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Lachlan
I stared at the simple,two-story dwelling situated approximately four blocks from the beach. It looked like every other house in this quiet neighborhood, but it wasn’t. It was the place I once imagined raising a family, building a life, only for that dream to be taken away in the blink of an eye.
“I had a hunch you’d be here.”
I turned, watching Nikko stroll up the sidewalk toward me.
“You did?” I asked, clearing my throat, ridding it of the emotions that still rattled me, even all these years later.
“Went by your mom’s house and you weren’t there. So unless you picked up a girl between leaving the club last night and getting home, I figured you might be here. Like I said…” He handed me a paper coffee cup, the familiar logo of The Barbecue Shack on the front. “Call it a hunch.”
“Thanks, cousin.”
“You got it, bruh.”
I brought the cup to my mouth and took a sip of the strong coffee. Then I glanced at the small garden on the side of the yard, a smile curving my lips. Piper loved spending time in that garden, planting flowers, seeing what she could get to grow. I didn’t know how she did it. My thumb was most assuredly black. But Piper… She was certainly one with the earth.
After her death, I all but abandoned this house, unable to stomach the memories being here brought forward. Regardless, I couldn’t force myself to sell it. Instead, Eme made sure the place was taken care of. Including Piper’s garden, which had become a memorial of sorts.
“The place looks good. Piper loved yellow hibiscus.”
Nikko nodded. “Pua alo alo,” he said, using the Hawaiian term for the flower. “One of Eme’s favorites, too.” He offered me a smile as he sipped his coffee. When he lowered it, his expression fell.
“What is it?” I pressed.
He drew in a deep breath, then pushed it out, shaking his head. “I was hoping you’d walk me through that day.”
“You know what happened, Nikko.”
“I do. But if we want to see if there’s a connection between what happened to Piper and to Claire, we need to revisit this. I went through the entire file. Every single piece of evidence and the witness statements. There was no mention of or a witness by the name Lucretia. Maybe being back in the house might stir something.”
I darted my gaze to his. “You want me to go into the house?” My pulse quickened, sweat dotting my forehead. And not because of the humidity filling the air.
The last time I was in this house, I’d witnessed the woman I thought I’d spend the rest of my life with be brutally assaulted. My stomach churned at the notion. It was why I blew up at Claire when she suggested the same thing. I still struggled with the guilt of that night. Being back in this building was sure to make it even worse.
“Please…” Nikko placed a hand on my shoulder, reassuring me. “For Claire. Your ohana.”
I closed my eyes, jaw tightening, fists clenching. I couldn’t turn him down. Not when he brought ohana into this. One of the things my mother ingrained into me from an early age was to always put ohana first. No matter what.
Refocusing my attention on Nikko, I swallowed hard. “For Claire. For ohana.”
He squeezed my shoulder, then dropped his hold, leading the way up the stone pathway toward the front door. He pulled a familiar set of keys out of his pocket and unlocked it. After he opened it, he stepped back, giving me the space to walk in ahead of him.
I pushed down the bile rising in my throat over the idea of being back in this place, remembering I had to do it for Claire.
In a way, I had a feeling it was for Piper, too.
I crossed the threshold, emotion cutting off my oxygen as the familiar smell wafted over me. It was amazing how something as simple as the lingering scent of plumerias could bring back memories, but it did, the aroma still clinging to the carpet and walls.
“You okay?” Nikko asked softly.
“Yeah.”
“Okay.” He withdrew a small notepad from his pocket. “Let’s start at the beginning. You’d just landed on the island, correct?”
I faced him, trying to tune out my surroundings enough to focus on the events of that night. “I’d received word earlier in the day that I’d been permanently called up to the majors starting after the All-Star Break. I was supposed to have a Triple-A game, but with the promotion, they gave me the night off to rest my arm.”
“So Piper wasn’t expecting you.”
