stir up, the better. And it’s not as if it’s him out there, it’s just a few bones that don’t really mean anything any more.”
“I agree,” Axel promptly put in.
“Amen,” said Hedwig. “Don’t meddle with Fortune’s wheel. The plane went down there for a reason, whether we understand it or not. Let it be.”
“Fortune’s wheel!” Dagmar was shocked. “And what do you mean, ‘a few bones that don’t mean anything any more’? Sometimes I don’t know what’s the matter with you people. To leave him out there like that, on that little… no, no, I want him back here on his own land.” She stared imperiously around her, challenging them to disagree, and muttering: “‘A few bones that don’t mean anything.’”
Inge hesitated. “What do you think?” she asked Felix, who was silently swirling the ice in his glass.
Felix took a moment before answering. “In my opinion, we should have him brought home,” he bellowed-his normal speaking voice ranged anywhere from bellow to roar. “Not only because of what Dagmar says, but because it would look strange-suspicious, even-if we don’t.”
“But who’s going to know either way?” Axel asked.
“The police, bird-brain,” Inge said fondly. “I’m supposed to call them back, remember? Felix is right.”
“Oh, yeah,” Axel said, then nodded. “Okay, I’m with Felix, then. We better bring him back and bury him here, what’s left of him. A quiet, private, family burial.”
Dagmar nodded regally to signify approval, although she’d glowered at the “what’s left of him.”
“So how do we go about getting the remains back?” Hedwig asked. “Does anybody know?”
“I wouldn’t think there’s much to it,” Felix said. “We’ll probably have to get some kind of formal approval from the Kiribati government, wherever it is-”
“The capital is Tarawa,” said Axel.
“-but any reputable ocean salvage firm will know the ropes. When I get back to Honolulu I’ll check around for one. We can split the cost between us.”
“ I’ll pay,” Dagmar said. When the others opened their mouths to protest, they were silenced with a fierce tilt of her chin.
“She who must be obeyed,” said Felix, salaaming in her direction.
“Idiot.”
“Okay, that’s the way it’ll be, then,” Inge said. She glanced at the antique Swedish clock over the mantel. “Now. John and Gideon will be here at six. That gives us almost an hour to make sure we’re all reading from the same script, in case the papers get hold of this, or if the police have more questions.”
“Speaking of John and his friend,” Hedwig said, “I don’t see any reason for them to know anything about this.”
“Too late,” Axel said. “I already told John and he told Gideon.”
Hedwig looked disbelievingly at him. “That was dumb.”
“Well, I figured it was bound to come out anyway, and if I didn’t mention it, it would look as if we were hiding something.”
“We are hiding something.”
“Yes, but we don’t want to look as if we are,” Axel pointed out.
“Point taken,” Hedwig said, submitting gracefully to this superior logic. “Okay, let it all hang out.”
“Not all,” amended Felix.
FIVE
The wood-branch lettering above the entrance in the split-rail fence said “Kohala Trails Adventure Ranch,” and just inside, where a couple of dirt roads intersected, there was a post with two handpainted signs: a “Stop” sign-or rather, a “Whoa” sign-and one below it that said “Howdy, Podnuh. Horseback Riding Adventure, Thisaway. Ranch House, Thataway.”
They turned Thataway, toward a white frame house that looked like a bigger, better-kept version of Axel’s and Malani’s. “John,” Gideon said, “when we were driving up from the airport, you said that ‘naturally’ nobody wanted to have the dinners at Hedwig’s. Why is that? Why ‘naturally’?”
“Well, for one thing, the Wellness Center menu is strictly vegetarian, and just a
“I agree,” Axel promptly put in.
“Amen,” said Hedwig. “Don’t meddle with Fortune’s wheel. The plane went down there for a reason, whether we understand it or not. Let it be.”
“Fortune’s wheel!” Dagmar was shocked. “And what do you mean, ‘a few bones that don’t mean anything any more’? Sometimes I don’t know what’s the matter with you people. To leave him out there like that, on that little… no, no, I want him back here on his own land.” She stared imperiously around her, challenging them to disagree, and muttering: “‘A few bones that don’t mean anything.’”
Inge hesitated. “What do you think?” she asked Felix, who was silently swirling the ice in his glass.
Felix took a moment before answering. “In my opinion, we should have him brought home,” he bellowed-his normal speaking voice ranged anywhere from bellow to roar. “Not only because of what Dagmar says, but because it would look strange-suspicious, even-if we don’t.”
“But who’s going to know either way?” Axel asked.
“The police, bird-brain,” Inge said fondly. “I’m supposed to call them back, remember? Felix is right.”
“Oh, yeah,” Axel said, then nodded. “Okay, I’m with Felix, then. We better bring him back and bury him here, what’s left of him. A quiet, private, family burial.”
Dagmar nodded regally to signify approval, although she’d glowered at the “what’s left of him.”
“So how do we go about getting the remains back?” Hedwig asked. “Does anybody know?”
“I wouldn’t think there’s much to it,” Felix said. “We’ll probably have to get some kind of formal approval from the Kiribati government, wherever it is-”
“The capital is Tarawa,” said Axel.
“-but any reputable ocean salvage firm will know the ropes. When I get back to Honolulu I’ll check around for one. We can split the cost between us.”
“ I’ll pay,” Dagmar said. When the others opened their mouths to protest, they were silenced with a fierce tilt of her chin.
“She who must be obeyed,” said Felix, salaaming in her direction.
“Idiot.”
“Okay, that’s the way it’ll be, then,” Inge said. She glanced at the antique Swedish clock over the mantel. “Now. John and Gideon will be here at six. That gives us almost an hour to make sure we’re all reading from the same script, in case the papers get hold of this, or if the police have more questions.”
“Speaking of John and his friend,” Hedwig said, “I don’t see any reason for them to know anything about this.”
“Too late,” Axel said. “I already told John and he told Gideon.”
Hedwig looked disbelievingly at him. “That was dumb.”
“Well, I figured it was bound to come out anyway, and if I didn’t mention it, it would look as if we were hiding something.”
“We are hiding something.”
“Yes, but we don’t want to look as if we are,” Axel pointed out.
“Point taken,” Hedwig said, submitting gracefully to this superior logic. “Okay, let it all hang out.”
“Not all,” amended Felix.
FIVE
The wood-branch lettering above the entrance in the split-rail fence said “Kohala Trails Adventure Ranch,” and just inside, where a couple of dirt roads intersected, there was a post with two handpainted signs: a “Stop” sign-or rather, a “Whoa” sign-and one below it that said “Howdy, Podnuh. Horseback Riding Adventure, Thisaway. Ranch House, Thataway.”
They turned Thataway, toward a white frame house that looked like a bigger, better-kept version of Axel’s and Malani’s. “John,” Gideon said, “when we were driving up from the airport, you said that ‘naturally’ nobody wanted to have the dinners at Hedwig’s. Why is that? Why ‘naturally’?”
“Well, for one thing, the Wellness Center menu is strictly vegetarian, and just a
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