Page 39 of Try Easy

“Sure.”

“Tell us one of them,” Penny said.

“And don’t make it up this time,” Lou said.

“I never do,” he insisted.

“Tell the one about Kamehameha,” Bones said. “It’s about me,” he added.

Keoni drove through the first Nu’uanu Tunnel. When they came out the other side, the road pitched higher. He concentrated on navigating the hairpin turns for a moment, and then began to weave his story about the great warrior chief who had lived 200 years ago.

Keoni had an easy way of speaking once he got started. His father had been a great storyteller, and he’d passed both the talent and the stories down to Keoni.

“Even though Kamehameha was not the true heir,” he said, “he was favored by Ku, the god of war, and he was chosen to rule.” Keoni turned onto a gravel drive that led to a parking lot and stopped the car. “But Kamehameha didn’t want to rule. He wanted to live the good life. He wanted to surf and party. He didn’t want to fight.”

Keoni cut the engine, and they climbed out of the car. They were high on a cliff, 1000 feet above sea level. The mountains rose around them, disappearing into a lavender mist of clouds.

“Then what happened?” Lou asked.

“Kamehameha was attacked and forced to fight back. He found out that he was even better at leading an army than he was at partying. He got a taste for battle, and he was no longer satisfied with his small kingdom. He dreamed of uniting all the islands under his rule.”

They walked together to the stone terrace that overlooked the windward side of the island. Keoni waited for Lou to snap a few photos before continuing.

“First Kamehameha conquered Kauai, then he moved on to Maui and Molokai,” he said. “Oahu was the last to fall. Warriors met Kamehameha’s soldiers at the base of Diamond Head and were driven all the way back up the mountains. To this very spot.”

Keoni paused dramatically at the edge of the cliff. A steel railing and a bronze sign commemorating the spot kept tourists from stepping over the edge. In the distance, they could see the ancient windward villages of Kaneohe and Kailua.

“The defenders of Oahu chose death over being captured by the great chief,” Keoni said.

“You mean they jumped?” Lou asked, horrified.

Keoni shrugged. “Some were pushed.”

Lou stiffened and took a step back from the cliff’s edge. “Is this a real story?” she asked Bones.

“It’s real,” Bones said.

“When they developed this road into a highway,” Keoni said, “the construction workers found over 800 skulls—the remains of the men who died in battle.”

“That’s some story,” Lou said.

“Wait,” said Penny. “What does this story have to do with you?”

Bones laughed. “How many greats ago was Kamehameha?” he asked Keoni.

“Three, I think.”

“He was our great-great-great-grandfather,” Bones told Penny.

“So you are the descendants of a murderer?” Penny asked.

“Yeah, I guess we are,” Bones admitted. “Do you want to see the Old Trail?” he asked, offering Penny his hand.

She accepted, and once again, Lou and Keoni were alone together.

“Should I be scared?” Lou asked.

“Why?”

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