shook her head.
âWhatâs the matter, dear? Why do you care if he came from Hawaii?â
Fenwick interrupted.
âIâm sorry, Madam,â he said. âBut thereâs another call. This time it isâ¦well, itâs urgent. It seems thereâs a problem downtown.â
âThere is?â she said, getting up from her chair. âWhat kind of a problem?â
âI donât know, Maâam. They didnât divulge that information to me.â
âOh, all right. Iâll take it.â Mrs. Haddon went to her study.
Nicki handed her plates to the maid and headed out onto the terrace. She watched clouds form in the sky. The Don River Valley was at its greenest at this point in the summer, especially before a thunderstorm when the colors of the forest stood out brilliantly against the dark gray background.
Nicki was deep in thought when the sound of the television through the screen door grabbed her attention.
The six oâclock news was under way, and the first story was the arrest of Quon. She ran inside and turned up the volume.
The RCMP have made an arrest as a result of a prolonged investigation into technological espionage activities involving several countries.
Quonâs photo flashed on the screen.
More arrests are expected.
Nicki clicked off the television and returned to the terrace.
Fenwick followed her out. âDo you know something about the arrest?â he asked.
Mrs. Haddon slid back the glass doors and joined them outside.
âNicole, that was the concierge at the hotel.â
By the expression on her face, Nicki and Fenwick knew something was up. Something big.
âItâs Trent Newman,â she said. âHeâs disappeared.â
Everything rushed into Nickiâs head at once.
The vase.
Tâaiâs uncle.
Hawaii.
Newmanâs friend Kimo, the cop.
âOf course,â she said under her breath.
âOf course?â Fenwick raised an eyebrow.
âMother,â said Nicki, âyou were right when you said that something was bothering me.â
âOh?â
âI really should have stayed in Honolulu. I need to get back for an importantâ¦uh, competitionâ¦tomorrow afternoon. Do you think you could get the pilot to file a flight plan for me tonight? I know itâs last minute, but this would mean the world to me.â
Chapter Twenty
Nicki looked out across the blue Pacific. The flight above the island of Oahu, and the glorious birds-eye view it provided of Pearl Harbor and Diamond Head volcano, was always an exhilarating momentâespecially as the plane descended over the pineapple fields and headed out onto the offshore runway, built on a coral reef.
This time was different. Nicki couldnât concentrate on anything, knowing what was about to unfold.
âIâve got to go, Mother,â said Nicki, âweâre about to land. I just wanted to say Iâm sorry for being such a jerk about the private jet. Iâd be nowhere without it.â She paused. âOr you.â
She clicked off her phone.
The moment she landed, she thanked the pilot and took off to find a cab.
âGet me downtown as fast as you can,â she told the driver. âNot the Nimitz Highway, I donât want the scenic route.â She looked at her watch: it was still on Toronto time. âTake the H-1.â
âYou got it.â
âWhat time is it?â she asked him.
âNine twenty.â
âGood,â said Nicki, adjusting her watch back six hours. âThe morning rush is past. We can do it in half an hour.â
âSounds like youâve been to Honolulu before,â said the driver, pulling the cab out of the terminal. He looked at her in his rearview mirror. âDonât I know you?â
âI donât think so. Listen, Iâve got to get to Beretania Streetâto police headquarters.â
âOkay. Fasten your seatbelt!â
The driver got her there
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