Chapter 8

As soon as her shift ended, Terri raced home, frantic to tell Janet what she had learned at the hospital. But as she neared the condo, she forced herself to slow down and to think about what she would say. She wanted her friend to know the situation, but she didn't want to frighten her unnecessarily.

When she entered the apartment, she found Jack and Janet sitting on the couch, talking and drinking what looked to be lemonade.

"Hey, guys," she said casually, stepping further into the room.

"Hi, Ter," Jack said. "We're glad you're home. We've been talking about what we want to do tonight."

"We were thinking about having dinner somewhere and then seeing a live show in Waikiki. What do you think?"

"Sure. That sounds like fun. But first, I have to tell you something."

Terri pulled up a wicker chair and sat across from Jack and Janet.

"You look so serious," Jack said. "Is everything all right?"

"Not really," Terri admitted. "Janet, have you heard any more about your co-worker Rafael?"

"No. Not since our meeting this morning. Mr. Pineda made it sound like Rafael wasn't on Oahu any more. Why?"

"Because I know for a fact that Rafael is still here. He's in the hospital, Janet, fighting for his life."

"What happened?" Jack asked, leaning closer to Terri.

Janet reached for the pillow once more. She knew something bad had happened, especially after receiving that chilling and mysterious phone call.

As Terri explained what had happened with Thomas and Mr. Pineda, Janet's heart began to beat faster and she found herself clutching the pillow so hard her knuckles were turning white.

"That is so bizarre," Jack said. "Is Magnum going to help him?"

"I don't know. They were going to talk after Mr. Pineda saw his son."

Jack glanced at Janet and saw how frightened she was.

"What is wrong with you?" he asked. "You were like this when I arrived, only now you seem even more afraid."

Janet tried to talk, but no words came out. She knew she had to tell her friends about the phone call. She swallowed hard and tried once more to get the words out.

"I didn't want to say anything," she began. "But now I think I'd better."

"We think you'd better, too," Jack said.

"When I...when I arrived home earlier, I got this really strange phone call."

"From who?" Terri asked.

"I don't know," Janet said and gulped again. "But it was eerie. It was a man's voice, but I didn't recognize it. He said that he knew where Rafael was and that if I knew what was good for me, I would stay far away from Thomas. And then he hung up."

"See, I knew it!" Jack exclaimed, jumping up from the sofa. "I knew working for Magnum would get you into trouble. Now, do you see why I was concerned?"

"Wait a minute, Jack," Terri said, rising from her seat. "Don't you think it's weird that whatever is going on is tied to both Magnum and Pineda?"

"No, not really," Jack said, knowing he was being stubborn about seeing another side to the situation but not really caring. "Janet is getting threatening phone calls, and the person mentioned Thomas, not Pineda. That tells me all I need to know."

Janet was about to respond on her own behalf when the phone rang. Startled at the jangling noise, she jumped and then motioned for Jack or Terri to answer it. Terri reached the phone before Jack could. She was surprised to hear Thomas' voice coming through the line.

"Hi, Terri. I wonder if I could speak to Janet, please?"

"Sure. She's right here."

Terri handed the receiver to Janet and mouthed that it was Thomas.

"Hello," Janet said, her voice a bit unsteady.

"Hi, Janet. It's Thomas. Since I know you've been wondering about your co-worker Rafael, I thought I would update you. Did Terri tell you about us meeting at the hospital with Mr. Pineda?"

"Yes. She was just telling Jack and me about it. Thomas, I need to tell you about something that happened when I got home."

"What happened?"

"I got a very weird phone call. It was a man's voice, but I didn't recognize it. He told me that he knew where Rafael was and that if I didn't want the same thing to happen to me, I needed to stay far away from you. I have to tell you it really scared me."

"Did you call the police?"

"No. Should I? I wasn't really sure what to do. I wanted to believe the phone call was a prank, but I realize now, it wasn't."

"I'm working for your boss, Carlos Pineda. I helped to put this gang's leader in prison a few years ago. Apparently, he was killed, and now the gang is getting together again and they are out for revenge. Carlos knew about the killing. That's why he was on the Big Island, trying to get some information that he thought could help protect his son. But he was too late."

"How is Rafael involved?"

"Apparently, he overheard a conversation during those earlier years. According to what Carlos said, some of the gang members think he has a friend in prison that he talked to who set up Ernesto's killing."

"Ernesto was the leader?" Janet asked, her head spinning.

"Yes."

"Why would someone call me?"

"I guess whoever it was who called knows you're working for me and thinks you know something or that you have ties to Mr. Pineda and/or Rafael because you work at the flower stands he owns. That's the only thing I can think of."

"Should I call the police?" Janet asked, her legs becoming wobbly as the seriousness of the situation began to sink in.

"Let me talk to Carlos and tell him what happened to you. Right now, there's not much for the police to go on."

"Okay. I'll wait to hear from you."

"Janet, you have to answer me honestly."

"All right. About what?"

"Do you feel safe in your home?"

Janet's eyes darted from Jack to Terri and back to the wall she had been staring at throughout their conversation.

"I'm not sure," she admitted, almost whispering into the phone.

"Why?" Thomas pressed.

"I can't be certain," she quickly pointed out, "but I think when I left your place, someone was following me home."

She heard Thomas' frustrated sigh on the other end of the line.

"I need to talk to Pineda, but I have a question for you," he said.

"Okay."

"How would you feel about staying here, in the main house of the estate, until I can find out for certain what is going on?"

Janet looked at her two friends who seemed just as worried as she was.

"I-I don't know, Thomas. I'll have to think about it."

"You do that while I make a couple of phone calls. I'll be in touch. Okay?"

"Sure. Thanks. Talk to you soon."

"What did he say?" Jack demanded, as soon as Janet replaced the receiver.

"Well," she said, clearing her throat. "He said he's working for Mr. Pineda to try to figure out what the gang is up to."

"And what happens to you in the meantime?" Jack asked.

"He said he needs to talk to Mr. Pineda, but he...he asked me if I would consider moving into the main house of the estate until this situation has been resolved."

"No way," Jack said, vehemently shaking his head. "I won't let you, Janet. What is that man thinking? Moving you into the estate is like giving these guys an open invitation to get you. They obviously already know you're working for the man. Talk about leading you to the slaughter. I won't let you do it, Janet. I won't."

"So, what happens to her, Jack?" Terri asked. "How does Janet keep herself safe? At least there's security at Robin's Nest."

"I can keep her safe," Jack said, with more bravado than he felt. "I don't want you living on that estate, Janet. It's too dangerous. If you need a bodyguard, then I'm the one who will protect you. And, unlike Magnum, I won't let anything happen to you. I will keep you safe."