Page 16 of Maliea's Hero
Maliea’s heart pinched in her chest. “I haven’t taken her home to the apartment. I don’t want her to see it the way it is. It was traumatizing to me; I can’t imagine how it would affect her.”
Reid’s lips pressed together. “Other than the guy grabbing your ankle in the parking lot, have there been any other physical attacks on you or Nani?”
Maliea sighed. “No. That’s why I was hesitant to come to you. Tish thinks I’m the target. It’s been my home and my car, but not so much me or Nani.”
“It’s as if whoever ransacked your apartment and then tried to break into your car might be looking for something. Something only you might have.”
Maliea met Reid’s gaze. “Other than my daughter, I have nothing of value except the diamond necklace my mother left me. But he didn’t take it. What else would he be looking for?”
Reid’s eyes narrowed. “Where was your husband when the apartment was tossed?”
Maliea’s lips twisted. “Not in the picture.”
“As in divorced?”
“As in dead,” she stated flatly, surprised again at how emotionless she felt about Taylor’s passing.
“I’m sorry,” Reid said softly. “How is Nani dealing with the loss?”
“My husband wasn’t around much over the past year. He spent more and more time at work and less at home. When I told her he wasn’t coming home, she said it was sad and then asked me if I was going away.” Maliea shook her head. “I told her I would be around for a very long time. She seemed okay.” Maliea shrugged. “I guess time will tell. I think she misses her grandfather more. He spent more time with her than my husband.” A lump lodged in Maliea’s throat. “We lost my father in the same plane crash that took my husband.”
“Wow,” Reid said, “that’s rough.”
“It’s been difficult, but we were managing until this. Now, I can’t take her home. I don’t want to stay with Tish and Solange, especially if someone is actually targeting me. I’m at a loss. I have a couple days off work to tackle clearing my husband and father’s offices where they worked at the University, but I’m afraid that whoever is behind the break-ins might come after me or worse...Nani.”
“Can you let the staff at the university go through your husband and father’s offices for you?”
“I could, but they might not know what belonged to my father and husband and what belongs to the university. I’d like to at least look through what they’ve already done.”
“You planned to do that today?” Reid asked.
“Or tomorrow,” Maliea said. “I can’t be off work for long. We didn’t have much in savings, and my husband didn’t have a life insurance policy.” She gave a short mirthless laugh. “I still have to pay the rent for an apartment I can’t live in. Not in its current state.”
“You and Nani can’t move back in until you figure out what the intruder was after.”
“I told you. I don’t own anything of value. There’s nothing to steal.” Maliea pinched the bridge of her nose. “I don’t understand.”
“What about your husband? Did he have something someone would want?”
“Not that I know of. Definitely not in our apartment.”
“What did he do at the university?” Reid asked.
“He was an associate professor who taught World, US and Hawaiian history. My father was the head of the department.” She shook her head. “They were on a plane to the small island of Niihau, the Forbidden Island.”
Reid nodded. “I’m familiar with the island. We did Navy SEAL training there. Isn’t it difficult for just anyone to get permission to visit Niihau?”
Maliea nodded. “Yes. My father campaigned for months to attain permission to go to the island with his assistant.”
“Your husband?” Reid prompted.
“Yes. They’ve been researching a pirate legend that supposedly happened in 1884. It was reported in a California newspaper, but there was very little documentation here in Hawaii. My father researched the legend for a number of years, making very little progress, mostly listening to tales passed down through families whose ancestors lived through the supposed attack on Honolulu by a red-bearded pirate. The story tells of how he stole hundreds of thousands of dollars in gold and silver from the palace and safes of local businessmen.”
“Interesting.” Reid tapped a finger on the table, his eyes narrowing. “Was there a treasure map involved?”
Maliea sighed. “I don’t know about a map, but my father made notes from the interviews with each descendant’s family. They all talked about the pirate ship sailing away toward Kauai. A year or so back, my father visited families in Kauai, asking about stories their elders passed down to them. Some swore they saw the ship pass their island about the time a storm blew in. The ship was swept toward Niihau on massive swells amid torrential rains.”
“Did they find a shipwreck?”