Yuletide Stalker Read online

  He asked for Stella, and she soon came and took him to Maddie’s room and unlocked the door. She had such a worried look that he said, “Is there anything I can do?”

  “No, I’m just distressed over this situation. We admitted a young girl a few nights ago. She was on drugs and we were making arrangements to send her to a drug rehab center. She was shot yesterday. We thought it was suicide, although I couldn’t imagine where she would have gotten the gun, for she didn’t bring it in with her. Now the police are treating the case as a homicide, suspecting her father may have had her killed.”

  She opened the door into an austere room, which contrasted poorly to the room Maddie had occupied at his home. She had made quite a sacrifice for his safety.

  “Another one of our staff members sleeps on the right side. Her things are still here.” Stella pointed to an unmade bed. “As you can see, everything has been removed from Maddie’s side. We’ve been in such turmoil that we haven’t even made her bed.”

  Linc looked at the empty bed and closet with a sinking heart. He experienced again the lonely bereft feeling that had threatened to overwhelm him when he learned that Maddie had moved out of his house.

  “What time did she leave?”

  “I can’t tell you. Ailina, Maddie’s roommate, was away for the weekend, so Maddie was alone in the room. And with the shooting of the girl in the dormitory about midnight, we were all disorganized. It was midmorning before I knew Maddie was gone. I’m sorry I wasn’t more attentive to her.”

  Linc put his arm across Stella’s slumping shoulders. “Don’t blame yourself. You couldn’t watch her all the time.”

  The note was still propped on the dresser and Linc picked it up. He read it twice before he asked, “Does this sound like Maddie to you? She wouldn’t have signed it Madison. Was it written on the computer in your office?”

  Stella reached for the note. “As I told you, I’ve been so distraught since this child’s death that I couldn’t concentrate on this note. But you’re right, it doesn’t sound like Maddie. You can go to the office and check out the computer font if you want to. It’s on this floor at the end of the hall, and the door is open.”

  “Did there seem to be any kind of struggle?”

  “The room is just as I found it. I’m as concerned about Maddie as you are, but I have a police detective waiting to talk to me. Are you through in here?”

  “No. I’d like to look around, if you don’t mind. Are you going to report Maddie’s disappearance to the police?”

  “I don’t think I should until I know she has disappeared. If she’s gone into hiding—for her own protection—we should let it go for now. Stay as long as you want to, but please lock the door when you leave.”

  Linc agreed, and he sat on the low bed where Maddie had slept. He smelled the scent of the body lotion Roselina had given Maddie for Christmas. He’d learned to associate the scent with Maddie in the few days she’d stayed in the house.

  The top sheet and blanket were folded neatly, just as Maddie would have done when she’d stepped out of bed. If there had been a struggle of any kind, the covers would have been disarranged. The pillow showed plainly where Maddie’s head had rested.

  Feeling more desolate than he had since his parents had died, Linc picked up the pillow and hugged it to him. Was the faint scent of her body lotion all that he had left of Maddie? He closed his eyes, a dull ache in his heart, as he wondered if he would ever see her again.

  Shaking himself out of his lethargy, he opened his eyes. Instead of moping around in her bedroom, he had to find her. He refused to believe that Maddie was lost to him. As he stood, he noticed an object that had been under the pillow.

  Her mother’s ring!

  Maddie would never have left it behind. This fortified his conviction that Maddie had been taken against her will! He picked up the ring, kissed it and dropped it in his pocket, now galvanized into action.

  He locked the door behind him, rushed down the stairs and into his car. He first telephoned Claudia Warren, the detective with the Hawaii State Police, and reported on Maddie’s disappearance. She promised to check on the Sanale family members in the city. She would also talk to the officers who’d investigated the homicide at Open Arms Shelter to see if there was any connection.

  He next telephoned Ed Blake, the detective who’d found Maddie before. He intended to spare no expense in finding Maddie. He knew now that all he’d accomplished in his life would count for nothing if Maddie was lost to him.

  Maddie’s head hurt. She couldn’t understand why her mother didn’t come and help her. And she was sick at her stomach, too. The bed was swaying back and forth. The mattress seemed damp. Why had her mother left her alone?

  Maddie opened her eyes and instead of seeing the ceiling of her childhood bedroom, stars shone over her head. And she wasn’t in a bed, but lying on the deck of a motorboat. The boat, swaying back and forth in the oncoming tide, agitated her squeamish stomach.

  When her eyes adjusted to the semidarkness, she saw two men on the seats in front of her. When she heard the soft voice of Steve Kingsbury, Maddie remembered what had happened.

  Linc! her heart cried, but she couldn’t speak, finding her mouth was sealed with duct tape. Her hands and feet were tied, too. Was Linc really hurt, or had that been Steve’s ruse to get her to open the door?

  He certainly hadn’t taken her to the hospital as he’d indicated, so she consoled herself that the rest of his story must have been a lie, too. Linc had told her he would be away a few days on business, but how long ago had that been? Praying that Steve’s story had been fabricated to get his hands on her, she wondered how he was mixed up in the threat to her life. Was Ahonui also her enemy? Was it possible that Ahonui and her brother were involved with the Sanales?

  The way she’d agreed, without hesitation, to go with Steve when she thought Linc was wounded, convinced Maddie beyond any doubt that she loved him. And remembering his kiss in the taxi the last night she’d seen him, she believed he loved her, too. Surely they could work through his doubts about the differences in their ages. Maddie realized that she looked as immature as a baby, but life had dealt her a lot of rough knocks and she’d learned to deal with them.

  How she wished she hadn’t been so quarrelsome the night Linc had taken her to dinner! Her attitude was really foreign to her true nature, and she would try to convince Linc that she hadn’t meant what she’d said. That is, if she had the opportunity to see him again. Tears trickled from her eyes, and with her hands tied behind her back, she could do nothing about it.

  Was she in the hands of the Sanale family? Had she been kidnapped by the ones who sought to avenge the death of their family members? Maddie feared that was the situation.

  Where was she anyway? The boat wasn’t moving. The two people were talking louder now, and Maddie’s mind was more alert, so she concentrated on their words.

  “Daylight is a long time coming this morning,” one complaining voice said. Maddie didn’t think it was a male voice. A few times she’d thought the person shadowing her was a woman; other times, she’d decided it was a man. Could her stalker have been the same person but in different disguises, as she herself had changed appearances?

  “No longer than any other time,” Steve said. “You’re just impatient.”

  “Yes, impatient to fulfill the obligation to my family.”

  “You have other family members, why did you take on this vendetta single-handedly?”

  “Because it is my father, my brothers who have died. I have cousins who have helped, but it is I, Edena, who will wield the knife. It is I who will satisfy the souls of my loved ones.”

  “There are too many Coast Guard patrol boats passing by to suit me,” Steve observed. “If one of them stops to see why we’re sitting here, we’re in trouble. The way seems clear now. You’ve got radar on this tub, and it should help us if we get lost. Let’s get out of here.”

  “Don’t get impatient, Tivini. I’ll not take a chanc
e on wrecking the boat. I’ve never learned to swim.”

  Shortly, however, Edena started the engine and revved the motor. Steve loosed the rope to the dock and jumped on board as the boat eased out into the open water of the Pacific. Maddie saw Diamond Head as they circled the island of Oahu, and she knew that wherever they were taking her, Linc was being left behind.

  The spray of the water dampened her clothes, and the blanket they’d wrapped around her was scant protection. Her body was numb from being tied hand and foot. She longed for a drink of water, but gagged as she was, she couldn’t get their attention. She pretended to be asleep, hoping to hear more.

  “She should be awake by now,” Steve said. “Are you sure that sedative wasn’t stronger than you said?”

  “She’ll come around soon. I didn’t want her to wake until after we left Oahu.”

  Despite her discomfort, the hum of the motor and the splashing waves lulled Maddie to sleep. She woke up when the motor nudged into a dock. Steve secured the boat and came to Maddie’s side. Her contempt for him must have shown in her eyes as he loosened her bonds and lifted her from the boat, for he wouldn’t meet her glance.

  When he stood her on her feet, Maddie crumpled to the rocky beach. She had no feeling in her legs, but she struggled to sit up and when she started rubbing her legs, sharp burning pain coursed through her limbs. She could barely refrain from crying out as the blood started circulating in her arms and legs. They hadn’t yet loosened her gag, and she figured they didn’t intend to until they got her to wherever they were taking her.

  They were on a rocky strip of land. Behind them was a steep, rugged incline, barren except for a mass of scrubby vegetation and a few trees. Maddie watched as Steve’s companion, who was unmistakably a woman, piled brush over the boat and the dock.

  “Are you able to stand now?” Steve asked, and she nodded.

  He gave her a hand and she stood. Holding to his arm, she walked a few steps back and forth.

  “You’ll have to climb this mountain. I’ll loosen the gag so you can eat and drink, but if you yell out, I’ll bash you over the head. Do you promise to keep quiet?” Steve asked.

  Maddie nodded, wondering who would hear her if she did yell. She couldn’t see any indication that the area was inhabited.

  The woman stood at a distance, peering up and down the coast. Maddie closed her eyes when the woman took her two suitcases from the boat. She rummaged in one bag and took out Maddie’s tennis shoes, a pair of jeans and a shirt. She then tied rocks to the suitcases and threw them into the ocean. There went all the Christmas gifts she’d received from Linc, even the black pearls she’d cherished. She felt for the chain around her neck, grateful that she still had his ring.

  Steve removed the gag, and she rubbed her numb lips, which felt as if she’d spent the day in a dentist’s chair. He handed her a bottle of water, and she drank deeply, although a lot of the liquid ran over her face because her numb lips wouldn’t function properly.

  When Steve handed her a sandwich, Maddie said, “How’d you get mixed up in this anyway? Are you a member of the Sanale family?”

  “No comment,” he said. “I’m not in charge here.”

  The woman plodded toward them. Her face distorted with anger, she stared at Maddie, who refused to lower her gaze from the woman’s malevolent stare.

  “Do you know who I am?” she asked, an accent in her voice that Maddie hadn’t noticed among the other Hawaiians.

  “No, but I have seen you stalking me.” She thought it might be dangerous to be impertinent with this woman, but even if they killed her, and she couldn’t really think this would happen, she was determined to die bravely.

  Pounding on her flat chest, she said, “I’m Edena, last member of my branch of the Sanale family. My brothers both died from wounds received in the prison break. When Kamu died before he could make you pay for the deaths of our father and brother, I vowed to uphold the honor of the Sanale family.”

  “Is it honorable to kill me? I was a mere child, living thousands of miles from here, when my father did his duty by revealing the crimes of your family.”

  Edena slapped Maddie’s cheek so hard her head snapped backward.

  “You lie! My family did not commit crime. The United States government had no right to annex Hawaii. Everything here belongs to the natives—they had a right to take the items.”

  Her stinging face convinced Maddie that she needed to control her tongue. She said nothing more. Edena threw Maddie’s shoes and clothes at her feet and motioned for her to put them on. Maddie knew they wouldn’t let her out of their sight, so she walked a distance down the coast, turned her back and hurriedly got out of the gown and robe. She put on the jeans and shirt and sat on a rock to tie her shoes, wishing she had a pair of socks. She carried her nightclothes with her when she returned to her captors. Edena snatched them out of her grasp, shredded them with her large hands and threw them in the water.

  Steve picked up a backpack and strapped it over his shoulders. He tenderly replaced the gag in Maddie’s mouth, and the way his hands trembled, she had the feeling he was sorry he was mixed up in her abduction. Thinking he might be an ally in her escape, Maddie decided to give him no trouble.

  “Which way?” he asked.

  Edena motioned to a narrow path that wound out of sight up the mountain. “I’ll go first. You follow the woman.”

  Whatever Steve’s role was in this abduction, it was apparent that Edena was in charge. Feeling like a lamb being led to the slaughter, Maddie took the walking stick Steve handed her.

  Edena motioned imperiously for Maddie to follow her, and she took the first step on a path, wondering if it would lead to her death. She definitely believed that death and life was in God’s hands, and that Edena couldn’t take her life until God was ready for her to join Him in Heaven. Had she finished the work God had put her on Earth to do?

  She didn’t fear death, but her heart cried “Oh, Linc, if only we could have had more time together.”

  SIXTEEN

  The path was rocky and steep, and even Edena found it necessary to stop often to rest. During one rest stop, they had a view of the ocean. Maddie looked down on the national park Linc had taken her to visit. She realized then, with a sinking feeling that they were no longer on Oahu, but on the island of Hawaii. She had no doubt that Linc wouldn’t overlook anything in trying to locate her, but the islands covered a vast area, how could he know where she was?

  The sun beamed on their backs before they were halfway up the mountain, and when Maddie thought she couldn’t take another step, Edena called a halt. Maddie collapsed to the ground, realizing why they’d gagged her. Several buildings were visible on the mountain now that the haze had lifted, so they were in a populated area. The gag added to her discomfort, because it was much harder to breathe when she couldn’t open her mouth.

  “No yelling,” Edena said as Steve removed the gag, a statement that amused Maddie. She was too tired to whisper, let alone yell. She drank half the water from the bottle Steve handed her in one long swallow. The cheese sandwich was dry, but it helped restore Maddie’s energy, and she finished the rest of the water. She peeled a banana he gave her and lay back on the rough ground. At the moment, she didn’t much care what happened to her. She closed her eyes.

  Steve shook her awake, and she sat up, wondering how long they’d rested. When she stretched her legs, Maddie’s aching muscles let her know they hadn’t rested long enough. Edena stood adjusting her backpack, and Steve, too, was ready to travel. He helped Maddie to stand. For the most part, Edena ignored her, but Steve seemed inclined to make the climb as easy as possible for her.

  Maddie’s feet were swollen and burning spots on her heels indicated blisters. She limped a few steps and glanced upward. Vegetation hid the top of the mountain, and she wondered how much farther they had to climb.

  Occasionally, to the right, Maddie saw the ocean and at one rest spot, she had another good view of Pu’uhonua o Hõnaunau National
Park. Tears stung her eyelids as she remembered her day there with Linc. She thought of how he’d rededicated his life to God’s service. A slight shiver tingled down her spine, recalling how she’d imagined herself fleeing to that ancient place of refuge. Her hope revived for a moment, thinking if she could escape from Edena, the woman would probably be superstitious enough not to kill her if Maddie could get to the place of refuge.

  They’d almost reached the top of the mountain by midafternoon. Maddie feared that whatever was going to happen would be soon. Had the woman brought her up here, intending to push her off a cliff into the ocean? Maddie couldn’t remember ever being so weary. Her back ached between her shoulder blades. She felt drained, lifeless. She walked with her head down, forcing one foot after another.

  She didn’t know that Edena had stopped until she bumped into the woman.

  “Stop,” she said, and grabbing Maddie’s arm, she pulled her into the shelter of a grove of mango trees. “Hide, quickly,” she called to Steve. He sprinted for cover behind a large boulder.

  “What is it?” he called.

  Edena pointed upward. “I don’t like all these helicopters I’ve been hearing for the past hour. We’re high enough now that I could see the markings on that last one. It was a state police chopper.”

  “You think they’re looking for us?” Steve asked uneasily.

  “That’s what I’m wondering. I don’t know how they could possibly be on to us, but let’s stay hidden for a while. We’re almost at our destination.”

  Another helicopter flew over, and Steve called, “That’s a Coast Guard craft. They’re looking for something. What are we going to do?”

  “Stay hidden in the brush. Keep close together.”

  In order to stay hidden, they had to climb over boulders and through prickly underbrush. Maddie slipped once and scratched both knees. Blood trickled down her legs and into her shoes. When she stumbled and was too weary to get up, Edena grabbed her arm and pulled her several more feet into the entrance of a cave.