coffee. “Every time I think of how terrible yesterday was, I—”
“K, don’t think about it. The kids are fine. Lars will pick them up at the bus stop this afternoon and we’ll do it every single day until Geoffrey is behind bars. Or dead, which would be even better.”
I shook my head, as if trying to rid myself of the memories. Liko meant well, but he didn’t seem to truly understand how terrified I still felt and how edgy I would feel until Geoffrey no longer occupied a large space in my mind. I wondered if that time would ever come, even if he was caught.
“I called your parents and told them that you were in an accident. I hope that’s okay,” he said.
“Thanks. I don’t want them to know what really happened. They’ll just worry.”
“They wanted to come and see you right away, but I convinced them to wait a few days.”
“Thanks, Liko. I want to give the police a chance to clear this up before my parents visit.”
We took our coffee out to the lanai and sat watching the Pacific change color from dark, dusky blue to a brilliant, sparkling aquamarine. A whale played lazily offshore, slapping the surface of the water with its fin and tail. It felt surreal, like there were no cares outside the walls of this house, but the nagging fear in my mind prevented me from enjoying the whale’s antics, which I normally would have loved.
“I feel like I’m a prisoner here,” I finally said.
“You won’t feel like that once the cops catch him, K. It won’t be like this forever.”
Just then Lars walked onto the lanai. He saw Liko and me and his eyes lit up. “How’s the patient this morning?” he asked.
“Sore, but much happier today,” I answered. “I slept in and it felt so good.”
“I’m glad. Do you feel like going back to sleep?”
“No—actually, I feel like getting back to work. Do you think that would be okay?”
He smiled. “I should have known that would be what you wanted to do today. If you think you’re up to it—then sure. Go ahead and cook to your heart’s content.” Liko turned to pick up his coffee mug and Lars winked at me. I smiled at him, loving the warm feeling I got when he looked at me.
“Where’s Barbie?” I asked.
Lars shrugged. “I haven’t seen her.”
Liko chimed in. “I saw her go upstairs earlier. She must still be up there.”
“Did she have breakfast?” I asked Liko.
“I don’t know. You want me to find out?”
Lars put up his hand. “Wait. If Barbie wants breakfast, let her come down and get it. You are not her servant, Liko. And as for you, Kailani, don’t be going upstairs to give her food. You are supposed to be healing, not overdoing it.”
“I won’t overdo it, I promise.”
I walked slowly to the kitchen, where the kids and Liko had already put their dishes in the dishwasher for me and where the counters sparkled. Liko followed me. “Did you do this?” I asked, waving my hand to indicate the clean counters.
He grinned. “I’m not just a great tutor, you know. Just don’t ask me to make anything but coffee.”
“I won’t.”
“You must be feeling a little better,” Liko remarked. “I think I just saw a smile.”
“It feels good just to be here,” I answered. There was a rapping on the front door. Liko went to answer it and came back a moment later with two police officers in tow. A digital camera hung from the neck of one of the officers.
I led them out to the long dining table on the lanai, where I sat across from them.
The older-looking officer began talking. “Detective Alana filled us in on what’s been going on between you and this Geoffrey Corcoran. Can you tell us what happened yesterday?”
Once again I related the events of the previous day, beginning with my trip to Waimea and ending with Liko and Lars coming to pick me up in Hawi. The officers didn’t interrupt while I told my story. When I was finished, they began asking questions.
“So you think he followed you to Waimea, or did he just happen to see you up there?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t notice him following me, but he could have been behind me and I just wasn’t paying attention.”
They asked me to tell them again about being taken from the abandoned ranch on the Kohala Mountain Road to the property where Geoffrey kept me during the afternoon. I complied, shuddering at the memory.
Liko held up his hand. “Can I say something?” he asked.
The officers looked at him expectantly, saying nothing.
“Geoffrey has threatened to kill Kailani. Can you guys keep her safe?”
The older officer nodded. “We are planning on posting an officer at the end of the Jorgensens’ driveway. There’s not much reason to come down this road unless a person is coming to this house, so any car that comes down here will be visible to the officers and won’t see the police car until it’s too late to turn around and go back to the main road.”
Liko looked at me, nodding. “That sounds good. What do you think, K?”
“I’m relieved to hear it.”
“So tell us more about the place where you were kept,” one of the officers said.
I told them everything I could remember about the place, but I still remembered little of the ride to the secluded spot, since I had banged my head so hard.
Just then Lars walked out. He needed no introduction. The officers were well aware of his legal circumstances. He offered to provide a statement and they promised to talk to him after they took Liko’s statement. They turned back to me and Lars left with a reassuring smile in my direction. I smiled weakly at him.
The officers then asked me to go over the history of my relationship with Geoffrey from the time I met him in Washington. Finally, after I had given them all the information I could remember, it was time for the part of the interview I had been dreading. The younger officer needed to document my injuries by photographing them. I was self-conscious and nervous, but they let Liko stay with me. We walked over to the side of the lanai where the light was best and the officer took what seemed like a thousand photos of my face, neck, head, arms, and legs.
When the ordeal was over I heaved a long sigh of relief. We returned to the dining table and the officers asked Liko about his role in the previous day’s events. They asked him what he knew about Geoffrey and about any instances during which he and Geoffrey had interacted. There had been none.
The officers then asked that Lars be called out to the lanai. Liko went to get him from his office. When Lars came out, he looked different. His forehead was creased, the corners of his mouth drawn. I looked at him inquisitively, seeking a reason for the change. He gave me a wan smile as he walked past me and sat down at the long table.
Liko and I left quietly. We returned to the kitchen, and Liko only agreed to go back to the guesthouse on the condition that I would rest before lunch and let him make sandwiches for us all. I agreed, finally feeling the exhaustive effects of the time spent with the officers. I was worried about Lars too. I hoped to have time alone to talk to him during the afternoon and find out what was bothering him.
I was able to sleep for just a little while before lunch. I went out into the kitchen to find Liko making a mess with sandwich fixings and leftover soup. I laughed. “It looks like you’re planning to feed an army!”
He turned to face me, grinning. “I like this cooking thing. I think I may give it a try!”
“Well, don’t do too good a job or I’ll be out of work,” I answered, smirking. “How did the interview go with Lars?”
He shrugged. “Fine, I guess. They’re out there talking to Barbie right now. Probably asking about what she had to do to get you cleaned up and bandaged.”
I nodded absentmindedly. I was considering whether I should go see Lars in his office while Barbie was talking to the police, but I decided against it. I didn’t want Liko to wonder why I had to talk to Lars privately.
I was helping Liko arrange the sandwiches on a tray when I heard Barbie leading the officers to the front door.
“Good,” said Liko, rubbing his hands together. “I’m starving.”
We heard the door close and moments later Barbie came into the kitchen. Letting out a long breath, she asked, “Liko, did you make lunch?”
He held up the tray and followed her to the lanai. I rapped quietly on Lars’s office door.
“Come in.”
I opened the door just a bit and poked my head around it. “Do you want some lunch?”
“Is it on the lanai?”
“Yes.”
“Is Barbie out there?”
“Yes.”
“Then no. I’ll wait until she goes back upstairs.”
I was surprised. Despite having announced their divorce, Lars and Barbie had continued to eat meals together for the sake of the kids. This was the first time Lars had openly refused to eat on the lanai because Barbie was out there.
“Would you like to eat in here?”
He thought for a moment. “No, I’m not going to be a prisoner in my office because I’m mad at Barbie. I’ll eat on the lanai when she’s gone. You’d better not wait for me.”
I wanted to reach out to him, to be the same reassuring presence for him that he had been for me. “You okay?” I asked tentatively.
He shook his head ruefully. “I’ll fill you in later.”
I smiled at him and finally he smiled back. “You and the kids are the sunshine in this house,” he said.
I shut the door quietly behind me and joined Liko and Barbie. They were talking quietly until I came up to the table, then stopped. Barbie wiped her lips daintily with her napkin and asked, “How are you feeling today, Kailani? Better, I hope.”
I pulled out a chair and sat down. “Physically, I think I’ll feel much better by tomorrow. Mentally, I’m much better.”
She nodded as if to prove that she was listening, but I knew her mind was elsewhere. What was going on?
The three of us ate lunch in relative silence. The only sounds came from the birds that sang vociferously in the nearby trees. I watched the ocean waves mindlessly, grateful for the beauty of the place and content not to contribute to any conversation. Barbie didn’t eat much. She sat, looking far away, while Liko and I ate. When he was finished, the two of them got up and started to walk away. Liko turned to me. “K, do you need help?”
