We left the hotel at 10:00 in the morning. Brandon drove the rental car along the southeastern coast past pristine beaches and swaying palm trees while I sat in the back seat watching the turquoise water flash past my window. The GPS announced turns in a cheerful voice. Other cars filled with vacationers drove alongside us. Everyone heading toward their own perfect Hawaiian day.
The morning was perfect. Brilliant sunshine, cloudless blue sky, gentle breeze carrying the scent of ocean salt and tropical flowers.
Jessica kept up cheerful conversation from the passenger seat. “Mom, I’m so glad we’re doing this. Dad would be so happy we’re finally spending time together.”
I watched her in the rearview mirror and wondered how she could sound so calm, so normal, knowing what she was planning.
We arrived at the Makapou Point parking lot and blended into the crowd of tourists—families with children in sun hats, couples taking selfies against the ocean backdrop, serious hikers in athletic gear consulting trail maps.
I spotted Agent Davis immediately. She wore hiking clothes and carried a professional camera with a telephoto lens, looking exactly like a travel photographer scouting locations for a magazine shoot.
The trail wound upward along the cliff edge, the pavement hot beneath our feet. With every step, the drop to the ocean below became more dramatic. Waves crashed against black lava rocks 600 ft down, sending up white spray that caught the sunlight like diamonds.
The view was stunning. Endless blue ocean stretching to the horizon. Distant islands floating like mirages. Humpback whales breaching in the distance, their massive bodies arcing through the air.
Robert would have loved this place. I could almost hear his voice.
“Look at that, Maggie. Isn’t it magnificent?”
Brandon walked ahead, stopping frequently to take photos with his phone. “Let me get a picture of you two. Stand near the railing.”
Jessica took my hand, her palm sweating, and led me toward the viewing area where the path ended at a low metal railing. Beyond that railing, nothing but air and a 600 ft drop onto jagged lava rocks that jutted from the churning surf like broken teeth.
A group of tourists moved away, laughing about something, leaving our area temporarily isolated.
Jessica positioned me with my back to the railing. “Perfect spot, Mom. The light is beautiful.”
I felt the metal bar press against my lower back. I could feel the void behind me pulling at me like gravity itself.
Brandon raised his phone. “Smile. Move closer together.”
Jessica stepped beside me and put her arm around my shoulders. To anyone watching from a distance, we looked like a loving mother and daughter posing for a vacation photo.
Her grip on my shoulder tightened, fingers digging in. She leaned close and whispered directly into my ear.
Leave a Comment