The Bone Tiki Read Online Free PDF Page B

looked him in the eye. ‘Did you hear what was going on in there?’
    ‘Yeah, but I didn’t understand any of it. The scary dude—whatsisname?’
    ‘Puarata.’
    ‘Yeah, him. Seemed pretty pissed off about something he wanted that old Hine said he couldn’t have. An’ your dad seemed kinda pissed too.’
    Mat nodded bleakly. ‘Puarata came to get something. He got Dad to write up the papers to make it legal. It’s a tiki, made of bone, that Nanny Wai used to wear.’
    ‘Yeah…so?’
    Mat took a slow breath and then let it out in a rush. ‘I’ve got it.’
    Riki stared. ‘You’ve got it? Why?’
    ‘I don’t know. Mostly because Nanny Wai said I should have it when she died. But if I just stood up and said that, no one would believe me. But this will sound kind of weird—I think I should have it. I’m meant to. And I’m sure that Puarata getting it is a bad thing.’
    ‘Why?’ repeated Riki. ‘Are you nuts? The guy has hired suits and fancy cars and looks like the Maori Godfather. You don’t want to piss off someone like that, man.’
    Mat looked around. He pulled Riki toward the gates. ‘Come on. Where’s your old man’s car?’
    Riki stopped. ‘You are crazy! Where do you wanna go anyway?’
    ‘Dunno, Taupo, I think. I’ll go see Mum.’
    ‘Taupo? That’s 200 ks away! I’m not gonna drive you to Taupo!’
    ‘You don’t have to. Just get me to Napier, and I’ll hitch a ride.’
    ‘But if you run off, everyone will know you’ve got it!’
    Mat sucked his bottom lip. ‘Yeah, but what else can I do?’
    ‘I dunno. Chuck it down a hole, come back for it later. But if you run off, you’ll just draw attention to yourself.’
    Mat considered. It seemed to make sense…but his instinct was screaming at him to run. He shook his head. ‘Nah, we’ve got to go.’
    ‘We? Oh alright! Come on. But only as far as Napier. I’ll grab Dad’s keys, and meet you at the gates.’ Riki hurried away.
    Mat stared after him, then made his way through the crowds of people, heading toward the gates. He felt giddy, the whole thing seemed foolish. And yet, he knew what he had to do. Over his shoulder, he could see people still gathered about the whare, and that the two bodyguards were still there. He walked briskly away, trying not to break into a run, and headed for the gates.
    When he reached the gates there were the three black cars, waiting like steel panthers. Beside each stood a suited man, muscular, menacing. They all looked at him impassively as he walked past. He felt a heated flush of guilt crawling over his face, forced himself to walk out and onto the verge, which was packed with a mass of vehicles pressed against the side of the road. He found a mound of grass on the south side of the gate, out of sight of the bodyguards, and slumped to the ground, staring up at the sky, trying to find excuses for his father.
    Jeez, Dad, why are you helping that horrible man? Couldn’t you have stood up to him? He patted his pocket, the lump ofcord and bone that was the tiki. Everything felt so unreal. I’ve stolen something…I’m a thief… and yet, it seemed the right thing to do. Nanny Wai hadn’t wanted this man to have the tiki—he felt sure of that. Somehow his instinct…his intuition…told him the tiki was precious, and this man had to be kept away from it…
    What should I do? Should I just bury it…but they’ll figure out it was me… he felt himself sweating, a small wind chilling his damp forehead. The grass smelt dry and the air smelt damp, the dewy chill of evening. His mouth tasted sour, and he could feel a sting behind his eyes. Jeez, Dad…
    He suddenly felt a strange pulse of heat from the lump in his pocket. The tiki was throbbing somehow, and he put his hand against the pocket, and looked toward the whare.
    A movement caught his eye. A man was emerging from the crowd, a couple of hundred metres away. An outlandish man…huge and muscular, shaggy black hair falling about his shoulders,