Last Night (12 page)

"Really?
"
Vanessa said, shocked. "The way he looks at you, I assumed he was nuts about you.
"

Dana shook her head. Rob must be a whole lot better actor than she
'
d thought. They drifted toward the main group and one of the men stopped Vanessa. Dana kept walking rather than link up with Rob again.

She went inside the house and stood alone in front of the wall where glass cases held
leimano,
ancient Hawaiian weapons made from sharks
'
teeth. The war clubs and spears were studded with teeth from two of the most dangerous sharks in Hawaii, the great white and the tiger shark.

"The native Hawaiians didn
'
t have metal, you know.
"
Big Daddy suddenly appeared at her side.

He was tall, with a muscular body kept trim by hours in the saddle and skin tanned a rich caramel color. His full head of white hair and dark brows added to his impressive bearing. As usual he wore an aloha shirt, but this wasn
'
t one of the cheap versions sold in Waikiki boutiques. Like the original aloha shirts, which were made from the cast-off kimonos that the Japanese islanders wore, this shirt had a more oriental print and was made of silk.

"Sharks' teeth were the sharpest thing around,
"
he informed her. "That
'
s why Captain Cook was able to take advantage of the islanders so easily. For a handful of nails they traded barrels of fruit and casks of
'
awa
.
"

This was another of his favorite stories. How many times had he told her that the
'awa,
made from kava roots, had a druglike effect that Cook's men craved? Waiting for an opportunity to get away, Dana reminded herself to be polite. She didn
'
t want him to suspect Vanessa was really leaving.

"The ancient Hawaiians believed the shark was a symbol of fertility.
"

Undoubtedly, Big Daddy would now
"
talk story
"
in the typical Hawaiian fashion and launch into how he had speared three sharks in one day. Hawaiians liked to retell family stories as much as they did Hawaiian lore, thoroughly enjoying each retelling even though everyone already knew the tale. But Big Daddy didn
'
t have the Hawaiian flair for details, nor did he have a sense of humor. He did nothing more than brag.

"Really? The shark was a fertility symbol?
"
she asked, playing along the way everyone did when someone was talking story, pretending she didn
'
t know the legend.

"Yes.
"
Big Daddy studied her, his dark eyes ominous beneath those wild black brows. Or was it her imagination?

Dana turned away from his piercing gaze and tried to imagine what kind of man put fertility symbols on his living room wall along with a surfboard. "Interesting.
"

"
In old Hawaii,
"
he continued, and she could tell he was on a roll now. When he got going there was nothing to do but wait him out. "The shark was believed to be all-powerful. The islanders thought he was Pele
'
s brother.
"

Dana couldn
'
t resist.
"
That
'
s what I love about old Hawaii. They understood power.
"

"What do you mean?
"

"Notice their chief deity wasn
'
t a god, but a goddess. Pele was the goddess of fire and volcanoes. She gave birth to these islands. Pele was a woman, an all-powerful woman.
Next in line was her brother…
a man. A shark.
"

He chuckled, but she doubted he found her comment funny. Barefoot and pregnant was his vision of the ideal woman, not a fiery goddess superior to his beloved sharks. She couldn't help wondering what he thought about Rob. She
'
d introduced them and Rob had thanked Big Daddy for his hospitality, but the older man hadn
'
t said much. Surely he knew about Rob
'
s column in the
Honolulu Sun.
But if he read it he didn
'
t mention it.

Odd, Dana thought, studying Coltrane. He
'
d always been strange,
but now that she knew he eaves
dropped on his guests and had forced Jason to watch a pig sticking, she positively despised the man. She strolled outside, hoping to get away from Big Daddy, but he followed her.

At the far end of the terrace Rob and Vanessa stood alone. Vanessa was talking and Rob had an odd expression on his face. He stepped away from Vanessa to take a drink from a passing waiter, and Dana stole a quick look at Big Daddy. Sure enough, he was watching.
Her gaze swung back to the cou
ple and a thought niggled at the back of Dana
'
s mind. Vanessa had moved forward.

She was standing in Rob
'
s space.

10

A
t dinner Dana was seated in the place of honor next to Big Daddy, with Travis Coltrane beside her. How lucky could she get? The floor-to-ceiling doors were open and another table had been set up on the terrace. Rob was seated there with Vanessa at his side, and judging from the laughter they were having fun.

She could hardly imagine the Coltrane brothers really enjoying themselves. They were too intimidated by their father to have fun while he was around. She cast a quick glance at Travis. Like his brother, Eric, who
'
d married Vanessa so quickly, Travis Coltrane was the image of his father. He had thick dark hair that would never creep backward like most men
'
s, jet black shark
'
s eyes, and the distinctive Coltrane cleft chin.

To give him credit, Travis had a better personality than his brother or father. He wasn
'
t sullen like Eric or a domineering braggart like his father. Travis was always nice to her, and she had the impression
he'd be a lot more fun if he ever got away from his father.

"
I
'
m surprised you
'
re here with Rob Tagett.
Ho'omano,"
said Travis.

A fitting description, Dana thought with a sigh.
Ho
'
omano
meant that Rob behaved like a shark with women. On the mainland they would call him a wolf.

"
Rob and I are just friends,
"
she responded, though she could see she
'
d be more likely to sell him a bridge than convince him that she wasn
'
t having an affair with Rob.

"
Your timing stinks,
"
Big Daddy added, obviously listening intently to their conversation.
"
You
'
re up for a superior court appointment. Why would you get involved with a man with a reputation for—
"

"
It
'
s my life,
"
Dana cut him off, not surprised that he knew about the appointment. The Coltranes had numerous political connections. She couldn't help noticing Travis
'
s smile of approval. No one put Big Daddy in his place, certainly not his sons. He pointedly turned his at
tention to Minerva Mallory, dis
cussing his upcoming
birthday luau with the red-
haired widow.

"
How are your girls?
"
Dana asked, curious about his divorce.

Travis shrugged.
"
I haven
'
t seen them in over a year.
"

So Travis didn
'
t see his children. Would Eric even want to see his son? Dana glanced down the table to where her brother-in-law was sitting. She
'
d never
had the impression Eric cared one whit about Jason.

Big Daddy, though, doted on the boy. He would insist on seeing his grandson and force Eric to press for custody. Like it or not, Vanessa had no chance of getting rid of the Coltranes entirely. Any judge would grant Eric and Vanessa joint custody.

Travis leaned close and whispered,
"
Looks like your sister is about to steal your man.
"

Dana glanced up and saw Vanessa and Rob
'
s heads close togeth
er. They were engaged in an ani
mated conversation that didn
'
t include anyone else at the table.
"
Vanessa
'
s just being friendly,
"
Dana said, determined not to allow Travis to incite a competitive situation with her sister.

"
She
'
s a flirt, and she doesn't know when to quit.
"
Travis glanced meaningfully at Big Daddy, who was watching Vanessa gaze into Rob's eyes as if he were about to impart the location of the Holy Grail.

That kind of man is nothing but trouble.
Her sister
'
s prophetic words echoed in her ears.

Dana summoned a smile, aware that Travis was studying her, but she couldn
'
t forestall a twinge of anger. She wanted to march over and tell Vanessa that she wasn
'
t a child anymore. She didn
'
t need her help.

She already knew Rob Tagett wasn
'
t the man for her.

*
*
*

G
arth Bradford looked at the clock as he hung up the telephone. 10:30. Was it too late to call Dana in Maui and give her the news? Probably not.

"
Sue the bastards, sue the bastards,
"
chanted Puni, moonwalking along his perch.
"
Sue their asses.
"

He picked up the telephone, wondering for the hundredth time if Dana could possibly be involved in a murder. He doubted it, but still, Rob had been incredibly cagey when he
'
d given Garth a preliminary report. All Rob would say was that he was
"
checking.
"

There wasn
'
t any answer at the number Rob had given him, so Garth tried the main house.
"
May I speak with Dana Hamilton?
"
he asked and was told
to hang on.

Garth waited, thinking it had been divine inspiration to throw Dana and Rob together. Not that he
'
d misled Dana. Rob Tagett was the best detective in the islands, but he was also a lonely, troubled man. And Dana Hamilton, despite her successful career, was a lonely, troubled woman.

He
'
d deliberately not told Rob who was coming to see him. He didn
'
t really know how Rob felt about Dana, but he thought that if Rob saw her in person he
'
d have trouble refusing her request for help. And he
'
d been right.

"
Hello?
"
The voice was as sultry as a tropical night.
"
This is Dana
'
s sister, Vanessa.
"
Garth conjured up an image of Dana, but with long, dark hair and makeup.
"
Dana left some time ago, but they
must have stopped somewhere. Is there any message?
"

The breathless quality of Vanessa
'
s voice gave Garth a glimpse of how provocative Dana could be —if she wanted to. Should he tell her sister why he
'
d called? It might be better if Vanessa broke the news to Dana.
"
Please tell Dana that Garth Bradford called. The superior court appointment went to Craig Olsen.
"

"
Oh, no!
"
The sultry voice was no longer so sexy. There was genuine disappointment in Vanessa
'
s tone.
"
That
'
s not fair.
"

"You
'
re right. It's not fair. Dana deserved it.
"

"I know she
'
s going to be disappointed.
"
The voice was low again, provocative. "Her career means so much."

Garth didn
'
t say anything, but he agreed. He suspected that, like himself, all Dana had was her career. That
'
s why it meant so much to her.

"Do you know Rob Tagett very well?
"
Vanessa unexpectedly asked.

"About as well as anybody knows him.
"

"I
'
m worried about Dana. She doesn
'
t have much experience with men. Someone like Rob is so out of character for her.
"
Vanessa sighed, a soft rush of air across the receiver, but it raced down Garth
'
s spine and stopped where all feeling ended at his waist.
"
I mean, well, Rob seems genuinely interested in Dana, but the stories I
'
ve heard—
"

"Forget them. Rob
'
s a good man. He
'
s perfect for Dana.
"
Garth decided the situation must indeed be
serious. They hadn
'
t told Vanessa that Rob was working for Dana. Interesting.

"
He
'
s not good for her career.
"

"
True,
"
Garth conceded. Rob Tagett wasn
'
t right for Dana. A husband with a sterling reputation and a job outside the legal communi
ty would be perfect. Still…

"I hear there
'
s been more trouble.
"
Vanessa interrupted his thoughts.
"
Gwen called here to ask Dana where she bought her pepper spray. She said the Panama Jack
'
s rapist attacked another woman last night.
"

"That's right.
"
Garth shook his head in disgust. Some nut in Honolulu had been following women home from bars and raping them. The press had dubbed the guy the Panama Jack
'
s rapist because two of the victims had been stalked after leaving the popular nightclub.

"
I hope the police catch him soon.
"

"I
'
m sure they will,
"
Garth said, although he had his doubts. The creep was clever. So far they only had a generic description that fit half the men in Hawaii. Tall, broad-shouldered, dark hair.

"Thanks for calling,
"
Vanessa said.
"
I
'
ll break the news to Dana.
"

Garth would have liked to keep talking, but what could he say to someone he didn't know, someone who was nothing more than a sexy voice. Someone who was married to another man.

He hung up and wheeled himself out onto the terrace, where it was pitch dark. Beyond the barbecue
area was the swimming pool he
'
d designed. It stretched out, appearing to be part of the ocean, one continuous shimmer of water. At night he liked to sit outside and listen to the symphony of the ocean and the wind in the stately palms. Usually he kept Puni on his shoulder for company. A foul-tempered parrot might not be everyone
'
s idea of the ideal companion, but he was better than the overwhelming silence, broken only by the lonely call of the sea.

D
ana followed Rob down the lava rock path toward Makai House after dinner. They went around to the terrace that faced the sea. She honestly didn
'
t know what to say. If he kissed her again she was going to whack him. Obviously, he thought he was irresistible to every woman. Well, he was dead wrong.

"
Did you find out anything?
"
Dana tried to keep sarcasm out of her voice, but heard a hint of it despite her best efforts.

Rob flopped down on one of the bent-willow chairs and propped his feet up on the deck rail. The only light came from a lover
'
s moon, a soft glow as romantic as candlelight. It played across his dark hair and caught the enigmatic blue of his eyes as he pulled the other chair close to his and motioned for her to sit.

Dana yanked the chair back to where it had been and reluctantly low
ered herself into the soft cush
ions.

"
Big Daddy
'
s banging Moneybags Minerva.
"

"
Possibly,
"
Dana admitted, recalling all the meltdown looks Minerva cast at Big Daddy during the interminable dinner. "What does that have to do with anything?
"
She knew she sounded bitchy; she couldn
'
t help herself. Sometimes she had trouble hiding her temper.

"
Coltrane doesn't allow anyone up in his suite except when Eustace cleans it. That means he has to go to Minerva
'
s bungalow, right?
"

"Right.
"
She assumed Vanessa had told him all this. Perhaps their conversation had been more businesslike than it had appeared.

"Tomorrow night, when Big Daddy
'
s with Minerva, I
'
m checking his suite. I
'
d like to know just what
'
s up there.
"

"What if he catches you? No telling what he might do.
"

"He's not going to. I
'
ve got a pair of two-way radios. You
'
re going t
o hide in the bushes outside Mi
nerva
'
s cottage and warn me.
"

"All right,
"
she whispered, finding it hard to imagine herself doing such a thing. She
'
d always been extraordinarily careful not to break any laws. In the back of her mind she always knew she
'
d been wrong not to report Hank
'
s death. Sometimes, when she stepped up to the bench, she asked herself,
What right do I have to be here?

Under ordinary circumstances she
'
d never spy on anyone or be a party to a break-in. But these weren't normal circumstances. She honestly believed Big Daddy had sent the blackmail notes. He
seemed to be the blunt, forthright type. The bugs planted everywhere proved he was an out-and-out sneak—the kind of man who
would
send blackmail notes.

Dana stared at the starry reflection of the moon as it danced across the waves in the distance, thinking that Rob was in his element. Apparently he had no qualms about breaking in or counterblackmail. While she admired the ruthlessness she saw in him, because she didn't have it herself, Rob frightened her.

"
Aren
'
t you going to ask me what else I learned?
"

"
There's more? You
'
ve been busier than I thought.
"
She
'
d assumed that he
'
d done nothing more tonight than drool over her sister.

"Eric Coltrane spends every night in town with his mistress. He comes back just in time to shower and go to work on the ranch.
"

"Vanessa told you that?
"
She heard the anger in her voice. Vanessa had never told her Eric had a mistress.

"Nah. I got it out of one of the maids.
"

Rob
'
s cocky smile should have forewarned her, but she asked anyway. "There
'
s more?
"

"Yeah. Travis has the hots for you."

"What makes you think that?
"

"
The way he kept pawing you at dinner. Every time you leaned forward, he checked out your bra.
"
A surge of heat rose to her cheeks. She was wearing a demi-bra, and it was possible that if you looked down the front of her dress you could see the
edge of her breasts. Rob must have looked or he wouldn't know what someone else might see.
He was a totally incorrigible l
ech. He could probably tell her exactly what Vanessa was wearing beneath that white sheath—if anything.

"
Travis just better watch it,
"
Rob said.
"
If he doesn't keep his hands off you I
'
m going to deck him.
"

Something in his tone left no doubt in Dana
'
s mind that Rob meant what he said. Part of her felt protected in a way that she
'
d never felt protected before, but she couldn
'
t help resenting his attitude. What right did he have to be so possessive?

She hesitated, her thoughts turning to Vanessa. She almost asked Rob what he thought about her sister. Then she decided that she didn
'
t really want to hear him put it into words.

"
Let
'
s go inside.
"
Rob rose from his chair and offered her his hand. His strong fingers curled around her palm as he pulled her to her feet. "Remember, we
'
ve been in the grotto making love.
"

Who but Rob would have thought of the grotto? The mountain-lake pool was surrounded by artfully placed boulders. Waterfalls flowed into it, creating
"
slides
"
over the rocks just like the "slides
"
in the rain forest, which had been Mother Nature
'
s inspiration rather than a
showcase for some jet-set land
scape architect.