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Authors: Gary Conrad
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doing interviews with some of the local population who happened to speak English. He had gathered all sorts of useless information. Daniel knew this was not the way to find the killer, but it was clear that Diaz didn’t care to utilize Daniel’s investigative skills; instead, Diaz made him do grunt work as a way of putting Daniel in his place.
Daniel glanced at his wrist watch, which showed the time to be 6:25 p.m. He was already running late — he was to meet Tiare at 6:30. He hopped in his SUV and drove to her home.
He knocked on the door. No response. He knocked again; still no response. He was about to try again, when he barely heard her voice.
“Just a minute!”
When she appeared at the door, she was wearing round wire-rimmed glasses that The Beatles’ John Lennon might have worn. “Sorry you had to wait so long.” She opened the door for him to enter. “I was in the back studying on my computer.”
Daniel couldn’t believe it. “You’re doing what?”
Tiare closed the door and motioned him to sit in the living area. As he sat on the couch, she settled in a chair across from him, removed her glasses and said, “I’ve already gotten online degrees in English and Spanish, and now I’m working on getting a degree in cultural anthropology. I’m enrolled at Ashford University in the United States. Have you heard of it?”
“No,” he admitted.
“Not many universities offer these courses online. It’s quite a challenge because our Internet speeds are so slow. Do you know what anthropology is?”
“Isn’t it the study of people and their cultures?”
“Close,” she answered, “but not exactly. It’s actually the science that deals with the origins, physical and cultural development, biological characteristics, social customs and beliefs of humanity.”
Daniel could tell she had memorized the definition, and he couldn’t help but smile.
Tiare said, “Just because I’m ninety-four doesn’t mean I should stop learning. Don’t you agree?”
“Absolutely.” He looked at his watch and said. “Mrs. Rapu . . . I mean Tiare, I had planned to eat before I came, but I ran late at work. Could I buy you dinner at a place where we could talk privately?”
“Of course you may,” she replied with a smile. “I recommend a little vegetarian restaurant called Laguna Azul. It’s only a short drive away. Around ten years ago I gave up eating meat when I heard being a vegetarian was healthier.”
“Really?”
“Really,” she repeated. “And it’s better for the environment as well. It takes a lot more water to produce meat protein than it does vegetable protein, and the waste produced by animal production contaminates our ground water. Here on Rapa Nui, where our water is in such short supply, conservation is an important issue.”
Daniel smiled and thought: What an amazing woman!
Daniel and Tiare were seated at an outside table at the quaint Laguna Azul restaurant. Original island artwork that hung on the wall welcomed them, and a sea shell wind chime tinkled in the background. As they sat eating their salads, Tiare asked, “Daniel, what’s on your mind this evening?”
“Well, Tiare,” he said, feeling a little uncomfortable bringing this topic up at a vegetarian restaurant, “I suppose you’ve heard that all of the murder victims were cannibalized?”
“I have.”
“Let me get right to the point,” Daniel said, “does Rapa Nui have a history of cannibalism?”
Tiare ducked her head. “Well . . . I . . .”
“Yes?” Daniel asked.
Tiare took a deep breath and looked up at him. “Before I answer, let me give you some background. You see, Daniel, my studies in anthropology have taught me that cannibalism has occurred over much of the world, and in more recent times by those who were starving. Two examples are the Donner Party in theAmerican west and the crash of the Uruguayan Air Force flight in the Andes in the nineteen seventies.
“Here in Polynesia cannibalism has
Daniel glanced at his wrist watch, which showed the time to be 6:25 p.m. He was already running late — he was to meet Tiare at 6:30. He hopped in his SUV and drove to her home.
He knocked on the door. No response. He knocked again; still no response. He was about to try again, when he barely heard her voice.
“Just a minute!”
When she appeared at the door, she was wearing round wire-rimmed glasses that The Beatles’ John Lennon might have worn. “Sorry you had to wait so long.” She opened the door for him to enter. “I was in the back studying on my computer.”
Daniel couldn’t believe it. “You’re doing what?”
Tiare closed the door and motioned him to sit in the living area. As he sat on the couch, she settled in a chair across from him, removed her glasses and said, “I’ve already gotten online degrees in English and Spanish, and now I’m working on getting a degree in cultural anthropology. I’m enrolled at Ashford University in the United States. Have you heard of it?”
“No,” he admitted.
“Not many universities offer these courses online. It’s quite a challenge because our Internet speeds are so slow. Do you know what anthropology is?”
“Isn’t it the study of people and their cultures?”
“Close,” she answered, “but not exactly. It’s actually the science that deals with the origins, physical and cultural development, biological characteristics, social customs and beliefs of humanity.”
Daniel could tell she had memorized the definition, and he couldn’t help but smile.
Tiare said, “Just because I’m ninety-four doesn’t mean I should stop learning. Don’t you agree?”
“Absolutely.” He looked at his watch and said. “Mrs. Rapu . . . I mean Tiare, I had planned to eat before I came, but I ran late at work. Could I buy you dinner at a place where we could talk privately?”
“Of course you may,” she replied with a smile. “I recommend a little vegetarian restaurant called Laguna Azul. It’s only a short drive away. Around ten years ago I gave up eating meat when I heard being a vegetarian was healthier.”
“Really?”
“Really,” she repeated. “And it’s better for the environment as well. It takes a lot more water to produce meat protein than it does vegetable protein, and the waste produced by animal production contaminates our ground water. Here on Rapa Nui, where our water is in such short supply, conservation is an important issue.”
Daniel smiled and thought: What an amazing woman!
Daniel and Tiare were seated at an outside table at the quaint Laguna Azul restaurant. Original island artwork that hung on the wall welcomed them, and a sea shell wind chime tinkled in the background. As they sat eating their salads, Tiare asked, “Daniel, what’s on your mind this evening?”
“Well, Tiare,” he said, feeling a little uncomfortable bringing this topic up at a vegetarian restaurant, “I suppose you’ve heard that all of the murder victims were cannibalized?”
“I have.”
“Let me get right to the point,” Daniel said, “does Rapa Nui have a history of cannibalism?”
Tiare ducked her head. “Well . . . I . . .”
“Yes?” Daniel asked.
Tiare took a deep breath and looked up at him. “Before I answer, let me give you some background. You see, Daniel, my studies in anthropology have taught me that cannibalism has occurred over much of the world, and in more recent times by those who were starving. Two examples are the Donner Party in theAmerican west and the crash of the Uruguayan Air Force flight in the Andes in the nineteen seventies.
“Here in Polynesia cannibalism has
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