Veils and Vengeance Read online

  I kicked past the shelf of lava rocks cascading to the bottom some thirty feet below. Something caught my eye and I held perfectly still. A rainbow fish. I’d seen the blue fish with neon green and orange stripes in a picture. It nosed around the coral and my smile widened until I remembered to bite down on my mouthpiece. The fish was maybe ten feet below me. It would only take a minute to dive closer, and then I would resurface and find the shore like a good girl.

  The fish swam through a coral tunnel, and I wished that my assistant, Lorea, was with me to examine its beautiful markings. Or that I had spent a little more money to buy the waterproof camera I’d had on my wish list. I made a mental note to buy a disposable one before we went on our next snorkeling trip. The salt water forced me nearer the surface, but I kicked down once more, blowing out the reserve of air in my lungs. With practice, maybe I could get as deep as Jon and his parents.

  The rainbow fish darted in front of me, and I stopped kicking. It looked at me, and I gazed at its glassy eyes for about two seconds before I began to rise back to the surface. I searched for the rainbow colors and saw a flash as it swam around a large boulder. From behind the rock, I noticed an object protruding from the side, floating near the rocky shelf. I blew out the water in my tube and blinked to clear my eyes.

  Sucking in a noisy breath, I kicked forward against the current. A blue flipper floated near the boulder, but what had my heart rate accelerating was the arm moving in a slow wave on the other side of the rock. Lifting my head out of the water, I scanned the area around me. The beach was probably two hundred yards away, and I thought some of my snorkeling buddies were near the exposed reef west from me. They were too far away, and I couldn’t leave until I checked if my goggles were clear. My brain didn’t want to accept that what I had seen looked like a human arm.

  Gulping a huge breath and kicking down hard, I dove back under the surface. The pressure on my ears increased as I dove deeper. The saltwater continually pushed me toward the surface, but with one more forceful kick, I grabbed onto the boulder. With my feet above my head, I pulled myself around and caught sight of the flipper—and the arm. It was attached to the body of a woman.

  A black scuba mask covered her face, and behind the glass lens, her eyes were open. They stared forward into the darkness of the water where the tunnels delved deeper through the coral. Chains encircled her body with a weight resting next to her in the sand. Her arm moved again in the current, and a glimmer of metal caught my eye. I tried to focus on the object—it looked like a bracelet or maybe a watch. My lungs tightened, begging for oxygen.

  I released my hold on the rock and allowed myself to float back up to the surface. The chains wrapped around her body were etched into my mind as I broke through the water. Ripping off my mask, I gulped in air and let loose the scream I’d been holding since I focused on those sightless eyes behind the mask.

  “Help! Call 9-1-1! Help!” I waved my arms frantically and then paused. I needed to mark my position—though this area was calm, the current was still strong enough to move me several feet in less than a minute. The beach was dotted with several people lounging and walking. There was a chair on the sand with a red and white umbrella behind it, shading a man who was reading a magazine. He was directly in front of me, and I noticed the cluster of trees behind him, the way the sand formed a steep bank, littered with bits of driftwood. Hopefully he wouldn’t move before help arrived.

  Someone swam toward me with fast, clean strokes—Malia. She was followed by the rest of the snorkeling party. When she bobbed next to me, I yelled, “There’s a body down there. It looks like a woman.”

  She pulled her mouthpiece out. “What? Is she hurt?”

  “No, she’s dead. Wrapped in chains and some kind of weight.”

  Malia gripped my arm. “Are you okay?”

  I hadn’t noticed, but now everything came into focus. My teeth chattered and my shoulders tensed with shivers. “I don’t know.” Tears pricked my eyes. “I saw a flipper, and then her arm. Her eyes—she was . . .”

  “Is she hurt?” Heather asked as Neil, Jon, and Kyle surrounded me.

  I thrust my hand into the water, pointing downward. “She’s dead.”

  “Who?” Jon came closer and gripped my hand.

  “I don’t know. There’s a body down there by a big rock. I saw the chains.”

  Heather pulled off her mask and glanced at Malia. “Is she okay?”

  “No!” I yelled. “She’s dead. Didn’t you hear me? Her arm—it was floating.”

  Jon grabbed my other hand and shook my arm. “Adri, they’re talking about you. You look really pale. We need to get you to shore.”

  “But we need to call 9-1-1.”

  “We will, as soon as we get you out of the water.”

  Jon ducked his head under the water and then resurfaced. “It’s too shallow and the shelf is too narrow here. She’ll have to swim back around the reef.” His voice echoed through his breathing tube.

  “I don’t know if that’s the best idea right now,” Neil said. “She looks like she might be in shock.”

  “No, I’m okay.” Another shiver rippled across my shoulders.

  “If you swim toward the mountain, there’s a wide path leading straight to the beach. You’ll be able to skirt the coral.” Heather pointed to the beach. “Head for that family building sand castles.”

  “We can take her.” Malia looked at Kyle and he nodded.

  “First, can you show us where you found the—the body?” Jon asked.

  Panic. That’s what I was feeling. I didn’t want to put my face in the water again and see those eyes staring up at me. Salty tears mixed in with the briny water coating my lips. The beach chair—I blinked my eyes and looked for my landmark. “There, the red and white umbrella. I was directly in front of it when I surfaced.”

  “Okay, Malia, you stay with Adri. We’ll see if we can find whatever she saw.” Jon pressed his mask against his face.

  “I think you should head for shore now,” Heather said. “You’ve been in the water too long. You must be freezing.”

  Numb was more like it.

  “We’ll be quick.” Neil dove under the water with Kyle.

  Jon prepared to follow, but I reached for him. “Look for a blue flipper, and her arm—”

  He squeezed my hand. “It’s okay. Make sure you’re taking slow, easy breaths.” He followed his father.

  “Be right back.” Heather’s flippers made a splash as she swam downward. Less than a minute later, she reappeared and pulled out her mouthpiece. “They’ve found something. My mask started leaking.” She tightened the straps. “Malia, take Adri to shore now and call for help.” She dove back down before we could answer.

  My teeth chattered and I clamped my jaw shut. I noticed goose bumps on my arms. “I’m afraid to go underwater again.”

  Malia clasped my hand. “You’ll be fine. We’ll kick fast, and I bet we’ll be back to the beach in less than five minutes. If you get too scared, you can keep your head up.”

  There was a splash and Kyle resurfaced. “Let’s go!” He shouted. His eyes were wide. He’d seen the body as well.

  “Lead the way,” Malia said.

  She waited while I readjusted my mask over my face. The pounding of my heart increased as the water lapped against my arms. With my pinky finger, I wiped the inside of my mask to clear it, then I sucked in through my nose for a tight fit.

  “Ready?” Malia’s voice sounded hollow.

  I gave her a thumbs up and leaned over the water, biting hard on my mouthpiece. As soon as my face hit the water, I closed my eyes, afraid of seeing the body. Malia jerked on my hand, and I opened my eyes. She pointed at a school of white and blue fish. For a moment, I forgot to be scared as they flitted in between the rocks and bunches of coral.

  Malia tugged on my hand again, and I began kicking my feet, remembering not to bend my knees. Kyle swam ahead of us and we followed—the fins moving us through the water rapidly. We reached the sand
tunnel, and I noticed how loud my breathing was in the tube next to my left ear. I focused on one thought: don’t panic, just breathe.

  When my knees hit the sand, I lifted my head out of the water and ripped my mask off. Crawling forward out of the surf, I struggled to hold in the tears.

  “I’ll run to the lifeguard station,” Kyle called over his shoulder as he sprinted across the sand.

  “Adri, why don’t you lie down for a minute? I’ll call for help.” Malia removed her snorkel gear and pointed down the beach. We had left our cell phones stowed safely in the gear bags about three-hundred yards away.

  I nodded. “Okay.” Malia jogged across the beach. All I could do was watch her and remind myself to suck in another mouthful of air. Outside of a funeral viewing, the only other dead body I’d seen was that of my best friend, Briette. I’d been planning her wedding when she was murdered. With a shake of my head, I pushed out the memory like I’d done so many times over the past two years. I tried to think of something else. I turned my head and watched how the sun shimmered on the ocean waves.

  The image of that arm kept coming to the forefront of my mind. And then I would see the mask, and even though I would try to stop myself, I would see those eyes—I think they were green. With a shudder, I moved my focus back out to the water.

  Jon and his parents were out there somewhere. Were they trying to bring the body to the surface? My gaze flitted across the groups of snorkelers. There were probably about fifteen people out today. Neil had mentioned that even though Tunnels Beach was the best place to snorkel and scuba dive on the whole island of Kauai, not many tourists knew about it because there was limited public access. We had parked on the other side of a private drive and walked about ten minutes to the beach. All I wanted was to go back to the hotel and lie down, but I wondered how I would find the strength to walk across the sand to our vehicle.

  I’d prepared for this wedding for months, working to avoid problems and stress so that I could enjoy the trip—I didn’t plan on finding a body. The image of the woman came to mind again, and I remembered the chains wrapped around her torso. It wasn’t just a dead body that I had discovered. It was murder.

  Chapter 2

  WEDDING CARD RECIPE

  1. Fold 4 ¼” x 11” piece of brown cardstock in half to make 4 ¼” x 5 ½” card base.

  2. Stamp heart images randomly across card base.

  3. Now stamp desired image (flower, bird, etc.) on white or other colored cardstock scrap. Punch with medium oval punch or cut using decorative edged scissors. Adhere to center of card front with glue.

  4. Utilize a favorite quote, printed on cardstock for the inside message of the card.

  Example: Of all forms of caution, caution in love is perhaps the most fatal to true happiness.

  -- Betrand Russell

  Courtesy of www.mashedpotatoesandcrafts.com

  Malia returned before Kyle, holding a cell phone tight to her ear. I had spotted the Connellys out in the gentle swells of the ocean. Jon waved at us—he must’ve seen Malia approaching.

  “They’re right there,” I said. Malia stopped next to me and looked toward the water. Their gestures indicated they had found the body and were staying put until help came.

  “Hold on a minute.” Malia moved the phone and crouched next to me. “Kyle should be back soon.” She turned around and squinted down the beach. “I see him. He’s with someone—must be the lifeguard.” She motioned to her phone. “They’re contacting the Coast Guard.”

  Ha’ena Beach park adjoined Tunnels so that was quick thinking on Kyle’s part, although a lifeguard wouldn’t be much help to someone already dead.

  “I can see Jon out there.” I pointed to his rhythmic waving. “They must have found her.”

  Malia straightened and waved back at Jon. Kyle and the lifeguard drove up on an ATV.

  “How are you holding up?” Kyle asked me as he pulled his mask and flippers back on.

  “I’m okay. Warming up.” I didn’t want to say more because my lip trembled with the effort of holding in a sob.

  “I’m heading out with the lifeguard, but more help is on the way.” Kyle stared at me for a second. “It’s okay. Everything will be fine.”

  I wrapped my arms around my legs and rested my chin on my knees. I wanted to believe him, but I didn’t know if I was strong enough. Not even a year ago, I’d been through more trauma than I could have imagined. My life was threatened multiple times, and I had a scar on my chest to prove it. Broken pieces of Adri were held together by a thin coating of glue that threatened to disintegrate. I was supposed to be improving by going to therapy and sorting out my issues. And now this. I tried not to think about the police, the questions, the taste of fear in the back of my throat.

  I refocused on my surroundings. Tunnels Beach was extraordinary because the reef was so large that the surf didn’t break for at least a quarter of a mile out from the beach. The roaring of the waves was subdued by the distance which was probably why I heard the sirens approaching a few minutes later.

  Men in scuba gear swam out to the Connellys. I watched Heather, Neil, and Jon approach a few minutes later, accompanied by one of the Coast Guard officers in a wetsuit. The officers wrapped towels around them—the Connelly family had been in the water too long. Another officer asked them questions and took notes.

  “Miss, are you the one who found the body?”

  The deep voice startled me, and I looked up to see a Polynesian man, his gold badge glinting in the sunlight. His black hair receded above his high forehead.

  “Yes.” My voice cracked, and I coughed to clear my throat, but I couldn’t hold the tears back. “She’s dead.”

  He crouched beside me on the sand. “It’s fortunate you found the body before something else did. We don’t know who she is yet, but I’m sure her family will be grateful to know what happened to her.”

  My shoulders shook with sobs, but I concentrated on his words. It was true. Although the woman had most likely been murdered, at least her body hadn’t been washed out to sea or eaten by crabs. “But someone killed her,” I whispered. The impact of the crime stole my breath. Refilling my lungs with air, I looked at the officer. “I saw the chains.”

  “That’s what I heard, but we won’t know for certain until we investigate further.” He held out his hand. “I’m Officer Kinau. Can I ask you a few questions?”

  I nodded and swallowed hard. My hand was limp in his firm grasp. There wasn’t much I could tell him. Some part of me realized that I was experiencing shock, and I kept trying to tell myself to calm down.

  “Why don’t you take a few deep breaths?” The officer tapped my hand. “Look at the patterns of sand on your fingers. Focus on that for a minute, and see if you can feel your breaths slowing.”

  “Okay.” I stared at the sand and recognized the fragments of sea shells and black flecks Neil had shown me earlier. The granules blurred before me, and I took a deep breath. It hadn’t been long ago that I had faced a situation much more dangerous than this one. My fingers traced the raised line on my chest where the knife blade had entered. I was stronger than these bits of sand on my fingers.

  My breath slowed and I closed my eyes. Immediately, the image of the dead woman came to mind. I forced it out, searching for something good to pull to the front of my consciousness. Luke Stetson’s face. That dimple in his chin. His broad shoulders and that concerned look on his face when he’d sat next to me in the hospital. He had saved me and then he asked me on a date. In between breaths, I thought about the past several months. I’d been too busy with my wedding planning business and with healing emotionally and physically to worry about dating. Luke knew that and he hadn’t asked again after I turned him down the first time, but I wondered when he might get the nerve to ask me again.

  Wait. I didn’t want to think about Luke either. I opened my eyes.

  “That’s better.” Officer Kinau crouched next to me. “Now tell me what happened.”

  I told him
how I followed the rainbow fish and noticed the flipper—and the body. “And her arm. It was loose, moving through the water.” I stopped. There was something else—something about her arm. What was it? Or was it her mask?

  “Anything else that you noticed?”

  I squeezed my eyes tight, allowing the image of the woman to fill my thoughts. Focusing on the memory of her arm moving through the water, I struggled to recall whatever was tickling the back of my brain, but there was nothing. With a frown, I opened my eyes. “I don’t know. I kind of freaked out. It was my first time snorkeling here.”

  “I’m sorry about that.” He handed me a notebook. “I need a signed statement from you—this is standard procedure. Would you mind taking a few minutes to write things down now, while they’re fresh?”

  “Sure.” I took the pen he handed me along with the notebook.

  “I’ll be back in a few minutes. Thanks for doing this.” Officer Kinau stood and brushed sand from his pants. He headed over to join the other officer questioning the Connelly family.

  I tried to keep the lines of the paper from blurring as I began to write. Rehashing the same conversation I’d just had with Officer Kinau made it a little easier to know what to write. The page was nearly filled by the time a shadow blocked out the glare of the sun. I glanced at Officer Kinau and finished my last sentence.

  “I hope this helps.” I handed the notebook and pen back to him.

  “It will. Thank you.” He pulled out a card. “Take this. If you think of anything else significant, let me know. I’d also like to take down your contact info in case we have more questions.”

  “Okay.” I gave him my number and told him I was staying at the Grand Hyatt Resort in Poipu. Shivering in the sunlight, I took another ragged breath.

  “Thanks again for your help. Try to enjoy the rest of your vacation.”