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“Brent was probably the saboteur, don’t you think?” I push harder. “He’s also part of MacManus’s organization, though I’m getting the impression he’s not terribly loyal to MacManus. Is it possible Brent and Leilani are in this together? This is all some sort of criminal enterprise coup?”
“I don’t know,” Charlie mutters abruptly. “As I said, this whole thing started as a money laundering investigation, sparked by MacManus’s extensive real estate dealings and questionable taste in business associates. Sherry was sent to see if the proposed eco-lodge was truly being constructed, and how it was being managed. But once she disappeared…”
“I’m sorry about the loss of your friend,” I offer softly.
Charlie nods once, eyes on the floor. “I never understood the acts of sabotage. Not who and not why. And I definitely never suspected Brent. Though given what just happened, obviously he’s part of it. Whatever the hell ‘it’ is.” Charlie grimaces, clearly still puzzled on several issues. I don’t blame him; so am I.
“And your deep, personal hatred of Leilani?” I prod again. “You think she’s part of MacManus’s misdeeds? As in actively involved with his criminal dealings, including the possible murder of a special agent?”
“Originally, ’course not. But then I caught her in a lie. And not just any lie. A big one.”
Trudy and Ann immediately lean closer. I do, too.
“I was chatting her up,” Charlie murmurs in our ears. “Had just delivered paddleboards to the owner’s lodge. Was trying to see if she’d ever spotted someone matching Sherry’s description working on the atoll. Lea was doing her shy act, all headshakes and downward glances. I gave up, returned to the UTV, then realized I still had the life jackets. Grabbed ’em, headed back around the house, where I spied Lea standing there, looking out over the water. Except she wasn’t standing like Lea anymore. She had her shoulders back, chin up, all strong and boss-like. Then I heard her mutter, “Figures someone would miss that bitch.”
I recoil slightly. “‘Someone would miss that bitch’?”
“Clear as day. Second she saw me, her face blanked, shoulders slumped, like a switch had been thrown. If I hadn’t seen, hadn’t heard… Tried a few more times to trap her, but she’s clever. Worst part—she knows that I know. It fucking amuses her.”
“She’s not a victim; she’s a perpetrator.” I exhale. Dammit, sometimes I hate it when I’m right.
“Bet my soul on it. But I can’t prove a damn thing.”
“I think she plays him,” I volunteer at last. “MacManus thinks he’s in charge, but her whole needy act is just that, an act.” I think back to earlier today, when she first arrived on the island. Her delicate touches of his arm, pleading looks as she begged to slip away to the owner’s lodge. I’d thought she wanted to get away from her overbearing guardian. But now, knowing Keahi had arrived on the island on the same plane—Leilani was trying to get away from all of us to meet up with her sister. MacManus was never the wiser, while I foolishly assumed I was aiding a poor, kidnapped girl. Forget manipulating him, she’s manipulated all of us just fine.
“I also think Leilani’s in on it with Keahi,” I continue, thinking out loud. “She engineered her sister’s escape and, with Brent’s help, brought her here. Keahi’s motives are obvious—she escaped lethal injection and can now have her revenge on a man she says beat her and kidnapped her sister. Leilani is more of a mystery to me. She made it pretty clear life with MacManus was a big step up. Eliminating her legal guardian while she’s still a minor seems a risky move. Just puts someone else in charge of her future.”
“Matter of months,” Charlie counters. “Then she’s free and clear. And like you said, her sister didn’t have months to wait. Gonna happen, had to be now.”
That makes sense. But I still feel like there’s more to this story. Leilani had fallen madly in love with Brent, was determined to run away with her new lover, but knew MacManus would stop them as long as he was alive?
I already doubted Leilani possessed that level of genuine emotion. I think she and her sister shared the same use ’em and lose ’em approach to men, butcher knives optional.
People are starting to notice our huddle. Time to stop scheming and start putting our plan in motion. Trudy and Ann are already on it.
“We’ll start preparing the tray,” Trudy whispers.
“Perfect. I’ll finesse the bosses. Charlie, back on guard duty. We got this.”
The words come out more hollowly than I intended.
Ann pats my arm in understanding. “When this is over, you should get a new job, dear. You make an excellent sous chef. Maybe you can also take up contract work, spend more time traveling the world like Trudy and me.”
“Head to McMurdo? Play with penguins?” I smile wistfully, my gaze going outside, where the sky is dimming, the shadows lengthening. Night is finally coming, and with it…
“We need to get the fuck off this atoll,” Charlie states roughly.
“My thoughts exactly.”
CHAPTER 32
VAUGHN AND MACMANUS GREET MY announcement that I’m bringing a food tray to our enemies with equal parts scorn and suspicion. Leilani, I notice, studies my face very carefully, while Aolani and Ronin are actually the first on board.
“Charlie assumes they must be watching us,” I explain. This much is true. “He wants a better bead on their position. Getting them to show themselves long enough to grab a hot meal will do that.”
MacManus is more worried about us having enough food. By feeding the enemy, are we depriving ourselves of anything? Sure, I want to tell him, an immediate and terrible death. But I need to get back to the galley to complete my mission, so mostly I bite my tongue.
If anything, it makes Vaughn even more suspicious.
