Chapter 14

The next morning, Steve was about to leave for his morning swim when Helen met him in the hallway, also wearing a swimsuit. She had a towel wrapped around her and goggles in her hair. Astonished, Steve looked at the slender fifteen-year-old who, like most swimmers, already had a pronounced shoulder area. Then he grinned.

"Well, I guess we can go together, then."

She grinned back wryly. "Let's see what you can do."

Arriving at the water's edge, they both warmed up briefly and then moved through the water at a steady pace.

When they got back to the beach, Catherine was already sitting in the lawn chairs with two cups of coffee and a cup of tea. Surprised, Helen looked at her.

"How did you know I was drinking tea?"

"I didn't, but I thought something warm would be good for you right now."

Gratefully, Helen accepted the cup of warm beverage. Steve kissed his wife and took the cup of buttered coffee from her. Slightly disgusted, Helen looked into his cup.

"What's in your coffee?"

Catherine began to grin. "It's Steve's special recipe. Coffee with a spoonful of butter."

"Oh, and it tastes good?"

"You want to try it?"

"No, never mind. It's not really my taste, I think."

Steve grinned.

Catherine stirred her cup, then asked, "Okay, you two, what's the plan?"

"Hmm, well, right now I would have said we're going to eat some breakfast, pack some clothes, and get on the next flight to Maui. I'd have an idea, but I don't know if you like it, Helen."

He picked up his cell phone from the garden table and opened a website. Pictures of jeeps equipped with a roof tent appeared.

"That would give us all the flexibility we need to go anywhere we want."

Helen's eyes lit up. She tapped on a picture.

"Can we take that one? It even has a winch in case we get stuck." Surprised, Steve nodded, "Yeah, it's cool. Want me to see if I can get it?"

Helen nodded.

"All right." Steve punched in the number and the call went out.

After a few minutes he rejoined Cath and Helen.

"We're in luck, the Jeep is still there."

"Cool." Helen did a little hop, that's all she dared.

"I'll go pack my bag." Then she ran into the house.

Catherine grinned. "I think you've found the right activity."

"Looks like it. Maybe I'll get her to drink coffee with butter." Catherine laughed, "No, that's to much."

About an hour later, Catherine dropped them off at the airport. Steve gave her another hearty kiss, which was met with an eye roll from Helen. Shortly after, they walked across the airfield to one of the small domestic planes that shuttled between the various islands here. After a little more than half an hour they landed on Maui and at the edge of the airfield the rental company was waiting for them with the jeep. Steve had booked a few extras like a solar shower, a shower tent, two hammocks and the camper kitchen. The landlord explained a few things and then Steve and Helen could go. Steve drove the car to Kahului to get food and drinks. Once they had everything in the car and made sure they had everything they needed, they headed out on the road to Hana, which started nearby.

Their first stop on the road was Twin Falls. Steve and Helen grabbed their backpacks and packed their swim gear. After fifteen minutes they reached the second waterfall. The water was so clear today that they could see the rocks at the bottom. Enjoying the cool water, Steve and Helen jumped in and splashed around. Then they dried off in the sun. When they got back to the jeep, Steve found a place for them to camp nearby for the night. He drove up a hill and relatively close to a ledge so they could see the road and the ocean from their tent. Then he fried them a snack in the camp kitchen and they sat on the hood, eating and being quiet.

The next day they continued their journey. Helen marveled at the many different bridges and Steve had planned another stop over a park. Instead of having a picnic in the park like the tourists, Steve had simply driven the jeep up a forest road and they had a wonderful view of the Keanea Peninsula and the rugged coastline. They continued on and reached their destination for the day, Hana Town. Steve parked the car and they took a short tour of the town. As Helen's stomach growled loudly, Steve looked around.

"Feel like some Thai?"

Steve pointed to a small food stall near Hana Bay Beach Park.

"Yeah, I'd love to."

They got their food and headed for the beach. Helen was slowly opening herself to Steve. Where she had been silent during dinner yesterday, today she was talking about trips with her mother, where they had been, and what her mother and she had liked. Steve listened intently, sometimes interjecting a question and letting her tell it. Suddenly Helen fell silent.

"What's up, Helen? Are you okay?"

She blushed.

"I just feel so stupid. I'm talking and talking, and yet I want to know things about you too."

Steve smiled.

"Don't worry, you will. We've only been on the road for two days. I'll be happy to listen to you. But of course I want you to know something about me. What do you want to know?" She looked at him intently.

"Is it true what Catherine and Danny say about you?"

Astonished, Steve looked at her.

"What do you mean? What do they say?"

"That you can be counted on no matter what and that you're always there for your people."

For a moment, Steve was speechless. Slightly embarrassed, he ran his hand over his face.

"Wow, I wasn't expecting this. I thought it was going to be something like Neanderthal or danger magnet."

He laughed softly, then stiffened and nodded.

"Yeah, I guess it is. I'm there for my friends and family, and I'm here for you."

She nodded slightly. For a moment, they both hung their thoughts.

"Is it true you came back to Hawaii because of your father's death?" A shadow crossed Steve's face. Helen saw Steve's expression change.

"Sorry."

"No, it's all right. It's just not a nice memory, but it led to something nice in the end."

Steve began to tell her about his deployment and how he had come back to Hawaii. When he told her how he and Danny had met in his father's garage, she started to laugh.

"I can just picture you two doing that."

Then she continued.

"And yet you're friends."

"Yeah, kind of crazy, isn't it?"

Silently, they sat next to each other for another moment.

"I just have to go to the bathroom, I'll be right back."

"Okay."

Steve watched her for a moment until she disappeared into the diner. Then he looked back out to sea.

Lost in thought, Helen walked back to the diner. She had seen that people were allowed to use the restroom there and just went to it.

After washing her hands, she was walking out the door when someone suddenly covered her mouth from behind, put a bag over her head, and dragged her to a car. She kicked and struggled, but this time she could not scream. In the car, her hands were still tied, then the car roared away with her.

Suddenly it stopped. The door opened and someone pulled the bag off her head and stared into her face.

"It's not so easy to get you alone, girl."

"What do you want?"

Despite her fear, she met the man's eyes.

"I want your mother's credentials to the NSA server!"

"What makes you think I could have it? We're here in Maui, four thousand miles from Coronado."

"You must have them, they weren't in the house."

"If you didn't find them there, it's not my fault. I don't know where they are."

Another man appeared beside him, the same man who had ambushed them at the house in Coronado.

"Who's the guy who was at your house?"

"A friend."

The guy said with a malicious grin.

"Isn't he a little old for you?"

She shook her head and didn't say anything more. Thoughtfully, the guy looked at her.

"Maybe we should take a look at your friend, maybe he took something."

Helen's face changed, just a moment ago she had hoped that Steve would find her and rescue her, but now he had just become a target himself...

Steve snapped out of his thoughts. How long had Helen been gone? He got up and walked back to the Thai food place. In the ladies' room, he called softly, "Helen?" The door opened and an elderly lady limped out with a cane. She looked at him critically.

"Excuse me, I'm looking for my daughter. Young, dark hair about here," he pointed, "have you seen her?"

The woman shook her head.

"No, sorry."

Steve continued to look around. He wondered if Helen had gone somewhere else. But surely she would have let him know. Steve walked around the diner again, looking in all the doors. Nothing. Then he searched the park and the beach. Where was the girl? A sinking feeling spread through his stomach. They had tried to kidnap Helen once before, but he had been able to thwart them. He had assumed that the arrest of Liana's killer had settled the matter, but what if it hadn't? Steve pulled his cell phone from his pocket and dialed Catherine's number.

"Steve? Is everything okay?"

"It was until just now, Helen is missing."

"How?"

"She just went to the bathroom and didn't come back."

"Maybe she just found something exciting and will come back in a few minutes."

"Cath, I don't think so, I've already searched the place. I have a bad feeling, what ..." he didn't get any further, a pain shot through his skull, he collapsed and it went black around him.

Steve woke up to cold water splashing in his face. His head was throbbing and he was tied to a chair. Across from him, Helen was also tied to a chair. Her face was closed, she wasn't letting anyone get close to her. He admired his daughter, how strong she was. Again, a bucket of water was poured over his head. Snorting, he spat out.

"What do you want?"

"We want Liana Upton's credentials."

"What makes you think I have them?"

"You were in the house snooping around, you took them, and now you're going to give them to us."

Suddenly the man pulled a gun from his waistband and pointed it at Helen.

"You're going to give it to us now, or I'm afraid this young lady won't live to see her next birthday."