Close Out

  A bell rang. Shauna stepped into the elevator. Bean held the door. “Kai?”

  He joined them. The door shut and they started down.

  “Something interesting on that plaque?” Bean asked.

  “Guess who one of the major contributors to that new wing was?” Kai said.

  Bean’s forehead wrinkled. “Buzzy?”

  “Good guess.”

  “Does that change your opinion of him?” Shauna asked.

  “I don’t know,” Kai said. “But it’s something to think about.”

  Twenty-four

  They got into the hearse and headed back to Sun Haven. On Seaside Drive they found themselves behind an SUV with out-of-town plates, two thick silver board bags strapped to the roof, and dozens of surf stickers on the back window and bumper.

  “The troops are coming,” Bean said.

  “Think you could drop me at Ice Cream?” Shauna asked. “It’s almost time for me to start work.”

  “Sure” Bean checked his watch. “And I’ve got to get ready for a funeral.”

  “Driving?” Kai asked.

  “Yeah. We’ve got a double header this afternoon and one of the regular drivers is on vacation.”

  At Ice Cream Shauna got out and thanked Bean without even looking at Kai.

  “Hey,” Kai said as she started to turn away. Shauna stopped.

  “I could try to help you with that edge stuff,” Kai offered.

  “I wouldn’t want to waste any of your valuable time,” Shauna replied.

  “It’s not so valuable,” Kai said.

  “Let’s see tomorrow.” Shauna headed across the sidewalk and into the shop.

  “The wrath of Shauna,” Bean said back in the hearse.

  Kai shrugged.

  “You know she’s crazy about you,” Bean said.

  “She sure has a strange way of showing it,” Kai said.

  “Actually, pretty typical,” Bean said. “You just have to know how to read the signs.” They were headed down Main Street now. “Any place I can drop you?”

  “Teddy’s.” Kai hoped she’d be in a better mood than the last time he’d seen her.

  A few minutes later Bean stopped the hearse beside the tall white picket fence.

  “Thanks, Bean,” Kai said as he got out.

  “Catch you later?” Bean asked.

  “Definitely” Kai said. He pushed the hearse’s door closed and stepped onto Teddy’s property, not sure whether to check the house or the workshop first. He decided to be optimistic and try the workshop. The whine of the power planer coming from the shaping room was a good sign. Kai went in, but stood outside the shaping room until he heard the power planer stop. Teddy didn’t like to be disturbed when she was shaping. Kai knocked, then pushed open the door and stuck his head in.

  Inside the shaping room Teddy was running her hand along the rail of a foam blank. She was wearing a respirator and covered with foam dust. The floor and just about every other flat surface was also covered with white dust. She shook the dust out of her hair and pulled off the respirator. “I was beginning to wonder if I’d ever see you again.”

  “After last time I wasn’t sure you’d want to,” Kai replied.

  “Because I told you to get out? Listen, grommet, you want to work with me, you’ll need a tougher hide than that.”

  Kai wasn’t sure what to say. It sounded like they were working together again.

  “So I heard you got that son of a bitch’s boards back for him,” she said, apparently referring to Curtis.

  “How’d you hear that?” Kai asked, surprised.

  “Things get around,” Teddy said. “I like that. Means you get things done. You’re not all talk, like most people around here.”

  “I could have told you that,” Kai said, and winked.

  Teddy chuckled. “I get it, you could have told me, but since most people are all talk, what difference would it have made? Very funny.” Then she did something that really shocked him. “Come on, let’s have a look at something.” She went into the workshop. From a rack of finished, but unglassed boards, she pulled out the one he’d sketched the logo on. Kai was honestly surprised that she hadn’t sanded the sketch off.

  “It’s not bad,” she said.

  “You serious?” Kai asked.

  She tilted her forehead down and looked at him with a severe gesture. “Do I give out many compliments?”

  “Actually, no,” Kai said.

  “Then when I do, you better take it seriously,” she said. “Only, this is just a pencil sketch. I have no idea what it will look like colored in.”

  “I could color it,” Kai offered.

  “I’d rather you didn’t use the actual board,” Teddy said. “You wouldn’t have any color sketches, would you?”

  Kai did. Only they were back at T-licious. “I’d have to go get them.”

  Teddy gave him a funny look. “So?”

  “So … what?” Kai replied, confused.

  “So what the hell are you waiting for? Go get them,” Teddy said, and went back into the shaping room, slamming the door behind her.

  Twenty-five

  As Kai walked into town he realized that he’d been purposefully avoiding T-licious ever since he’d stopped working there. Of all the places he could have gone, this was probably the one he wanted to see least. It was midafternoon now, and the sun was still hot and high overhead. The sidewalks were nearly empty. Almost everyone was at the beach or a pool. On Main Street an out-of-state minivan passed, loaded with boards in board socks. More competitors. Kai stopped across the street from the shop. There was hardly any trace left of the old custom T-shirt scam. Almost everything in the windows now was discount surf wear.

  Kai took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He could feel butterflies in his stomach. He would have preferred taking off on a twenty-five-footer at Mavericks to setting foot in that place again. Or maybe it wasn’t setting foot in the shop that bothered him. Maybe it was having to ask the Alien Frog Beast for his sketches back.

  He crossed the street, pushed open the door, and went in. Unlike the last time he’d been in the shop, the shelves and racks weren’t bursting with merchandise. The knockoff sweatshirts on the shelves were piled only two or three high, and the garments displayed on the racks had empty hangers between them. Kai knew the signs. The end of August was here, and his father had no intention of restocking. Instead he planned to sell everything he could, and then take off leaving as many unpaid bills as possible.

  Inside, his father was at his customary perch at the counter near the cash register, reading the newspaper and smoking a cigarette. When Kai came in, the Alien Frog Beast looked up and adjusted his square-framed glasses. “Well, well, look what the cat dragged in.”

  “How’s it going?” Kai asked.

  “Pretty good, actually,” his father said. “Looks like we still did okay this summer, no thanks to that son of a bitch Buzzy Frank.”

  “Oh, right, the guy who actually made you pay your rent for once,” Kai said, realizing too late that he’d made a mistake.

  Pat’s face hardened. “What do you want?”

  “The color sketches I did for the logo you never used,” Kai said.

  “Why?”

  “Someone wants to see them,” said Kai.

  “What for? They can’t use that logo,” Pat said.

  “They just want to see what I can do.”

  Pat gazed at him for a moment silently and drummed his fingers against the glass counter. “I threw ’em out.”

  “Give me a break,” Kai said. “You never throw anything out.”

  “Why should I give them to you?” his father asked.

  “Maybe because I’m your son, and believe it or not, most fathers try to help their sons.”

  “What did you ever do for me?” the Alien Frog Beast asked.

  “I worked for you for two years,” Kai said.

  “So?” his father said. “I put a roof over your head and fed you.”


  “Look,” Kai said. “I never asked you for anything. I helped you with your scams. I’m sure I helped you make a lot of money that you’ve got stashed in safe-deposit boxes all over. All I’m asking for is a couple of sketches that you never wanted in the first place.”

  Pat glanced toward the back of the store. Kai wondered if he was making sure Sean wasn’t listening. Then he motioned Kai closer. “Listen, that loser brother of yours isn’t worth squat. At least you knew what to do without me having to tell you every damn little thing. Tell you what. You come back to work for me, and I’ll make it worth your while. I’ll give you a cut of the profits. Only you can’t tell Sean, understand?”

  Kai didn’t understand. “Profits from this place?”

  His father shook his head. “No, the next place. I’m thinking about New Orleans. Great city. Great tourist trap. I think we could do some good business there this winter.”

  “No, thanks,” said Kai.

  “I’m talking about real money,” his father said.

  “You’re talking about another scam,” Kai said. “I told you that’s not my life anymore.”

  The Alien Frog Beast stiffened. “Oh, yeah, you’re a hotshot surfer now. You’re too good for that.”

  “Look, I don’t want to remind you how many times you told me that you never wanted me in the first place,” Kai said. “Truth is, I didn’t exactly want you, either. But we got thrown together and you helped me out and I helped you out. I don’t want to argue over who got a better deal, okay? And I also don’t want to call up the credit card company and tell them how you run ten blanks off every foreign card that comes into this place. Because I have a feeling that might really put a dent in your profits. So just let me have the sketches, and then I’ll get out of here and you’ll never have to worry about feeding me or putting a roof over my head again.”

  Pat jerked his thumb toward the back room. “Your sketches are probably in there. Take ’em and get lost. You’re right. I never wanted you in the first place and as far as I’m concerned, I hope I never see you again.”

  Kai went into the back. His half brother, Sean, was hunched over the computer, playing a game. He looked up at Kai and blinked in astonishment. “Hey!”

  “How’re you doing?” Kai clasped his hand.

  “I don’t know. Okay, I guess. How about you?”

  “Getting by,” Kai said.

  “You come back?” There was a trace of hopefulness in the question.

  “Just to get some sketches.” The room looked like a garbage dump, the floor covered with candy wrappers and empty take-out bags, the other flat surfaces piled with unused transfers, odd unsold garments, box cutters, and tape. Kai went over to the desk and started to go through the piles of unopened letters and unpaid bills. The sketches had to be around there somewhere.

  Sean’s shoulders slumped. “You’re not staying?”

  “Sorry, dude.”

  Kai’s half brother made a face and leaned close to him. “You sure you don’t want to change your mind? He’s been such a bastard since you left. I mean, he’s always been a bastard, but it’s gotten way worse. Yells at me all the time. Always telling me I’m useless. I can’t stand it anymore.”

  “You want to come with me?” Kai asked.

  Sean’s eyes widened with surprise and uncertainty. “Where?”

  “I don’t know,” Kai said. “Maybe we’ll just stay here. We could find a cheap place to live and get jobs.”

  Sean’s forehead bunched up. “Gee, I don’t know. Just you and me by ourselves?”

  “Sean, seriously, how old are you?”

  “Uh, twenty-two.”

  “Isn’t it time?” Kai asked. “I mean, you don’t have to take his crap anymore.”

  Sean bit his lip. “I don’t know.”

  “Think about it, okay?” Kai kept searching until he found the sketches under a pile of transfers.

  “So that’s it?” Sean asked. “You’re just gonna go?”

  “Like I said, you’re welcome to come with me,” Kai said. “I know some nice people in town. I think we’d be okay.”

  Sean looked at the door that led to the front of the store, then back at Kai. “I … I don’t know.”

  “You don’t have to decide now,” Kai said. “If you go down to the beach there’s a jetty. A lot of people surf there. If I’m not there, just ask around. Someone’ll know where to find me.”

  Sean nodded mutely. Kai felt bad. His half brother wasn’t evil like the Alien Frog Beast. He was just a guy who’d been beaten down so badly that he no longer knew who he was or what he was capable of. Kai patted him on the shoulder. “Think about it, Sean. I think we could be okay. I really do.”

  Twenty-six

  “You’re kidding me,” Bean grumbled. “I mean, you’ve really got to be joking.”

  It was just after sunset, and they were sitting in the hearse on the street outside Tuck’s Hardware. In the back of the hearse were six of the boards they’d taken back from Goldilocks.

  “Bean, do you realize you’ve been saying that ever since I met you?” Kai said. “I mean, by now you’ve got to know the answer.”

  “Yeah.” Bean nodded. “I guess I know the answer. It’s believing the answer that I’m having a hard time with.”

  “This is not a big deal,” Kai said. “All we have to do is take the boards up to Jade’s apartment.”

  “Oh, is that all?” Bean asked sarcastically.

  “You don’t have to stick around for the rest of it,” Kai said.

  “Know what?” Bean said. “For once I’m going to take you up on that. As soon as we get these boards upstairs, I’m out of here.”

  “No problem,” Kai said. He hesitated, then added. “There is just one other thing.”

  “I knew it!” Bean shook his head wearily.

  “When we’re done, we’re gonna have to bring the boards back down.”

  “And?” Bean said suspiciously.

  “Get the other ones and bring ’em back to Curtis.”

  “And?” Bean said.

  “That’s all,” Kai said.

  “Swear?” Bean asked.

  “Swear,” said Kai.

  One by one they carried the boards up the dimly lit stairs and into Jade’s apartment.

  “Why are we putting them in the bedroom?” Bean asked.

  “It’ll add to the element of surprise,” Kai answered.

  “I bet,” Bean said. “You know, I’m starting to think you enjoy stuff like this. I mean, bringing bad guys to justice and all that.”

  “Maybe I’m making up for past sins,” Kai said.

  “Oh, yeah?” Bean perked up. “Tell me. I’m all ears.”

  “Another time, okay?” Kai said.

  “Where is Jade, anyway?” Bean asked when they’d finished getting the boards into the bedroom.

  “She’s preparing the turkey for the oven,” Kai said.

  “You just better hope that turkey doesn’t explode,” Bean said. “I’d hate to see you with gravy all over your face. No, forget that. What I’d really hate is to find you on my cadaver table in the embalming room tomorrow morning.”

  “Time will tell,” Kai said. “But either way, thanks for the help.”

  No sooner did Bean leave than Everett arrived with his camcorder.

  “Thanks for coming, dude,” Kai said.

  “No sweat,” said the dreadlocked black kid. “There is nothing lower than a surfboard thief, and nothing I’d like more than to help nail one.”

  Kai led him into Jade’s bedroom. Everett grinned when he saw Curtis’s long boards spread out and propped up against the walls. “This is funny. So where do you want the camera?”

  “Someplace where he won’t see it,” said Kai. “We just need to get a clear shot of him in the doorway with good sound. You sure there’s gonna be enough light?”

  “No problem as long as we keep the lights on.” Everett looked around the room and pointed at a tall bureau in the corner. On top of the
bureau was a collection of plastic and metallic lipstick tubes and makeup kits. “I’ll put it there and duck behind the bureau.”

  Everett had just finished setting up the digital camcorder when Kai heard the door open downstairs. “It’s them,” he said.

  Kai left the bedroom door open about an inch so he could hear what was happening in the other room. Everett crouched down behind the bureau. Kai reclined in a chair. He heard the front door to the apartment open.

  “Hey, nice place,” said Dave McAllister, the chairman of Sun Haven Surf’s board room. His words sounded sloppy. Kai had suggested to Jade that she encourage him to have a few drinks before they came back to her place.

  “Thanks,” said Jade. “So, can I get you something?”

  “You know what I want,” Big Dave said.

  Real smooth, Kai thought with a silent groan. He was going to owe Jade big-time after this.

  “Okay, okay,” Jade said. Kai could picture her trying to fight him off. “Not here. Let’s go into the bedroom.”

  “Yeah!” Big Dave practically shouted with glee.

  The bedroom door swung open. Jade came in and immediately stepped to the side, so that her visitor would have a clear view of Kai in the chair. A split second later Dave appeared in the doorway. When he saw Kai and the surfboards his mouth fell open, and his eyes practically popped out of his head. Kai sure hoped Everett was getting all this on the camcorder.

  “Hey, Dave, how’re you doing?” Kai asked with a friendly smile.

  “Wha—What is this? What are these boards doing here?” Dave sputtered. His eyes fell on Kai. “What the hell are you doing here?”

  “Recognize these boards?” Kai asked.

  “I … uh…. No, never saw them before in my life.”

  “That’s not what Albert Hines says,” Kai said. “He says you broke into Curtis Ames’s shed and stole these boards and then sold them all to him.”