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the sea.
    Riding high on its bow, the craft cut through the waves toward the peninsula. The swells around Moloka’i moved under the boat and made for a choppy ride. They reached the dock, and Bane stepped up to toss a rope over the moorings. She averted her gaze from his strong brown legs and back. She grabbed her backpack and towel. Eva took Hina in her arms. Five other boats ranging from yachts to fishing boats bobbed in the harbor.
    “Hang on, let me get this stable.” Bane pulled the rope tight, then leaped to the dock. He extended his hand.
    Leia moved out of the way and let Eva take her place. While Bane helped her sister to the dock, Leia stepped ashore by herself. A cluster of men and women on the beach caught her eye. “What’s going on?” She nodded toward the crowd milling along the shore. Raised voices rumbled with an undercurrent of excitement.
    Bane took the backpack from her unresisting hand. “Beats me. Let’s see.” He led the way down the gray boards of the pier to the beach. “Maybe a monk seal has come ashore.”
    “Maybe.” The seals were endangered, but they sometimes lumbered to shore and sunned themselves on the golden sand. Eva held tightly to Leia’s hand as they walked along the sand. The crowd parted in front of her, and she peered through the opening. Her confident step faltered when she saw Pete Kone in the middle of the crowd. His hands planted on his hips, Pete seemed to be barring anyone from coming near a roped-off section of beach. About thirty-five, Pete was a well-known figure on the island. His passion was teaching young Hawaiians about the old ways, from fishing to hula to crafts. His influence had helped her decide to learn to make the kapa .
    “Stay back,” he shouted at the crowd. “The police are on their way. I’ve called the DLNR as well.”
    The Department of Land and Natural Resources involvement meant whatever had Pete in a stew was big. Leia put Eva’s hand in Bane’s. “Wait here.” She approached Pete. “What’s going on, Pete?”
    His dark eyes registered her presence. “Leia, just who I need. A doctor could give an opinion on this.” He took her arm and ushered her past a line of men who stood shoulder to shoulder around an area cordoned off by yellow rope.
    She didn’t bother pointing out she wasn’t really a doctor. Most of the islanders seemed to forget she’d stopped shy of her residency. Several long white objects lay half buried in the sand. The closest one was mostly exposed to the sun, and Leia squinted to make out what it was. She caught her breath. “Bones? Where did they come from?” The remains looked pitiful in the sand.
    “We don’t know yet. I think they’re human. Can you tell?”
    Leia knelt on the hot sand and touched the smooth surface of the bone closest to her. “This one looks like a tibia. Definitely human.” The bones looked old and weathered by surf and sand. Bones were revered among her people. The mana of a chief was said to be in his bones, and in the old days, when a chief was defeated, his successor took possession of the skeleton to gain his rival’s power. By Hawaiian custom, these remains would need to remain buried to preserve what mana was left in them and to keep them from an enemy’s power. She had a length of kapa she could donate for the burial.
    She stood and dusted the sand from her hands. “How did they get here?”
    “They washed up in last night’s surge.”
    “You’ve been out here all day?” This discovery was probably why he never showed up with her students today.
    He nodded. “This could be a huge find.” His voice was hushed with suppressed excitement.
    “Any artifacts to help date the remains?” Leia glanced around and saw many more bones strewn about.
    “Look here.” He showed her a lâ’au pâlau that was used by the ancient Hawaiians as a weapon. The three-foot-long club had a stone mounted on the end and shark’s teeth embedded in the handle. “I think the surge last