Free Murder on Easter Island by Gary Conrad

been practiced in certain places. Fiji, for example, once was known as the Cannibal Isles. Sailors would prefer to land anywhere rather than Fiji. There was one Fijian chief, Ratu Udre Udre, who kept a stone for every person he ate. It is said at his gravesite there were eight hundred and seventy-two stones. Hard to believe —”
    “Almost too strange to be true.”
    Tiare added, “I’m sure you know Mark Twain. He once said, ‘Truth is stranger than fiction.’ ”
    She was all over the map, and Daniel had to get her back to his question. “Yes, I know Mark Twain. But — what about cannibalism on Rapa Nui?”
    “The definitive way that archeologists can determine if cannibalism has occurred in a specific location is to check bones for cut marks, which are actually nicks or scratches made on the bone by a sharp tool as the flesh is removed.”
    Daniel nodded encouragement.
    “These cut marks have been found in excavated sites on Rapa Nui. Yes, I must admit it, cannibalism has occurred here. Sometimes history reveals the dark side of a society, and cannibalism is the dark side of Rapa Nui.”
    Their server arrived to place before them plates of steamed vegetables on beds of pasta and grated cheese.
    “Ah, this looks good,” Tiare commented. “I don’t eat out often, so this is special for me.”
    Daniel gazed warmly at her. “Tiare, the sad truth is that every society has places in their history they are not proud of. For America, one of the darkest moments occurred with the Trail of Tears. Have you heard of it?”
    Tiare asked, “Isn’t that where some American Indians were forced from their homes in the southeast part of the United States?”
    “In a nutshell, yes. For the Cherokee tribe, this happened from eighteen thirty-eight through eighteen thirty-nine. Around seventeen thousand Cherokees made the trek to Indian Territory, now called Oklahoma. Of that group, over four thousand died, either in the detention camps or en route.”
    Tiare sighed. “That’s almost a fourth of them.”
    “So,” Daniel said as he patted her hand, “don’t be too concerned about your island’s history of cannibalism. There are those in my country who have done much worse and on a much greater scale. But about the cannibalism that’s happening now. Do your senses give you any idea what the motivation might be?”
    The old woman placed her fork aside and said thoughtfully, “I cannot be certain of this, but I have an idea.”
    “Go on,” Daniel urged.
    “First of all, I believe the reason for these murders is clear — the killer does not want tourists on this island. And perhaps, if we can believe the note left by Detective Gomez, the murderer may be under the influence of Hitirau. Think about it. What better way to keep visitors away than the possibility of not only being killed, but also being eaten alive?”
    “Agreed. What should we do next?” Daniel asked.
    “There is nothing we can do. As long as the tourists stay away from Rapa Nui, I feel certain the murders will stop. If, for whatever reason, the tourists return . . . well, we can only wait and see what happens. Then we can choose our next step.”
    “We?”
    “Yes, we ,” she said. “Since I was a little girl, I’ve always been interested in adventures, and this will be the grandest one of all.”
    “But this exposes you to far too much risk — I can’t take that chance.”
    “Daniel,” she said, “I am certain that the killer is somehow already aware that we are meeting, and I will do all I can to stay safe. But there’s no turning back now.”
    Daniel studied Tiare closely. Their professional relationship had evolved into a friendship, and if anything happened to her, he would never forgive himself. “Very well,” he conceded, “but only if you promise me one thing.”
    “What’s that?”
    “Keep this close at hand.” Saying that, he reached down to his right side, pulled his Beretta from its holster and slipped it under the table