Murder at Waters Edge (Sand and Sea Hawaiian Mystery Book 6) Page 10

  A couple of minutes later Shredder came back in. He handed Zak his phone. Zak took it and said hello. He listened for a minute, then hung up. He went back to his computer and looked up the public number for the NSA. He called it on the screen and asked to speak to a specific person, saying his call was expected. After providing his name, the call was put through. I could see the look of surprise on Zak’s face when the person on the other end of the line said something and then hung up.

  Zak hung up too and looked at Shredder with his mouth still hanging open.

  “Convinced you have a go?” Shredder asked.

  “Yes. Absolutely. But why did you go to all the trouble to have me call him directly?”

  Shredder shrugged. “If some guy I just met told me to put my life and freedom on the line to complete a hack he assured me he had permission to complete, I can’t say I’d believe him. If I were able to talk to the man in charge, and I could confirm the man was who he said he was, I figure I’d be convinced.”

  Zak smiled. “Thanks. I am. Now let’s get to work.”

  Zak turned back to the competition computer and began to work with intensity. At some point Shredder and Luke joined in, using the other laptops, which Zak had jimmied so the keystrokes from the computer he was using were also being recorded on his personal laptop. Zak warned them that even at his skill level it was going to take a while to get in, so Zoe and I made breakfast, then went out on the lanai to eat it.

  “Tell me about your friend,” Zoe said with interest in her eyes. “Talk about mysterious. He’s all blond and tanned and looks like a California beach boy, but then he gets some high-ranking official from the NSA on the phone. Zak isn’t easily impressed, but I could tell that was exactly the emotion behind his slack-jawed look of amazement.”

  I took a sip of coffee, sat back in my chair, and crossed my legs beneath me before I began. “As I told you, I don’t know that much about him. He moved into the condominium complex where I live about a year ago. He told us his name was Shredder but never elaborated beyond that. He has a dog named Riptide who adores him, and I figured any man who could demand that level of doggy adoration had to be a good guy.”

  “I totally agree.” Zoe smiled. “My dog Charlie is my trust-o-meter when it comes to new people in my life. Charlie adored Zak way before I did. I guess I should have seen the writing on the wall. Does Shredder work or participate in any sort of income-generating activity?”

  “Not that I can see. He basically just hangs out and surfs. He saved my life last June, when a wacko tried to drown me, which is when I began to look at him as something more than a beach bum. Still, most days he can be found at the beach, shredding the waves.”

  “Ah, I get the nickname.”

  “Exactly.”

  Zoe took a bite of the muffin she must have gotten from room service before I awoke. “When did you find out about his connection to the FBI and CIA?”

  “Just before we came to Ashton Falls. It’s kind of a long story, but I’ll give you the condensed version.” I proceeded to fill Zoe in on the adventure that had taken place just before I met her.

  “I guess it’s a good thing all of that happened. If it hadn’t you wouldn’t have known to call him in now.”

  Zoe was right. A month ago I might have broken down and called one of my brothers when things got dicey; it would never have occurred to me to call Shredder. I guess things really did happen for a reason.

  Zoe and I continued to chat. I told her more about my family and friends and she told me more about hers. It had been two hours since Zak had dug in, which was by far the longest it had taken him to complete any other hack, but this was the US Military we were talking about. When I’d gone in for more coffee I’d overheard Zak and Shredder talking about using a back door to access the base, which could be closed after the hack was completed. That way the bad guys, which we were assuming the organizers were at this point, couldn’t follow Zak’s trail and access the base again at another time.

  “I wonder if there even will be a race today,” I said aloud to Zoe after we’d passed the two-and-a-half-hour mark.

  “If there is I hope wherever they send you is close. Otherwise you might end up running around the island after dark.”

  I leaned back into my chair and closed my eyes. I could feel the tension in my neck. Now that we were staring down the finish line I found I couldn’t wait to get to the end. All this waiting was killing me.

  Luke poked his head out the door. “We got it,” he said.

  Chapter 12

  Once Zak had turned off the electricity in the barracks and turned it back on he sent an email letting the organizers know. I assumed they had a way to verify this for themselves because a few minutes later a new email arrived on the game laptop. The clue was a riddle: Sliding Sands descend from the place where Lilinoe covers her celestial home .

  Zak typed some words into his computer as we all stood perfectly still, letting the words penetrate our minds. Nothing jumped out right off the bat, but I was just a bit preoccupied with thoughts of hacks and where they might lead.

  “Lilinoe is the goddess of mist or haze,” Zak provided.

  “Celestial home makes me think of heaven, or possibly space or the sky,” Zoe added.

  “Sliding Sands makes me think of a hill or mountain because sand would slide down from a higher location,” Luke said.

  “Haleakalā.” I determined. “It has to be Haleakalā. I’m pretty sure there’s a trailhead at the top of the summit that’s referred to as the Sliding Sands Trail.”

  Zak typed Haleakalā into the computer. “Yep, there’s a trailhead by that name near the parking area near the top.”

  “It’ll probably be a three-hour drive at this time of day,” I informed them. “We’d better get going.” I was about to return to our room to get my hiking shoes but paused for a moment. “How did the other teams do?”

  “Trent and Hallie didn’t complete the hack nor do they seem to be working on it,” Zak said. “I’m sure once they realized what was going on they decided the penalties for hacking into a military facility far outweighed the potential of winning a million dollars.”

  “And the others?”

  “Ivan and Irina are close. I predict they’ll be in within the next sixty minutes. I’m not sure what Hulk and Cracker are doing. They appear to be working on it, but they’re taking an illogical path that leads me to believe they have something up their sleeves. I’m going to hack in to take a closer look at what they’re doing now that we’ve completed our part.”

  “Okay, great. Maybe they aren’t sure about the hack either and have decided to go in slowly to look around.”

  “Maybe,” Zak said, but he looked less than certain.

  I asked if anyone wanted to come with Luke and me, but Shredder said he had phone calls to make and people to catch up to speed, and Zoe said she planned to stay behind to do some more snooping around now that so many of the original twenty participants were out of the competition and thus more likely to be hanging out at the pool or on the beach.

  Despite the fact that I was terrified about where this whole thing might lead, I was enjoying visiting with Zoe and Zak and thrilled to have so much time to spend with Luke. The treasure hunt aspect of the competition was actually a lot of fun, but something deep inside told me whatever enjoyment we’d been having was about to change into something much more serious.

  The drive to Haleakalā took us past the small towns of Pukalani and Kula. It was a hot, sunny day with nary a cloud in sight, which made the cooler temperatures of the high county all that much more welcome. The landscape grew lush and green and the extra rain and abundance of open space made it a good place for farming. I was tempted to stop at one of the roadside markets that sell fresh produce, but completing the day’s race before dark was going to be difficult enough without stopping.

  We turned from Highway 377 onto the narrow road leading up to the national park and the summit of the volcano, and the road
became very narrow as it wound its way up the mountain. The view as the road hugged the steep drop-off was truly amazing. I knew from a previous trip that bicycling down the steep road was popular, so I cautioned Luke to proceed slowly around the hairpin curves that barely provided enough room for a car, let alone a car and a bike too.

  The road climbed over six thousand feet within just a few miles, which made for a noticeable drop in the already mild temperatures that can be found in towns that hug the mountainside at the base of the volcano. We drove past the first of the visitor centers and continued toward the top. When we arrived at the summit Luke found a parking spot near the Sliding Sands Trailhead and we got out to look around.

  “The clue didn’t actually say we needed to walk the trail,” Luke pointed out. “The words sliding sands seemed to have more to do with the location of the volcano.”

  “Yeah,” I reluctantly agreed. “This is a big area; there must be a way to narrow things down a bit.”

  Luke repeated the clue: “‘Sliding Sands descend from the place where Lilinoe covers her celestial home.’”

  We both considered the underlying meaning of the words.

  “What about the summit, though?” I asked. “There’s a second parking lot about a half mile up the road. You can get out and walk around on dirt trails that take you to the summit, as well as an observation point. Let’s try that, and if there isn’t anything to find we’ll come back to this trail.”

  Luke glanced at the road in the distance. I could see the indecision in his eyes.

  “I think we’ll waste time hiking down this trail,” I added. “So far most of the clues have been easy to find. There isn’t a sign here at the trailhead, so I think the next best bet is at the summit.”

  “Okay. You must be correct. Hiking the trail would be time-consuming. Given the fact that we got a late start and had a long drive to the first clue, I doubt they’d have us take a long hike as well. Checking the summit sounds like the way to go.”

  Luke and I walked hand in hand back to the car. It was too bad we didn’t have time to make the hike. I hadn’t been to the area since I was a little girl, but I remembered the amazing colors and the feeling of awe I’d experienced as I made the trek with my dad and brothers.

  When we reached the summit parking area we pulled into a spot at the end of a row. There were a lot of people here, but so far I hadn’t seen anyone from any of the other three teams. I knew we’d solved our hack first, so chances were good the others were at least thirty minutes behind us, maybe more.

  “What are those buildings over there?” Luke pointed to a compound nestled just below where we stood. There was a fence surrounding the white buildings, letting the casual observer know they weren’t part of the volcano tour.

  “That’s the Haleakalā Observatory. It’s owned by the University of Hawaii for use in studying the stars. The university also leases space to the Air Force and Las Cumbres Observatory.”

  I could tell, based on the look on his face, that Luke’s interest was piqued. “Air Force?”

  “The Air Force Maui Optical and Supercomputing Observatory is housed here. As for the observatory, the space is used to track space objects including, but not limited to, asteroids, satellites, and incoming missiles. It’s also the home of a supercomputer that’s among the most powerful in the world.”

  Luke frowned.

  “Something wrong?”

  Luke narrowed his eyes. “I can’t know for certain, but I think I just found our endgame.”

  I paused, then looked down at the cluster of white buildings. “You think someone wants to break into the observatory? Why?”

  “Unfortunately, I can think of any number of reasons. I think we should call Zak to tell him about the facility in case he doesn’t know about it already. After that we can look for the next clue.”

  “Go ahead and make the call. I’m going to check out the viewing area. Meet me there.”

  One of the things Haleakalā was famous for, at least among tourists, were the amazing sunrises. Getting up in the middle of the night and making the long trek to catch the first rays of the new day was such a popular activity that a reservation to park in the area usually had to be made. I’d never made the trek, but I’d heard it could be a truly spiritual experience.

  I reached the glass-encased building and looked around. There were perhaps a dozen people inside, looking at the displays that had been set around the room. Most of them provided information about various aspects of the mountain, including the terrain, weather, animals who made their homes here, and plants native to the area. I knew from my previous trip that the most-talked-about plant was the silversword, an odd-looking shrub with stiletto-shaped leaves and a large flower stalk. In Hawaiian, the plant is called ‘ahinahina; hina means gray and the silverswood had a reputation for being sacred to the goddess Hina. There used to be thousands of the plants in the area, but now they were rare, and there were signs everywhere telling people not to touch them.

  “Did you get through?” I asked Luke when he came to meet me.

  “Yes. Zak thinks we might be on to something. He’s been wondering since the beginning why the organizers brought the game to Maui. If the observatory is the goal, covering here makes sense.”

  “Okay, so what does this dummy corporation that may or may not deal in gaming want with an isolated observatory?”

  I could almost see the wheels turning in Luke’s head before he answered me. “I suppose there are any number of things someone might be after. The ability to view objects in space could be useful, and then there’s the supercomputer thing. There are other supercomputers and other telescopes, but this observatory is pretty remote, and the security here is most likely considerably less than at other facilities. I guess all we can do is to wait to see what happens next.”

  “Was Shredder there when you called?”

  “He was, and he’s going to check in with whoever it is he reports to. I have a feeling that by the time we get back to the resort Zak and Shredder will have come up with some kind of plan.”

  “We should be there to help out.”

  Luke shook his head. “Our job is to work the race and stay in the game. We need to find the next clue and we need it fast.”

  I looked around. Clouds were gathering below and making their way up the mountain. I knew this phenomenon had to do with an inversion layer that was formed when temperatures clashed. The clue had said something about the place where Lilinoe covers her celestial home. There was a point about midway up the mountain where dense, turbulent clouds formed. We should probably head down to check it out. There was also a poster about the inversion layer inside the viewing building. Maybe the clue was on or around it. Finding an exact spot where clouds formed below us would be a lot more random than the placement of the other clues had been to date and Luke and I had already agreed that hiking down into the crater would take too long.

  I went over to the poster that I felt best described the phenomenon with the clouds. I studied it but didn’t notice any handwriting or anything that seemed to be a clue. I stood studying the poster on the wall for a moment longer, then turned and looked out the window at the incredible view. There was something nagging at the back of my mind, but I couldn’t quite bring it forward.

  “Have you seen anyone from any of the other teams?” I asked Luke.

  “No,” he said, “and that’s beginning to bother me. I’m wondering if we interpreted the clue incorrectly.”

  “Call Zak back. Have him reference Haleakalā and Lilinoe. Maybe there’s something we’re missing.”

  Luke did as I asked and a few minutes later he received a text. Luke pulled it up and began to read. “It looks like the observatory was built on sacred ground. Over the past seventy years, construction of former and existing buildings have removed much of the physical evidence of Hawaiian traditional and cultural practices in the area, but ceremonial rocks still exist. As part of the site’s long-range development plan, the area surro
unding these artifacts has been set aside for religious and cultural purposes. There’s a shrine that signifies it a sacred ceremonial site.”

  “So we need to hike down there and look around.”

  “It would seem,” Luke agreed.

  I went back outside and headed to the cliff edge that overlooked the facility. There was a paved road leading to the building, and although there was a fence around the facility, the road leading to the cluster of buildings didn’t appear to be guarded in any way. We stood on the cliff for several more minutes, just watching, before deciding to go down to the road. If we were stopped we’d say we’d seen the buildings, didn’t know what they were, and decided to check them out.

  Amazingly, no one stopped us. We didn’t need to get inside any of the buildings, which would help. Zak’s text had given us a general description of the shrine, which we quickly located. Sitting on the ground in front it was a tablet that simply said lavender .

  “There’s a lavender farm not far from the intersection at the bottom of the mountain,” I said. “Seems like as good a place as any to find the next clue.”

  “Okay. Let’s go.”

  The farm sold everything lavender. I’d had no idea there were so many things to do with it. Apparently, you could use lavender to make chocolate, beverages, scones, coffee, candles, pillows, and a bunch of other items. We headed into the gift shop as soon as we arrived. I didn’t know where to start, so I introduced myself to the woman behind the counter. When I mentioned I was with the Brains and Brawn competition she handed me an envelope, then invited me to sample some of her products.

  The store smelled wonderful and I was tempted to linger, but I knew our journey wasn’t yet over, so Luke and I went back to the car and opened the envelope. Inside was a single sheet of paper with a series of six numbers on it. It looked like the daily answer rather than another clue, so Luke called Zak and told him what we’d found. He typed in the numbers, then came back on the line. It seemed we’d not only solved today’s puzzle but were the first team to do so.