Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Vicki Barr #5 The Clue of Broken Blossom
Vicki Barr #5 The Clue of Broken Blossom
BROKEN BLOSSOM
CONTENTS
________________________________________________________
CHAPTER
PAGE
FLIGHT TO HAWAII
II
18
III
BOBS STORY
31
IV
50
65
VI
80
VII
HAWAIIAN FEAST
96
VIII
115
IX
130
A FUGITIVE
149
XI
VICKIS PLAN
166
XII
186
XIII
202
XIV
213
CHAPTER I
Flight to Hawaii
blue.
After nine hours of nothing but clouds and ocean,
everyone was straining for the first glimpse of land.
Then Vicki saw it, a brown blob on the horizon. The
plane circled in to the windward side of Oahu, and
she caught her breath at the sight of the brilliantly
colored, rugged terrain below her. The bright blue of
the water ended in the white foam of waves breaking
on yellow sand. The brown and red cultivated
ground in the valleys formed a startling contrast to
the lush green of the mountains.
On the leeward side they began to lose altitude
rapidly. Thats Molokai, the Friendly Isle on your
left, the stewardess was telling her excited
passengers. And the extinct crater, with the gun
emplacements on your right, is Diamond Head. Now
were above Waikiki Beach.
Vicki stared down at the famous vacationing spot,
surprised to discover that it was such a narrow strip
of sand, fringed on one side by modern shops,
apartment houses, and hotels.
An incredibly beautiful sunset was splashing the
sky with almost unbelievable colors when the plane
circled above the airport. Coral, the stewardess had
told Vicki earlier, had been pumped out of the sea
for its base.
Planes of all sizes and descriptions were taking
off or landing, bound for, or returning from, far
15
17
CHAPTER II
it.
Vicki elevated her chin above the mound of
flowers. Speaking of leis, she said sternly, how
come youre wearing that toxic one with no ill
effects?
Because, he explained seriously, the fountain
lily buds have lost their potency now. Once the juice
has been squeezed out, theyre as harmless as our
African tulips. The kids out here squirt each other
with the fluid contained in the tulip buds.
Fortunately, the fountain lily is practically extinct,
otherwise the little urchins would probably make
themselves sick until they learned better.
I still think youre taking me for a ride, Vicki
said suspiciously. Why would anyone make a lei
out of toxic flowers?
He shrugged and picked up her suitcases, the only
ones left beside the luggage cart. The fountain lily
buds must have been woven in by mistake, he said.
Everyone has been picking flowers like mad for the
Aloha Week celebrations. Some lei-makers child
must have swiped these without realizing what he
was doing.
They were outside now, walking toward the
parking lot where Hank had left his car. Why do
you say swiped? Vicki demanded. I gathered that
flowers grow here in profusion. Why would anyone
have to steal them?
20
you.
The announcer was describing the Makahiki
Festival scheduled for the next day. This is the
Hawaiian Thanksgiving, he said, the time when
visitors will see a revival of ancient sports. Fencing;
the art of vaulting with a spear and then using it as a
weapon; foot racing . . . And then another, excited,
voice cut in:
We are interrupting this broadcast to announce
the kidnaping of Miss Frances Millet, daughter of
the pineapple king, Gregory Millet.
Hank jumped, stuttering, Fran Millet kidnaped!
Why, I cant believe it.
The kidnaping, the broadcaster continued,
occurred at the John Rodgers Airport less than an
hour ago, virtually under the nose of the victims
father. Mr. Millet told police he had flown from
Walu this afternoon to put his daughter on a plane
bound for the States. While waiting at the terminal
for the flight to be announced, Mr. Millet was called
to the telephone. When he returned, there was no
sign of his daughter. Airline officials promptly
instituted a thorough search of the entire area.
Finding no clue to the missing heiress, police were
then notified. A description of Miss Millet follows,
and a reward has been offered for information
leading to her whereabouts or to the identity of her
abductors. Miss Millet is seventeen years old, a tall,
24
30
CHAPTER III
Bobs Story
Hank said.
Helen explained. The ginger blossom stems as
you can see have been woven firmly into the strong
main cord, one facing inward, one outward. But the
long, tough stems of the buds look as though they
had been so casually stuck in between that they
might fall out any minute. She looped the broken
garland around her neck. Now you can see why.
The buds of their own weight fell gracefully back
against her body, and even Vicki could see this was
a distinctive pattern.
A master lei maker, Helen said to Hank,
thought up this design. What are these buds,
anyway?
Hank told her the history of the rare fountain lily
shrub then, and the conversation switched to the
kidnaping of the Walu heiress.
Its a funny thing, Bob Kane said thoughtfully,
we almost never think or talk about that tiny island
out in the Pacific, and now were full of it. A
kidnaped heiress, a rare shrub, and believe it or not,
Ive been trying to get in touch with one of the Walu
natives for the past week. He turned to Hank. Do
you remember an eleven-year-old boy, Loi, one of
my favorite pupils? I sent him to you for a chest X
ray last year.
Hank nodded. A swell kid and in good shape,
too, although a bit too thin for his age. What about
36
him?
Hes disappeared, Bob said worriedly. Last
week his uncle was brought to your hospital with an
edema of the brain, and he never regained
consciousness. Do you remember the case?
Again Hank nodded. He wasnt my patient, and
I had no idea he was Lois uncle.
He was more than that, Bob told him. He was
Lois only living relative on Oahu. His father, Kali,
is a Waluian. His wife died when the boy was about
six, so Kali sent Loi to live here with his uncle and
aunt, feeling he needed a womans care. That
happened, he said to Vicki, around the time that
Greg Millet bought Walu, and the community was
not organized the way it is now, so that motherless
children receive the best of supervision while their
fathers work on the plantation.
But why didnt his father send for him when
conditions were improved? Vicki demanded. It
seems a shame that Kali was separated from his son
during his formative years.
The answer to that, I imagine, Helen put in, is
that Loi grew so fond of his uncle and aunt that he
didnt want to leave. Added to that was the fact that
they needed the money Kali sent regularly for Lois
support. Kali probably sent almost his entire salary,
because, of course, the Waluians have virtually no
need for money. Everything is provided for them by
37
definite:
No longer employed by the Millet Company.
A dainty little Filipina came in then to announce
that dinner was ready and they all trooped into the
spacious dining room. Iced banana and pineapple
chunks in scooped-out golden pineapple shells
awaited them. Then came the main dish which Vicki
thought was rather like a fricassee of chicken. When
she learned that fresh spinach could be substituted
for the boiled taro leaves and cows milk for coconut
milk, she decided to send the recipe to her father.
Poi, Helen said, is made from the root of the
taro plant. Its boiled and skinned and mashed into a
pulp. Then its put into a sack and fermented
overnight. It is to Hawaiians what bread is to us, but
Bob and I never could learn to like the pale lavender
goo
I acquired the taste as a child, Hank said, but
my favorite Hawaiian dish is pig baked in ti leaves.
No luau is a real feast without it.
I know, Helen admitted with a rueful chuckle,
but it takes days and days to do one in style. You
see, Vicki, the pig is roasted in an imu, or
underground oven, and you have to keep adding hot
stones and earth until its done.
Vicki giggled. Even Dad wouldnt attempt such
a chore, she said, and added to Hank, that reminds
me. Dont make off with that toxic lei. I want to
41
49
CHAPTER IV
pilikia.
Hanks car turned into the driveway then, and
Vicki waved good-bye to the Kanes with one hand
and hello to Hank with the other.
Aloha, Hank greeted her. Would you like to
go sight-seeing by plane this morning? Theres
much excitement over on Hawaii today. The great
fire goddess, Pele, in the form of a gas explosion,
has set off the volcano Mauna Loa. Lava is pouring
down from the snow-capped summit of the crater.
Its something you shouldnt miss from the air.
I cant imagine anything more exciting, Vicki
said. But isnt it dangerous?
Not unless we fly right into the molten lava
stream, he said. And volcanologists over the radio
a while ago said this was only a mild eruption, so
even if we got lost in the clouds and flew too close I
dont think wed get burned alive. He grinned.
Shall we go?
Lets, Vicki cried enthusiastically. But how?
In what plane?
Mine, he said. Ive got a fast little four-placer
of my own, all warmed up and ready to go at the
airport now. I was so sure youd accept, I telephoned
ahead.
An hour later they were flying east to Hawaii,
which boasted the name Big Island.
Each one, Hank told Vicki, has its own
53
sleep in comfortably.
And then they were out of the woods, facing a
kapu sign on the beach. It was another sandy cove,
smaller than the one they had just left, and dotted
with tiny rock pools. Back, out of the reach of the
tide, was a crudely-built bamboo shelter.
Maybe hes hiding in there, Vicki cried
excitedly. Kicking off her pumps, she raced barefoot
across the sand to peer inside. It was empty and she
could have cried with disappointment.
But Hank was not interested in the tiny hut. He
was staring up at the Pali, as though fascinated by its
garland of cottony clouds. Well, Ill be darned, he
muttered. This beach must belong to the Walus.
Thats their house up on the cliff. I never saw it
from this angle before.
I cant see it now, Vicki complained. And then,
straining her eyes, she caught a glimpse of
something white nestling among green trees and
flowering shrubs. What a lovely place to build a
house, she cried. The view must be magnificent!
It is, Hank told her. And the house itself is
fascinating. It was built so that it seems to grow
along the side of the mountain, and Ill bet its the
most isolated spot on Oahu. You see, the Walus
arent young and they were so used to the privacy of
their own island that they couldnt bear the thought
of living in one of the residential sections.
61
64
CHAPTER V
843D.
Vickis hands were shaking with excitement as
she read the notice through again. The very wording
of it indicated that the ring had not been lost, but
stolen. And the first radio announcement last night
had said that the Walu heiress was wearing a jade
ring when she disappeared!
Vicki was convinced now that she had been right
in the first place. Frances Millet had been kidnaped.
Her father was desperately trying to assure her
abductors that it was safe for them to contact him
and that he would pay any price for her return.
No questions asked meant that he had probably
not even dared to put private detectives on his
daughters trail. And that trail began at the airport
terminal. It was there that the heiress had last been
seen. And it was there, shortly after her
disappearance, that Vicki had found the broken lei.
Now she was surer than ever that the little toxic
buds were in some way connected with the
kidnaping.
Wearily she climbed into bed, thinking:
Im glad Hank cant take me sight-seeing
tomorrow, and I hope Helen has nothing planned
Because first thing in the morning I want to go to the
airport and try to find out what happened just before
I found the fountain lily lei.
79
CHAPTER VI
own way.
She settled back in her seat and said casually, I
think you were perfectly right to report your
suspicions to the police. The chauffeur might have
been a kidnaper. Although since she went with him
willingly
He wasnt wearin no uniform, the driver
interrupted in an aggrieved tone of voice. But then,
it bein the beginnin of Aloha Week, itd be okay
for him to drive around in one of them gosh-awful
shirts and up to his ears in leis.
Uh-huh, Vicki said, thinking hard. A native
disguised as a lei vendor and pretending to be the
Millet chauffeur had taken the heiress from the
airport to the Walus in this very cab. And she
obviously knew him well enough to cling to his arm,
moaning, Take me home to Daddy.
Therefore, it seemed more than likely that her
kidnaper was a Waluian, the same one who had
woven toxic fountain lily buds through a ginger lei.
This reasoning brought Vicki right back to Kali
who had mysteriously disappeared a few days before
the kidnaping. But now she wasnt sure of his
motive.
If he had simply wanted enough money for a new
start in life, and felt that the heiresss father was
indirectly responsible for his leaving Walu, why
hadnt he snatched her handbag? Or, for that matter,
94
CHAPTER VII
Hawaiian Feast
Joe Brown, the taxi driver. But just then, the popoki,
mewing boredly, scratched on the door for
admittance. Vicki let her into the house and said to
Hank over one shoulder:
To tell you the truth, Hank, I cant wait until
Saturday to meet your Hawaiian friends. Would it be
very bad-mannered of me if I went to call on them
myself on Friday? You see, she said wistfully, my
return plane reservations are for Sunday evening.
That doesnt give me much time.
Dont talk about such sad subjects as your
departure, he said. And of course you can call on
the Walus yourself FridayI mean tomorrow. He
glanced at his wristwatch. Then Saturday Ill have
you all to myself from brunch on.
Will I need a letter of introduction from you?
Vicki asked, suddenly feeling shy at the idea of
meeting descendants of Hawaiis nobles.
Dont be silly, he hooted. Theyll fall in love
with you at first sight. But if itll make you feel any
better, I can send you there in the limousine. I
inherited a Filipino chauffeur, you know, whos the
bane of my existence. He still thinks Im six years
old, but he could drive you to the Walus with his
eyes shut and one arm in a sling. As a matter of fact,
he and the car are at your service whenever you
want them.
Oh, no, thanks, Vicki said hastily. Arriving
113
114
CHAPTER VIII
129
CHAPTER IX
148
CHAPTER X
A Fugitive
among them the one you found, and then went to the
terminal and hung around, waiting for a moment
when Dad and I would be separated so he could
present me with the toxic lei. But Dad, of course,
kept me clamped to his side, and then Kali had a
stroke of genius. He slipped into a phone booth and
dialed the passenger agents number. Then he
requested that Dad be paged. After that, all he had to
do was hang on to the wire until he saw through the
glass part of the door that Dad had been called
away.
She laughed without much humor. Ive told it in
a roundabout way, but I guess that brings you up to
date.
Vicki, too, smiled briefly. It brings me right
back to the three of you on the Walus lanai Monday
evening while the radio was blaring the story of your
kidnaping. Then what?
Frans tense features momentarily relaxed. Her
dark eyes twinkled mischievously. By that time I
had decided I liked being kidnaped. I told Kali Id
take over from then on, and he was awfully glad to
be relieved of all responsibility, not having liked any
part of it from the very beginning. I was so furious
with my father that I barged right into the Walus
home and wrote him a bloodcurdling note,
guaranteed to make him call off the police as soon
as he got it. This is what I said:
159
165
CHAPTER XI
Vickis Plan
out a reply.
Thats true, Vicki agreed. And then almost
immediately after he got Bobs first letter he found
out from your father that Loi couldnt come back to
Walu. That, I imagine, was enough to upset him so
that he could hardly write his own name. She
sighed. Somethings got to be done about those
two.
Fran shook her head up and down vehemently.
Even if we have to make Dad destroy one contract
at a time, the first one has got to be Kalis.
And the first step, Vicki said, as she again
started up the winding path to the top of the hill, is
to get you safely to the Nakayama Hotel.
Vicki was panting as much from lack of breath as
from suppressed excitement when she climbed the
lanai steps to where the Walus were placidly waiting
for her.
Ive overstayed my welcome, she said, smiling.
May I use your phone to call for my taxi?
Certainly. Mrs. Walu led the way to a charming
den. But were disappointed. We hoped youd stay
on for tea.
When Vicki had telephoned Joe Brown, she said,
I wish I could stay longer. Id love to know the
history of all your beautiful things.
Mrs. Walu laughed. We have so few, itll only
take about ten minutes to show them to you. But let
172
kid brother!
Cheer up, Vicki said comfortingly. You can
adopt all the little Waluians, and Loi, in particular, if
things go the way I hope. It all hinges on how tender
that Achilles heel of your fathers really is.
I dont get it, Fran said flatly. How are poor
little you and me going to make a man like Dad die
butt of a joke?
With pencil and paper Vicki quickly outlined the
scheme which had been slowly formulating in her
mind for the past hour. When she finished, Fran was
almost hysterical with laughter.
Its so perfect, she finally got out, it cant
possibly fail.
Do you really think so? Vicki asked worriedly.
Fran vigorously shook her head up and down.
Its foolproof. And the best joke of all is that Dad
gave me the very book that gave you the idea.
Its not a joking matter, Vicki said seriously.
This is important. If we succeed, I feel pretty sure
we can convince your father at the same time that
you should stay out here and prepare yourself for a
career as a social worker. It ties in, you know. Your
ambition is a job promoting the welfare of
underprivileged natives, isnt it?
Thats right, Fran said. If we win him over to
our side on one point, he should give in on that
argument too. I think hes being very tyrannical with
183
185
CHAPTER XII
201
CHAPTER XIII
any real harm yet. And the Walus have forgiven you
for coming here under false pretenses. All they
really care about is that their people are happy.
They are happy, he said. As carefree as birds.
Then he added humbly, Youre right. The young
boys who are growing up here wont want things
handed to them on a silver platter. Ran away from
home myself when I was Frans age and Ive never
asked a soul for help since.
Like father, like daughter, Vicki chanted, and
added gratefully to herself: When Loi comes back
hell find things as they are on the other islands. He
wont have to adjust to a feudalistic system, thank
goodness.
They took off a few minutes later in Greg Millets
plane. Frans been taking flying lessons, he told
Vicki. Guess Ill have to buy her a plane of her
own if shes going to stay out here. Im not going to
have my pilot spend all his time taxiing that girl
back and forth.
Vicki giggled. I think youre secretly afraid of
that girl, Mr. Millet.
I am, he admitted, chuckling. Wouldnt you be
afraid of someone whod put you through what shes
put me through this past week? He sobered, his big
features taut with anxiety. We may not yet arrive in
time to prevent that story from going to press. Its
after four and the secondary sections of Sunday
208
212
CHAPTER XIV
219
220