than the little wand of the pregnancy test.
Lei sat down right where she was, folding up her legs on the porch, and Stevens turned away and sat on the top step. She took her phone out and called Dr. Wilson’s personal cell—she no longer saw the police psychologist regularly, just for “tune-ups” when needed, and she didn’t know if she was relieved or terrified when the psychologist’s phone went to voice mail.
“Hi, Dr. Wilson . It’s Lei on Maui. Listen, our wedding’s going to be in a few days, and I’m wanting some personal space. Stevens thinks something is wrong and wanted me to call you. Please get back to me when you can.” She pressed Off. “There. You satisfied?”
She spoke to the back of his head. His broad shoulders had sagged, and he’d threaded his fingers into coffee-brown hair, ruffling it as he did when upset. Her heart squeezed , and she set her hand on his back.
“I’m sorry. I hate being like this.”
“I hate it too. Makes me wonder what being married to you is going to be like, if we make it that far.” He stood and walked away without looking back at her, leaving Keiki whining, forlorn as he shut the gate behind himself with a bang.
His words had made her run back through the house to throw up. She wasn’t at all sure she was up to either the wedding or being pregnant. Stevens had picked up on that in spite of her excuses.
Lei refocused her eyes on her to-do list, rubbing a dry Bic pen in cir cles on the paper to get the ink flowing—so vigorously she hit her mug with an elbow. The coffee sloshed, dangerously close to spilling on her workspace, and she caught it, blowing out a breath.
T he thought of Stevens leaving her made her belly clench—but she’d basically sent him packing. He was probably as nervous as she was about what would happen on their actual wedding day. Tonight she was supposed to pick up Aunty Rosario and her father, Wayne Texeira, from the airport. There were only three days left until the wedding.
She hated to leave right now. Maybe there was just a little more she could do on the bow hunter case before she left for ten days of honeymoon. She held down a speed-dial button on her phone.
“Did you get the wedding dress?” Marcella asked by way of greeting.
“ One last fitting. It’s going to be gorgeous, Marcella. I can’t believe you know me so well. I love what the designer came up with.”
“ I knew you would.” They confirmed a few more details, including what time Lei would pick her up from the airport the following day.
“ Can you have Ang put a watch or alert out on the Internet for someone looking for native Hawaiian birds? I think we might have a poaching order out for them, possibly originated in China.” She filled Marcella in on the little they knew about the poachers.
“ Sure,” her friend said. Just then Lei’s desk phone rang.
“ I gotta go. See you when I pick you up tomorrow.” Lei clicked off her cell phone and picked up the handset of the desk unit. “Lieutenant Texeira here.”
“ This is Sally Shu at nine-one-one operations. I had an anonymous tip that someone’s dead in Waikamoi Preserve. The caller left your name to contact.”
Lei ’s heart lurched and went into overdrive. Another body up there? That couldn’t be good. “Did you send officers to respond?”
“ No. Thought it could be a hoax, and since you’re on the murder case up there, I called to see if you could go directly instead.”
“ Any other information? Like where the body is located, general description?”
“ If I had any more information, I’d certainly give it to you, Lieutenant,” Shu said.
“ We’re on our way,” Lei said, already looking around for Pono.
Lei took her own truck up Haleakala toward the preserve since, whatever the outcome of this errand, she needed to go to the airport at four p.m. to pick up her aunt and father. Weaving up the winding curves of the familiar two-lane road to the summit, Lei found
Lei sat down right where she was, folding up her legs on the porch, and Stevens turned away and sat on the top step. She took her phone out and called Dr. Wilson’s personal cell—she no longer saw the police psychologist regularly, just for “tune-ups” when needed, and she didn’t know if she was relieved or terrified when the psychologist’s phone went to voice mail.
“Hi, Dr. Wilson . It’s Lei on Maui. Listen, our wedding’s going to be in a few days, and I’m wanting some personal space. Stevens thinks something is wrong and wanted me to call you. Please get back to me when you can.” She pressed Off. “There. You satisfied?”
She spoke to the back of his head. His broad shoulders had sagged, and he’d threaded his fingers into coffee-brown hair, ruffling it as he did when upset. Her heart squeezed , and she set her hand on his back.
“I’m sorry. I hate being like this.”
“I hate it too. Makes me wonder what being married to you is going to be like, if we make it that far.” He stood and walked away without looking back at her, leaving Keiki whining, forlorn as he shut the gate behind himself with a bang.
His words had made her run back through the house to throw up. She wasn’t at all sure she was up to either the wedding or being pregnant. Stevens had picked up on that in spite of her excuses.
Lei refocused her eyes on her to-do list, rubbing a dry Bic pen in cir cles on the paper to get the ink flowing—so vigorously she hit her mug with an elbow. The coffee sloshed, dangerously close to spilling on her workspace, and she caught it, blowing out a breath.
T he thought of Stevens leaving her made her belly clench—but she’d basically sent him packing. He was probably as nervous as she was about what would happen on their actual wedding day. Tonight she was supposed to pick up Aunty Rosario and her father, Wayne Texeira, from the airport. There were only three days left until the wedding.
She hated to leave right now. Maybe there was just a little more she could do on the bow hunter case before she left for ten days of honeymoon. She held down a speed-dial button on her phone.
“Did you get the wedding dress?” Marcella asked by way of greeting.
“ One last fitting. It’s going to be gorgeous, Marcella. I can’t believe you know me so well. I love what the designer came up with.”
“ I knew you would.” They confirmed a few more details, including what time Lei would pick her up from the airport the following day.
“ Can you have Ang put a watch or alert out on the Internet for someone looking for native Hawaiian birds? I think we might have a poaching order out for them, possibly originated in China.” She filled Marcella in on the little they knew about the poachers.
“ Sure,” her friend said. Just then Lei’s desk phone rang.
“ I gotta go. See you when I pick you up tomorrow.” Lei clicked off her cell phone and picked up the handset of the desk unit. “Lieutenant Texeira here.”
“ This is Sally Shu at nine-one-one operations. I had an anonymous tip that someone’s dead in Waikamoi Preserve. The caller left your name to contact.”
Lei ’s heart lurched and went into overdrive. Another body up there? That couldn’t be good. “Did you send officers to respond?”
“ No. Thought it could be a hoax, and since you’re on the murder case up there, I called to see if you could go directly instead.”
“ Any other information? Like where the body is located, general description?”
“ If I had any more information, I’d certainly give it to you, Lieutenant,” Shu said.
“ We’re on our way,” Lei said, already looking around for Pono.
Lei took her own truck up Haleakala toward the preserve since, whatever the outcome of this errand, she needed to go to the airport at four p.m. to pick up her aunt and father. Weaving up the winding curves of the familiar two-lane road to the summit, Lei found
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