into the tent village. The image haunted her—her gut was telling her there was more to find out at the Lighthouse. “Can we still go out to Pauwela Lighthouse?”
“No. Absolutely not. They said a minimum of twenty-four hours of bed rest. You could have a clot or something.”
“Tomorrow, then?”
He shook his head, getting out a box of pasta. “Maybe. If you’re good.”
“Okay.” She snuggled into the couch and decided to enjoy being waited on, since she didn’t have much of a choice and her head really did hurt.
Chapter 13
Stevens helped her out of the Bronco onto the wind-scored grass on the bluff at Pauwela Lighthouse the next morning. She slapped at his hands irritably.
“I’m fine. I can do it myself.”
“God, you’re stubborn.” He walked away, heading for the deep marks the fire trucks had left at the top of the bluff. She followed, already feeling bad for being so cranky and wishing she could take back her words.
They stood looking the down the rugged bluff at the black rocks where the wreck had been. A crew had winched it up the bluff the day before, but glass still added an extra sparkle to the clear tide pools below, and rainbows of oil marked the water.
A blanket of clouds on the horizon threatened rain, and the ocean had gone slate blue snagged by whitecaps. Lei found her eyes scanning for whales and was rewarded by a featherlike spout bigger than any wind-driven wavelet.
A gust caught the big square Band-Aid on her head and pulled her hair. She held it down gently. Stevens had run a clipper on the number five setting over her whole head, and her curls were now evenly shorn, an inch or so long all over her head. She still remembered the intimacy of the clipper running up the back of her neck, the feel of his gentle fingers treating the wound. She pressed against his side, and he put an arm around her.
“Sorry I’m such a bitch.”
“Yes, you are.” He kissed the top of her head. “Sure you want to do this?”
“We have a photo now. Maybe there was a reason she came here or was brought here.”
Stevens turned with her to face the dense underbrush where the tent village hid. “Let’s get this over with so we can go home.”
They pushed forward through knee-high grass until they found a path and followed it straight to the first tent, the one where the young mother lived.
“Anyone home? Maui Police,” Stevens called.
A long moment passed before the door of the tent unzipped and the young woman came out. She was holding the baby this time, its dark eyes wide and serious.
“You called Child Welfare on me, bitch.” She gave Lei a hard stare.
“You deserved it, bitch.” Lei gave some attitude back, though her head and bruises hurt too much for any heat. “Thought if I called them you might get some more services, maybe a place at the shelter.” The homeless shelter was already overcrowded, with a waiting list.
“Yeah, well, it didn’t help.” The woman sat in the folding beach chair and gestured to a second one. Lei sat gingerly. Her hip hit the arm of the chair, and she winced. Stevens reached down to pat her shoulder and hit another bruise. She flinched again.
“What happened?”
“Hit by a car.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah.”
“So what do you want now?”
“We have a picture of the girl who died in the car.” Lei handed the color-enhanced photocopy they were circulating to the woman. “We’re still trying to find out who she is, what she might have been doing out here.”
The young mother looked at the lovely dead face for a long moment. “I’d remember her if I’d seen her, but I haven’t.”
“Okay.”
Lei took back the photo, stood slowly from the chair. She handed the girl her card. “You have my number, if you see or hear anything.”
“Well. There’s a girl here who might know something. I mean, she’s around the same age as this one, is all, and she’s new here.”
“Where?”
“She’s camping with Ramona.” The young woman
“No. Absolutely not. They said a minimum of twenty-four hours of bed rest. You could have a clot or something.”
“Tomorrow, then?”
He shook his head, getting out a box of pasta. “Maybe. If you’re good.”
“Okay.” She snuggled into the couch and decided to enjoy being waited on, since she didn’t have much of a choice and her head really did hurt.
Chapter 13
Stevens helped her out of the Bronco onto the wind-scored grass on the bluff at Pauwela Lighthouse the next morning. She slapped at his hands irritably.
“I’m fine. I can do it myself.”
“God, you’re stubborn.” He walked away, heading for the deep marks the fire trucks had left at the top of the bluff. She followed, already feeling bad for being so cranky and wishing she could take back her words.
They stood looking the down the rugged bluff at the black rocks where the wreck had been. A crew had winched it up the bluff the day before, but glass still added an extra sparkle to the clear tide pools below, and rainbows of oil marked the water.
A blanket of clouds on the horizon threatened rain, and the ocean had gone slate blue snagged by whitecaps. Lei found her eyes scanning for whales and was rewarded by a featherlike spout bigger than any wind-driven wavelet.
A gust caught the big square Band-Aid on her head and pulled her hair. She held it down gently. Stevens had run a clipper on the number five setting over her whole head, and her curls were now evenly shorn, an inch or so long all over her head. She still remembered the intimacy of the clipper running up the back of her neck, the feel of his gentle fingers treating the wound. She pressed against his side, and he put an arm around her.
“Sorry I’m such a bitch.”
“Yes, you are.” He kissed the top of her head. “Sure you want to do this?”
“We have a photo now. Maybe there was a reason she came here or was brought here.”
Stevens turned with her to face the dense underbrush where the tent village hid. “Let’s get this over with so we can go home.”
They pushed forward through knee-high grass until they found a path and followed it straight to the first tent, the one where the young mother lived.
“Anyone home? Maui Police,” Stevens called.
A long moment passed before the door of the tent unzipped and the young woman came out. She was holding the baby this time, its dark eyes wide and serious.
“You called Child Welfare on me, bitch.” She gave Lei a hard stare.
“You deserved it, bitch.” Lei gave some attitude back, though her head and bruises hurt too much for any heat. “Thought if I called them you might get some more services, maybe a place at the shelter.” The homeless shelter was already overcrowded, with a waiting list.
“Yeah, well, it didn’t help.” The woman sat in the folding beach chair and gestured to a second one. Lei sat gingerly. Her hip hit the arm of the chair, and she winced. Stevens reached down to pat her shoulder and hit another bruise. She flinched again.
“What happened?”
“Hit by a car.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah.”
“So what do you want now?”
“We have a picture of the girl who died in the car.” Lei handed the color-enhanced photocopy they were circulating to the woman. “We’re still trying to find out who she is, what she might have been doing out here.”
The young mother looked at the lovely dead face for a long moment. “I’d remember her if I’d seen her, but I haven’t.”
“Okay.”
Lei took back the photo, stood slowly from the chair. She handed the girl her card. “You have my number, if you see or hear anything.”
“Well. There’s a girl here who might know something. I mean, she’s around the same age as this one, is all, and she’s new here.”
“Where?”
“She’s camping with Ramona.” The young woman
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