Chapter 10
Lei drove to the University of Hawaii campus at the end of the day, eating her favorite Whopper Junior in the car. She pulled in under the spreading African tulip tree next to the Social Sciences building and retrieved her book bag from the backseat, glad to have a distraction from her obsession with the Mohuli`i case. All day she’d been thinking about the trash, the stepdad, Kelly’s clothes-in part to keep from remembering Haunani’s empty white stare and the smoke curling up into Nani’s nostrils. Driving around on patrol with Pono just didn’t feel like she was doing enough, and Stevens hadn’t called her back.
Once in class, she got caught up in the lecture on social control theory and the factors that tend to predict criminal behavior. Lei hadn’t finished her reading, so she skimmed as the lecture progressed and took notes in the margins of her book. She couldn’t help noticing she had most of the “risk factors” herself: child of parents with addictions, father incarcerated, victim of abuse and neglect. The only reason, according to the research, she wasn’t a criminal herself was her Aunty Rosario taking her in and providing a stable home.
At the break, she got up and stretched. Her uniform was one of several in the room. Most of the criminal justice majors were law enforcement or parole officers. She headed over to say hi to her friend from Puna station.
“Hey, Mary.”
Mary swiveled away from the guy she was talking to. She was a tall, shapely girl, her hair a black waterfall over her police uniform. Her big dark eyes glittered, mischievous.
“If it isn’t Texeira! Lei, this is Ray Solomon.”
“Howzit,” Ray said, shaking her hand. He had the smooth brown skin of mixed, hapa, Hawaiian blood.
“Good to meet you,” she said. His grip was solid, and she smiled up at him.
“My pleasure. I love women in uniform.”
“What about out of uniform?” Mary teased, flicking her stiff navy lapel.
He laughed. “If I can get you there.”
“This is too rich for me. Mary, I’ll catch up with you later.”
“Don’t run off, shy girl,” Mary teased, pulling one of Lei’s curls. “Lei’s a local but grew up on the Mainland. Kinda like you, Ray.”
“Oh yeah? Where’d you end up?”
“San Rafael, California. From Oahu before that.”
“I did my mainland time in Riverside,” he said. “Solomon’s a Kaua`i family. You know them?”
“No, sorry,” Lei said. This was part of the ritual of meeting someone in the Islands-telling where you were from, who your people were.
“Lei was hanai ’ed to her aunty in California,” said Mary. Hanai was the informal adoption practice used by Hawaiian families-when a family had challenges or problems, children were raised by relatives in an open-ended but committed relationship.
“What you telling him my business for?” Lei punched Mary’s arm.
“Well, Ray get same kind story,” said Mary, falling into pidgin. “Family problems, the uncle wen’ take him in…”
Ray’s face seemed to shut down, his hazel eyes going opaque.
“Boring stuff,” he said.
“She never stop running her mout,’” Lei said. “Come, I keep you out of trouble.” She pulled Mary off to the side. “He’s cute, but quit trying to set me up. Anyway, he seems pretty into you.”
“I wouldn’t mind a piece of that, but Roland and I are pretty serious,” Mary said. “You’re the one who needs some action. Why don’t we all go out to Puna Music Club tonight, have a few beers, listen to some music?”
“I’ve got work and so do you. And Keiki’s waiting for me.”
Mary rolled her eyes as they went back to their seats. After class Ray fell into step beside Lei as she headed down the hall.
“More theories about what makes a criminal.”
“I’m not buying it all. There’s no excuse. People make choices.”
“Texeira’s Choice Theory,” he said. “I’m sure it’s out there. So, working on anything interesting?”
“Yeah, but you know I can’t discuss an open investigation,” she said, smiling to take the sting out of her words. He cocked his head, a glint of interest in his eyes.
“C’mon. I’ve got an application in to the academy myself. Maybe another perspective could crack open the case.”
“Sorry, but good luck with your application. They should snap up a smart Hawaii boy like you.”
“Maybe not,” he said, still smiling, but his gold-hazel eyes had gone opaque again. How did he do that? “I got into a little trouble in my youth,” he said.
“Didn’t we all.”
“Yeah. Well, I’ve got a record. I’m hoping the Criminal Justice degree will tip the balance.”
“It’s worth a try, if you really want it,” she said. “You could always work for a law office, be a private investigator or something, if it doesn’t.”
“I guess,” he said. They had arrived at her old Honda, and Ray lifted a hand in a wave as he headed across the parking lot.
After class, Lei drove home, preoccupied. She wished that for once in her life she could just go out with an attractive guy without getting all wound up and paranoid. Life was short-Kelly and Haunani reminded her of that, and maybe she owed it to them to learn to live a little. She glanced in her rearview mirror-the headlights behind her loomed uncomfortably close. She sped up. The tailgater sped up too, and finally pulled around her, cutting her off.
It was a black Toyota truck.
Adrenaline hit her bloodstream and her foot hit the gas, an automatic reaction. She accelerated, trying to get a look at the license plate. The two-lane road they were on was dim, and the truck surged ahead, streaking around a slower-moving Camry. Lei wished she had a cop light to put on her dash. It might be interesting to pull this jerk over.
She gunned the Honda and the elderly four-cylinder engine burped in protest.
“Come on,” she urged, wishing for the roar of the Crown Vic. She made it around the Camry but the Toyota was really flying now, its taillights disappearing over a rise. She floored it and nothing much happened. Next order of business-get a car with some juice. She hit the steering wheel in frustration as the Toyota peeled off to the right. She made the turn without ever hitting the brakes, the whole car shuddering and tires squealing at the abuse.
They reached an open stretch of country road. They’d left the residential area behind, and the Toyota poured it on, surging ahead. Lei held the steering wheel with both hands as it vibrated, the needle creeping to 75, 80, 85. The pickup truck was still accelerating. It disappeared over another rise, and by the time the Honda careened over the hill, it was gone.
The road had forked, and as she got to the intersection, there was nothing left to see but the moon shining on an ocean of waving pili grass, glimmering off the empty black asphalt leading away in either direction. The Honda glided to a stop, thoroughly smoked. It seemed like she was always too little, too late.
Chapter 11
Lei was curled up on the couch later, eating her Hot Pocket, when her cell rang. She thumbed it open.
“Hello?”
“Lei? It’s Michael.”
“Hey Stevens,” she said.
“Quit calling me that. I just wanted to check in with you, give you an update. Nice work on the folder.”
“Thanks.”
“We’ve been running down some calls on Reynolds’s cell, re-canvassing the girls’ neighborhoods, and setting
