Yuletide Stalker. Irene Brand

don’t want to cause any trouble. If there’s work you need to do, don’t bother with me. I can entertain myself.”

      Turning left on the highway, Linc looked in the rearview to see which way Steve headed. To his surprise, and relief, the Kingsburys turned to the right.

      “Ahonui knew I planned to take at least a week to show you around the islands. Sometimes she takes her work position too seriously. I do appreciate her loyalty, but I am the boss and I don’t let her dictate my personal life. Relax and enjoy yourself.”

      

      Linc drove across the mountains to the northern side of Oahu. He was amused and pleased at Maddie’s childlike enjoyment of the scenery. She exclaimed over the spectacular rugged views on their left, as well as the broad, flat areas that led down to the Pacific.

      “We’re going to the Polynesian Cultural Center,” Linc explained. “The center is probably the favorite tourist attraction in the islands. I’ll explain a bit about it as we drive. I see you brought your camera, so let me know if you want to stop and take pictures. You’ll see some pretty sights.”

      “I did a little research before I left home, so I know that Hawaii is part of a large group of islands collectively known as the Polynesian Islands.”

      He glanced at her approvingly. “That’s true. The center is a nonprofit organization to preserve Polynesian cultural heritage. Most of the people you’ll see today are students at a nearby university. Fees at the center provide scholarships for many of the students.”

      They were greeted at the gateway to the center by two women, who put shell leis around their necks. Judging by their clothing, Linc told Maddie that they were from Tahiti. Although there were many exhibits to view, Linc chose only three, the ones he thought would most interest Maddie.

      “We’ll go to the exhibits of Fiji, Samoa and New Zealand,” he said. “We’ll come here again before you go home, and you can see what we miss today.”

      They watched the students demonstrate the culture respective to their native islands through song, dance, display of musical instruments and samples of their craft and food. After walking from one site to another, Maddie was ready for the restful canoe ride around the whole area. Although the center was crowded with hundreds of tourists, she and Linc didn’t know any of them. She felt as if they were in a world of their own.

      For dinner, Linc bought tickets to attend Ali’i Luau.

      “You won’t think much of Everyday Luau after you attend this,” he joked. “This is reportedly Hawaii’s largest and most authentic luau. I don’t want you to miss it.”

      And Maddie was glad she hadn’t. When they walked through the gates, she felt as if she’d been plunged into the past. The attendant gave her an orchid lei, which Linc placed over the shell lei she’d received at the gate. People representing King Kamehameha, the king who unified Hawaii in the late eighteenth century, and his court entertained the guests with ceremonial songs and dances.

      Flickering tiki lamps and waterfalls contributed to Maddie’s sensation that she had boarded a time-travel rocket that had catapulted Linc and her back two hundred years. The food didn’t differ much from the food served in Linc’s restaurants, but the ancient atmosphere appealed to Maddie. But she told Linc loyally that his reproduction of the luau was as good as the real thing.

      After Maddie remained silent for half the return drive, Linc said, “Are you sleepy?”

      “No, not much. I’ve enjoyed today very much, but I thought some of the rituals were very frightening. They brought to mind some unpleasant things I read about the early history of the islands. As we watched the ancient rites, I could almost believe that some of the traditions have carried over to the present.”

      “There is a lot of superstition among the people,” Linc agreed, “but being an outsider, I’ve never paid any attention to it. What did you read?”

      “About the custom of sacrificing prisoners taken in battle. The priest slaughtered them outside the temple walls, and the bodies were left to decay on the altars. The left eye of a victim was often given to the king.”

      “But those things happened hundreds of years ago.”

      His words did little to reassure her. “Sometimes to celebrate a victory in battle, or even the construction of an altar or temple, the altars were heaped with human bodies. One account indicated that a few tribes carry on these traditions.”

      “Don’t worry about it,” Linc said soothingly. “Such customs might still be practiced among some of the people in the isolated mountains, but I doubt it happens in the more populous areas.”

      It was past midnight when they arrived home, and Linc walked Maddie to the cottage.