Paradise Wild (26 page)

Leonaka sat across the kitchen table from Jared, clasping a cool glass of rum punch between his large brown hands. It was late afternoon, and he had only just arrived from the city. His welcome was not what he had expected. The only one to show him any warmth was Malia, who alone was cheerful in a household of gloom. Even Akela, Leonaka’s great-aunt, had only said a few words to him before she went back to banging pots and pans.

“It didn’t take you very long to get here,” Jared commented.

Leonaka smiled now, encouraged that his friend had finally said something. “When I am offered a week’s vacation with pay, I’m not going to sit around and think about whether to take it.”

Leonaka expected a rejoinder, but none was forthcoming. Finally he could stand it no more.

“What in damnation is going on here?”

Jared couldn’t meet Leonaka’s imploring gaze. He got up and stalked from the room without another word. Leonaka turned to Akela for explanation.

“His wife gone,” Akela said, showing her own anger and disappointment.

“What you mean, gone?” Leonaka asked, slipping
into pidgin English, as he always did with Akela. “Where she wen’ go?”

“That John Pierce come here this morning, say Kolina ask him take her to Honolulu, say she pay him plenty money. He hide Kolina so Ialeka no can find her.”

“What?”

Akela grunted. “You ask me, I say that no-good
haole
lie!”

“Who? Pierce?”

She nodded. “Kolina happy since Ialeka come home this time. They no fight. I watch them. I say to myself, is good, they will have good marriage. They just stubborn, no yet ready admit they love each other.”

Leonaka looked skeptical. “Maybe you just see what you hope to see, huh, Aunty?”

“You ask Ialeka!” she snapped. “You ask him if things not better between him and his wife these last days.” Then she paused. “No, mo’better you no ask him now. Right now he mad like hell.”

“And what if Pierce’s story is true?”

Akela shook her head stubbornly. “Kolina not run away without her
keiki
.”

Now Leonaka was truly surprised—and hurt as well. “Ialeka and me used to tell everything about each other. Now he keep everything to himself. He no tell me about his wife, he no tell me she give him
keiki
.”

“He no tell you about the
keiki
because she tell him the
keiki
not hers, but belong to her
wahine
servant.”

“So you only suspect—”

“I know!” she cut him off emphatically. “I tell Ialeka, but he no believe.”

“This is too complicated.” Leonaka sighed. He got up and walked to the door. “Is Ialeka just going let her go?”

Akela finally let a grin cross her lips. “He say he no care, but I know better. That’s why he so mad.”

Corinne sat on the wet earth with her back propped against a crate. She was exhausted and her hands were blistered and filled with splinters from trying to pry open the boards in the wall that had cracks wide enough to get her fingers through. She had failed. Though the shed was old, it was sturdily built and she didn’t have any tools at all.

She had wracked her brain all afternoon trying to figure out why she was here. The only conclusion she had reached was that John Pierce was a madman. If that was true, then she had more to fear than just being locked up. Her life might be in danger.

All matter of horrors came to mind. Her imagination went wild over the different ways he might try to kill her. Each murder she envisioned was more gruesome and terrifying than the last.

When then door to the shed finally opened, Corinne was a nervous wreck.

Rigid with fear, she stared up at the man. She was utterly unprepared when he said, “There’s no point in keeping you locked up. You’ve no place to go anymore.”

She had to struggle for the courage to ask, “What—what do you mean?”

“Your husband doesn’t want you back, madam.”

The anger in his voice frightened her more than his words did. “You spoke to Jared?”

“I went to make a deal with him. I told him I’d bring you back if he’d sell me his land. But his land means more to him than you do.”

What he was saying sank in slowly, and finally Corinne realized that she wasn’t facing a madman after
all. She was facing a plain greedy crook who had held her for ransom.

But that ransom wasn’t going to be paid. Her fear was gone instantly, replaced with hot anger. She got to her feet.

“I’ll have you put in jail for this!”

“No, you won’t,” he said harshly. “No one’s going to believe I kept you here by force. It’s your word against mine. And your reputation is no good, Mrs. Burkett.”

“Jared knows you kidnapped me!”

He laughed. “Don’t be absurd. You came to me to help you get back to the city.”

“That’s a lie!”

“Yes, but it doesn’t matter because your husband believed it.”

Why would Jared be so quick to believe that?

“Now what?” she asked herself softly. And suddenly she knew the answer. Pierce had left the door open, and Corinne simply dashed through it and, picking up her skirts, ran as fast as she could run.

She knew exactly what she was going to do. She wasn’t frightened anymore. She was so angry that she hardly felt her own fury any longer. The fighting between her and Jared had gone on long enough. In the last few days, everything had changed between them. Yet here was this repulsive fellow informing her that Jared
believed
she wished to leave him.

It was too much. She was sorry for the wrong she’d done her husband, but when was he going to remember the good about her instead of the bad? When, if not right now?

Corinne ran on, having forgotten all about John Pierce.

Leonaka found Jared sitting on the beach, bathed in the red glow of sunset. He sat staring pensively at the ocean, so wrapped up in his dark thoughts that he wasn’t even aware of Leonaka until the big man spoke.

“I can remember finding you like this many times after your mother died,” Leonaka said hesitantly. Jared didn’t even look up. “You want to talk about it, Cousin?”

“No.”

“We used to share all things,” Leonaka sighed. “What has happened to us?”

Jared finally looked over at him. “Shouldn’t you be letting your father know you’re here?”

“Is that your way of telling me to mind my own business?” Leonaka asked.

“Look, Leo. There’s nothing to talk about. I got myself into a deplorable marriage that isn’t worth discussing, and I would just as soon forget it.”

“If your marriage is so deplorable, why are you so upset?”

“Who said I’m upset!” Jared growled.

“You’re not?” Leonaka raised a brow.

“All right,” Jared said testily. “I am a little upset.
But not because she’s gone,” he added quickly. “I would have let her go soon, anyway.”

“Would you, Ialeka? Maybe she is in your blood already,” Leonaka said quietly. “Maybe she is the woman you must have to be happy.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Jared replied adamantly. “But even if it were true, she wants no part of me. She proved that well enough today.”

“Perhaps you gave her cause? You have a violent temper,” Leonaka pointed out. “I know this. Does your wife know it too?”

Jared’s eyes grew mournful as he remembered how terrified Corinne had been the night he struck her. Was that why she had left at the first opportunity? Was she still frightened of him? But no, a woman terrified of her husband could not put on a performance of such willing compliance and keep it up for a couple of days.

“Corinne has seen my temper and she has one to match it.”

“Ialeka,” Leonaka began earnestly, “if you want her, go after her. She is your woman. I think you love her, and—I only met her once, but isn’t that your wife?”

Jared turned quickly and stood up as Corinne approached them. Elation hit him first, but the old anger and bitterness soon took over.

“Did you forget something?” he asked sardonically. He was taken completely by surprise by the stinging slap she dealt him.

“By God, you had better have a good explanation for that,” he growled menacingly.

Corrine was exhausted from running, but she found her voice. “Explanation? I hate you—that’s explanation enough! But if you want more, there’s the little fact that you abandoned me to that horrible man next door.”

“You went to him for help.”

“You fool!” She cut him short. “Didn’t it occur to you to doubt the word of a man who had made you an unsavory proposition? I know what he told you and it was nothing but lies!”

“So you say,” Jared replied and turned away from her in disgust.

Corinne grabbed his arm and managed to stop him. “Don’t you dare walk away from me!” she shouted at him. I’ve spent the afternoon locked in a damp, dirty storage shed, thinking all the time that Pierce was a madman and was going to kill me. I worked my hands raw to get out of there, but I couldn’t.”

“Is that the best story you could come up with, Corinne?” Jared asked with heavy sarcasm. “What really happened? Did Pierce refuse to help you after I turned down his offer?”

“Oh!” She grabbed her skirt and started to the house, but stopped again and swung around to face him. “I didn’t ask John Pierce to take me away from you, Jared.” She marvelled at the way she was able to bring her voice under control. “When I met him on the beach, he said he had puppies to give away. Thinking of Michael, I went with him to pick one out. Once I was in the shed where the puppies were supposed to be, he slammed the door shut on me. I didn’t find out why until he let me out.”

“And you expect me to believe that?”

She clenched her fists. “I don’t care. But since I know Pierce lied to you, I want to know if he lied to me as well. He told me that your land meant more to you than I did, that you didn’t want me back. Is that so?”

“Yes, that’s what I told him.” Bitterness kept him from explaining why he had said so.

A long silence fell while Corinne fought to swallow the painful lump in her throat. She had hoped it wasn’t true. Pierce had lied to Jared, why couldn’t he have lied to her too? But he hadn’t. “I see,” she said evenly. “In that case, you may arrange for someone to take me back to the city tomorrow.”

Jared watched Corinne walk away, and heard the patio door open and close. He stood there silently, fighting his own emotions.

“What if she was telling the truth?”

“She wasn’t,” Jared replied gruffly.

“But what if she was?” Leonaka persisted, forcing Jared to listen. “It would mean that she had the chance to ask Pierce to take her away, but she didn’t ask. It would mean she didn’t really want to leave.”

Jared turned abruptly and walked off down the beach. His friend watched him go.

It was late. Corinne sat in Florence’s room on the narrow bed, while Florence worked her needle on the splinters in Corinne’s hands. She had told Florence the whole story while she fed Michael. He was sleeping now. Florence had already agreed to give up her room for the night, saying that she would use Naneki’s room, which was empty.

“Law, will you look at the size of these blisters,” Florence clucked.

“Just drain them and get it over with,” Corinne said tiredly.

She felt depleted of strength and sick with resignation. Akela had brought her a large meal, but she couldn’t eat. Her stomach churned. She would be going back to the city, then back to Boston. Wasn’t that what she wanted? The answer didn’t come readily. It didn’t come at all.

“I just don’t understand Jared,” Florence remarked angrily. “You mean to say he still didn’t believe you, even after he saw the condition of your hands?”

“He didn’t see them, Florence. But even if he did believe me, it wouldn’t make any real difference. He admitted that he didn’t want me back.”

“That was probably just his pride talking,” Florence reasoned.

The door opened without warning and they both turned. Jared stood in the doorway, his hand still on the doorknob. He didn’t say anything, but just stared at Corinne with an inscrutable expression.

Florence broke the silence first, her tone indignant. “Now look, Mr. Burkett. It’s not seemly, you coming into a lady’s room without knocking. And you’ve got no business in this room a’tall.”

“I’d like to speak to my wife privately, Mrs. Merrill. Would you please leave us for a few minutes?”

He had just come in from the beach, after spending hours trying to sort out his feelings. He was certain of only one thing. He wasn’t ready to let Corinne go.

“You stay right where you are, Florence,” Corinne said while she kept her eyes on her husband. “I have nothing more to say to you, Jared. And the only thing I want to hear from you is what time I should be ready to leave in the morning.”

“You’re not going anywhere—not yet, anyway,” Jared replied in a quiet tone. “That’s what I want to talk to you about.”

Corinne was incredulous. “You mean you’re not going to take me back?”

“No.”

“Why?”

“Because I said so,” he replied childishly.

“Why?” she demanded again.

“Never mind why, damnit”

Michael started crying and Corinne rushed to him. “You see what you’ve done with your shouting?” She glared at him furiously.

“You shouted first,” he reminded her. He took a few steps into the room. “Leave him to his mother, Corinne. We’re not finished yet.”

“Oh yes we are,” she replied, turning her back on him and soothing Michael against her breast.

“You had best leave now, Mr. Burkett,” Florence stated firmly, standing solidly between husband and wife. “Cori will be sleeping here tonight. That’s her own choice, and I will thank you to respect her wishes.”

“And I would advise
you
not to interfere,” Jared told the older woman sharply.

Florence didn’t back down. “After the deplorable way you have treated my Cori today, I’m not about to turn aside and let you abuse her further. What she told you was the truth.”

“Mrs. Merrill, you would undoubtedly believe anything she told you,” he replied coolly.

“You insult my intelligence, sir, and you seem to be lacking any of your own,” Florence said stiffly. She heard Corinne’s gasp at the impertinence, but she continued anyway. “You were nothing short of a fool to doubt Cori’s word when the truth was right there in her hands. I removed nine splinters, Mr. Burkett, and there are also five blisters. You can see for yourself. Tell me how her hands could have come to that condition if not in the way she claimed?”

Jared was no longer looking at Florence, but at Corinne, who stood facing him again, Michael in her arms. His eyes narrowed as he brushed passed Florence and strode over to Corinne.

“Let me see your hands.”

“No.”

He didn’t ask again but grabbed one hand and turned it palm up. There were cuts and abrasions and two of the blisters Florence had mentioned. A grimace passed over Jared’s features and deepened when Corinne yanked her hand away. He looked up at her slowly and met her fiery green eyes.

“Corinne, I’m—”

“Don’t you dare say you’re sorry! Don’t you dare! It’s too late for that.” Michael started crying again. “Will you leave now, Jared? Just leave me alone!”

Jared turned quickly and left. This was not the time to make amends. Outside the room he stopped, his shoulders slumping. Would she ever forgive him for doubting her, for saying he didn’t want her back when that wasn’t the truth at all? How could he have let things get so messed up? Would they never believe each other about anything?