Page 8

CHAPTER 8

“Thanks again for doing this.” Ethan and Rusty stood on the front porch of Brooklyn’s house, Mojo and Soda at their feet.

“Are you kidding me? A chance to play video games all night without Sienna hassling me? A dream come true.”

Ethan snorted. “Who are you kidding? You are madly in love with that woman, and she is the Queen of video gaming. You just want a chance to not get your ass handed to you.”

Rusty grinned. “True. But I don’t mind looking after Liam. I talked to Cooper today and he filled me in about the Yakuza angle. I just can’t figure out the connection.”

“Me either,” Ethan agreed. “Did Cooper mention if Nova said why the company and the assets weren’t seized and everyone connected with it arrested when the DEA raided?”

“I asked the very same question. Coop said what she knew and what she could prove were two entirely different things. They tracked more holdings when the police shut down that human trafficking ring under the Pearl Lagoon Resort. Viktor Wang was high up in the Yakuza, and with him dead, they had more freedom to poke around, but you know how it all goes. Kill one of them and another takes their place. I don’t think it made a huge dent in the overall holdings of the gang.”

Ethan grunted. “Not a surprise really. The Yakuza are brutal but smart. I have no idea what an organization like that would want with Liam.”

The door opened and Brooklyn ushered the two men and their dogs in. “Thanks for helping out, Rusty.” She offered him a tight smile, the stress of the situation written on her face.

“Not a problem.” Rusty glanced over at Liam as the boy entered the room. “Hey, buddy. You must be Liam. I’ve heard a lot about you. I hear you and I are going to be playing some video games tonight. I hope you’re prepared to have your butt handed to you.”

Liam cackled. “You wish!” He immediately went down on his knees and petted Mojo who had taken up a position next to him. Liam turned to the other dog. “Who’s this?”

“Soda,” Rusty supplied. Liam ruffled Soda’s ears.

“Before you get too excited, did you finish your homework?” Brooklyn asked.

“Yes,” Liam said as he stood up, “I finished everything. Mr. Iona said I could glue everything down tomorrow when I take my project to the gym. And remember you said I could play video games after school tomorrow with Keoni and Nakoa.”

Brooklyn frowned. “We’ll see, okay, buddy?”

It was Liam’s turn to frown. “You said?—”

“What about Ren?” Brooklyn asked cutting him off. “Is he still out of school?”

Liam nodded. “I haven’t seen him since Monday.”

“Have you called him and asked him if there’s anything he needs?”

“Yeah, but he hasn’t responded.” Liam shrugged. “I guess he’s really sick.”

“Guess so,” Brooklyn agreed.

Ethan watched the exchange and thought it was better if they left on a good note. “So Liam? You ready to kick this old guy’s butt?” He pointed to Rusty.

Liam’s grin was back. “Absolutely.”

Brooklyn grabbed her purse off the table by the door. “If we’re not back in time, I want you in bed by nine.” Liam rolled his eyes, but she continued, “There are snacks in the kitchen. Have fun.”

“We will,” Rusty said as Liam handed him a remote and they sat down on the sofa, the dogs at their feet. They climbed in the truck and Ethan asked, “Where to first?”

“Let’s talk to Keoni first. He’s just two streets over. He lives with his aunt and uncle.”

“What happened to his folks?” Ethan asked.

“I have no idea. Whatever it is, it must be bad because no one ever mentions it. Keoni never talks about it, nor does anyone else.”

The drive took two minutes. After they rang the bell, the front door opened to reveal a beautiful woman with a warm smile. “Brooklyn!” the woman said immediately coming forward to hug her. “I am so sorry about what happened.” She stepped back. “Please come in.”

“Thanks, Leilani.” Brooklyn toed off her shoes and entered. “This is Ethan.” She gestured behind her.

Ethan finished taking off his boots and offered a hand to Leilani. “Nice to meet you, ma’am.”

Leilani laughed. “No need to call me ma’am. It makes me feel old. Come sit down.” She gestured toward the living area.

The house was bigger than Brooklyn’s and appeared to be professionally decorated. As they entered the living area, Ethan took note of the backyard pool, visible through the sliding patio doors. The paintings on the walls were originals and the rug under his feet was plush. This, along with the Mercedes in the driveway, told the tale. The Kobayashi family had money.

“I’ve just made some tea, Brooklyn. Would you like a cup?”

“Please. Leilani, I can’t thank you enough for speaking with us.”

Leilani gestured toward Ethan with the teapot, but he shook his head and she set the pot down after pouring herself a cup.

“It’s not a problem. You know you’re welcome any time, but I will say I was surprised you still wanted to talk. I heard the police caught the boys who were behind these awful events.”

Brooklyn glanced at Ethan, so he jumped in. “They did. However, the boys who were arrested weren’t the ones who attempted to kidnap Ethan.”

Leilani’s eyes opened wide as alarm spread across her face. “Really?” she breathed. “You’re sure?”

Brooklyn nodded. “I’m sure. They weren’t the same men. Have you noticed anything around the neighborhood, or around school? Anything out of the ordinary?”

Leilani shook her head. “No. Not a thing. I asked Rikishi, that’s my husband,” she added for Ethan. “He’s still at the office at the moment but he hasn’t seen anything either. I can’t understand it. Why would someone want to kidnap Liam?”

“We’re asking ourselves the same question,” Ethan said. “Do you mind if we talk to Keoni? Just to ask if he’s seen anything that struck him as odd or out of place?”

“Of course. Though, he’s not feeling well, so if you wouldn’t mind keeping it short.”

Brooklyn flashed a look of concern. “Oh, I didn’t realize. Liam didn’t mention it.”

“Must be what Ren has. I know he’s been out of school since Monday. Maybe keep your distance,” she said with a smile. “I hope Liam doesn’t come down with it.” Leilani stood and then disappeared in the back of the house but returned a few moments later with Keoni.

“Hey, Keoni,” Brooklyn said as the boy sat down on the chair across from them.

He looked a bit pale, but otherwise, he looked fine to Ethan. His eyes were clear if a bit wary, but he stayed buried in his hoodie, making it hard to really see his expression.

“Hey,” Keoni responded in a soft voice.

Keoni seemed stressed and Ethan was trying to figure out the best way to put the boy at ease when Brooklyn smiled. “Sorry to bother you. Are you playing online with Liam?” Keoni glanced quickly at Leilani but nodded. Brooklyn chuckled. “Are you kicking Rusty’s butt?”

Keoni grinned. “Yup. Man, he’s bad.”

“Who’s Rusty?” Leilani asked.

“My…friend. He’s watching Liam,” Ethan supplied.

Brooklyn shifted in her seat. “We won’t keep you then especially since you aren’t feeling well.”

As if on cue, Keoni coughed.

“I just wanted to ask if you have noticed anything odd or different lately.”

Keoni frowned. “Different?”

Brooklyn swallowed. She appeared to be struggling, so Ethan said, “Anything out of the ordinary. I’m willing to bet you all are pretty sharp and notice what goes on around you. Did you happen to see anyone following you or Liam? Anyone hanging around who shouldn’t have been?”

Keoni paused as if trying to remember something but then he shook his head. “Nope. It’s been the usual.” He glanced at his aunt, then added. “Nothing at school or at the cafe. Nothing different. Oh, except for my cold.” He coughed again.

Ethan knew they weren’t going to get anything out of the kid. He seemed uncomfortable, which might be because he wasn’t feeling well, or it could be because he knew something but made up his mind not to share the knowledge. No point in grilling him. It would just get ugly. The way Leilani was watching him, there was no way in hell she was going to let Ethan go after Keoni with any kind of aggressive questioning technique. To be honest, bullying a kid didn’t appeal to him anyway. “Okay. Well, that’s good. If you do notice anything let your mom know, okay?”

He nodded. “Can I go now?” he asked his aunt.

“Yes. Make sure your homework is finished before you go back to the game.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Keoni disappeared down the hallway.

Leilani took a sip of her tea, looked like she wanted to say something and then took another sip.

“What is it?” Ethan asked gently. “You seem to want to tell us something.”

Leilani hesitated.

Brooklyn leaned forward, reaching out to touch Leilani on the knee. “Anything you think might be helpful, please tell us.”

Leilani set her cup down. “I don’t like to speak ill of anyone…” Her voice faded out.

“But?” Brooklyn asked.

“Ren. There’s something…not right with his family.”

Ethan’s spine began to tingle, a sure sign they were about to find out something useful. “Not right how?”

“He lives with his uncle and his grandfather. I’ve seen the grandfather at some of the school events. You must have seen him, Brooklyn.”

“Yes…but I didn’t notice anything special about him.”

“You wouldn’t, not at school.” Leilani tucked her long dark hair behind her ear. “At school, he comes off as a nice, doddering older gentleman but I’ve seen him around town. He comes to our country club occasionally and he’s anything but doddering there. As a matter of fact, he looks downright scary, and he always seems to have security with him.”

“So…what do you think he’s involved in? Something shady?” Ethan asked.

“I think…there’s more going on there than meets the eye,” Leilani finished. Her cell phone rang, and she pulled it out of her pocket, glancing at the screen. “I have to take this. I’m so sorry.”

Brooklyn opened her mouth to say something, but Ethan cut her off. “Okay,” He stood pulling Brooklyn up with him. “Thanks for telling us. We’ll make sure to look into it.” He went to the door, Brooklyn following in his wake.

Leilani answered the call and told the person on the phone to give her a minute. She followed them to the doorway where they put on their shoes. “If I hear or see anything I’ll call you.”

“Thanks.”

She offered Brooklyn another quick smile and then closed the door.

Brooklyn walked to the pickup truck and got in. As soon as Ethan closed his door, she turned on him. “I had more questions.”

“I know but I didn’t want you to ask them.”

“Why?” she demanded. “This is the first thing that anyone has said that might mean something.”

Ethan took a measured tone. “Yes, and the more questions you ask, the more attention Leilani will pay to it. If Ren’s family is just a bunch of wealthy businessmen, then Leilani starting or spreading rumors is not going to help Ren or us. If they’re something different, it’s worse because Leilani will be drawing attention to them, and they won’t like that. It will put her in the crosshairs. All she told us was that Ren’s grandfather acted one way at school and another outside of that setting. It means nothing. She didn’t know anything concrete, or she would have told us upfront. Anything else she said would have been supposition and of no use.”

In reality, he thought there was something to all this but the last thing he wanted to do was get Brooklyn’s hopes up, especially if he was wrong. Plus, he didn’t want to screw up Ren’s life at school. He knew firsthand what happened when someone spread a rumor that wasn’t true. It could ruin lives.

Brooklyn flopped back in the seat. “So, we’re nowhere is what you’re saying.”

“We need to talk to Nakoa. We’ll look into Ren’s family, but right now, I’m not sure why whoever Ren’s family is would affect Liam.”

Brooklyn sighed. “I hadn’t thought of it like that. I guess it really doesn’t matter who they are unless we can figure out why that would lead to someone kidnapping Liam. Or at least trying to.”

“Do the boys look alike?” Ethan asked as he made a turn onto Nakoa’s street.

“No. Ren is of Japanese descent. You’ve seen Keoni. Nakoa is Hawaiian as well, but his father is of Scottish and African descent.”

“So, no mistaken identity.”

Brooklyn shook her head. “Not unless they have never seen pictures of the boys.”

“What does Keoni’s father do?”

“Rick?” Brooklyn frowned. “I think he’s a lawyer.”

“He must be a partner in a big firm by the look of the house and what’s inside,” Ethan commented.

“I don’t think so. Seems to me he works at a small boutique kind of firm. He and a couple of others, that’s it. The money I think is hers from her family.”

Ethan said nothing until he parked in front of Nakoa’s house. “You go ahead. I’ll catch up. I’m going to make a call and see if we can start finding out about Ren’s grandfather.”

Brooklyn sighed but got out of the pick-up truck. Ethan hit a number on his phone. “Yo,” Rusty said. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah. Although I hear you’re getting your ass kicked.”

“Huh. Maybe,” Rusty agreed and then grunted and cursed under his breath.

“Hard work losing without making it obvious that you’re doing it on purpose, huh?”

“You have no idea,” Rusty agreed.

“Thanks, man. I really do appreciate it.”

“No problem. You need anything else?”

“No, just checking on you.”

Rusty swore under his breath. “I gotta go before I get killed again.” He hung up.

Ethan grinned as he made his next call. “Coop,” he said as the other man answered. “I need a favor. I need you to ask Nova to pull anything she can on a name I’m going to send you. It’s the grandfather of one of the kids. One of the other moms thinks there’s something shady about him.” He went on to explain what Leilani had said.

“Send it and I’ll get right on it.”

“Thanks, man, and good luck.”

“Yeah,” Coop said, “no problem. We want this thing sorted as much as you and Brooklyn.” With that, he hung up.

“Nakoa, you’re sure nothing odd or different has happened in the last few weeks?” Brooklyn asked as she rubbed her knuckles on her thigh. Ethan caught the movement and had to work to tear his gaze away. He would love to rub that same spot and not just with his hand.

Malia Mano watched her son. “Honey, close your eyes and relax for a second.” Nakoa reluctantly did as he was told. “Is all your homework finished?” his mom asked.

“Yes.”

“Are you playing video games with Keoni and Liam?” came the next question.

Nakoa grinned. “Yes, and we’re killing Rusty big time.”

Malia frowned.

“Rusty is looking after Liam for me,” Brooklyn interjected.

“Yeah, and he sucks at video games,” Nakoa added as he remained still with his eyes closed.

“Give me the list of your top ten video games,” his mom asked.

Ethan understood what Malia was doing. Getting Nakoa to relax so he wasn’t so guarded with them. He only hoped it worked.

Nakoa finished his list, and his mother promptly asked, “What sticks out to you about the last week? Anything different?”

“No. Not with Liam anyway.”

Again, Ethan’s gut pinged. “With who?” he asked gently.

Nakoa opened his eyes and immediately looked guilty. “I…don’t want to get anyone in trouble.”

“No one is going to get in trouble,” Brooklyn said. “We just need to get to the bottom of what’s going on.”

Nakoa looked glum but said, “I saw Ren and Keoni arguing on Monday, which was weird. We never argue. Anyway, they were standing by the lockers, practically yelling about something, but when I came up, they stopped. Like I said…weird.”

“Did you happen to hear what they were arguing about?” Nakoa’s mom asked.

“Not really. I think it was about Liam’s locker.”

Brooklyn glanced at Ethan and raised an eyebrow.

“Nakoa, did you catch any of what they were saying?” Ethan asked trying to keep his voice even.

Nakoa shook his head. “Not all of it. Keoni said something like ‘you shouldn’t have opened it without asking’ and Ren said, ‘it’s a friggin pencil.’ Then they stopped because they saw me.

Brooklyn deflated and let out a sigh. “Thanks for telling us, Nakoa. I won’t mention it to Liam.” She offered him a smile.

Relief bloomed on his face. “Thanks, Ms. Alexander.”

“You can go back to gaming now,” his mom said.

They all remained silent as he disappeared up the stairs.

Brooklyn immediately stood. “Thanks, Malia, I really appreciate it.”

She hugged Brooklyn. “I hope you find the answers you need.”

When they were back in the truck, heading to Brooklyn’s home, she commented, “That was a bust.”

“Maybe… maybe not. Nova is pulling anything she has on Ren’s grandfather. Maybe it will turn up something.”

As they got out of Ethan’s truck, Nova pulled into the driveway. “Hey.” Ethan greeted her once she got out of the car.

“Hey, you. I was on my way to meet Coop, but he said you were here, so I thought I would come by and update you.” She turned to Brooklyn. “Hey. I’m so sorry about all this.”

“Thanks,” Brooklyn said. Her lips in a tight smile.

Nova glanced at Ethan. “I looked into the name you gave me. Ren’s grandfather, Hiroshi Yamamoto owns a company called Yamamoto Global. They make consumer electronic products. You know TVs, stereos, and the like. Think Panasonic, only Yamamoto sort of does it as a no name brand so it’s significantly cheaper. He’s worth billions.”

“No ties to organized crime?” Ethan asked.

She shook her head. “None that anyone can find. Coop filled me in. It makes sense that he tries to be normal at school around his grandson’s friends. I’m sure Ren doesn’t want the world to know how rich his family is. I also get the security. A man like that probably has to be careful.”

“So, there’s nothing there,” Brooklyn said with a dejected sigh.

“It doesn’t look like it.” Nova met Ethan’s gaze and then cut her eyes quickly to Brooklyn and back.

Ethan gave a tiny nod. He’d been thinking the same thing. Brooklyn was fraying around the edges. She was going to fall apart. “Thanks, Nova.”

She nodded. “If there’s anything else I can do, call me.”

“Will do.”

She got in her car and drove off.

“You okay,” Ethan asked.

Brooklyn met his gaze. Her eyes filled with tears. “No. Not really, but I’m not going to let that stop me.” She straightened her shoulders and headed to the house.

Ethan watched her go. Whatever the hell was going on, he needed to find out quickly because the situation was taking a toll on Brooklyn. He doubted she’d be able to take much more of not knowing, and he didn’t blame her one bit.