Catastrophe at Castaway Cove (Kristi Cameron Book 8) Read online

  CATASTROPHE AT CASTAWAY COVE

  CYNTHIA S. GRIFFITH

  COVER ART BY SARAH LOWE

  Copyright © 2009 by Cynthia S. Griffith

  All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other—except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without prior written permission of the author.

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Chapter One: A Letter from Leilani

  Chapter Two: Castaway Cove

  Chapter Three: A Birthday in Paradise

  Chapter Four: Just Another Day in Paradise

  Chapter Five: The Badge of Bravery

  Chapter Six: Festival, Fashions and Fireworks

  Chapter Seven: Hawaiian Princesses

  Chapter Eight: Palekaiko by Moonlight

  Chapter Nine: Catastrophe!

  Chapter Ten: The Shelter of the Trees

  Chapter Eleven: A Serpent in Paradise

  Chapter Twelve: Sunset in Paradise

  _________

  CHAPTER ONE

  _________

  A Letter from Leilani

  Kristi wandered downstairs, stopped by the kitchen, and then went on out to the patio. Her mom was by the pool, as usual, with her laptop on her lap. She enjoyed the morning hours in the tranquil backyard, writing next to the sparkling pool and enjoying the birds and sunshine.

  “You slept late this morning,” Rachel commented as her daughter joined her with a bagel in one hand and a glass of juice in the other.

  “Oooh, and it felt so good!” Kristi said as she curled up on a lounge chair. “I’d almost forgotten what it felt like to be able to sleep in on a weekday! Three whole months of summer vacation! I can get used to this real fast!”

  Rachel laughed. “It sounds like we need to find something for you to do this summer! I don’t want you to get used to being lazy!”

  “Oh, Mom! Can’t I at least have a week of being lazy?”

  “Hmm, I don’t know about that!” her mom chuckled. “I’m sure I can think of a few things for you to do around here!”

  “Things like swimming...reading a good book…shopping, I hope!”

  “No, things like dusting, vacuuming, scrubbing toilets…”

  “Mom!”

  Rachel laughed. “We’ll see… Oh, by the way, you got a letter in the mail this morning. It’s on the table by the front door.”

  “Who’s it from?” Kristi asked as she bit into her bagel. She brushed her auburn hair back from her face. It was already getting hot. A dip in the pool would be good later. Maybe she’d call Robyn and Anna and have them come over and join her in the pool.

  “Kristi, I don’t know! I’m not in the habit of opening your mail!” her mother said. She turned her attention back to her laptop, and then casually said, “The postmark was from Hawaii, though!”

  “Hawaii? Leilani! Whoopee! Why didn’t you say so?” Kristi jumped up and ran into the house. The letter was right where her mother had said it would be. Kristi snatched it up and went back out to the pool, tearing the envelope open as she went.

  She and Leilani had been writing each other at least once a month since they had met the year before. Most of the time they e-mailed, but every now and then an envelope would appear in the snail-mail, usually with some little trinket in it that couldn’t be sent over the internet. Today was no exception. There was a slight bulge in the bubble envelope.

  A little packet wrapped in pink tissue paper fell into her hand. She was tempted to tear into it right away but decided to read the letter first. Kristi went back to her lounge chair, unfolding the letter and scanning it eagerly.

  Rachel peeked at her daughter over the top of her computer as she read, being careful to hide the grin that had spread across her face. Leilani’s letter had come just in time. Kristi would be surprised, alright! She was sure her teenaged daughter didn’t have a clue!

  Aloha, Kristi! [she read.]

  Happy Birthday! Or as we say here on the island, ”Hau`oli la Hanau!” I know your birthday is another week or so away, but I wanted to be the first to say it! I can’t believe it’s been a year already since we sat on the beach on Fire Island and ate your smashed-up gooey chocolate birthday cake! Sorry about that! I didn’t mean to smash your cake—or crash your father’s airplane either, for that matter—but I will always thank the Lord for bringing us together, even if it took a plane crash and kidnapping to do it! It sounds weird to even say that, but it certainly changed my life, and I have you and the Lord to thank for that!

  I hope you like this little necklace. It is made from pink coral found here in the Hawaiian Islands. The little leaves are jade. It just made me think of you when I saw it and I knew I wanted to get it for you for your birthday.

  Kristi couldn’t resist at that point. She tore open the tissue paper and gasped in delight at the beautiful piece of jewelry she held in her hand. Tiny pink coral beads made up most of the necklace, but in the center five delicately carved coral roses were separated by little clusters of jade green leaves. It was probably the most beautiful piece of jewelry she had ever seen in her life!

  “Oh, Mom! Look! Look what Leilani sent me for my birthday!” She held up the necklace for her mother to see.

  “Oh, my goodness, Kristi! It’s gorgeous! Is that coral?”

  “Uh, huh! And the little leaves are jade. I love it!”

  “Oooh, I do, too! What does Leilani say in her letter? How’s her grandmother?” Rachel asked.

  “I don’t know. I haven’t finished reading it yet.” Kristi set the necklace down and went back to the letter.

  I’ve got news for you! Grandmother and I have moved from the city out to one of the smaller islands! A lawyer contacted her a few weeks ago and told her that one of her uncles had passed away and left her a small piece of property. We decided to go out and take a look at it a week later, and fell in love with it at first sight! We went home, packed up our things and moved to the island a week later!

  It’s a little resort, Kristi! Oh, nothing fancy, by any means, but there is a small house for Grandmother and me, and five or six little cabana-hut-cabins (whatever you want to call them!) for guests. It’s a little run down, and Grandmother and I have our work cut out for us getting it fixed up, but when we’re finished it will be really cute. There’s no pool, but it has its own perfect little beach which, here in Hawaii, is all that matters, anyway!.

  The island kind of reminds me of Fire Island, although there are other people here, and a little town with a school and a small store, a church, an airstrip, and a few other things. I’ll be going to the school when it reopens after summer vacation. I’ve already met a few of the kids and I think I’m going to like it here.

  They do a small tourist trade here, but the island is kind of off the beaten track so it is not nearly as “touristy” as most of Hawaii. Grandmother thinks we should do fine with Castaway Cove, though, once we get it running again

  Anyway, I can’t wait for you to come visit! I guess it will have to wait, though—until next week when you come for your birthday and I can give you the matching coral bracelet in person! Surprise!!!

  “What?!” Kristi whispered, her eyes wide. She reread the paragraph and then looked up at her mother.

  Rachel was grinning like the Cheshire Cat. “Surprise!”

  “What?! How…?”

  “Go ahead and finish the letter, Kristi. I’ll tell you all about it when you’re done.”

  Yes! I’ve been planning this with your mother! You’re coming back to Ha
waii for your birthday and visiting us here in Castaway Cove! I can’t wait to see you, and Anna and Robyn, too! Oh and your brothers and Pete, too, of course!

  I’ll let your mom tell you everything else. I am so excited! Grandmother and I are getting the cabanas ready for your visit. Don’t expect everything to be perfect—except for this beautiful paradise and our time together, that is! Whoo-hoo!

  See you next week! Love ya! Aloha!

  Leilani

  Kristi looked up. “Mom…?”

  Rachel burst out laughing at the look on Kristi’s face. “So I guess Leilani told you we’re going to Hawaii next week?”

  “Mom, I know how you like to spring your little surprises on us, but this one takes the cake! This is the best ever! Thank you, Mommy!” Kristi jumped up and threw her arms around her mother’s neck, nearly knocking her laptop off her lap.

  “Well, speaking of cake—if you work it right, Kristi, maybe we’ll try again with a gooey chocolate birthday cake this year! So, are you surprised?”

  “Surprised? I’m flabbergasted! How did this all come about, Mom? When did you talk to Leilani? Do Dan and Skeeter know? What about Robyn and Anna? I can’t believe I would be the last to know!”

  “Well, usually the birthday person is the last one to be let in on the surprise, Kristi, but in this case, no, the other kids don’t know yet. There’s no way I could trust either Skeeter or Robyn with the secret! I thought maybe we could invite Anna, Robyn and Pete over for supper tonight and tell them then.”

  “Oh, that sounds like fun! I can’t wait to see the looks on their faces!’

  Rachel giggled. “Kind of like the look on your face a minute ago?”

  “Exactly!” Kristi laughed. “But tell me, Mom—how did you manage to pull this off? When did you speak to Leilani? I can’t believe you managed to keep a big secret like this, either!”

  “It wasn’t easy, believe me! I talked to Leilani a couple weeks ago. She and her grandmother were packing up to move. I told her your dad and I had been talking about bringing the family to Hawaii again this year for your birthday. You should have heard her! She was so excited!” Rachel said.

  “I can imagine! I can tell by the tone of her letter that she is totally psyched up about it!” Kristi smiled.

  Her mom nodded. “She told me about Castaway Cove then and said she and her grandmother would be thrilled to have us come and stay there. Of course, then I spoke to Mrs. Manoa and she sounded just as happy to have us come as Leilani was!” Rachel paused and then went on, “I wasn’t sure if we should impose on them, though, when they were just getting moved and trying to renovate the resort, so I kind of left it open as to when we would come exactly, but then Daddy had a good idea. He suggested we use that opportunity to help Mrs. Manoa and Leilani with the work so they can get the resort up and running more quickly. I knew you kids would be more than willing, so I called Mrs. Manoa and Leilani back and talked to them about it. Of course, they wanted us to come and just have a vacation on them, but I said no, either we come and help them with the work, or we don’t come at all, and then of course, they gave in, and so the plan is all set!” she said, finally stopping to take a breath. “Leilani and I cooked up this scheme of her letter announcing the trip to you. I was just praying I’d be home when you got the mail so I could see the expression on your face!”

  Kristi laughed. “Well, I hope I didn’t disappoint you! It all sounds great to me! I think you’re right! The other kids will definitely be fine with helping out at Castaway Cove! It sounds wonderful, in fact! Whoo-hoo! So when do we go?”

  “A week from today! We’ll do the same thing we did last year—Dad is scheduled for that flight, so he’ll be flying the jet while the rest of us sit back and relax! We’re flying into Honolulu and then Daddy’s chartered a small plane to take us on to Palekaiko.” Steve Cameron was a senior captain for a major airline.

  “What’s Pale—how do you say that? Palekaiko?”

  “That’s the name of the island where Castaway Cove is located. Mrs. Manoa told me “Palekaiko” means paradise—so I guess it would be “Paradise Island.”

  “Umm! Sounds yummy! Oooh—palm trees, white sand beaches, tropical sunsets, the blue, blue ocean, cool trade winds—sounds like paradise to me!”

  “Me, too! Why don’t you go call Leilani now and let her know you got her letter. I know she can hardly wait to hear from you.”

  “Can I? Thanks, Mom! I’ll give Robyn and Anna a call afterwards, too, and invite them for supper, if that’s okay.”

  “Sure. Their moms know about the trip already, too, by the way, and so does Pete’s mom. It’s getting to be second nature now for them to automatically say yes when we propose taking their kids on a trip with us! I’ll call Pete myself and invite him since Dan is mowing the Albertson’s lawn this morning. Don’t forget—let’s keep the whole thing a secret from them and your brothers until tonight, okay?”

  “Of course! Hee-hee-hee! For once I get to be in on the big reveal!” Kristi chortled, rubbing her hands together. “Can I tell it, Mom? I think I’ll just read Leilani’s letter out loud and let them find out the same way I did!”

  “Sounds like a plan to me! Now, go on and call Leilani and the others, and let me get on with this article I’m writing. I’ve got a deadline looming and I want to be finished with it before we fly off to Hawaii!”

  Rachel turned her attention back to her laptop as Kristi ran back to the house. Whoo-hoo! Aloha, Hawaii! Kristi’s mind was already filled with the clothes she wanted to pack and things she needed to do before the trip. The first thing, though, was the big announcement at supper tonight! How fun!

  * * *

  “Hey, this reminds me of last year on the first day of summer vacation,” Skeeter said as he bit into an ear of corn. “Remember? We had a barbecue with you guys that night, too, when Mom and Dad announced to us that we were going to Hawaii for Kristi’s birthday.”

  Kristi almost choked on her burger. Her eyes flew to her mother’s face. How did he know? Her mom just raised her eyebrows and shrugged her shoulders slightly. Skeeter went on innocently chomping away at his corn cob. Rachel quietly shook her head. He doesn’t know.

  “I’m surprised you remember that, Skeeter,” Kristi said nonchalantly. She lifted her glass of lemonade to her lips and stared at her younger brother over its rim.

  “Oh, yeah. I remember every great meal,” he said seriously.

  They burst out laughing. Skeeter was a serious eater, alright! Even Dan and Pete couldn’t outeat him, and yet he never gained an ounce. All that energy had to be fed somehow, his dad always said.

  “Oh, speaking of Hawaii,” Kristi said casually, “I got a letter from Leilani today!”

  “You did!” Robyn and Anna exclaimed together. “Cool!” Robyn said. “I haven’t heard from her since the last time I e-mailed her.”

  “What did she say, Kristi?” Anna asked.

  “Hey, remember dancing the hula?” Skeeter interrupted before Kristi could answer. “I out-hula-ed you, Robyn!” He poked at his sister’s friend and waved his ear of corn under her nose in his best imitation of the hula.

  “Oh, yeah! You were quite the little hula doll, Skeeter!” Dan laughed.

  “Hey!”

  “Well, anyway, I was telling you about Leilani’s letter,” Kristi said, breaking into their banter. “Remember? I thought I would—”

  “Oh, and remember when Skeeter fell off his horse trying to pick a wildflower for his mother?” Robyn giggled.

  “And swimming with the dolphins?” Skeeter said, ignoring Robyn’s little dig.

  “Yes, and swimming with the sharks in the tank at Sea Trek?” Dan added. “Too cool!”

  “I wanted to read—” Kristi tried again, more loudly this time.

  “Oh, yeah, and the surfing contest and your dad beat all of us?” Pete said giving Mr. Cameron a “thumbs up.”

  “Thank you, Pete!” Steve said. “I’ll take all the acclaim I can get! But now, if you’ll al
l be quiet for a moment, I think Kristi wanted to read her letter from Leilani.”

  Kristi threw her dad a grateful glance and opened the page she held in her hand. The rest of them finally quieted down and she began to read. “Dear Kristi, Happy Birthday…” She’d barely begun, though, when once more Skeeter interrupted to comment on last year’s smashed birthday cake, and Robyn and Anna had to ooh and ahh over the lovely coral and jade necklace she was wearing. They all had comments to make about Leilani’s and her grandmother’s move to Castaway Cove, and Anna even wistfully said, “I’m so happy for them! It sounds so wonderful! Wouldn’t it be great to go visit them again someday and get to see their little resort?”

  Kristi wanted to impatiently shout, “Quiet!” so that she could get to the good part, but instead she just raised her voice and tried reading over them. “…Anyway, I can’t wait for you to come visit! I guess it will have to wait, though—until next week when you come for your birthday…”

  She paused to give the words a moment to sink in. Suddenly cries of “Oh, Kristi! You lucky thing!” and “Aww, man! Kristi gets to go back to Hawaii?” broke out around the table.

  “Wait, wait!” she laughed, holding up her hand for silence. “Let me finish reading!” They hushed instantly this time, and she went on. When she came to the part “…I can’t wait to see you, and Anna and Robyn, too! Oh and your brothers and Pete, too, of course…” pandemonium erupted in the peaceful back yard.

  Kristi and her parents laughed at the disbelief, excitement and joy written on the faces of the other young people. She was finally able to finish reading the letter. “Go ahead and tell them the rest of it, Mom and Dad,” Kristi said at last, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes. “It’s your surprise, after all!”

  Rachel filled them all in on how the Hawaiian trip had come about and Leilani’s part in it. When she started talking about the work that needed to be done at Castaway Cove in order to get it ready to open for business, she didn’t even have to ask if they would be willing to help. Dan jumped right in making suggestions of things they could do for Mrs. Manoa and Leilani, and Pete and the rest eagerly joined in.