As he and Teresa went outside, Kai paused to turn off the kitchen TV. Just before he clicked it off, he noticed that Headline News had a graphic showing the TransPacific logo and text saying 'Airliner missing over Pacific.'
Chapter 3
The rain had been falling constantly for two hours now, but that didn't keep Yvonne Dunlap from her duties. In her three weeks on the Palmyra Atoll, she had come to appreciate the damp weather, which contributed a serene quality to the island. Even with 175 inches of rain per year watering the lush vegetation, she could think of worse places to do scientific research.
She picked her way across the beach looking for her quarry, avoiding the plastic garbage that was borne to the otherwise pristine habitat by ocean currents. Dark clouds stretched to the horizon, broken only by an occasional flash of lightning in the distance. The breaking surf and soothing patter of rain were her only companions.
None of Yvonne's three colleagues on the island had joined her for her excursion. They were back at the surprisingly comfortable base camp, working on their computers out of the rain, compiling figures about the nesting habits of sooty terns or analyzing data about the impact of non-native species on the island's flora.
Yvonne had come hunting for what she thought was much more interesting prey than birds and shrubbery. Her graduate studies in invertebrate biology had brought her to this isolated outpost for one reason. And it didn't take long for her to spot what she was looking for. She took out her digital camera and approached slowly to add more photos to her collection.
An enormous blue coconut crab scurried up a thick palm tree looking for its favorite food. This rare example looked like it measured three feet across and weighed close to ten pounds, a size that would put most Maine lobsters to shame.
The Nature Conservancy had purchased the Palmyra atoll to set it aside as a wildlife preserve. To minimize the impact of humans on the ecosystem, they granted only a limited number of research permits. Yvonne was one of the lucky few to get one, and she reveled in exploring its natural wonders. Rainy mornings like this were especially good for her outings, giving her time to enjoy nature as it was meant to be, alone and in silence. To her, the experience was spiritual.
Yvonne interrupted her photography to jot some notes in her journal. The crab in front of her was one of the finest specimens she'd ever seen, and she wanted a full record of it. At the top of the tree, the crab grasped a coconut in its claws and ripped it open like a ripe melon, tearing at the meat inside. Yvonne was setting her camera to video mode to capture its eating ritual when a great boom echoed across the island. The sound was so loud that she dropped the camera.
The crab, also startled by the noise, dropped from the tree and scuttled back to the safety of its burrow.
Yvonne stooped to pick up the camera, waiting for the thunder to abate. She searched for the source of the noise, but the clouds looked uniformly gray in all directions. Nothing suggested a major storm headed their way.
In a minute, the sound dissipated, and Yvonne strode over to the hole the crab had disappeared into. She plopped herself on a fallen log not far from it and waited for the crab to re-emerge, aiming her camera in hopes of a close-up.
She continued staring at the burrow until a new noise intruded on the soft drizzle. A rumble from the island's interior. At its widest, the Palmyra Atoll was only a half a mile across. For some reason, Yvonne thought the sound was reaching her from the opposite side of the island.
She stood and peered into the thick foliage. The noise grew quickly, coming towards her. It sounded like a thousand elephants stampeding, knocking down every tree as they charged. Yvonne stepped back involuntarily, only stopping when her boots were splashed by the surf.
Yvonne spotted movement in the forest. It was indistinct at first, but within seconds resolved into an image that took Yvonne a moment to comprehend. A churning mass of water raged toward her, uprooting and splintering every tree in its path. She couldn't have been more shocked than if it had actually been elephants.
She stood still, paralyzed, her voice choked by fear. The roar was so loud that it seemed to go through her, and the wind pushed before the wall of water blew the hood of her windbreaker backward. Yvonne's eyes locked in terror on the sight of the rushing mountain of debris, and she hopelessly wished that she could find some kind of burrow to plunge into like the crab had done.
Then as the water reached the beach, the closest palm tree-the same one that had seemed so solid when the crab had climbed it-was yanked out of the ground, and just before it crushed Yvonne Dunlap, she finally screamed.
Chapter 4
As was usual on Oahu, the May morning was bright blue, with just a few wisps of mist perched on the mountains northeast of Honolulu. The flowers lining the path contributed their sweet aroma to the ocean breeze that tickled the trees. The forecast was 80 degrees and sunny. Kai sighed contentedly as he soaked in the warmth. Teresa and the kids couldn't have picked better weather for a day at the beach.
They were busy packing the boogie boards into the Jeep when the center's security gate hummed to life. Kai turned to see a jet black Harley idling on the other side, the distinctive exhaust gurgling.
'Who's that?' Teresa asked with a bemused expression.
'That's Brad,' Kai said.
'You weren't expecting him?'
'Not really, but that doesn't stop him.' Since Kai's move back to Hawaii, Brad stopped by on a regular basis to pester Kai into doing something crazy with him, usually while Kai was supposed to be working.
Brad tore up the drive at a rate that Kai didn't think possible. He screeched to a stop next to the group, hopped off his bike, and flipped off his mirrored helmet in one move. Kai could feel a tickle of envy at Brad's effortless grace, which complemented the rugged surfer-dude appeal. That only made Kai's envy stronger.
Brad ruffled his fingers through his thick blond hair and clapped Kai on the shoulder.
'Great day for a round of golf, wouldn't you say?' Brad waved to the sky as if it had bestowed this day at his request.
Before Kai could answer, Lani ran up and jumped into Brad's arms.
'Uncle Brad!'
'Hello, my darlin'!' He spun her around and then dropped her and gave her a huge smile. 'You are looking as pretty as ever. What? You're heading to the beach and didn't invite me?'
Another voice piped up. It was Mia.
'You can come with us if you want,' she said beseechingly, her eyes wide at the sight of Brad's tight T-shirt, muscular arms, and sky blue eyes. Her mouth was slightly agape, as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing. He usually had that effect on women, even 13-year-olds.
'And you must be the lovely Mia I've heard so much about.' Brad took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. Kai thought Mia would melt into the pavement.
'And I must be her mother,' Teresa said. She seemed unaffected by Brad's physical gifts and looked a little disturbed at her daughter's reactions to this 35-year-old smooth talker.
'It's nice to meet you finally. Brad Hopkins.' They shook hands. 'I thought I wouldn't have this pleasure until the luau tonight.'
Teresa threw Kai a glance as if to say that he was correct in how he'd described Brad to her. Rachel had been trying to fix them up in the hope that Teresa would end up moving to Hawaii, but Kai just couldn't picture them together.
