Moon over Maalaea Bay (21 page)

“I don’t know what the authorities will decide to do with her. They will protect her until the trials, but after that…who knows? Her testimony at the trials could put her in danger with other international criminals.”

“So she needs to be in the Witness Protection Program.”

Granddad nodded. “You and I may think so. But as Lee and Agent Peterson said, the Department of Justice makes that determination. But you know what?”

“Questions.” Katie smiled, glancing at her great granddad. “You’re beginning to talk like Lee. Just say it.”

He smiled and patted her hand. “If you tell Anya the good news you promised her, her future could turn out good no matter what the Department of Justice decides.”

“You’re right. I shouldn’t be worrying about anything except how to present a loving, heavenly Father to someone who has only been treated horribly by men.”

“That’s the crux of it.” Granddad’s gaze reached far down the road ahead. “There’s Wailuku. Why don’t you pray about it until we get there? Maybe God has some good ideas. After all, He is the One who created Anya. He knows her heart.”

Katie glanced at the wise man sitting beside her in the car. He had committed his life to the Savior not even two days ago, yet he came up with answers which demonstrated a spiritual insight that amazed her. Regardless, he had given her an idea and she would go with it. Maybe Granddad was right. She slipped into silent prayer while the car rolled into the outskirts of Wailuku.

When a policewoman escorted Anya into the room, Katie noticed Anya was wearing street clothes. What did that mean? And why were they allowing them to meet with no glass wall between them. It was nothing like the prison visits she’d seen on TV.

Katie stood, extended her arms, and stepped towards the beautiful blonde.

Anya’s puzzled expression softened to a weak smile, and she stepped into Katie’s arms.

Katie gave her a hug, and then held her shoulders, pushing Anya back to study her face. “Are you doing OK?”

“Yeah. I think so. At least no one here is going to hurt me.”

What would it be like to have that concern constantly on one’s mind? Maybe like it was for Katie when she was tied up on the yacht and heard footsteps outside her cabin door. Always wondering, no certainty about her future.

Certainty about her future.
That’s where I can help her.

“Do you remember the good news I told you about?”

“I thought you were just trying to make me feel better. Trying to be nice.” Anya’s gaze dropped to the floor.

Katie gently raised Anya’s chin until she could see her eyes. “Can you think of one reason I should be nice to you?”

Anya face tilted downward again. She frowned and dropped her shoulders. “You don’t have any reasons to be—”

“That’s not true, Anya.”

“But you said you didn’t have any reason to—”

“No. That’s not what I said. I asked you to give me even one reason why I should be nice to you. I can think of a lot of reasons. But I wanted to know what you thought. “

“You said there were a lot of reasons. So
you
name one.” Anya’s set jaw and rigid posture reflected the challenge of her words.

“I’ll do better than that.” Katie paused. “First, I love you and care about you.”

“How can you say that, Katie? Especially after—”

“Let me finish, please.” Katie waited a moment.

Anya met her gaze.

Good. She was listening, not just waiting to interrupt. “I can say that because it’s true. Also because my Lord and Savior, Jesus, told me to love you, to love everyone, even my enemies, so—”

“Is that what I am to you? Your enemy?”

“To be honest, right after you helped them take me, I considered you my enemy. But not anymore.”

“But, Katie.” Anya’s eyes grew wide, intense. “When you ran towards me at the house in Kihei, you were going to kill me.”

“What you said then…well, I went a little bit crazy when I saw you. But I hoped you’d forgive me, because my Heavenly Father told me to love others like I love myself.”

“Father? Father equals man. You can’t trust them. They make you…serve them. God…He would be the same way.”

Katie had anticipated Anya’s resistance to anything male. But still…

Please, Lord, give me the words.

“This God, the only true God, does ask us to serve Him, but only if we trust Him and love Him.”

“I don’t love or trust the men I’m forced to serve. I couldn’t do that.”

“That’s because they don’t love
you
.” Katie tried to give Anya her warmest smile. It was easy to smile because now she could tell her the good news. “God loves you with an infinite love, a love so deep and complete that He loves you just the way you are.”

“And you really expect me to believe that? Katie, you know some of the things I’ve done.”

“I don’t expect you to believe without some proof. You see, I said He loves you like you are because, like me, you’re not perfect.”

“I didn’t need you to tell me that, the men that—”

“Please, let me finish.”

Anya pursed her lips and stood, studying Katie’s face, waiting.

“God loves us and wants to have a close relationship with us but, like you agreed, we aren’t perfect. But God is, and He won’t have relationships with people who aren’t.”

“And this is your good news?” Anya rolled her eyes.

“Yeah. I know. It doesn’t sound very good…yet. But if we somehow paid for our imperfections, then we
could
have a relationship with Him.”

“What does that take? And what about the times we mess up in the future after that?”

Anya was smart. But best of all, she was thinking. She was into their discussion despite all her objections.

“The payment for our sins, Anya, is our death.”

“Great! So after I die, I get to have a relationship with God?”

“Not exactly. The kind of death it takes to pay for sin, even one sin, is permanent death, separation from God for ever, infinite separation.”

“I don’t even know why I listened to you. You set me up, give me hope, and then spring this joke on me. You’re cruel, Katie!”

Katie studied Anya’s face. She didn’t look angry, just hurt. Deeply hurt and betrayed. As bad as it sounded, it was another good sign. She had won Anya’s confidence or there could have been no accusation of betrayal. But she would now have to win it again.

Please, Lord, it’s time for You to do that thing You do to people’s hearts.

Katie took a deep breath and met Anya’s hostile gaze. The hurt she saw there reflected back, shredding her own heart. Katie’s eyes filled with tears. When they overflowed, she wiped her cheek. “I do love you, Anya. God loves you too, and He proved it.”

Katie waited.

No reply.

“The permanent death I told you about, God paid it Himself, using Jesus.”

Anya was silent.

Katie waited for a response. Waited and prayed.

Slowly Anya’s mouth opened, and she stared into Katie’s eyes. Her eyes blazed with fire. “If I do this, I’ve got to know that this isn’t some cruel joke. I don’t want to be hurt by—” Anya’s tears spilled onto her cheeks as she sobbed.

Katie wrapped her arms around Anya and held her as her body shook with emotion. She waited to see if Anya would tell her what was really on her heart.

Anya’s sobbing had attracted attention.

A policewoman entered the room and stepped towards the two girls.

Katie saw Granddad’s stern headshake. The woman backed off and slipped out the door.

After another minute, Anya’s sobs subsided, but she left her head resting on Katie’s shoulder. “I have to know…for sure, or I can’t make a commitment like that.”

Katie motioned for Granddad to come.

He stood and approached the girls.

“Granddad, my Bible is in my suitcase in the trunk of the car. If you get it for me, do you suppose they would let you come back in with it?”

“They may have Bibles here in the jail.”

“No.” Katie shook her head. “Anya needs
my
Bible, the special one that Jenn bought for me. It’s marked up so she can find all the passages she needs to read.”

The door opened and a man in a suit entered. “They told me you were here. I’m Detective Ramirez.”

Granddad shook the detective’s hand. “Sir, we have a somewhat unusual request. We need my granddaughter’s Bible. It’s in our car.”

“I see…” The detective said as he rubbed his chin. “Come with me, Mr. Akihara, is it?”

“Yes, it is.”

“I think I can help you.”

After the two men left the room, Katie spoke softly. “There
is
proof, Anya. A lot of it. I have an apologetical Bible, a version for people who want proof. There’s a book in it, kind of like a chapter, called the book of John. When you read it, think about what you’re reading, about what the people did and why they did it. Ask God to show you the truth. You do that, and you’ll have all the proof you need.”

“So faith isn’t just a blind thing?” Anya’s voice was barely a whisper.

Katie shook her head. “After you read how they whipped those people, tortured, and killed many of them, people who lived at the time of Jesus, you tell me if you think their faith was blind.” She paused to let the information sink in. “If theirs wasn’t blind, and we have their historical record to read, ours doesn’t have to be blind either.”

Katie studied Anya’s face. “You don’t look entirely convinced. That’s OK. Just promise me you’ll read what I show you in my Bible. That’s all I ask.”

Anya smiled weakly. “I’ll read it. It’s the only place I have to turn to for hope right now.”

Katie grinned at her. “You got that right, girl. It’s the only place any of us have to turn to for hope.”

After Granddad returned and gave Katie her Bible, she moved the ribbon marker to the book of John, handed the book to Anya, and turned to leave.

“Hey, Crazy Katie.”

Katie turned around and Anya’s arms wrapped around her in a tight embrace.

“Hey, Awesome Anya. See you…at the trials if not before. If you get a chance to call me, my phone number is inside the front cover.”

Katie turned, knowing she would never forget the picture of Anya, her tear-streaked face looking down into an opened Bible.

38

Lee took Jennifer’s hand as they turned from the security checkpoint at Kahului Airport and walked towards the exit nearest the temporary parking area. “With Katie and Granddad boarding for Oahu, what would you like to do, Jenn?”

She met his gaze and gave him a smile which ended in a display of glowing, pink cheeks.

He looked at her face and squeezed her hand. “That sounds like a wonderful idea.”

She poked his shoulder and leaned her cheek against the spot where she’d unleashed her mock fury.

“At least I got better treatment than you gave that guy called Snake—”

“Stop it, Lee. That’s history. History I don’t even want to think about right now. Let’s focus on the future, our future.”

Her coy smile and warm, inviting eyes derailed his train of thought.

“Our future. Let’s see. If we save enough, we can easily retire at fifty-five and—”

She poked him again.

“Okay. I get it…the
near-term
future.” He unlocked the car with the key fob and grinned.

She did not. “Lee, let’s get in our car,
now
, and drive straight to our room.”

“My sentiments ex—” The trade winds swirled through the parked cars around them and sent Jennifer’s thick, dark hair dancing. Was it a waltz or tango? Regardless, it gave him an idea. “As we drive out by the rental lots, I’m going to exchange our car for a convertible.”

His words drew a headshake. “It would only mess up my hair…and waste time.”

“But you look very, very sexy with your hair a little windblown.” He opened the door for her.

“I can read your eyes, Lee. I’ve always been able to. You thought I looked, you know, since that night we met.”

“Guilty as charged.” Lee climbed in and started the car. Before driving out of the lot he scanned golden landscape and the sky with several layers of scattered clouds. “Things are shaping up for a wonderful sunset tonight. Beginning in about thirty minutes. We need to hurry.”

“Just don’t get us into an accident. And no traffic tickets, either. No delays.” She rested a hand on his shoulder.

Fifteen minutes later they were westbound on Highway 311 towards Kihei in a silver convertible, rolling along at forty-five miles per hour with the top down. Jennifer’s hair waved gently in the breeze. He looked longingly at it. “See. I told you so.”

“Keep your eyes on the road, Mr. Brandt.” She paused. “You enjoy teasing me, embarrassing me. Why do I put up with you?”

“Because about thirty hours ago you promised you would for as long as we—”

“Yes. But if you don’t keep your eyes on the road, I might be prematurely released from my promise.”

“That’s not going to happen. Not after I finally found someone I love, someone I can give my heart to and trust not to trash it. Someone who happens to be a consensus Miss Universe, and—”

“That’s what one of the men on the yacht called me. No more Miss Universe talk, please.”

“How about Mrs. Brandt?”

She loosened her seatbelt, leaned over the console and against his shoulder. “Much better, sweetheart. Much, much better.”

Lee slowed the car and turned from North Kihei Road onto the long driveway of the resort. “Did you like our room?”

Jennifer let out a long, slow sigh. “Yes. I only got to see it for a few minutes, but the room was wonderful. You know, that seems so long ago that—”

“Almost a lifetime ago?” He gave her his mischievous smile.

“Almost a lifetime? Don’t joke about it, Lee.” Jennifer gave him a frown and a pleading look. “Can we please talk about something more pleasant?”

“Sure. I’ve got an idea that just might work to make things very pleasant.”

“What idea?”

“Let me surprise you.”

She snuggled her head deeper into his shoulder. “I’m sure there will be a lot of surprises tonight.”

“Amen for surprises.”

“C’mon, Lee. You’re supposed to be talking softly, saying sweet, romantic things. Maybe even a little…suggestive.”