Yuletide Stalker. Irene Brand

years older than I am. He’s thirty-one now.”

      With twinkling eyes, Lucy said, “Chances are he still thinks of you as a child. Your appearance may be quite a shock to the man.”

      Remembering Lucy’s lighthearted assessment of the situation eased Maddie’s apprehension. She settled back in her seat and looked out the small window. When the plane took off from the Houston airport, she had been on pins and needles watching the rapidly receding ground. Below her now was a white layer of clouds. She took her Bible from her tote bag and searched for some Scriptures that dealt with clouds. One from the book of Isaiah resonated with her.

      See, the Lord rides on a swift cloud.

      Momentarily, she wondered if her feeling of being suspended in space was a foretaste of what Heaven would be like.

      But another passage in Isaiah had always been special to Maddie since the day she’d accepted Jesus as her Savior and God as the Guide of her life.

      I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist.

      The clouds blocked her view of Earth, yet they also served as a reminder of God’s forgiving spirit.

      Maddie put the Bible away and peered out the window again. Through occasional breaks in the clouds, she saw the wide sweep of the Pacific. She had chatted with the passenger seated to her left, a Hawaiian businessman, until he went to sleep during the movie. He was still sleeping. Fidgeting, eager to reach her destination, Maddie noticed a headline in the Honolulu newspaper on her companion’s lap. Her eyes widened. She straightened in the seat while a flicker of apprehension tingled her spine. Leaning closer she read the headline.

      Deathbed Confession Leads U.S. Navy to Investigate Ten-Year-Old Accident.

      Her heartbeat accelerated. Maddie tapped the man gently on the shoulder. When he opened his eyes, she said, “May I look at your newspaper?”

      Smiling, he handed it to her. “I’ve finished with it. Keep the paper, if you like.”

      Maddie gripped the newspaper in trembling fingers. Her hands moistened, and her rapid heartbeat threatened to choke her as she read.

      Two inmates escaped from the federal prison yesterday. One of the inmates, Demitirio Sanale, was shot during the escape attempt. His brother, Kamu, is still at large. Demitirio died from his injuries, but on his deathbed, he confessed that he had been part of a plot that caused the death of a naval officer ten years ago. The airplane crash that took the officer’s life had been considered an accident, but a new investigation into the crash has been launched. The public is warned that Kamu Sanale is armed and dangerous.

      Maddie felt as if a hand was closing around her throat. Fearful images flashed in her mind. A dreadful flicker of uneasiness touched her heart. Could this incident be related to her father’s death ten years ago? Maddie had accepted her father’s death when she thought it was an accident in the line of duty as he served his country. But if he had been murdered, the old wounds would bleed again. Was this the reason Miss Caroline sensed she shouldn’t go to Hawaii? Suddenly, Maddie wished she had never left home. But her troubled thoughts were interrupted when the pilot asked the attendants to prepare the cabin for landing.

      As she always did when anxious, Maddie twisted the opal ring on her forefinger. Her father had given it to her mother as an engagement ring, and Maddie had worn it every day since her mother died. Once again, grief over her parents’ untimely deaths engulfed her. She’d never felt so alone. Of course, Linc waited for her, but he was a stranger to her. Why had she been so foolish as to accept this invitation?

      The attendants walked through the cabin collecting earphones, taking cups and other trash, while Maddie’s heart pounded in anticipation coupled with fear. Following directions, she fastened her belt and restored her seat to an upright position. When she next glanced out the window, a sight of unbelievable beauty greeted her eyes.

      The string of islands looked small in the vivid blue water. White waves pirouetted like mermaids in the surf. Volcanic peaks soared majestically toward the sky. There wasn’t as much green as she’d expected, but she knew she couldn’t compare this island paradise with the verdant forests of her native West Virginia.

      As the giant plane dropped quietly toward the distant islands, Maddie tensed for the landing with a sense of unease. Would her vacation in Hawaii be as enjoyable as she’d imagined? She’d tried to put Miss Caroline’s words out of her mind, but it was impossible to discredit what her mentor and friend had said.

      Maddie had concluded that Miss Caroline thought it inappropriate for her to accept the invitation from a man she barely knew. Linc had assured her that he had a resident housekeeper as a chaperone, but she had only his word for it. After reading the newspaper article, Maddie feared that Miss Caroline’s concerns heralded a more dangerous situation.

      Wondering what he’d gotten himself into, Linc Carey nervously waited for Maddie’s plane to land. He carried an orchid lei and the sweet scent of the blossoms stung his nostrils. When he starting pacing for the fifth time his companion, Ahonui Kingsbury, said, “Can’t you sit still? The plane isn’t due to land for fifteen minutes. I knew this would happen when you insisted on coming two hours early.”

      Linc sat down, but Ahonui’s words annoyed him. In fact, her presence annoyed him. She had been his secretary since he’d organized his restaurant chain eight years ago. She didn’t normally interfere in his private life, and he couldn’t understand why she was so intent on coming to the airport with him. He was uncertain of how this visit with Maddie would turn out, and he didn’t want anyone watching when he met the girl he hadn’t seen for ten years.

      “I don’t know why you asked this child to visit you for a whole month anyway,” Ahonui said. “This is our busiest time of the year.”

      “She isn’t a child. She’s in college. And I invited Maddie for a visit because I promised her father I’d keep in contact with his family. I kept my commitment fairly well for a while, but I’ve been so busy the past few years that time got away from me.”

      Ahonui’s perfectly curved eyebrow lifted as she asked, “Why haven’t you mentioned her before this?”

      Although he was tempted to say that he didn’t see why it concerned her, he ignored the question.

      “Maddie is researching Hawaii’s involvement in World War II for one of her courses,” he continued as he paced the short aisle where they sat, “and she asked me to send her some material on the subject. I realized that I hadn’t kept in touch with Maddie and her mother as I should have, so I tried to make it up to her by inviting her to Hawaii during the semester break. While she’s here, I’ll take her to World War II sites.”

      “Well, I know she’s going to be a nuisance to us,” Ahonui countered.

      Linc looked at her sharply. “Us! Maddie isn’t your responsibility. I expect you to handle the office while I entertain her. I don’t even know why you insisted on coming today.”

      “I’d think you would want me to help, especially now that you’ve finally realized she isn’t a child.”

      He sat down again, but didn’t bother to answer this comment. Roselina, his housekeeper, was all the help he needed in seeing that Maddie enjoyed herself.

      When the arrival of the plane sounded over the loudspeaker, Linc jumped to his feet and walked briskly to the door where passengers would deplane from the security section. When he had talked to Maddie by phone two days ago, he’d asked, “How will I recognize you? I’m sure you’ve changed a lot in ten years.”

      “I’ll wear my blue suit and a white shirt,” Maddie had answered in a soft voice. “I have shoulder-length blond hair.”

      “Good. Then I’ll have on a blue shirt with the Hawaiian flag on the pocket to help you find me,” Linc had said.

      His memory was hazy about Maddie’s appearance. When he’d met her, he was burdened with the responsibility and grief of accompanying the body of his