Free Blood Orchids by Toby Neal Page A

the Lieutenant. Tell him you were being stalked, and weren’t going to take it.”
    Lei shot out of the bed in agitation, the sheet tangling around her legs.
    “No way. I’ll handle it myself.”
    “Whatever. Just trying to help,” he said, his voice short. “I’ll call you if I hear anything.” He clicked off. Lei sighed as she put the phone down. She had to get ready for the interview at the high school.

Chapter 13
    At 10 a.m. Lei pulled into the “Visitor” stall at Hilo High School. She’d put on jeans and a tank top and for once her hair was behaving. She hopped out of the car, slamming the door, and a chunk of rust fell out of the wheel well.
    “Stupid granny car,” she muttered. She kicked the tire and it dropped more rust, this time on her athletic shoe.
    “Lei!” Stevens called. She looked up, enjoying the way his long legs ate up the ground as he walked toward her. “I see you remembered to wear your civvies.”
    “Hey,” she said, moving to meet him. “Nice change for me. Where do we go?”
    “Check in at the office first. How’re you doing after your adventure last night?” Braced for teasing, she was almost undone by the concern in his voice. She blinked, slipping her hands into the tight pockets of her jeans. His card was still in there, and she let herself feel its fuzzy edges.
    “Okay,” she said. “But it was scary.”
    “You’ve got friends who will vouch for you at the station. I don’t think those charges will stick. But the whole thing must have been bad.”
    “It was. I shouldn’t have gone out alone after the guy, I know that now, but at the time it just seemed so important not to let him scare me . . .” Her voice trailed off. She looked at the ground.
    He reached out and pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her. It was so sudden she stumbled forward. Her hands were pinned at her sides, and she stiffened instinctively. As he continued to hold her, close but gentle, she slowly relaxed. His chin rested on her head. She closed her eyes, breathing in the warm smell of his shirt. Finally, he stepped back, clearing his throat.
    “Let’s get going. I sent Jeremy to work on another lead since you were coming to this interview—don’t want to intimidate our witness with too many people.”
    She nodded, wordless. His hug seemed to have melted something around her heart. She followed him into the school office.
    They signed in and got visitor badges, and the vice principal showed them to a small study room off the main library area. Stevens got out his portable tape recorder, the file of photos, a notebook, and pen.
    The vice principal returned a few minutes later with a petite Filipino girl. Her long, glossy black hair hung over her face and she peeked at them through the screen of her bangs. She flopped into the molded plastic chair with boneless grace.
    “Hi again, Angela. Remember me, Detective Stevens? And this is Officer Texeira.”
    The girl nodded, dark doe eyes flicking over to Lei and returning to Stevens.
    “Is it okay if we tape this interview?” he asked. “Your parents gave permission for me to interview you.” She nodded, a shy bob of the head. Her earrings swung, a sparkle of silver.
    “Okay. Last time we talked, you told me you had seen Haunani Pohakoa get in a black Toyota truck after school with an older man.”
    She nodded.
    “Please state your response out loud,” Stevens said, giving her an encouraging smile.
    “Yes,” Angela said softly, her eyes still on him. Lei couldn’t help noticing how something about him made even a high school student respond with trust and confidence.
    “When was this?”
    “I don’t know. A week or two before they found them.”
    “Did she say anything to you about this guy?”
    “She called him her ‘secret admirer.’”
    “Was there any student gossip about him?”
    “Everybody was calling him Haunani’s sugar daddy,” she said with a giggle. The spiteful edge to it made the hairs rise on Lei’s