Yuletide Stalker (16 page)

He gave her a hand and she stood. Holding to his arm, she walked a few steps back and forth.

“You'll have to climb this mountain. I'll loosen the gag so you can eat and drink, but if you yell out, I'll bash you over the head. Do you promise to keep quiet?” Steve asked.

Maddie nodded, wondering who would hear her if she did yell. She couldn't see any indication that the area was inhabited.

The woman stood at a distance, peering up and down the coast. Maddie closed her eyes when the
woman took her two suitcases from the boat. She rummaged in one bag and took out Maddie's tennis shoes, a pair of jeans and a shirt. She then tied rocks to the suitcases and threw them into the ocean. There went all the Christmas gifts she'd received from Linc, even the black pearls she'd cherished. She felt for the chain around her neck, grateful that she still had his ring.

Steve removed the gag, and she rubbed her numb lips, which felt as if she'd spent the day in a dentist's chair. He handed her a bottle of water, and she drank deeply, although a lot of the liquid ran over her face because her numb lips wouldn't function properly.

When Steve handed her a sandwich, Maddie said, “How'd you get mixed up in this anyway? Are you a member of the Sanale family?”

“No comment,” he said. “I'm not in charge here.”

The woman plodded toward them. Her face distorted with anger, she stared at Maddie, who refused to lower her gaze from the woman's malevolent stare.

“Do you know who I am?” she asked, an accent in her voice that Maddie hadn't noticed among the other Hawaiians.

“No, but I have seen you stalking me.” She thought it might be dangerous to be impertinent with this woman, but even if they killed her, and she couldn't really think this would happen, she was determined to die bravely.

Pounding on her flat chest, she said, “I'm Edena, last member of my branch of the Sanale family. My
brothers both died from wounds received in the prison break. When Kamu died before he could make you pay for the deaths of our father and brother, I vowed to uphold the honor of the Sanale family.”

“Is it honorable to kill me? I was a mere child, living thousands of miles from here, when my father did his duty by revealing the crimes of your family.”

Edena slapped Maddie's cheek so hard her head snapped backward.

“You lie! My family did not commit crime. The United States government had no right to annex Hawaii. Everything here belongs to the natives—they had a right to take the items.”

Her stinging face convinced Maddie that she needed to control her tongue. She said nothing more. Edena threw Maddie's shoes and clothes at her feet and motioned for her to put them on. Maddie knew they wouldn't let her out of their sight, so she walked a distance down the coast, turned her back and hurriedly got out of the gown and robe. She put on the jeans and shirt and sat on a rock to tie her shoes, wishing she had a pair of socks. She carried her nightclothes with her when she returned to her captors. Edena snatched them out of her grasp, shredded them with her large hands and threw them in the water.

Steve picked up a backpack and strapped it over his shoulders. He tenderly replaced the gag in Maddie's mouth, and the way his hands trembled, she had the feeling he was sorry he was mixed up in her ab
duction. Thinking he might be an ally in her escape, Maddie decided to give him no trouble.

“Which way?” he asked.

Edena motioned to a narrow path that wound out of sight up the mountain. “I'll go first. You follow the woman.”

Whatever Steve's role was in this abduction, it was apparent that Edena was in charge. Feeling like a lamb being led to the slaughter, Maddie took the walking stick Steve handed her.

Edena motioned imperiously for Maddie to follow her, and she took the first step on a path, wondering if it would lead to her death. She definitely believed that death and life was in God's hands, and that Edena couldn't take her life until God was ready for her to join Him in Heaven. Had she finished the work God had put her on Earth to do?

She didn't fear death, but her heart cried “Oh, Linc, if only we could have had more time together.”

T
he path was rocky and steep, and even Edena found it necessary to stop often to rest. During one rest stop, they had a view of the ocean. Maddie looked down on the national park Linc had taken her to visit. She realized then, with a sinking feeling that they were no longer on Oahu, but on the island of Hawaii. She had no doubt that Linc wouldn't overlook anything in trying to locate her, but the islands covered a vast area, how could he know where she was?

The sun beamed on their backs before they were halfway up the mountain, and when Maddie thought she couldn't take another step, Edena called a halt. Maddie collapsed to the ground, realizing why they'd gagged her. Several buildings were visible on the mountain now that the haze had lifted, so they were in a populated area. The gag added to her discomfort, because it was much harder to breathe when she couldn't open her mouth.

“No yelling,” Edena said as Steve removed the gag, a statement that amused Maddie. She was too
tired to whisper, let alone yell. She drank half the water from the bottle Steve handed her in one long swallow. The cheese sandwich was dry, but it helped restore Maddie's energy, and she finished the rest of the water. She peeled a banana he gave her and lay back on the rough ground. At the moment, she didn't much care what happened to her. She closed her eyes.

Steve shook her awake, and she sat up, wondering how long they'd rested. When she stretched her legs, Maddie's aching muscles let her know they hadn't rested long enough. Edena stood adjusting her backpack, and Steve, too, was ready to travel. He helped Maddie to stand. For the most part, Edena ignored her, but Steve seemed inclined to make the climb as easy as possible for her.

Maddie's feet were swollen and burning spots on her heels indicated blisters. She limped a few steps and glanced upward. Vegetation hid the top of the mountain, and she wondered how much farther they had to climb.

Occasionally, to the right, Maddie saw the ocean and at one rest spot, she had another good view of Pu'uhonua o Hõnaunau National Park. Tears stung her eyelids as she remembered her day there with Linc. She thought of how he'd rededicated his life to God's service. A slight shiver tingled down her spine, recalling how she'd imagined herself fleeing to that ancient place of refuge. Her hope revived for a moment, thinking if she could escape from Edena, the
woman would probably be superstitious enough not to kill her if Maddie could get to the place of refuge.

They'd almost reached the top of the mountain by midafternoon. Maddie feared that whatever was going to happen would be soon. Had the woman brought her up here, intending to push her off a cliff into the ocean? Maddie couldn't remember ever being so weary. Her back ached between her shoulder blades. She felt drained, lifeless. She walked with her head down, forcing one foot after another.

She didn't know that Edena had stopped until she bumped into the woman.

“Stop,” she said, and grabbing Maddie's arm, she pulled her into the shelter of a grove of mango trees. “Hide, quickly,” she called to Steve. He sprinted for cover behind a large boulder.

“What is it?” he called.

Edena pointed upward. “I don't like all these helicopters I've been hearing for the past hour. We're high enough now that I could see the markings on that last one. It was a state police chopper.”

“You think they're looking for us?” Steve asked uneasily.

“That's what I'm wondering. I don't know how they could possibly be on to us, but let's stay hidden for a while. We're almost at our destination.”

Another helicopter flew over, and Steve called, “That's a Coast Guard craft. They're looking for something. What are we going to do?”

“Stay hidden in the brush. Keep close together.”

In order to stay hidden, they had to climb over boulders and through prickly underbrush. Maddie slipped once and scratched both knees. Blood trickled down her legs and into her shoes. When she stumbled and was too weary to get up, Edena grabbed her arm and pulled her several more feet into the entrance of a cave.

Maddie gasped when she noticed the alcoves in the wall of the cave, each holding a bundle that she suspected contained bones. Maddie immediately noticed a sickening smell, no doubt decaying flesh.
This was undoubtedly the mausoleum of the Sanale family
. If she'd had any doubts before, Maddie had none now. She was slated for death.

Maddie leaned against the wall of the cave and slid to a lounging position. Steve opened his pack and gave her a chunk of bread and another bottle of water. He sat down not far from Maddie and devoured a portion of the coarse bread.

Maddie had been hungry, but the acrid scent of her surroundings had taken her appetite. She forced herself to eat, watching as Edena walked from one alcove to the other. She stood by each one, her hand on the bundle of bones and wailed, “
He Ola na he ola
,” before she moved on to another.

“What's she saying?” Maddie asked.

Steve didn't answer.

“Tell me. I might as well know.”

“A life for a life.”

“Doesn't leave much doubt about what she plans for me, does it?”

With admiration in his voice, Steve said, “I'll have to admit you're a plucky woman. If I was going to be the sacrifice, I'd be howling to high heaven.”

“And what makes you think you won't be sacrificed, too,” she said quietly. “I heard what she said to you on the boat. Now that you aren't any use to her as a potential blackmail victim, she'll kill you. The woman is crazy—don't think she'll spare you.”

Steve shifted uneasily, and the color drained from his face. “She'll have to catch me first,” he said with forced bravado. “And I can run faster than she can.”

Maddie shrugged her shoulders and said offhandedly, “Well, good luck.”

Sounds of helicopters could still be heard, and Edena stood in the cave opening, staring at the sky, muttering angrily.

After several minutes, she came to stand over Steve and Maddie. “My cell phone won't work from this point. I've got a kinsman living down the mountain a ways. I'm going down there to see what's going on. If they're hunting for us, it may be on television.”

Motioning to Maddie, she said, “Tie her up. She's smarter than you are, and she's liable to give you the slip. I want to be sure she's still here when I get back.”

Wearily, Steve took some ropes out of his backpack and crawled toward Maddie. She was too
tired to resist, so she crossed her hands behind her. She was aware that he didn't fasten her bonds as tightly as they'd been the night before.

“Gag her, now.”

“Is that necessary? With this cave covering us, no one would hear her if she did call out.”

“I ain't taking any chance on her being rescued. Put the gag on her.”

Anger crossed Steve's face, but he put the gag in Maddie's mouth. She looked up and saw Edena hovering over Steve, a large rock in her hand. Perhaps the expression in her eyes warned him because he swung around, but he was too late. Edena struck him on the side of his head and Steve fell across Maddie's knees.

Laughing like a maniac, Edena pulled him away from Maddie, picked up some more rope and tied his hands and his feet. Taking a large flashlight out of her pack, she sniggered and said, “Don't go anywhere.”

Moving fast for a big woman, she disappeared out of the cave in an instant.

Steve apparently wasn't dead, or she wouldn't have tied him, but he looked lifeless. If she expected to live to see another day, Maddie knew she had to leave this cave before the woman returned. She pulled on her hands, which Steve had tied loosely. Ignoring the pain in her wrists, and perspiring with the effort, she pulled and tugged on the ropes. She had no idea how much time had passed before she felt the ropes give a little. By that time, her wrists
were bleeding, which in spite of the pain turned out to be a good thing, because when her wrists were wet with her own blood, it was easier to slip her arms out of the ropes.

Once her hands were freed, she quickly untied her feet and crawled to Steve's still body. He
was
breathing, and Maddie rummaged in his backpack and brought out another bottle of water. She drizzled it over his face until he opened his eyes. Maddie found a knife in the pack, too, and cut the ropes from his hands and feet.

She sloshed more water in his face. Holding his head, he sat up. “What happened?” he asked, still dazed.

“I got out of the ropes that you tied loosely. I'm leaving before Edena comes back.”

Steve looked at her queerly. “You actually took time to save me after the way I've treated you?”

Without answering, Maddie searched Edena's pack. She pulled out a loaf of bread, some cheese and two bottles of water.

“I can't go far tonight, but I want to be well away from this cave before daylight. You can do what you want to.”

Stuffing his belongings in the pack, Steve stood. “Where do you want to go?”

“To the place of refuge at the national park. I figure if I can get there, she'll be afraid to come after me. I'll stay there until someone rescues me.”

“I'll go in the opposite direction. I've got a friend
at Kona, who'll help me. I have enough money to buy a one-way ticket to Japan. If Edena reports that I was involved in that theft at the Navy Department, I won't be safe in Hawaii. You can come with me to Kona.”

“It's safer if we travel separately. She can't follow both of us.”

He reached out his hand and Maddie took it. “You're an exceptional woman, Maddie. I hope you can escape this madwoman and that you and Linc have a happy marriage.”

“I'm sorry you were involved in the crime.”

He shrugged his shoulders. “That's what happens when you're too lazy to work.”

He followed her out of the cave and handed her his flashlight. “There'll be a moon tonight, and I can travel better without a light than you can. Let me show you the best way to get to Pu'uhonua.” He pointed to a light far below them. “That Coast Guard light is close to the park. If you keep it in sight, you won't lose your way. Good luck.”

“Thanks, Steve. You, too.”

She listened to Steve's fading footsteps for only a few minutes. Taking a deep breath, Maddie plunged into the darkness.

 

Too emotionally spent to go to the office, Linc went home to tell Roselina what had happened.

“Oh, Mr. Linc. That poor little thing. So much has happened to her. What can we do?”

“I've got the Honolulu police searching, as well
as Ed Blake. All I can do is sit beside the telephone and listen for some good news.”

It was six o'clock when Claudia Warren telephoned him.

“I think we've got something, Mr. Carey, but I don't know if it's good or bad news.”

Linc gripped the telephone tightly as he waited, holding his breath, to hear her report. Roselina hovered over his shoulder.

“A Coast Guard cutter picked up a suitcase floating near Kealakekua Bay. There was a rope on the suitcase as if someone had tried to sink it. They opened the case and found Madison Horton's name on several items.”

“That sounds like she was taken to the island of Hawaii.”

“That's the ancestral home of the Sanale family,” Warren said. “We've also learned that two people, a man and a woman, loaded a long object in a motorboat and took off from Waikiki Beach early this morning. That bundle could have been Miss Horton.”

This information frightened Linc. If it was Maddie, was she dead or alive? Had he finally found the one woman in the world for him, only to lose her?

“The police and the Coast Guard have been patrolling Hawaii in helicopters this afternoon. We'll start again at first light.”

“I feel so useless, sitting here, waiting. What can I do?”

“Why not go to Hawaii tomorrow morning? It
seems likely that's where Miss Horton is, and you'll be close by when we pick her up.” Warren gave him her mobile phone number. “Several members from our department are going, too, so you can stay in touch with me. I'll keep you posted on any progress we have.”

Roselina wrung her hands when he told her about the floating suitcase.

“I only pray that they didn't dump Miss Maddie in the ocean, too.”

As the same fear haunted Linc, he couldn't console her. Wiping her eyes, Roselina went into the kitchen, and Linc heard her praying. His mind was so numb, he couldn't pray, so it was a relief to know that Roselina was interceding on Maddie's behalf.

Ed Blake called soon afterward to report that he'd checked the airport, and that Maddie hadn't gone home. She'd had a reservation, but she hadn't shown up at the airport.

Linc told Ed the information he had. “Do you want to fly with me to Kona tomorrow? You might come in handy.”

“Sure, buddy,” Blake said. “As long as you're picking up the tab, I'll go wherever you want me to.”