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It was all calming and wonderful if you could just keep your mind off the scary psycho people who wanted to kill everyone, Riley thought. And then there was the Vernon and Alani thing.
“When are you going to tell Vernon about Alani?” Riley asked Emerson.
“As soon as possible. It’s going to be an awkward conversation, so I came up with plan B.”
“What’s plan B?” Riley asked.
“Send Vernon on an errand, invite Alani over to the house, and find someone tactful to babysit them after the reunion.”
“Would this errand happen to involve Vernon getting our dinner tonight? And would the babysitter happen to be me?”
“Yes and yes.”
Emerson opened the front door to the guesthouse and held it open for Riley.
“Boy, I wouldn’t want to be in your shoes,” he said. “I don’t know how you get yourself into messes like this.”
Riley shook her head. “I ask myself the same thing every day. When can I expect to be in the middle of this new mess?”
“Now.”
TWENTY-ONE
The interior of the guesthouse was a scaled-down Hawaiian version of Mysterioso Manor. Four thousand square feet of over-the-top Bali-style furniture and assorted island-themed bric-a-brac. An eight-foot-tall tiki of a grimacing Ku, the Hawaiian god of war, greeted them in the foyer.
A pretty young woman of mixed Hawaiian and Asian ancestry was sitting in the living room reading a book. She jumped off the couch, rushed over to them, and punched Emerson in the shoulder.
“Emerson Knight, I haven’t seen you in years!”
“It’s been too long,” Emerson said.
Alani nodded. “Agreed. I have to say I was shocked to get your text asking me to meet with you.” She turned to Riley. “You must be Riley Moon. Emerson said he was traveling with you. Aloha.”
“Aloha,” Riley said.
Alani cut her eyes back to Emerson. “You’re in trouble again, aren’t you?”
“I suppose it’s a matter of perspective,” Emerson said. “I prefer to think of it as an adventure. We’re helping a friend find a stolen island, and we need help.”
Alani shook her head. “That’s what I thought. Trouble.” She paused for a moment and her expression changed. “Wait just a friggin’ second. You said ‘we’ need help. Who’s the ‘we’? Are you referring to Riley?”
The front door banged open and Vernon walked in, followed by Wayan Bagus.
“Food’s here,” Vernon said. “I got takeout from the Bamboo Restaurant.”
Spotting Alani, he stopped in his tracks, his mouth dropped open, and the food bag slipped through his fingers and crashed onto the floor.
“Surprise!” Emerson said.
“You!” Alani said, glaring at Vernon, fists clenched. “You!”
“I asked Alani to stop by,” Emerson said to Vernon. “I bet you’re surprised, right?”
Vernon had a red scald rising out of his shirt collar, staining his cheeks. “I couldn’t be any more surprised than if I woke up in the hospital with tire tracks on my back.”
Wayan Bagus stepped forward.
“This is Wayan Bagus,” Emerson said to Alani. “He’s the friend we’re helping.”
