“Because I’m trying to figure out what those men might have gained from kidnapping you. To begin with, we only suspected foul play before. Now we can almost be certain of it. And if you don’t know any more than we do …”
“All Kimo sent me was the base data. I’m sure you have it too. Even if you didn’t, taking me wouldn’t hide it.”
She was right. But that meant there was even less reason for someone to stage such an attack.
“Are you going to look for them?”
“The police are looking for them,” Kurt said, “though I’m sure they’re long gone. My job is to figure out what happened to the catamaran and its crew. I’m guessing they found something out there that someone didn’t want them to find. Something more than temperature anomalies. If that leads us to the men who attacked you, we’ll deal with them then.”
“Let me help you,” she said.
He’d been expecting her to say that. He shook his head. “It’s not a science project. And in case you couldn’t tell, it’s likely to be dangerous.”
She pursed her lips as if stung by the comment, but instead of lashing out she spoke calmly: “My brother’s gone, Mr. Austin. You and I both know that. Growing up in Hawaii, you learn the power of the ocean. It’s beautiful. It’s dangerous. We’ve lost friends before, surfing, sailing and diving. If the sea has Kimo in its arms, that’s one thing. If some men put him there because of what he found, that’s far worse to me. And I’m not the kind to just let it be.”
“You’re going through a lot,” he said. “And it’s probably going to get worse before it gets better.”
“That’s why I have to do something,” she pleaded. “To take my mind off it.”
Kurt had no choice but to be blunt. “In my experience, you’re going to be unstable whether you have something to do or not. That can have an effect on the whole team. I’m sorry, but I can’t have someone like that tagging along for the ride.”
“Fine,” she said. “But plan on seeing me out there anyway because I’m not going to sit around and grieve.”
“What are you saying?”
This time she was blunt. “If you won’t let me help, I’ll continue to investigate on my own. If my search messes yours up, I guess that’s just too bad.”
Kurt exhaled. It was hard to be angry with someone who’d lost a family member, but she was pushing him toward it. He guessed she meant every word. The problem was, she had no idea what she was getting into.
The doctor walked in carrying the X-ray films. “You are going to be okay, Ms. Tanner. Your arm is only bruised, not broken.”
“You see,” she said to Kurt, “I’m tough.”
“And lucky,” he replied.
“Nothing wrong with having luck on your side.”
The doctor stared blankly, confused at the conversation he’d walked in on. “I also think luck is a good thing.”
“You’re not helping,” Kurt mumbled.
He was trapped. He could hardly dump her off on her own after what just happened. Nor could he have her locked up for her own good or deported back to Hawaii, where she might be safe. It left him only one choice.
“Fine,” he said.
“I won’t cause any trouble,” she said.
He smiled at her through gritted teeth. “But you already are,” he assured her.
Twenty minutes later—to the horror of the medical staff—Kurt helped Leilani climb onto the damaged Vespa. With far more caution than his first trip on the machine, he rode her back to the other side of the island.
They arrived intact. Kurt promised the stricken guard that his scooter would be repaired or replaced by NUMA and offered his watch as collateral.
The guard eyed it suspiciously. Kurt wondered if he realized the watch was worth twice what a new scooter would cost.
With Leilani at his side, Kurt stepped back on board the catamaran and introduced her to the Trouts.
“And this is Joe Zavala,” he added as Joe came up from below the deck. “Your new best friend and chaperone.”