Dark Lava: Lei Crime Book 7 (Lei Crime Series) (11 page)

Keiki danced around, seeing this, and he patted the dog’s large square head. Outside, in the sun-splattered backyard behind their cottage, he threw the ball for Keiki. She grunted with happiness as she caught it midair, waggling her cropped behind.

He looked around the unkempt patch of grass and overgrown hibis
cus hedge. A plumeria tree dropped fragrant pinwheel blossoms on the weedy lawn. This place needed some work, work he and Lei always seemed too busy to put in. How the hell would they have time to raise a newborn?

It was one thing to think of Lei getting
pregnant and having nine months to prepare, to make a plan. It was another entirely to bring home a baby as soon as next week. One of them would have to go on family leave, at least until they could find child care, and since it was his baby, it should be Stevens. He decided to get on with meeting his son and looked up the number for Kapiolani Children’s Center on the neighboring island of Oahu.

“
I’d like the neonatal unit please.” Once transferred there, he had no idea what to ask.

“
I’m the father of a child who’s been admitted,” he said. “A baby boy. Last name Mookjai.”

“
Just a moment, sir. Your name?”

“
Michael Stevens.”

A long pause. “
We don’t have you listed as a relative.” The friendly voice had cooled.

“
That may be so. My paternity was just confirmed on Maui. I’d like to come see him.”

“
You will have to speak to Child Welfare Services about that. He’s a ward of the state.”

“
Is he okay? Is he doing all right?” Stevens almost couldn’t believe how quickly he’d come to care about his child.

“
I really can’t say, sir, until your relationship with the child is confirmed and you’re put on our access list.”

“
Do you have a social worker’s name I can speak to?”

A long pause as she considered this. “
Yes. Darlene Fujimoto.” She rattled off a number.

Stevens calle
d Darlene Fujimoto and left a voicemail identifying himself, offering verification he was the father, and Captain Omura’s number to speak to regarding the situation.

He hoped Omura would support his effort, but there was nothing more to be done right now.

Except book a flight to Oahu, set up the nursery, and tie up all the loose ends at his station. Who would take over at his station? They were short-handed as it was.

That reminded him of the
Maui’s Secrets
book he’d picked up on his way to Anchara’s motel room. He needed something to do, something to keep his mind occupied other than with nightmare memories. Admin leave didn’t mean he’d stopped working—just that he stopped getting paid and carrying his badge. Not that Omura would agree with that…

He got th
e book out of the car and sat on the back step, the sun drying his hair, as he leafed through it with a ballpoint pen and a stack of Post-its, circling the locations of the Maui
heiaus
. It was a start, and he had to keep working the case on the down-low, so that meant no cultural experts he had to coordinate with Omura.

The book was remarkably accurate, even providing GPS coordinates for the locations in wilderness areas. He could see why the activists didn
’t like how accessible it made the
heiaus
.

Keiki w
hined and he threw the ball some more and finally returned inside the house. His cell phone was still being held as evidence, so he used the house phone to call Haiku Station.

After he
’d told his second in command, Ferreira, that he’d be out a few days on leave, he asked for Brandon Mahoe.

“
Yes, sir.”

“
Brandon, I’m glad you’re there. What’s the status of getting involved with the Heiau Hui?”

“
I’ve decided to do it, sir. I met with Uncle Manuel already. Told him I was feeling a call to the cause and was putting aside my badge to answer it. He seemed to believe me.”

“
Well, be very careful. I don’t have my personal cell, so I’m going to get my own burner phone and one for you, like we talked about, and we’ll keep in touch that way. I’ll tell Ferreira, who’s doing scheduling, to schedule you so you can attend their meetings and patrols. Wait for me to get you the burner; I should be able to bring it by the station in an hour.”

Getting back to his case renewed Stevens
’s energy. Hopefully, the rumors about him would wait a little while. Galvanized, he drove the Bronco back into town. He bought two burner phones at Longs, and while he was at it, all the baby stuff he could find: bottles, formula, diapers in the tiniest size. One of the saleswomen, a Filipina with a kind face, saw him dithering over the various items.

“
Baby shower?”

“
You could say that. We have a new baby coming and I—don’t know what we need.”

She slanted him a disbelieving glance. “
Where’s the mama? Usually the mama like to shop.”

“
She’s—in the hospital. We weren’t ready yet,” he fibbed.

The woman
’s apple cheeks creased in a smile. “Oh, I help you, poor t’ing. Here. You need these small-kine blankets. And these we call onesies. And you get one car seat?”

The cart was piled high when he pu
shed it to the checkout, and he actually felt a little queasy at the expense, so close after the wedding, which had wiped out their savings.

“
Welcome to adulthood,” he muttered. It reminded him of his father, dead the last fifteen years, clapping him on the shoulder and saying that to him the day he got his driver’s license. But nothing said adulthood like parenthood, intended or not.

He loaded the Bronco, still feeling a little disembodied about making this commitment to a son he
’d never seen. Driving back home, he wondered how long he would have to call the baby just “him.”

What had Anchara wanted to name the child? He was sure she
’d had that all figured out. She’d had an orderly way about her, everything in its place, tidy. She’d hum as she cleaned the house, and she’d seemed happiest working in the little ornamental garden they’d put in back. He wished he knew where she lived, that he could see what she’d bought for the baby and find out what she’d planned to name him.

He could look her up on the compute
r at the station—he was headed there now, to give Brandon the burner phone and tidy up his desk—but he was sure her living space was taped off as part of the investigation, and going there would be a very bad idea.

Maybe Pono could scout around in there fo
r him, see what he could find out, what was going to happen to her belongings. Guilt twisted his guts at the thought—she had no relatives but those she’d fled in Thailand, and during their relationship, at least, only a few acquaintances. Maybe there were more people in her life now.

Why hadn
’t she told him about the baby? Why had she kept him, even? Probably she hadn’t told Stevens because she didn’t want him in her life anymore—even for the baby’s sake.

These ruminations weren
’t helping his mood. He pulled into the modest parking lot outside the station and went inside.

“
Can I speak to you, boss?” Ferreira met him, coming in.

“
Of course. In my office.”

He shut the door behind them and sat down, unlocking the drawers of his desk and looking for the littl
e black address book he used to store confidential informant and other contact information. He’d never trusted keeping all that information in his phone or computer, and it had turned out to be a good thing.

Ferreira sat down in the chair across from the d
esk, potbelly straining his belt and his weathered face concerned. “I heard they’re looking at you for the pregnant woman’s murder in Kahului.”

Stevens stopped rummaging
—so much for his hope of no one at his station knowing for a little while. He made eye contact with the detective. “It’s almost surreal, what’s happened. I don’t blame them for looking at me. She’s my ex. She called me for help, and I got there as soon as I could, but she’d been stabbed. I couldn’t save her life. Hopefully, the baby’s going to be okay.” Stevens looked down, turning to rotate the dial of the safe where he remembered stashing the book. “My phone’s been taken for the investigation, so I bought a burner to keep in touch. Hopefully, this will blow over soon. It looks like I’m going to be a dad rather suddenly, so it may be a little longer until I get things sorted out at home.”

He glanced up. Ferreira
’s mouth had fallen open. “Damn, Lieutenant. What a shitstorm.”

“
You got that right.” Stevens took the dog-eared black book out of the safe. “I don’t know who Omura will send out to hold down the fort, but if it’s you, here’s where I keep things, and the password to my computer.” He jotted the information down, passed it over to the other man. “Mostly I’m worried about the
heiau
case. Can you volunteer to take my place if Omura needs to replace me? Do you have the time?”

“
I’ll try.”

Stevens and Ferreira had just been settling into a comfort level with each other, and he didn
’t really know how the other man was taking all this. “I’d appreciate a minimum of rumor spreading about this, if possible,” Stevens said.

Ferreira frowned, looking insulted. “
They’ll clear you. I can’t see you ever doing anyone wrong like that.”

“
It looks bad, though, I know. I think I’m being set up, but there’s nothing I can do right now other than go through the process. I hope I’ll have your support.”

Ferreira stood, extended his hand. His grip was strong, encouraging. “
You got it, boss.”

“
Can you send in Mahoe? He still needs some seasoning—hope you’ll keep an eye on him. I have him on a special confidential assignment, and he’s going to need some flexible scheduling.” He’d already decided not to tell anyone about Mahoe’s role except Omura, in case of leaks.

“
No problem. I’ll give the kid whatever he needs. Good luck, boss.” Ferreira saluted with two fingers as he left, his face serious. Stevens knew he could get no greater support from the grizzled older man.

He was clearing his desk off as Brandon Mahoe came in and shut the door. Stevens had taken the burner pho
ne out of its packaging. “I’ve only told Omura about your assignment. No one knows here—and let’s keep it that way. I programmed my own burner’s number into your phone. Report to me daily, so I know you’re okay—just a text is fine.”

“
Yes, sir.” Mahoe’s face shone with excitement. “They are having a rally at the
heiau
in Wailuku tonight. I’ll call you afterward.”

“
Great. And, Brandon. If you hear some rumors about me, don’t believe them. I’ll be cleared eventually.” The young man frowned, obviously confused, as Stevens went on. “I’m going to be out on admin leave for a short time. It changes nothing that we’ve set up here.”

“
Yes, sir.”

“
I’ll look forward to your call.”

“
I’ll keep you posted. Daily.” And Mahoe left.

T
here wasn’t anything more to do than make sure the desk was clear for the next guy, if there was a next guy, and go on home. He walked through the small open area in front, bolstered by the encouragement he received from his small team all the way out to the Bronco.

Evening had fallen and Lei was home when Stevens drove up to the house. One look at her face as she stood on the porch, lips tight and brow furrowed, and he knew it wasn’t the right time to bury her in the avalanche of baby stuff he’d bought. He hoped she wouldn’t spot the mountain of boxes and bags in the back of the Bronco as he got out and locked the gate.

Keiki greeted him with happy tail wags, but Lei greeted him with a poke in the chest. “
Where were you? I was worried!”

“
I had to go downtown, do some errands, stop by my station,” he said. He pulled her stiff body in for a hug. “I had to talk to the guys. Make sure my cases were wrapped up a bit.”

She relaxed, fisting her hands in the back of his shirt. “
I wasn’t sure where you’d gone.”

“
Thought I’d skipped town or jumped off a cliff?” He tried to make it light, but one look at her stricken face showed him she was still worried. He leaned down and kissed her. “Let’s go inside. I need a beer. Or four. We have to talk.”

“
Do we ever.” She hooked a finger in his belt as if she couldn’t bear to be separated, and he looped an arm over her. “I made some chili.”

He wanted to make a cooking joke, because chili was pretty much all she ever made
—but the energy that had carried him this far seemed to have evaporated. The sight of the reddish sauce in the pan, the spatters on the white enamel of the stove, brought the nightmare from earlier bursting back in front of his eyes.