Lei went up the chipped cement steps of her little house in Hilo. Keiki nosed her leg, sticking close. After she’d got home, she turned right back around to take Aunty to the airport. She’d had to pry her aunt out of the house with promises of a visit to California, but she couldn’t risk having her at the house with Charlie Kwon or whoever it was escalating the situation.
Didn’t know I could miss it so much in a day, she thought, slipping her key in the lock and taking a deep breath of the humid Big Island air with its faint plumeria scent. She disarmed the alarm and went into the kitchen to sort the handful of mail. Keiki barked happily, sniffing all the corners, and did a quick patrol before whisking out through her dog door.
“Stevens, it’s me. I’m home.”
“Glad you’re back. Nothing on the stalker call; the number was a disposable.”
“Crap. He’s been good at covering his tracks so far. Listen, you doing anything for dinner?”
She took a container of beef stew out of the freezer.
“You asking me out?”
“I guess I am. I have some food from my aunt’s restaurant, and I can nuke you up some.”
“No problem. I’m always up for a home-cooked meal, no matter who made it. See you soon.”
She shut the phone and set about her preparations. Keiki came back in from her patrol and sat wagging her stump of tail in anticipation, her triangle ears pricked.
“Okay baby, coming right up. Don’t forget I fed you first.” She set the dog’s food down, her stomach fluttering. She couldn’t wait to see Stevens, to see if she felt that fizzy bubble when she saw him. It seemed only moments later that the doorbell rang. Lei took a moment to check the peephole before she opened it.
“Hi, Michael.”
“Hey,” he said. “You remembered my name.”
She looked at him a long moment, taking in his height, breadth, and intensity-then they each stepped forward at the same time so they bumped awkwardly as they hugged. Lei laughed, gesturing toward the kitchen.
“Come on in and enjoy Aunty’s cooking.” She led him to the table where a candle burned and places were set.
“Nice. Smells good.”
“You’ll have to tell Aunty next time she comes,” Lei said, getting the warm purple taro rolls out of the oven to go with the beef stew. They ate heartily, catching up on departmental business and the progress on the Mohuli`i/Gomes case.
“Reynolds had his arraignment and made bail. Guy has some CPA connections to real money as we had the bail set at a million. We’re not making the Gomes case stick to him at all though-starting to think the cases are separate.”
“Awfully coincidental in a town of forty-five thousand. You sure about that?”
“We’re not sure of anything, just following the evidence. Thank God the search turned up Haunani’s gold ring or we wouldn’t have been able to pick him up. As it is, DA’s thinking Reynolds did the girls and the Campsite Rapist is still out there, maybe escalated to doing Gomes.”
“Still want me to help out?”
“Absolutely. Just not sure how at the moment; we seem to have run out of leads.”
“I’ve got something new on my stalker.” Lei got up, fetched the note out of the freezer. He cocked an eyebrow as she took the note out. “Don’t ask. It seems like a secure location and makes me feel better somehow. Anyway, this thing about the bath-only the guy who molested me could know something that personal. I’ve got a real lead now. His name is Charlie Kwon.”
She filled him in on everything she could remember about Kwon. He tapped the letter.
“You sure there’s no one else who could know about this? Seems pretty farfetched he’d come back after all this time and endanger himself by stalking you. That’s pretty ballsy behavior for a pedophile, especially the opportunistic type like Kwon sounds like.”
Lei stood up, paced. “There are a few people who knew his name, but it’s just as unlikely they’d use the information this way.”
“What about your father? Did he know?”
Lei paused midstride. Went over to the sink, gazed unseeing out the window. He probably did know, at least as much as her aunt had told him. It had never occurred to her to ask him. She cringed at the thought.
“I don’t know. I’d have to ask my aunt. Anyway, probably not the details.”
“But how do you know that? Wouldn’t he have asked Rosario about it, wanted to get some payback?”
“I don’t know. I’ll have to call my aunt in the morning since she’s on the plane. That reminds me, he had a lead for me too, the Chang family and their connections. Said they’re threatening him because he was the one to off Terry Chang a few years ago.”
“Could Kwon have a connection with the Changs?”
“I have no idea. Another good question.”
Stevens whistled. “And suddenly we have a laundry list of suspects. Wish we had that many for the girls and Mary.”
Lei collapsed into the chair, put her head down on her folded arms. “And to think I used to think the cases were connected somehow.”
“I know, I played with that idea too. And just to add to the mix, I’m liking your friend Tom for the stalker. Means, motive, and opportunity-he’s creepy enough and it would be easy for him, right down the street.” Stevens gestured to the delicate orchid plant on the table.
“C’mon. He’s not my friend.”
“Seems like he might want to be more.”
Lei stared at him. His sky eyes were on her face, dark brows lowered. She reached across the table, put her fingers on his lips.
“I don’t like him that way,” she said softly. “I told you.”
He captured her hand in his big, rough one, and kissed the pads of her fingers. Warm breath shot tingles up her arm.
“You know who I like,” he whispered, nibbling gently, drawing her forefinger into his mouth. She closed her eyes as he kissed and sucked his way across her palm and up her wrist, drawing her boneless body closer, scooting his chair around. Before she quite knew how he had done it, he had her in his lap, his arms around her.
The kiss was a conversation: a greeting, an acknowledgement, a statement of intent. Lei felt herself vibrating like a plucked string, every nerve ending coming alive. He finally lifted his head, looking down into her half-lidded eyes for a long moment.
“We’ve got to find this guy. I can’t hold out much longer.” Regret pulling his mouth down, he set her back in her chair.
“Wish you weren’t so noble.” She sighed, straightening her shirt. “I respect that about you. Annoying as hell, though.”
“Can I spend the night? Keep an eye on you.”
“No. Not if you’re not in bed with me.”
He groaned, pushed his hair back with both hands so it stood up in pointed tufts of distress.
“I better go then.” He scrubbed his hands briskly on his jeans as if to keep from touching her.
“Thanks for all you’ve done. I know you’re looking out for me, and I promise I won’t go out tonight.”
“You better not.” A last kiss seared her mouth with longing. She let him out, relocking and rearming, and sighed as she did.
“The bitch is back.” He watched the lights go out, and smiled, putting his camera away. He wouldn’t need it again until he had her. “It’s going to be worth the wait.”
He watched Stevens get in the Bronco and pull out, then drive around the block. He turned on the old Pontiac he was driving, and rolled away just in time to see the lights of the Bronco come up behind where he’d been parked and pull over, going dark.
The poor lovesick bastard was going to spend the night in his car watching her house.
Not that that was going to help.