He thought of Frankie now and what a thug like that could be doing here even if it was on the other side of the island, and the whiff of heat on his skin filled his head, rushing his brain. He sucked down his drink and wanted to kick it out into the trees. Darker thoughts found him and clawed him, and he didn’t know what hole they had crawled up from.

“My shot,” he barked at her.

“Your what?”

“I need my shot. There’s a syringe.”

“Oh. You need it? Where?”

“Inside. Little pouch.”

She rushed inside to get it for him, and he pressed his back to the chair until she fetched his pouch and returned and opened it and—

“I do it myself,” he barked again. “It’s mine.”

She backed away, holding up a hand.

He inserted the needle, letting it sting a little, taking a deep breath.

He had his strength back instantly. Clarity. Serenity. He pushed himself out of the chair, drew in a deep fresh breath, and sat down on the steps, letting his hands hang off his knees.

Kanani joined him there.

“I guess I’m not supposed to tell you about this medication they’re giving me, but we go back.” He now realized telling her was a good way to stall, to avoid the subject of gold, of Frankie even, and added a smile that he wanted to wipe off his face immediately. He told her the dose was helping him. She wanted to know what it was, but he couldn’t tell her—they wouldn’t tell him.

“I see,” she said.

“Thanks,” he said.

“Doing better?”

“Yes. I’m okay now. You just got me thinking, is all.”

“You can say that again.”

“Sorry I barked at you.”

“Forget it.”

They sat there a minute. He could feel her eyeing him. She’d gone quiet. Her face had lost some color. She grabbed his wrist.

“Now, that’s quite enough stalling,” she said.

Lett looked her in the eyes. He sighed again. “There was another sedan, Kanani. A ’41 Packard.”

She closed her eyes. Her head dropped between her legs. She moaned. Her head might’ve been spinning. Lett held a hand ready above her in case he had to hold her head up while she vomited. But she only muttered something in Pidgin and glared at the lava earth.

Kanani stayed on Lett’s porch. She didn’t say much. Lett brought her water, refilled her rum, lit her a cigar from her GI Zippo.

“But you haven’t seen him around here?” she said after a while. “Right? Only on Hilo Side. Not in The Preserve itself?”

“Frankie? No. I’ve been keeping my eye out.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I haven’t seen you.”

“You’ve been avoiding me,” she said.

“You’ve been avoiding me,” he said.

She ignored him.

“Have you seen your friend Miss Mae here?” he said.