THE CLUE OF THE BROKEN BLOSSOM

THE VICKI BARR AIR STEWARDESS SERIES

Silver Wings for Vicki

Vicki Finds the Answer

The Hidden Valley Mystery

The Secret of Magnolia Manor

The Clue of the Broken Blossom

Behind the White Veil

The Mystery at Hartwood House

Peril Over the Airport

The Mystery of the Vanishing Lady

The Search for the Missing Twin

The Ghost at the Waterfall

The Clue of the Gold Coin

The Silver Ring Mystery

The Clue of the Carved Ruby

The Mystery of Flight 908

The Brass Idol Mystery

THE VICKI BARR AIR STEWARDESS SERIES

________________________________________________________

THE CLUE OF THE BROKEN BLOSSOM

BY JULIE TATHAM

________________________________________________________

GROSSET & DUNLAP PUBLISHERS

New York

BY GROSSET & DUNLAP, INC., 1950

All Rights Reserved

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

CONTENTS ________________________________________________________

CHAPTER PAGE

I FLIGHT TO HAWAII 1

II THE MISSING HEIRESS 18

III BOBS STORY 31

IV A STRAND OF WHITE FLOWERS 50

V LOST: A JADE RING 65

VI THE TAXI DRIVERS STORY 80

VII HAWAIIAN FEAST 96

VIII THE FOUNTAIN LILY LEGEND 115

IX VICKI MEETS THE WALRUS 130

X A FUGITIVE 149

XI VICKIS PLAN 166

XII IN THE LIONS DEN 186

XIII THE HEEL OF ACHILLES 202

XIV TILL WE MEET AGAIN 213

1

CHAPTER I

Flight to Hawaii

A chilly November wind swept the observation deck

at LaGuardia Field. Even the pale moon in the

cloudless sky looked cold to Vicki.

She shivered and tugged the flapping skirt of her

flannel coat around her slim body. Lets go inside, Jean, she said, deliberately making her teeth chatter.

With one hand Jean Cox tugged her beret down

over her short bob. With the other, she kept Vicki

firmly pinned to her side. I told the girls wed meet them here, she said grimly, but her eyes twinkled merrily. And heres where well meet them.

But why? Vicki wailed. Theres a lovely warm waiting room inside and a restaurant where

we could have a nice cup of hot coffee while we

wait for them to show up. For answer Jean merely shrugged, edging Vicki

closer to the rail.

Vicki groaned. One would think youd never

2

seen an airport at night before. Were flight stewardesses, remember? Besides, Im dressed for the tropics.

Thats the point, Jean told her cheerfully. Now me, Im quite comfortable in this tweed topcoat.

Then stay out here and watch the beacon lights, Vicki said bitterly. Me, Ive had enough! She struggled valiantly to free herself from Jeans grasp.

In spite of her fragile appearance, Vicki was

strong and wiry, but athletic Jean Cox was too much

for her. Then, suddenly, the five stewardesses Vicki

shared an apartment with in New York were all

around her, laughing and joking. Her new straw hat,

with its pert red bow, slid down over her forehead.

Red-haired Dot Crowley impishly tweaked her

nose. Cold, she reported to the others with evident glee. Icy cold.

Celia Trimbles china-doll face dimpled with delight. And so are her hands. Lumps of ice.

That goes for my poor feet too, Vicki retorted, wishing she had worn woolen socks instead of

gossamer nylons. And in case youre interested, my erstwhile friends, ear muffs would come in handy.

How long do I have to stand out here in this gale

while you push and shove me around? Not ved-dy much longer, brunette Tessa said in

her most dramatic prima donna voice. She popped a

toy thermometer into Vickis pretty mouth and drew

3

it right out again. Um-m. She examined it carefully in the moonlight. Sub. Ter-rib-bly sub. I guess that does it, girls.

And about time too, sweet-faced Charmion Wilson said sympathetically. Poor Vic! Theyre determined to freeze you into an ice cube before the

takeoff. The idea is that when youre basking on the beach at Waikiki tomorrow evening youll remember that the rest of us are shivering our heads

off back here. Vicki giggled. Well, they certainly succeeded.

Itll take a day in the tropics at least to thaw me out.

Are you numb? Tessa demanded, arching her dark, carefully plucked eyebrows. Quite numb?

For answer, Vicki displayed her white chattering

teeth. Completely, she said. Frozen solid. Congealed. If Id known about your evil plot Id have worn my ski suit.

Jean patted her reassuringly. I wouldnt have let you, darling. Youd have looked awfully foolish in it riding out here in a heated limousine to board a

heated plane en route to a volcano. Vicki drew herself up, and, walking as tall as

possible, led the way into the restaurant. Im not going to live on a volcano, she told Jean tartly. Ive told you all a dozen times Im spending my weeks vacation with a very attractive young

4

married couple in their beach bungalow. As the waitress set steaming mugs on the counter,

Celia began to chant:

There was a young stewardess named Vic, Who is leaving the continent right quick,

To bask on an isle

Under the suns warm smile While the rest of us sneeze ourselves sick.

It doesnt scan, Vicki told her, wrinkling her nose in pretended distaste. She warmed her fingers

on her cup of hot coffee. I still cant believe Im going. I wasnt sure until the last minute that Miss Benson could arrange for my round-trip flight by air.

Irrepressible Jean interrupted. We were sitting on the phone, breathlessly waiting to hear from our

angelic assistant superintendent. I was optimistically

packing You couldnt have been packing, Dot Crowley

said with a giggle. Not if you were sitting on the phone.

Well, Mrs. Duff and Vicki were then, Jean admitted, grinning. At least our plump housekeeper was hovering around, talking a blue streak, and I

was afraid I wouldnt hear the phone. Then it rang and the caller was Ruth Benson saying that one of

Federal Airlines top officials had just canceled his

5

reservation. It was the answer to my constant

prayer, she finished, dramatically rolling her eyes. Vicki owes it all to me.

Vicki gulped down her coffee and stood up. Ill owe missing my plane to you if we dont hurry, Jean. Then Ill be stranded with the rest of you unfortunates on this frigid isle.

Dont rub it in, Tessa moaned as they all hurried into their coats.

Out in the bracing cold again, breathing in the

smell of gasoline salted with a tang of the sea, Vicki

began to tingle all over with excitement. In ten

minutes, at midnight, the big plane would take off.

Tomorrow evening she would step down from a

trans-Pacific clipper at the John Rodgers airport in

Honolulu.

Itll be like flying on a magic carpet, she confided to Jean as they waited for the luggage to be

loaded into the baggage compartment of the

gleaming ship.

Jean nodded, serious for once. No matter how many times I fly, as a pilot, passenger, or

stewardess, it always seems like magic to me. She squeezed Vickis arm affectionately. Remember the first day we met, Vic?

I certainly do, Vicki said. It was my first flightmy flight to a career!

On that day, not so very long ago, her father had

6

driven her from their home in Fairview, Illinois, to

board the New York plane at Chicago. Vicki

remembered how her twelve-year-old sister, Ginny,

had cried when they kissed each other good-bye, and

how near to tears she herself had been. She had

clutched her curly-haired mother, seeking last-

minute encouragement, for Vicki had not been at all

sure then that she would graduate from the

Stewardess School of Federal Airlines.

On the same plane she had met another young

aspirant, Jean Cox, who was as excited as Vicki,

although she owned and piloted a little Piper Cub.

She and Vicki had been the nucleus which soon

grew into the gang. It was Jean who had found the apartment, and Charmion who had hired the

motherly housekeeper, Mrs. Duff.

Charmion, a young widow, was kissing Vicki

good-bye now. Ive got to dash and phone in, she said. My free day ends at midnight.

There were hugs and kisses all around before

Vicki followed the other passengers through the

gate.

Give Mrs. Duff my love, she called over her shoulder, trying to remember all of the last-minute

instructions their excited housekeeper had given her.

Now dont you come back here in a grass skirt, she had puffed while Vicki was frantically packing.

And if you expect me to fix you any of those

7

Hawaiian dishes and let you eat with your fingers,

youll find you have another think comin. Someone, probably Dot, was shouting, Bring me

back a real live lei, preferably of orchids. Your name, please, the stewardess said. Barr. Victoria. Then she was inside the plane,

feeling a little odd in the reverse role of passenger

instead of a stewardess in uniform.

When the last passenger was aboard, the steward

closed the door. The sign up front flashed on: NO

SMOKINGFASTEN YOUR SEAT BELT. In a few minutes they were up, and the glimmering lights

of New York were fading away in the distance.

Someone tapped Vickis shoulder. It was the stewardess bringing her a pillow and blanket. Vicki

pressed the levers under the arms of her seat and

leaned back. Although she was almost as

comfortable as though she were home in her own

bed, she couldnt sleep. She had always dreamed of visiting Hawaii and now here she was on her way.

Two weeks ago Vicki had received a letter from

Helen Kane in Honolulu.

Dear Vicki, Helen had written, Bob and I have thought about you so much since we met in

September. We often meet interesting people on our

trips, but youre one of the very few we really and truly want to see again. Couldnt you come and

8

spend Aloha Week, the Hawaiian Thanksgiving with

us?

Wed love to have you and the airline will pay for your flight out here and back, wont it? Im enclosing a note to your mother, so shell know Im a properly brought-up chaperone, and Bob is adding

a P.S. to Professor Barr. She was thrilled at the prospect of spending her

coming vacation in Hawaii and had excitedly shown

the letter to Ruth Benson, Assistant Superintendent

of Flight Stewardesses, who had promised to do

everything possible to secure flight

accommodations. Then she had sent the letter air

mail to her parents.

Vickis parents had approved of her accepting the invitation, so she had written to the Kanes saying

that she wouldnt know the exact time of her arrival until the last minute. Finally word had come from

Ruth Benson that the round-trip flight had been

arranged, and Vicki had promptly sent a cable to the

Kanes.

She had met them last Labor Day on the New

York-to-Chicago run, and when she checked their

names with her passenger list, she saw on the

manifest that they were returning to their home in

Honolulu. That had aroused her interest in the first

place, and they looked so young and gay she

guessed they were on their honeymoon.

9

As she passed up and down the planes aisle with trays she had caught snatches of the Kanes conversation without meaning to listen. To her

surprise, the word Vicki kept popping up. By the time it was the young couples turn for

luncheon, Vickis curiosity had been thoroughly aroused. As she handed them their trays she asked

with a smile:

How on earth did you guess my nickname? On the name plate Im just Miss V. Barr, Stewardess.

They had both stared up at her in astonishment.

B-but, dark-haired Helen Kane had stammered, we didnt. We havent any idea what it is.

Its Vicki, short for Victoria, she told them, bewildered. And I was sure I heard you

At that Bob Kane had interrupted, his thin

shoulders shaking with laughter. We werent talking about you, Miss Barr. We were simply using

the Hawaiian phrase for hurry up, which is,

wikiwiki. My impatient and always hungry young

wife generally punctuates her conversation with it. Helen, who was as plump as her husband was

slender, joined in his merriment then. Soon Vicki

had overcome her momentary embarrassment and

was laughing with them.

I guess that makes me an egotist or at best an eavesdropper, she had said with a rueful grin.

Not at all, Bob assured her. It simply proves

10

that you have sharp ears. As a matter of fact, when

w is the penultimate letter in a Hawaiian word, it is pronounced v. So Ill give you a mark of ninety-five per cent.

Thats the professor in him, Helen told Vicki with a chuckle. Because he knows both languages Bob is a math instructor in a Hawaiian standard

school. Why, my fathers a professor, Vicki said. He

teaches economics at the University of Illinois. No kidding? Bob ran his hands through his

sandy hair. Then you must be Lewis Barrs daughter. I studied under him when I was working

for my M.A. A swell person, and can he lecture! He is a swell person, Vicki agreed, thinking

fondly of her handsome, blond father. But hes not very economical in the kitchen. He drives my

mother almost insane when he dons his chefs cap and invades her domain. Sometimes his concoctions

are wonderful, butoh, she interrupted herself, you must be starving. Im keeping you from your lunch.

Later, when she had gathered all the empty trays

and tidied her little galley in the back of the plane,

Vicki had stopped again by the Kanes seats. Tell me more about Honolulu, she begged.

Except for the naval base at Pearl Harbor, which I guess is one of the largest in the world, all I know

11

about Hawaii is that natives in grass skirts dance the

hula and wear garlands of flowers around their

necks which are called leis. Bob Kane had indulged in his quiet laughter

again. If thats all you know about our Forty-ninth State, your professor father must be like the shoemaker whose children went barefoot. Honolulu

is just like any other big American city. Well, not quite, Bob, Helen corrected him

thoughtfully, and added to Vicki, Most of the streets, even in the business section, are lined with

palm trees, and flowering shrubs and vines cover all

the homes. Then there are the rainbows, double and

single ones, arching across the sunny blue skies.

Theyre as common as beacon lights at an airfield. And the liquid sunshine

Liquid sunshine? Vicki repeated with a laugh. Does it get so hot the sun melts?

Helen shook her dark curls. Oh, no, but if you ever visit there youll be glad you have naturally wavy hair like mine. Straight-haired girls have an

awful time with their permanents, because it rains a

lot, but nobody pays any attention to it, because the

sun shines at the same time, and thats what we call liquid sunshine.

Time to stop for breath, her husband advised her.

Helen ignored him. Very often our patio is

12

soaked with rain while our next-door neighbors is dry as a bone. We have a bungalow with a tiny

beach just beyond the fashionable section at

Waikiki. We love it there, although Bob has to drive

clear across the island to his school on the other side

of the Pali. It sounds like heaven, Vicki said, completely

captivated by Helens loquacious description. A real fairyland.

Thats what it is, Bob agreed. Theres an old saying that You havent lived until youve seen Hawaii. He grinned at Vicki. But if you want to see a grass hut outside of a museum, youd better come during a carnival week. Thats when youll see the hula dancers, too, in their hala-leaf skirts.

In ancient times they were made from ti leaves too, Helen added. And mines very modern. Stripped cellophane, she said, smiling at Vicki. Oh, I do wish you werent going to leave us at Chicago. If only you could keep right on going with

us straight across the Pacific! If only I could, Vicki had sighed. And now the wish was coming true! It all seemed

too good to be true.

Suddenly Vicki began to feel nervous. Suppose

the cablegram she had sent the Kanes at the last

minute got lost in transit? They would have no way

of knowing that she was en route to Oahu now. Then

13

nobody would be there to meet her at the Honolulu

airport.

She shrugged away her worries. That just cant happen to me! Gazing down out of her window she watched the lights of toy villages whisk by, so fast

that they seemed to be sucked into a giant vacuum

created by the planes wings. Even the big city of Cleveland seemed tiny.

When all of the passengers were comfortably

settled for the night, the steward and stewardess

turned off the lights, leaving one pale-blue bulb

glowing. A hush descended on the plane as it

winged across the continent. It was the kind of hush,

Vicki decided, that reminded her of a hospital at

night. It was a whispery hush, broken only by the

swish of the stewardesss skirt as she softly walked down the aisle to invite Vicki back to the lounge for

a snack.

You looked as though you were too excited to sleep, she said, after introducing Vicki to the copilot who was there, drinking coffee.

At Chicago, a new shift took over, and being so

near Fairview filled Vicki with nostalgia for her

family and their home which the Barrs called The

Castle. As they flew high above Fairview, Vicki

wished it were daylight so she might catch a glimpse

of the house on the crest of the hill with its tower

and high Norman casement windows. Every inch of

14

the sloping grounds had been at one time or another

a favorite retreat where Vicki used to go to think

things out in peace. Sometimes her sanctuary was in

the shade of an apple tree, sometimes in the rock

garden, and as often as not, at the bottom of the

woody hill that led to the lake. But she was never

safe for long from inquisitive Ginny with her

pigtails, temporary orthopedic shoes, glasses and

braces. For plump, sturdy Ginny was still in the

chrysalis stage of her development and yearned to

be as glamorously grown up as her big sister.

Ill certainly miss her, the sweetie pie, Vicki thought, and fell asleep. When she awoke it was

dawn.

Flying at an altitude of eighteen thousand feet, the

whole west seemed to be unfolding beneath her

eyes. There were big, sprawling cities, endless

forests, lakes and mountains.

She had a birds-eye view of San Francisco with its twenty-nine hills before they landed there. Later

she boarded the big trans-Pacific clipper, thrilled at

the prospect of a flight over the Pacific, but

regretting she had so little time for sight-seeing in

the Golden Gate City.

Now they were flying above clouds that were like

beautiful pink cushions, and through an occasional

break in them, Vicki could see the ocean, a rippled

sheet of glass, sometimes green, sometimes dark

15

blue.

After nine hours of nothing but clouds and ocean,

everyone was straining for the first glimpse of land.

Then Vicki saw it, a brown blob on the horizon. The

plane circled in to the windward side of Oahu, and

she caught her breath at the sight of the brilliantly

colored, rugged terrain below her. The bright blue of

the water ended in the white foam of waves breaking

on yellow sand. The brown and red cultivated

ground in the valleys formed a startling contrast to

the lush green of the mountains.

On the leeward side they began to lose altitude

rapidly. Thats Molokai, the Friendly Isle on your left, the stewardess was telling her excited passengers. And the extinct crater, with the gun emplacements on your right, is Diamond Head. Now

were above Waikiki Beach. Vicki stared down at the famous vacationing spot,

surprised to discover that it was such a narrow strip

of sand, fringed on one side by modern shops,

apartment houses, and hotels.

An incredibly beautiful sunset was splashing the

sky with almost unbelievable colors when the plane

circled above the airport. Coral, the stewardess had

told Vicki earlier, had been pumped out of the sea

for its base.

Planes of all sizes and descriptions were taking

off or landing, bound for, or returning from, far

16

places. No wonder its called the hub of the Pacific, Vicki thought. The huge concrete field, interlaced with runways, looked to her like a giant

black-and-white checkerboard.

Then she was swarming down the steps with the

other passengers. Each one was met on the last step

by a native girl in Aloha Week costume, and was

presented with a lei and a kiss on the cheek.

It couldnt have been a more friendly welcome, but suddenly Vicki felt alone and lost. In the safety

zone, on the other side of the big wire fence, a

crowd laden with more gorgeous leis, waited,

shouting and waving to her fellow passengers. There

was no sign of the Kanes.

Forlornly Vicki let the milling throng carry her

into the terminal building where lovely Hawaiian

maidens were dancing the hula, accompanied by

men in native costume, strumming their ukuleles.

Straining her eyes for a glimpse of her hosts in the

waiting room, Vicki threaded her way through

potted palms and flowering shrubs.

As she wrote Ginny later, Every other new arrival was literally up to his or her ears in leis. The air was overpoweringly heavy with the fragrance of

tropical blossoms. For a moment Vicki felt as

though she couldnt breathe. Weakly she leaned against one of the tall pillars, wondering what could

have happened to the Kanes.

17

Had the cablegram gone astray after all? Or had

they been away from home when it arrived? How

did one go about finding their bungalow on this

strange island? The faces of the people in the

crowded room whirled dizzily in front of her tired

eyes. She looked away from them, down at the toes

of her gay sandals. Then she saw that she was

standing in a semicircle of lovely white flowers, a

broken lei.

The tiny buds looked wilted but the blossoms

were still fresh, and it was such a beautiful thing

Vicki quickly snatched it up to keep it from being

trampled underfoot.

This must be a ginger lei, she decided. Helen said they smell rather like nutmeg.

She was bending her head to sniff the perfume of

the flowers when someone grabbed her arm and a

deep masculine voice said:

I wouldnt if I were you. Those pretty little buds are toxic!

18

CHAPTER II

The Missing Heiress

Toxic? Vicki dropped the lei as though it were a poisonous snake and looked up into the laughing

green eyes of a tall, redheaded young man.

He was wearing an expensive-looking white linen

suit, and she noticed that his hands, as he caught the

garland of flowers in mid-air, were quick and deft.

Well, yes and no, he said. The blossoms are ginger flowers and are, of course, quite harmless.

But these little buds, which by the way, are

extremely rare, contain a fluid which when inhaled

deeply has pretty much the effect of a whiff of

chloroform. He nipped off the tip of the one that had not yet wilted, and squirted a colorless, odorless

liquid on to the tiled floor.

Vicki wasnt sure whether he was teasing her or not. She had so obviously just landed on this

fabulous Pacific island and had, for several minutes,

been standing forlornly alone. Was the nice-looking

young man using the broken lei as an excuse for

19

introducing himself to her?

She stared at him speculatively. He did not look

like that type of person. He met her steady gaze

without blinking, and then he grinned. I can read your mind like a book, Vicki Barr, he said. And youre wrong. Im not trying to pick you up. Im quite a respectable doctor and a friend of the Kanes.

They got tied up in some of the opening-day Aloha

festivities at Bobs school, and sent me to meet you. He looped the lei around his neck as though it were a stethoscope and shook her hand. Im Hank Hoyt, and youve just got to be Victoria Barr or Ill die of disappointment.

Vicki blushed at the implied compliment. I am, and I guess I was pretty easy to find, being the only

person here who isnt smothered in leis. Youre pretty, all right, he said, tucking her

hand through his arm. But youre so little you werent at all easy to find in this mad crowd. And as for smothering you, well take care of that right away. He hailed a lei vender and in another minute Vicki was giggling:

Help! One more and I wont be able to see where Im going.

He frowned down at her. Do you give up after a mere eight? Id counted on ten kisses at least. It is our custom, madam, that if you accept a lei of

welcome, you must accept the kiss that goes with

20

it. Vicki elevated her chin above the mound of

flowers. Speaking of leis, she said sternly, how come youre wearing that toxic one with no ill effects?

Because, he explained seriously, the fountain lily buds have lost their potency now. Once the juice

has been squeezed out, theyre as harmless as our African tulips. The kids out here squirt each other

with the fluid contained in the tulip buds.

Fortunately, the fountain lily is practically extinct,

otherwise the little urchins would probably make

themselves sick until they learned better. I still think youre taking me for a ride, Vicki

said suspiciously. Why would anyone make a lei out of toxic flowers?

He shrugged and picked up her suitcases, the only

ones left beside the luggage cart. The fountain lily buds must have been woven in by mistake, he said. Everyone has been picking flowers like mad for the Aloha Week celebrations. Some lei-makers child must have swiped these without realizing what he

was doing. They were outside now, walking toward the

parking lot where Hank had left his car. Why do you say swiped? Vicki demanded. I gathered that flowers grow here in profusion. Why would anyone

have to steal them?

21

He helped her into his chrome-trimmed maroon

roadster and climbed behind the wheel before

replying. These buds must have been stolen, he said thoughtfully. Im quite sure that on the whole Island of Oahu there is only one fountain lily shrub,

and that belongs to my friends the Walus. You see, he went on as they drove away from the airport,

back in the eighteenth century the plant was brought from China to the tiny Island of Walu by the

Scottish botanist, Archibald Menzies. It was

carefully cultivated by the natives for its fluid was

highly prized as a painkiller. But now Walu is a

prosperous pineapple plantation, so I doubt if there

are any of the shrubs left on the island. Suddenly they were driving through liquid

sunshine with mountains looming up on one side of

the boulevard and the blue ocean on the other. When

they arrived in the busy downtown section of

Honolulu, Vicki realized that it was indeed one of

the most modern cities in the world. Policemen in

trim khaki uniforms directed the heavy traffic on the

palm-lined streets which lead in all directions to the

mountains and the beaches. In between the big

buildings were small Chinese and Japanese stores.

The houses were of all sizes ranging from huge

estates to small bungalows, but every home was

decked with flowering vines and shaded by brilliant-

hued trees. Hedges were bright with the blooms of

22

the many-colored hibiscus. Lush green ferns and

orange, red, and purple shrubs grew in profusion

around the verandas.

We dont call them porches out here, Hank explained. Lanai is the word, he said, pronouncing it lah-ny. And when Hawaiians have a feast they invite you to a luau. The language is like the music,

liquid, soft, and fluent. Which means, Vicki said ruefully, that nobody

with an Illinois twang like mine had better try to

speak it. Oh, but you will, he assured her. There are

certain words we all use, like pau, which means

finished, or the end, and kapu, keep off. All this

week the men and boys will wear Aloha shirts which

are so bright you can see them half a mile away, and

the women will wear their brightest holokus.

Theres a particularly lovely holoku now in that shopwindow.

Vicki stared at the colorful print, princess-type

gown that was draped on the model. I hope I wont have to wear one of those, she moaned. Id be sure to trip over that long train.

He laughed. The holoku is the result of the evolution from the missionaries Mother Hubbard. The story goes that the old-time Hawaiian ladies

were so pleasingly plump that their dresses hiked up

in the front. Hence the train. Then gradually, with a

23

stitch here and a ruffle there, they changed their

sacklike garments into that thing of beauty. It is lovely, Vicki admitted, but I expected to

see lots and lots of grass skirts. Then youll be disappointed, he told her,

because theyll only be worn by the hula dancers. The grass skirt is not ancient Hawaiian at all. King

Kalakaua, for whom this avenue was named,

imported the idea from the Gilbert Islands in the

latter part of the nineteenth century. He also revived

the hula which the missionaries had suppressed, not

realizing that it was both grand opera and the ballet

to the Hawaiians. He switched on the radio in his car. Cant remember what evening the hula festival will be staged, but Id like to take you to see it.

Id love it, Vicki cried enthusiastically. The avenue was running parallel with Waikiki

Beach now. Silhouetted against the flaming sunset

were men and women in gay bathing suits riding to

shore on surfboards or in canoes. About half a mile

out, the waves breaking on the reef created a

perpetual line of white foam. Cool, fragrant breezes

were flowing down from the mountains as Hank

parked his car near the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, a

huge, rose stucco building.

The Kanes wont be home yet, he said. Lets wait here and try and find out from the radio whats on the Aloha Week program that might interest

24

you. The announcer was describing the Makahiki

Festival scheduled for the next day. This is the Hawaiian Thanksgiving, he said, the time when visitors will see a revival of ancient sports. Fencing;

the art of vaulting with a spear and then using it as a

weapon; foot racing . . . And then another, excited, voice cut in:

We are interrupting this broadcast to announce the kidnaping of Miss Frances Millet, daughter of

the pineapple king, Gregory Millet. Hank jumped, stuttering, Fran Millet kidnaped!

Why, I cant believe it. The kidnaping, the broadcaster continued,

occurred at the John Rodgers Airport less than an hour ago, virtually under the nose of the victims father. Mr. Millet told police he had flown from

Walu this afternoon to put his daughter on a plane

bound for the States. While waiting at the terminal

for the flight to be announced, Mr. Millet was called

to the telephone. When he returned, there was no

sign of his daughter. Airline officials promptly

instituted a thorough search of the entire area.

Finding no clue to the missing heiress, police were

then notified. A description of Miss Millet follows,

and a reward has been offered for information

leading to her whereabouts or to the identity of her

abductors. Miss Millet is seventeen years old, a tall,

25

slender brunette, with unusually large dark eyes, and

long hair which she wears in a low figure eight. She

is very suntanned, and when last seen was wearing a

lemon-colored linen suit, white sandals, and a

yellow kerchief. On the third finger of her right hand

she wore a large jade stone in a green-gold setting.

Keep tuned to this station for further developments. The voice of the Aloha Week announcer came

through then, and Hank turned off the radio, staring

openmouthed at Vicki.

Well, thats the most amazing thing that ever happened in Honolulu, he said at last. How could anyone kidnap anybody at the airport? Its literally teeming with people night and day!

It sounds incredible, Vicki said thoughtfully, remembering the crowded waiting room where she

had stood so forlornly. And then she remembered

something elsethe broken lei at her feetthe toxic lei which Hank was now wearing around his neck.

She pointed to one of the crushed fountain lily buds,

and said, more to herself than to Hank:

Didnt you say that those flowers were originally grown on the Island of Walu? And didnt the radio just say that Mr. Millet and his daughter flew from

Walu today? Thats right, Hank said. But what about it? I was just thinking, Vicki said slowly. Maybe

those toxic buds werent woven into that lei

26

accidentally. Maybe somebody who lives on Walu

made that lei and gave it to Miss Millet on purpose. Thats ridiculous, Hank exploded. Nobody

who lives on Walu would want to harm Fran, and

even if he did anesthetize her with the fountain lily

fluid, how could he spirit her away from the

airport? I dont know about that, Vicki admitted, but

why are you sure no one who lives on Walu would

kidnap the Millet heiress? Hank sighed. I guess Ill have to give you a brief

history of the island to make you understand. The

word, Walu, you see, means the eighth of his clan.

The eighth chief of the island joined forces with

King Kamehameha I when that great chief began the

unification of these islands around 1790. One by one

the warrior chief subdued the other islands, and

finally with his huge fleet of war canoes

Kamehameha attacked Oahu. The final battle took

place on the crest of the Nuuanu Pali, the mountains

which divide Honolulu from the windward side of

Oahu. There thousands of Kamehamehas enemies were literally pushed over the precipice. After this

defeat the Island of Kauai surrendered without

fighting and Kamehameha became the first king of

the Hawaiian Archipelago. As a reward for the part

Chief Walu played in the victory, Kamehameha

deeded his island to him and named it Walu. Its

27

about three hundred miles southwest of Oahu and is

a little paradise. I spent several vacations there with

my friends, the last of the Walus, and Id venture to say that the Waluians are the happiest group of

Hawaiians in the whole archipelago. But I dont understand, Vicki interrupted.

Didnt you say the Walus lived here on Oahu? He nodded. Thats right. About five years ago

they sold Walu to Gregory Millet, because, I

suspect, they had no children to inherit the island

after their death. Mr. Millet converted it to a

pineapple plantation and has become the patriarch of

the people. He has improved living conditions in

every way, and it is now a modern community with

up-to-date homes, churches, hospitals, schools, and

recreational centers. Whereas before the Waluians

were the happiest of people, living in their crude

shacks, hunting and fishing, they now have all that

and heaven too. Their health record is excellent, and

the best teachers available were hired for the

kindergarten and the elementary school. He smiled. So now you can see, Vicki Barr, why I cant believe anybody who lives on Walu would want to

harm Fran Millet. The sun had disappeared now and there was a

threat of sudden darkness in the brief tropical

twilight. It was not cold, but Vicki shivered

involuntarily. Somebody kidnaped her, Hank, she

28

argued. And I cant help suspecting that whoever it was made that lei for the very purpose. After all, I

found it in the waiting room where her father left her

to go to the phone. Hank laughed and turned on the ignition. I guess

I exaggerated the power of the fountain lily fluid.

Inhaling it doesnt render you unconscious; it merely makes you feel a little woozy or faint for a very few

minutes. The old-time surgeons who used it had to

work fast, but in those days anything that gave the

patient some relief was highly prized. He pointed to the coconut trees that lined the path leading to the

Royal Hawaiian Hotel. Now a bop on the head from one of those coconuts would be much more

effective. As a matter of fact, the Royal carries

coconut insurance. If one should fall on you, youd collect ten dollars.

Vicki laughed. I cant tell when youre teasing me or telling the truth. But I guess youre right about that lei. Even if we knew the Millet heiress had been

chloroformed, we still wouldnt have solved the mystery of how her abductor got her out of the

terminal without attracting someones attention. And that is a mystery, Hank agreed. Ive

danced with Fran several times at the Outrigger

Club when she was here on vacations. And she

struck me as a high-spirited, wiry young lady. I

gathered that her ambition is to be a social-service

29

worker, and I think shes got the intelligence and the determination to make a success of such a career. It

would take a kidnaper who was both smart and

tough to lure her into a trap. Whoever it was took an awful risk, Vicki

added. Her father must be terribly rich. He is, Hank said. Fabulously rich. He

imported breeding stock for his pineapple crosses

from all over the world, and I understand that his

plants have the record for disease resistance. I guess

he must have trebled his investment in the last few

years. Suddenly it was night and Vicki glanced at the

clock on the dashboard in surprise. Ten minutes ago

it had been broad daylight! The sky was crisscrossed

with the red and green lights of planes humming

overhead, and the soft mountain breeze was

changing into a strong wind. Vicki clutched at her

hat with both hands.

This is nothing, Hank told her with a grin. On top of the Pali the wind is so strong at night that it

has been known to blow off the top of a

convertible. Vicki giggled. There you go again.

Exaggerating;] Im not, he assured her. I suppose you wont

believe me when I tell you that the Kanes have for

pets a mongoose, a popoki, and a talking myna.

30

I not only dont believe you, Vicki retorted, but I dont know what youre talking about.

Well, here we are, he said, slowing to a stop in front of an attractive beach bungalow. Now you can see for yourself. The ferret-looking animal

curled upon the patio is Helens darling little Ricki. Guarding the front door is a popokicat to you. And the crow thats screaming insults at us from the branches of the pink shower tree is a myna thats had its tongue split.

The low, rambling house, with its sloping white-

shingled roof, seemed to be blanketed in the flowers

of its vines and shade trees. Through the wide

windows facing the patio Vicki caught glimpses of

gay rooms with low couches, tropical furniture and

bright flowered chintz. And then the double door

opened and Helen Kane came running out.

Komo mai, she greeted Vicki in her sweet, low voice. Nou ka hale!

Shes saying Come in. My house is yours, Hank translated in a whisper.

Dont prompt me, Vicki interrupted, laughing. I know my cue. And she jumped out of the car, calling:

Aloha! Aloha! Aloha oe!

31

CHAPTER III

Bobs Story

From the lanai on the beach side of the bungalow, a

masculine voice took up the famous Hawaiian

melody Aloha oe. Then Bob Kane came strolling through the

archway of the outside living room to greet Vicki

and Hank.

Sorry we couldnt meet you at the airport, he said, taking one of Vickis bags. Helen and I had to help with a dress rehearsal at school. But come on

in. Dinner awaits you, complete with poi. Oh, dear, Vicki cried. Will I have to eat it with

my hands? Certainly, Bob said with mock severity. But

its a very simple art. You simply dip in your forefinger, give it a rapid whirl until its coated with poi, then pop it into your mouth.

Helen laughed as she led Vicki into the charming

guest room that opened onto the lanai.

Dont let him tease you, honey, she said. We

32

both detest poi. Were having chicken served with broiled taro leaves and coconut milk.

Sounds yummy. Vicki showered and changed into a sleeveless, flowered frock with a long, full

skirt.

Helen was wearing a bright holoku and seemed to

have no difficulty at all managing her train. She

chattered merrily all the time Vicki was dressing,

perched on the wide day bed which she called a

hikie.

Bob and I were so thrilled when we got your cable saying you were actually on your way, she said.

You couldnt have been half as thrilled as I was when I sent it, Vicki told her. You were darling to invite me and I still cant believe Im here. Better pinch me so Ill know Im not dreaming.

Helen laughed. Dont worry, youre not dreaming. Back in the States now youd be shivering standing in front of an open window in that thin

organdy frock. But I guess you wont feel really oriented until after youve had your first surfboard riding lesson.

Vicki threw up her hands in mock horror. Not me! Id be sure to drown.

Oh, no, you wont, Helen assured her. Hankll teach you. Hes quite an expert.

Vicki chuckled. Hed have to be expert to teach

33

me. Im more at home in the air than in the sea. Hes pretty air-minded himself, Helen told her.

When he heard wed lured a Stateside stewardess for a visit he could hardly wait to meet you. Her brown eyes twinkled. Especially when Bob and I told him how very attractive you are.

Vicki blushed. You shouldnt have told him that. He must have been awfully disappointed when

Dont be silly, Helen interrupted firmly. You are very attractive. You look like a Dresden doll, but

youre as efficient as a calculating machine. She tucked her slim brown legs under her. How did you happen to take up a career, Vic?

Vicki told her then about the day she had read the

full-page advertisement in the Fairview Sunday

paper with the alluring headline:

TO GIRLS WHO WOULD LIKE TO TRAVEL

TO MEET PEOPLETO ADVENTURE

I wasnt old enough and Id had only the minimum two years of college with no real business

experience, she finished. So I had to get a letter of permission signed by both my parents. She sighed reminiscently. I was a nervous wreck for fear Dad would insist upon my continuing with college, but

he didnt. I really have the most understanding parents in the world.

34

They sound like angels, Helen said, nodding. And so are mine. I feel awfully sorry for girls whose mothers and fathers try to keep them under

glass, dont you? I certainly do, Vicki agreed. In fact Ive

always thought I was lucky to be poor. Not that we

starve in our Castle. Not, Helen added with a grin, that such a

thing could be possible with an amateur chef for a

father. But I know what you mean. Rich girls dont usually have a yen for a career and I think they miss

a lot. Isnt Hank divine? she demanded suddenly. So handsome and so rich, and yet completely unspoiled. He inherited a small fortune from his

grandfather, but my guess is that hes slowly giving it away to his poverty-stricken patients. Hes terribly interested in the native children and works overtime

in the clinic and also at Bobs school. Thats where they met, you know. Hank gives the kids their

regular checkups, and whenever one of them gets

sick, hes sent to Hanks clinic. Oh, what a lovely orchid lei, she rambled on, abruptly changing the subject. You must wear it tonight. It makes your hair look definitely platinum and your eyes as blue

as the sea. Then you must wear this double carnation one,

Vicki said, tossing it across the room to her hostess.

Itll make you look exactly like a Hawaiian

35

princess with your dark hair and smooth tan. And

what shall I do with the others? Hank practically

smothered me with leis. Smothered! Vicki suddenly remembered how

earlier she had felt she couldnt breathe in the crowded terminal, almost overpowered by the heavy

scent of the tropical flowers. Had someone literally

smothered the Millet heiress in leis, and then forced

the faint and dizzy girl to walk through that laughing

throng to where a car was waiting to spirit her

away?

Oh, dear, Vicki said with a laugh, the tropical air is making me imagine all sorts of impossible

things. And she explained to Helen, telling her about the broken toxic lei she had found at the

airport.

Fountain lily buds? Helens neat black eyebrows shot up in surprise. Never heard of em, and Ive been doing exhaustive research on the islands for years. She led the way to the lanai where the men were waiting. Hank, she said severely, what kind of fairy tales have you been telling my guest? She snatched the white lei from around his neck and examined the buds carefully.

After a moment she said, Well, as a matter of fact, this flower is new to me, and so is the design. Ive never seen one quite like it.

I didnt notice anything distinctive about it,

36

Hank said.

Helen explained. The ginger blossom stems as you can see have been woven firmly into the strong

main cord, one facing inward, one outward. But the

long, tough stems of the buds look as though they

had been so casually stuck in between that they

might fall out any minute. She looped the broken garland around her neck. Now you can see why. The buds of their own weight fell gracefully back

against her body, and even Vicki could see this was

a distinctive pattern.

A master lei maker, Helen said to Hank, thought up this design. What are these buds, anyway?

Hank told her the history of the rare fountain lily

shrub then, and the conversation switched to the

kidnaping of the Walu heiress.

Its a funny thing, Bob Kane said thoughtfully, we almost never think or talk about that tiny island out in the Pacific, and now were full of it. A kidnaped heiress, a rare shrub, and believe it or not,

Ive been trying to get in touch with one of the Walu natives for the past week. He turned to Hank. Do you remember an eleven-year-old boy, Loi, one of

my favorite pupils? I sent him to you for a chest X

ray last year. Hank nodded. A swell kid and in good shape,

too, although a bit too thin for his age. What about

37

him? Hes disappeared, Bob said worriedly. Last

week his uncle was brought to your hospital with an

edema of the brain, and he never regained

consciousness. Do you remember the case? Again Hank nodded. He wasnt my patient, and

I had no idea he was Lois uncle. He was more than that, Bob told him. He was

Lois only living relative on Oahu. His father, Kali, is a Waluian. His wife died when the boy was about

six, so Kali sent Loi to live here with his uncle and

aunt, feeling he needed a womans care. That happened, he said to Vicki, around the time that Greg Millet bought Walu, and the community was

not organized the way it is now, so that motherless

children receive the best of supervision while their

fathers work on the plantation. But why didnt his father send for him when

conditions were improved? Vicki demanded. It seems a shame that Kali was separated from his son

during his formative years. The answer to that, I imagine, Helen put in, is

that Loi grew so fond of his uncle and aunt that he

didnt want to leave. Added to that was the fact that they needed the money Kali sent regularly for Lois support. Kali probably sent almost his entire salary,

because, of course, the Waluians have virtually no

need for money. Everything is provided for them by

38

the Millet company, and even before the island

became a pineapple plantation, the natives were self-

sufficient, She smiled. As a matter of fact, the Hawaiians have always been an extremely self-

sufficient race. Give a man a plot of land in a valley

where he can grow his vegetables and a shack on a

beach where he can fish, and he is perfectly

content. But, Vicki objected, you just said Lois uncle

needed the money Kali sent. That, she said, frowning a little, is because

Oahu has been civilized by the white man. Under

the rule of the kings no one paid rent or taxes. She twirled the broken lei around her bare, brown arm.

Im one of those who think Captain Cook had no business discovering the Sandwich Islands.

Bob Kane grinned fondly at his pretty young

wife. At any rate, honey, you approve of what Greg Millet has done with Walu, and, if you dont mind, lets stick to that subject for a while. He turned back to Hank.

When my studious young Loi didnt show up at school for a couple of days, I investigated, thinking

he might be ill. As you probably know, Hank, his

home is one of a few beach shacks in a cove near the

big sugar plantation town where the school and the

hospital are located. I didnt know, Hank said. And Im surprised

39

the Walus never mentioned that there was a little

Waluian living on Oahu. Those natives almost never

leave their own island, he told Vicki. You were in the States interning when Greg

Millet bought it, Bob reminded him. Otherwise, your Hawaiian friends might have told you that Loi

was sent then to live with his relatives in that tiny

village on the other side of the little forest that forms

the northeast boundary of the main town. When I

went there on Thursday to find out why he was

absent, I learned that not only had his uncle died

recently but his aunt passed away several weeks

ago. I wish Id known more about the boy, Hank

said, frowning. I had no idea his father lives on Walu.

Bob nodded. Nobody else did, not even his neighbors. When I questioned them, all I could find

out was that Loi had come home from school the

day his uncle was taken to the hospital, and has

never been seen since. Helen took up the story. Bob was very upset,

she told Vicki and Hank. He immediately wrote Kali asking him to let him know at once if he had

taken the boy back to Walu. He sent that letter by

messenger to the daily mail plane of the Millet

Company, so he should have received a reply on

Friday. But he didnt, so he wrote again.

40

She lifted a huge conch shell from a low rattan

table and picked up an envelope. She handed it to

Vicki. This is Bobs second letter, which came back today. As you can see for yourself, scribbled

across the envelope are the words:

No longer employed by the Millet Company. Present whereabouts unknown.

Vicki passed the letter on to Hank who glanced at

it and said wonderingly, How odd! I never heard of a Waluian quitting or getting fired, did you, Bob?

Never, Bob said emphatically. No one would leave that island paradise of his own free will. If

Kali had become incapacitated so he could no longer

work, he would be receiving the best medical care

and a generous pension. The only conceivable

reason why the Millet Company should discharge an

employee would be because he was dishonest. And that, Helen added hotly, is absolutely

inconceivable. An unspoiled group of Hawaiians

like the Waluians do not know the meaning of the

word crime. They are a proud but simple, peace-

loving race, bound by taboos much stricter than the

white mans code of ethics. Youre absolutely right, Helen, Hank agreed. There must be some mistake, Vicki said,

reading the scribbled handwriting on the returned

envelope again. But there it was, sprawling as

though written in haste, and yet somehow purposely

41

definite:

No longer employed by the Millet Company. A dainty little Filipina came in then to announce

that dinner was ready and they all trooped into the

spacious dining room. Iced banana and pineapple

chunks in scooped-out golden pineapple shells

awaited them. Then came the main dish which Vicki

thought was rather like a fricassee of chicken. When

she learned that fresh spinach could be substituted

for the boiled taro leaves and cows milk for coconut milk, she decided to send the recipe to her father.

Poi, Helen said, is made from the root of the taro plant. Its boiled and skinned and mashed into a pulp. Then its put into a sack and fermented overnight. It is to Hawaiians what bread is to us, but

Bob and I never could learn to like the pale lavender

goo I acquired the taste as a child, Hank said, but

my favorite Hawaiian dish is pig baked in ti leaves.

No luau is a real feast without it. I know, Helen admitted with a rueful chuckle,

but it takes days and days to do one in style. You see, Vicki, the pig is roasted in an imu, or

underground oven, and you have to keep adding hot

stones and earth until its done. Vicki giggled. Even Dad wouldnt attempt such

a chore, she said, and added to Hank, that reminds me. Dont make off with that toxic lei. I want to

42

press some of those rare buds and send them to

Ginny as a souvenir. Thats right, Helen approved. And Im sure

shed love a candy lei. You can send her a long chain of bright, cellophane-wrapped tidbits and tell

her that its much more Polynesian than an imitation flower lei. When the original settlers came to Hawaii

centuries ago they wore necklaces of coral, shells or

sharks teeth, not ruffs of flowers. And you must send your mother a holoku pattern, she rambled on happily. If shes as young-looking and pretty as you say she is, shell look divine in one. You know, dont you, that holoku means run-stop? Thats what the Hawaiians called the sewing machines the

missionaries wives whipped up their hideous Mother Hubbards on.

Let me get a word in edgewise, puh-leeze, Bob interrupted with a grin. Vicki says her mothers hobby is horseback riding, so maybe shed rather have a pa-u pattern. The pa-u, he explained, is the Hawaiian evolution of the riding habit the

missionaries concocted to force them to ride

sidesaddle. But the women stubbornly changed it

into a lovely flowing garment that enabled them to

ride astride as usual. Theyre really considered court gowns now,

Hank went on, and youll see several of them tomorrow at the opening parade of Aloha Week. On

43

horseback, too, will be the paniolas, the Hawaiian

cowboys, with leis on their hats and around their

horses necks. Do you suppose, he asked Helen, you could talk Vicki into giving me a lei to wear on my hat?

Helen shrugged and said mischievously, I doubt it. Especially if I tell her that doing so means shes your sweetheart.

Vicki was glad that the diminutive Filipina came

in then with a delicious dessert called haupia, a

cornstarch and coconut milk pudding. After that, she

passed a bowl carved from the satiny red-brown

wood of the koa tree. It was heaped high with

tropical fruit, and Vicki tasted for the first time the

mango and the papaya.

Back to our outdoor living room for coffee, Helen said, leading them through the arched

doorway to the lanai. And after that well give you a taste of what night life on Oahu is like.

Vicki knew she would never forget her first

twenty-four hours in Hawaii. She and Helen tied gay

scarves around their hair and they all piled into

Hanks roadster. The moon, rising above Diamond Head, turned the water to silver, and the stars

seemed so close she felt as though she could reach

up and touch them.

They drove around Kapiolani Park and then to the

top of Punchbowl for an excellent view of the city at

44

night. Continuing westward, Vicki got a brief

glimpse of the gigantic naval base at Pearl Harbor,

and nearby, the air forces Hickam Field. Then they stopped for more coffee in the Sky

Room atop the airport terminal building. After that,

they went dancing at the Moana and the Royal

Hawaiian Hotels, and at various night clubsthe Blue Lei, the South Seas, and Lau Yee Chais with its lovely Chinese garden.

I cant dance another step, Helen moaned at last, and Vicki agreed that she was weary too. So

they left Waikiki, stopping only long enough to

consume foot-long frankfurters at a drive-in called

Kau-Kau Korner.

Back in the Kanes comfortable indoor living room, Hank said to Bob, I cant help wondering about that boy, Loi, and his father. Ive taken the day off tomorrow and Vicki promised to spend it

with me. Suppose we combine business with

pleasure and drive across the Pali to the cove where

Loi lived with his uncle. She ought to see Nuuanu

Valley and the windward side of the island, anyway,

and we just might pick up a clue to what became of

Loi after his uncle died. Oh, Id love to try and find him, Vicki cried

enthusiastically. Not that Id be much help. But Ive had him and his father and the Millet heiress on my mind all evening. I cant help thinking that

45

perhaps all three of the disappearances are somehow

tied in together. Helen stared at her, suddenly wide awake. What

on earth makes you think that? Youre pupule crazy, Vicki.

Well, Vicki said defensively, Theyre all Waluians, arent they?

Not really, Helen came back. Frances Millet has spent most of her life in boarding schools in the

States. She only visits her father during summers

and vacations. And as for Loi, he left Walu when he

was so young he probably doesnt remember much about it. I cant imagine whats happened to him and his father, but the girl was obviously kidnaped by a

white manor men, wholl get caught before long because the Hawaiian police force is one of the most

efficient in the world. Maybe theyve been caught already, Bob said,

and turned on the radio. Almost the first words that

blared forth were the Millet heiress. And after that:

Again we repeat. Police have just been informed by Mr. Gregory Millet, the pineapple king, that his

daughter Frances, who was reported missing earlier

this evening, was discovered safe and sound at The

Citadel, the Millet mansion on Walu. Suffering from

temporary amnesia, Miss Millet wandered out of the

airport terminal, and, forgetting that she was there

46

en route back to the States, hired a private plane to

fly her to Walu. She is now in the care of a doctor

who has prescribed rest as a cure for her nervous

condition which was brought about by over-

conscientiousness in her school studies. Reporters

and photographers are warned against attempting to

land on the island. Miss Millet is still too ill to be

interviewed. Again we repeat . . . Well, thats that, Hank said with a yawn. And

I, a doctor, should have been able to solve the

mystery right off. The only answer was a touch of

amnesia, because it was obvious Fran must have left

the airport of her own free will. Vicki, who had listened carefully to every word

of the broadcast, said thoughtfully, I dont believe it.

You dont believe what? Hank demanded. Vicki rubbed her forehead with her finger tips.

She was very tired, for it had been a hectic evening

and she had only dozed the night before. It was hard

to think clearly. I dont know exactly why, she said slowly, but that announcement seemed a little too pat to me. It reminded me of the quotation from

Hamlet, The lady doth protest too much, me-thinks.

Hank roared with laughter and said to Helen,

This lady doth imagine too much, methinks. Vicki flushed but joined in the laughter. At any

47

rate, were still going to keep on looking for Loi, arent we?

We-ell, Bob said thoughtfully, Ive just about made up my mind to notify the police. I doubt if you

and Hank will pick up any clues when you visit his

village tomorrow. Im sure his neighbors have no idea what became of him after his uncle died.

I doubt if the police will have any better luck than we might have, Hank argued. The very sight of a uniform will make them shut up like clams.

Thats true, Bob agreed. Oh, dont notify the police yet, Vicki begged.

If all three of the disappearances are tied in together, notifying the police would be the worst

thing that could happen. Why do you say that? Helen demanded. I dont know exactly, Vicki admitted tiredly. I

just have a feeling Hank interrupted, chanting:

A woman convinced against her will Is of the same opinion still.

Vicki chuckled. I dont mean to be stubborn, Hank, but I would like to help you find Loi. That is,

if you think Id be of any help. Youll be more than a help, Hank assured her,

48

grinning. Youll be fun to be with and the very sight of you will have exactly the opposite effect on

the natives that the police will have. My guess is that

youll disarm them so completely that theyll tell us more than they did Bob.

He unfolded his long legs and stood up. What do you say, Bob? Let Vicki and me have a crack at

finding Loi and if we dont get anywhere, then you notify the police tomorrow evening?

Suits me, Bob agreed. A few more hours wont make any difference. He was a rather independent kid, remember? The type who could get

along fine on a desert island. Thats right, Hank said soberly. The real

mystery is what became of his father. Kali would

have a hard time finding his way around on Oahu. I

doubt if he ever left Walu before he quit the Millet

Company, dont you, Bob? Bob nodded. But hed get along all right, Hank.

He could ask directions from the police and the

Visitors Bureau, you know. Not if he Vicki began and then stopped. Later when she was tucked in bed, listening to the

pounding of the surf, she scolded herself.

Stop it, Victoria Barr. Just because youve run across several mysteries in your brief career doesnt mean youre going to find one around every corner.

But a shaft of moonlight, shining through the

49

wide window, pointed a silver finger to the broken

lei she had draped around the mirror on her bureau.

Vicki got out of bed to press some of the fountain

lily buds between the pages of a book Helen had

loaned her.

I wonder, she mumbled sleepily. I wonder. After all, perhaps these little flowers may have

caused what the radio called Frances Millets temporary amnesia.

50

CHAPTER IV

A Strand of White Flowers

The screaming of the Kanes pet Myna from the branches of the coconut tree outside her window

awoke Vicki at dawn the next morning. It sounded

as though he were scolding, Im up. Get up. Im up. So Vicki obeyed, surprised to find that the air was cold enough for her to be glad she had packed a

sweater and skirt.

It was almost dark when she started dressing, but

by the time she had finished, it was broad daylight.

Fleecy cumulus clouds dotted the blue sky as though

reflecting the foam-flecked water below. Vicki had

planned to take an early-morning dip, but now she

shivered at the very idea.

As she brushed her silvery-gold hair in front of

the mirror her eye fell on the strand of wilted

flowers nestling forlornly on the bureau top. And

suddenly she knew why she had said to Hank the

night before, I dont believe it. I still dont believe Fran Millet is safe and sound

51

in her Citadel on Walu, she told her reflection, narrowing her blue eyes thoughtfully. If someone kidnaped you, Miss Barr, what would he do? He

would promptly send word to your father to call off

the policeor else. And what would Professor Barr do, not wishing to have you returned to him

piecemeal? He would immediately tell the police

that your kidnaping had been grossly exaggerated,

and would insist that you were safe and sound in the

Barr Castle at Fairview, Illinois. To make the story

of your temporary absence more convincing, he

would probably explain that you had accidentally

got yourself locked in the Castles tower and had only just been set free by your kid sister, Ginny.

She smiled at her reflection and said aloud, If I were a famous Chinese detective on the Hawaiian

police force, Id keep right on looking for Fran Millet. But since Im not, I may as well try to find Kali and Loi.

Thrilled at the thought of a pleasant day with

Hank, whom she admitted frankly to her reflection

she liked a lot, Vicki hurried out to the lanai. She

was so hungry she would have bolted even a Kau-

Kau frankfurter, and was glad when she heard Helen

calling:

Wikiwiki, Vicki. Breakfasts on the table. Bob and Helen were in the kitchen, cheerfully

getting in each others way as they cooked coffee,

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eggs, and toast. Vicki helped them bring the food

out to the lanai where they ate informally, gathered

around a low Chinese chow bench.

I only have help on special occasions, Helen told Vicki. Mostly a Japanese-American girl who comes in for an hour or two after high school. Sue

couldnt come last night on account of a dress rehearsal, but she promised to this afternoon, so

well just leave the dishes and the dusting. Bob and I have to dash now to his school. Im to help decorate the classrooms with flowerscarnations, plumiera, and ginger, I guess. And were going to hang one huge orchid lei in front of the building. I guess that

sounds extravagant to you, but they grow wild out

here. Stop talking and eat, Bob commanded with an

affectionate grin. Otherwise, plenty pilikia. What does pee-lee-kee-yah mean? Vicki asked. Trouble, he said. Pilikia and pau, which you

already know means finished, are almost as

overworked words as aloha. So youd better add them to your vocabulary right now.

Okay, Vicki said with a giggle. Before youre pau, tell me the correct word for doctor so I can

greet Hank properly. Kahuna, Bob told her as she followed them out

to the garage. But it also means witch doctor, so maybe youd better not use it or therell be plenty

53

pilikia. Hanks car turned into the driveway then, and

Vicki waved good-bye to the Kanes with one hand

and hello to Hank with the other.

Aloha, Hank greeted her. Would you like to go sight-seeing by plane this morning? Theres much excitement over on Hawaii today. The great

fire goddess, Pele, in the form of a gas explosion,

has set off the volcano Mauna Loa. Lava is pouring

down from the snow-capped summit of the crater.

Its something you shouldnt miss from the air. I cant imagine anything more exciting, Vicki

said. But isnt it dangerous? Not unless we fly right into the molten lava

stream, he said. And volcanologists over the radio a while ago said this was only a mild eruption, so

even if we got lost in the clouds and flew too close I

dont think wed get burned alive. He grinned. Shall we go?

Lets, Vicki cried enthusiastically. But how? In what plane?

Mine, he said. Ive got a fast little four-placer of my own, all warmed up and ready to go at the

airport now. I was so sure youd accept, I telephoned ahead.

An hour later they were flying east to Hawaii,

which boasted the name Big Island.

Each one, Hank told Vicki, has its own

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descriptive name. Oahu is the Meeting Place;

Molakai, the Friendly Isle; Maui, which as you can

see from here looks rather like a bow tie, is the

Valley Isle. That crater were flying over now is Haleakala, the House of the Sun, the largest dormant

volcano in the world. There are several fascinating

legends about the demigod Maui. One of them is

that he lassoed the sun from the peak of Haleakala

and made it promise to slow down six months of the

year so that his mothers tapa cloth could dry properly.

I never heard that one, Vicki said, but last night after youd gone Helen told me that it was Maui with his fishing line who pulled Hawaii up

from the bottom of the sea. Thats right, Hank said. He and his brothers

pulled so hard that the line broke and the land was

thus separated into the various islands of the

archipelago. He interrupted himself to point ahead. Well, theres your fiery volcano.

Vicki looked and gasped. Towering above the

clouds were two gigantic, snow-capped mountains.

From one of them, smoke and flames were spouting,

and a river of lava spurted from a crack in its side.

Observation planes were flying all around this

magnificent, terrifying spectacle, and they reminded

Vicki of silly moths fluttering dangerously close to

something that had powers far beyond the control of

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man. As they came nearer, she could feel the intense

heat, and then at a height of fifteen thousand feet,

she was looking down at a mammoth cracked cup,

bubbling over with an angry, red-hot fluid.

Vicki was so awed she held her breath until they

were winging back across the azure sea. Then she let

it out in a long sigh.

I never would have believed it if I hadnt seen it, she said in a subdued voice. No wonder the ancient Hawaiians have so much respect for Pele

and her magic. I know how you feel, Hank said. A thing like

that is both beautiful and mystifying, and believe

me, its indelibly painted on your memory. I climbed to the summit of Mauna Loa once, and Ill never forget it. Its sixty miles round trip from the Volcano House and it took three days. Was I

exhausted! Ill bet you were, Vicki said with a laugh. And

many thanks for letting me see it from the air

instead. Now, whats on the program? Hank wanted to

know. All of the morning opening-day festivities are taking place in the schools, so shall we wait until

afternoon when the real carnival begins in Ala

Moana Park? Fine, Vicki agreed. Frankly, Id like to start

trying to find that little Hawaiian boy.

56

It was not quite eleven oclock when they left the airport, and the air was now so warm that Vicki

slipped off her sweater. It began to rain as they

drove through the lush foliage of Nuuanu Valley,

but now that Vicki was accustomed to liquid

sunshine, it was nothing more than a fragrant mist

from the mountains. They passed beautiful homes

and stretches of junglelike growth where the trunks

of beautiful old trees were completely covered with

thick vines.

Do you hear the voices of the Menehunes, the little people? Hank asked with a mischievous grin.

I hear the patter of raindrops, if thats what you mean, Vicki said flatly.

Hank shook his head. Thats what you think. What I hear are soft, insistent voices saying that

Vicki should give me a lei to wear on my hat. I will, Vicki promised blithely. Just as soon as

I learn how to make one with my own little hands. Hank groaned. You couldnt learn the art in one

short week. Why dont you just stay on forever, Vicki?

Are you recommending, Vicki demanded pertly, that I turn in my uniform and become a beachcomber?

He glanced at her sidewise. Youd look attractive in any outfit, but seriously, you wouldnt have any difficulty getting a stewardess job here.

57

And you must admit that this is paradise. Once you

leave, youll be filled with a nostalgia that will stick with you the rest of your life, an invisible feathered

cape which youll never be able to shake off. For a moment Vicki felt bewitched. She could

almost feel the weight of the ancient emblem of a

warrior falling about her slim shoulders. She was

hypnotized by the panorama of the Nuuanu Pali

Pass, but once they were through it, the spell was

broken.

She straightened in her seat. I guess Ill always feel a little bit homesick for this lovely place,

Hank, she said soberly, but not nearly as homesick as I always feel for a little town called Fairview,

Illinois. Hank shrugged. Okay, spurn the little grass hut I

offered you in favor of your Norman castle. But

some day youll be sor-ree! Vicki laughed. Speaking of huts, will there be

any in Lois village? Hank shook his head. Not with straw-thatched

roofs. Its a tiny place, with just a few frame houses, which, since Hawaiians care little about show, are

mostly unpainted. He parked the car. On our left is the big plantation town, and down in that cove on

the other side of this wooded section is where Loi

lived with his uncle. He turned off the ignition. Well have to walk, but its only a few hundred

58

feet. Can you make it on those stilts youre wearing?

Stilts! Vicki cried indignantly. If youre referring to the latest thing in high heels, the answer

is yes!

But, Vicki discovered, going through what

amounted to a small forest was rough and she was

glad when they emerged onto a sandy beach, dotted

with small motorboats and an occasional outrigger

canoe. Coconut trees towered over the square little

shacks in front of which brown-skinned children,

clad in brief trunks, were playing. Other children

were wading, and everywhere were dogs and cats.

Farther out from the shore, men were fishing, some

with spears, others with nets.

Each house had its own taro patch and some of

the women were busy with their poi pounders, while

others gathered the edible seaweed from the coral

bed in the shallow water. One of these looked up to

smile at Vicki and Hank.

Aloha, she said in a soft, musical voice. You are looking for someone maybe?

Yes, Hank said with his friendly grin. A boy named Loi. You knew him and his uncle and aunt

who died? She wiped her moist brown hands on her dress

and waded out of the water. I know them all and it still hurts me in my heart that they have gone. A

59

plump, black-haired child in a short, printed smock,

reached up to cling shyly to her mothers hand. Loi was to me like one of my own little ones, until he

grew as tall and straight as a spear. She turned and moving slowly but gracefully led

them to a nearby shack. This is their home. We have left it just as it was. It is waiting for Loi to

return. Hank asked her several questions in Hawaiian

then, and after each one she replied briefly, shaking

her head sorrowfully.

She says, Hank told Vicki, that Loi must have come home from school the day his uncle was taken

to the hospital, for his books are inside on the table,

but she did not notice him. However, her aged

grandfather, who was dozing in the shade here,

woke up long enough to tell the boy what had

happened. He is the only one who saw Loi after he

left for school in the morning. Vicki sighed. Oh, dear. The old man probably

frightened the poor child if he spoke bluntly. I mean,

describing the uncles symptoms and how he was taken away, unconscious, on stretcher.

Youre right, Hank agreed. The symptoms of cerebral apoplexy are quite unpleasant, shocking, in

fact, to a layman. What youre implying is that Loi may have been so shocked that he ran away and

hid?

60

I dont know what else to think, Vicki replied. He must have been almost out of his mind not to have gone to this nice neighbor of his for comfort

and advice. The woman flashed her teeth in a smile. What

you say has much wisdom. But you must know that

Loi was proud. He was not one to ask for help, and

he did not spend his free time playing games. He

was like our King Kamehameha, the Lonely One. What did he do instead of playing games?

Vicki asked, hoping for a clue.

For answer the woman pointed to the trees that

marched out to a point, forming the eastern

boundary of the village cove.

Beyond, she said, there is another beach. It is kapu, but Loi spent many hours there.

Vicki glanced at Hank. Lets explore. He nodded, and after they had thanked the kind

Hawaiian woman, they started back through the

woods. Halfway across the point they stumbled onto

a narrow trail, marked by a large kapu sign.

Were trespassing, Hank said with a grin. But lets keep going, and he led the way through the leafy branches of majestic trees.

This is a koa, Hank said, patting a trunk. One day you must see the beautifully carved koa bed that

was made especially for Princess Ruth of the royal

family. Its big enough for ten people your size to

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sleep in comfortably. And then they were out of the woods, facing a

kapu sign on the beach. It was another sandy cove,

smaller than the one they had just left, and dotted

with tiny rock pools. Back, out of the reach of the

tide, was a crudely-built bamboo shelter.

Maybe hes hiding in there, Vicki cried excitedly. Kicking off her pumps, she raced barefoot

across the sand to peer inside. It was empty and she

could have cried with disappointment.

But Hank was not interested in the tiny hut. He

was staring up at the Pali, as though fascinated by its

garland of cottony clouds. Well, Ill be darned, he muttered. This beach must belong to the Walus. Thats their house up on the cliff. I never saw it from this angle before.

I cant see it now, Vicki complained. And then, straining her eyes, she caught a glimpse of

something white nestling among green trees and

flowering shrubs. What a lovely place to build a house, she cried. The view must be magnificent!

It is, Hank told her. And the house itself is fascinating. It was built so that it seems to grow

along the side of the mountain, and Ill bet its the most isolated spot on Oahu. You see, the Walus

arent young and they were so used to the privacy of their own island that they couldnt bear the thought of living in one of the residential sections.

62

Id love to meet your Hawaiian friends sometime, Vicki said wistfully.

No time like the present, Hank said briskly. We could try to find and climb the rocky path that winds up there from the cove, but wed be pretty disheveled by the time we arrived. So lets go back to the car and approach it from the round-the-island

road. As they drove along the twisting highway with its

hairpin turns, Vicki said thoughtfully, Maybe the Walus know what became of Loi.

Oh, I doubt that, Hank said flatly. Why? Vicki demanded. His fathers a

Waluian, isnt he? True, Hank admitted. I didnt know that

myself until Bob told us last night. But it doesnt necessarily follow that the Walus know where Kali

and Loi are now. They might have seen Loi playing down on their

beach, Vicki argued. Ill bet he built that little bamboo shelter.

If he spent a lot of time there, Hank said, they undoubtedly saw him from their lanai, but they

wouldnt object to a kid trespassing on their beach. They rarely use it themselves.

Anyway, Vicki said stubbornly, please ask them about Kali and Loi.

He nodded and turned off the main road into a

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steep, winding driveway that led to a lovely hillside

home. The sloping grounds were a riot of color;

there were banks of lilies, roses, orchids, plumiera,

and yellow bird-of-paradise flowers. Shading the

spacious lanai were the purple and red tissue-paper

blossoms of the bougainvillea, and the long fingers

of the fanlike hala. The main part of the house was

almost completely hidden by the arching branches of

other trees with leaves of all shades of green.

Its funny theyre not sitting out on the lanai, Hank said as he helped Vicki out of the car.

Maybe theyre having lunch, Vicki said. Its almost noon. Perhaps wed better come back later.

He chuckled. Theyre so hospitable theyd never forgive me. Anyway, they wouldnt eat inside on a lovely day like this.

Somebodys inside, Vicki said. At least I thought I saw something move at that window when

we first caught sight of the house. She hesitated beside the car, not wishing to

intrude. Hank ran up the steps to knock on the door.

He knocked several times then turned away.

The garage is empty, Vicki pointed out. Maybe theyre in the city watching the parade.

They havent got a car, he said. No, they must have gone to Maui to celebrate Aloha Week with

their cousins. But just to be sure, Ill go around in back. If thats where they are, theyll have left a

64

note, stopping deliveries. Vicki sat down on the steps and shook the sand

out of her pumps. She was disappointed for she had

looked forward to meeting the Walus. She knew that

visitors rarely had the opportunity of being

introduced to descendants of ancient Hawaiian

warriors. And if they were away visiting, where

should she and Hank start again to look for Loi and

his father?

And then she jumped, for hanging from the other

corner of the lanai steps was a short strand of white

flowers. They were crushed and wilted, but there

was no mistaking the fact that woven in between

ginger blossoms were the distinctive bulb-shaped

buds of the fountain lily shrub!

65

CHAPTER V

Lost: A Jade Ring

Vicki scrambled over to pick up the strand of white

flowers, wondering if it could be part of the broken

lei she had found at the airport the evening before.

She examined it and saw that the stems were in

exactly the same relation to each other as they were

in the design Helen had said was so unusual.

The blossoms were tightly woven into the main

cord; the long-stemmed buds in a much looser

formation. She stared at the fragment wondering

how it had got from the airport terminal to this

hillside home.

Hank was coming around the path from the back

of the house now. No luck, he called. Theres a note on the door saying they wont be back until Friday morning. That means theyre on Maui.

Are you sure of that? Vicki demanded. Maybe theyve flown to Walu for a visit this time?

Not a chance, Hank said, sitting down on the step beside her. They made up their minds when

66

they sold it that they would never return. They

cherish the memory of the island as it was when it

was theirs. Oh, Vicki said, then they dont approve of the

modernization? Well, yes and no, Hank said. The Waluians

are their children and like all fond parents they want

them to have the best that money can buy. But until

they sold it, Walu was still virgin, complete with

grass huts; in other words a capsule of ancient

Hawaii. Every man built his own home and lived on

fish and game and whatever vegetables he wished to

grow. He made his own clothes, furniture, and

utensils from the trees growing in his back yard. He

needed no money, for he never had any desire to buy

anything, and he was beholden to no man. In other

words he lived exactly as he pleased except for the

observance of a few simple laws. But, Vicki objected, I gathered from you and

Helen that the Waluians still have all that and

heaven too. He shrugged. That depends upon your point of

view. For one thing, except for a small village on

one end and the mountain on the other, the island is

now one vast pineapple plantation. From the air it

doesnt look at all as it used to. And the Waluians have been organized so that one group works on the

plantation, another catches fish or game, and a third

67

raises vegetables. Theyre still self-sufficient and are now wage earners to boot, but they work under

direction, no longer when and how they please. Its all for the best, of course, he finished, but you can see how the Walus feel about it.

Suddenly Vicki felt sorry for the old Hawaiian

couple. She knew how she would feel if The Castle

were sold and the grounds converted into a

commercial orchard. Then she remembered the

strand of flowers in her hand.

What about the fountain lilies? she asked. Were they plowed up and pineapples planted in their place?

Oh, I imagine so, Hank said. They havent any real value any more, except to a botanist. There