Close Out

  “He may be a badass, but he’s not going to kill me on the beach in front of witnesses,” Kai said, and handed Bean the ankle strap connected to his leash.

  “Why aren’t you taking your board?” Shauna asked.

  “Can’t risk getting it damaged,” Kai said.

  “I’m going with you,” said Derek, sliding off his board and pushing it toward Everett.

  “Why you?” Bean asked.

  “I never liked that guy,” Derek said.

  “You know him?” Bean asked.

  “Oh, yeah,” Derek said. “We’ve done business too.”

  Derek and Kai started to swim in.

  “Hold up, guys,” said Everett. “I’ll go with you.”

  He slipped off his board and gave his and Derek’s leashes to Booger to hold.

  Kai, Derek, and Everett swam toward shore, got to the shallows, and stepped out of the waves. Goldilocks stood on the dry side of the tide mark tapping the club ominously against his palm. With seawater dripping down his face, Kai stopped a dozen feet away and stood on the wet sand. Derek and Everett stopped with him.

  “Reinforcements, huh?” Goldilocks smirked and tapped the club in his hand.

  “What do you want?” Kai asked.

  “You know what I want.”

  “They’re not yours,” Kai said.

  “I paid for ’em,” Goldilocks said. “They’re mine.”

  “No way,” Kai said. “They weren’t Big Dave’s and he had no right to sell them to you.”

  Goldilocks twitched. There was no doubt in Kai’s mind now that it was Big Dave who’d sold him Curtis’s boards.

  “Then I want my money back,” Goldilocks said.

  “Can’t help you there, either,” Kai said. “That’s between you and Big Dave.”

  Goldilocks narrowed his eyes. “You got this all figured out, don’t you?”

  “Hey, you play with fire, you get burned,” Kai said. “Even a four-year-old knows that.”

  Goldilocks charged. Kai quickly reached down to the sand and grabbed one of the dozens of jellyfish that had washed up on the beach. He threw it, and it hit Goldilocks in the chest but didn’t stop him. Kai doubted Goldilocks even felt it. He also doubted he had time to grab another jellyfish before Goldilocks nailed him with the club. He was turning to dive for the water when he heard a loud splat!

  Kai looked back. Goldilocks had stopped. He was standing still with a totally disgusted expression on his face as he wiped clear jellyfish gook off his jaw.

  Splat! A jellyfish hit him in the forehead.

  Kai looked to his right, where Derek was picking up another jellyfish. He wound up and hurled it like a baseball pitcher. Unfortunately Goldilocks ducked out of the way of that one.

  Splat! Goldilocks was so busy ducking Derek’s throw that he didn’t see the one Everett threw. It hit him in the ear. By now Kai had time to pick up another jellyfish and throw it, too.

  Splat!

  Splat!

  Splat!

  No matter which way Goldilocks turned, Kai, Everett, or Derek nailed him. In no time the guy was covered with clear jellyfish gook. Goldilocks started to curse up a storm, swearing and threatening that he’d kill them, but Kai and his friends just kept pelting him. Finally the guy put his hands over his head and face and turned away, jogging up the beach until he was out of flying jellyfish range.

  He stopped and glared at them. “This ain’t over, dipshits.”

  “Oh, no?” Derek said. “Then come on back.”

  Goldilocks stormed toward the parking lot, still wiping jellyfish off his face.

  Kai exchanged high fives with Derek and Everett.

  “Way to go, guys,” Kai said. “And seriously, thanks.”

  “Anytime,” Derek said. “That was fun.”

  “I’m lucky you guys had good aim,” Kai said. “He almost got me.”

  “Not a chance.” Derek pointed at a dead horseshoe crab lying on its back in the sun, with flies buzzing around it. “If he’d gotten any closer, I was going to nail him in the face with that.”

  Kai looked down at the dead horseshoe. Dead jellyfish may have been gross, but dead horseshoe crabs were beyond gross. And yet he had no doubt that Derek would have picked it up and smashed Goldilocks with it.

  By now Bean, Booger, and Lucas had come in to shore. Bean had Kai’s board with him. Shauna was still out at Screamers with Everett’s and Derek’s boards. “Dudes, that was crazy! ‘Attacker Repelled by Jellyfish Defense!’” Bean said, like he was quoting a newspaper headline.

  Everett and Derek squatted down and scrubbed their hands vigorously with wet sand to try to get the jellyfish slime off. Then they both dove into the surf and swam back out to the break, where Shauna was waiting with their boards.

  “Anyone else going back out?” Booger asked.

  “I hate to say this,” Bean said. “Even though this is the first time in a week that we’ve got waves, I think I’m gonna split. Something about seeing that guy here has kind of killed it for me for today.”

  “I know what you’re saying,” Kai said. “I’m thinking of packing it in and heading over to Teddy’s. I’m in the middle of a couple of projects.”

  “Okay, guys, catch you later,” Booger said, and picked up his bodyboard.

  That reminded Kai of something. “Can you do me a favor, Booger? When you get out there, tell Shauna to try to set up a little farther from the curl, okay? Like out on the shoulder of the wave. I think she’s starting too deep under the peak. And tell her not to forget to angle the board.”

  “Sure thing, dude.” Booger headed back out.

  That left Lucas, Bean, and Kai on the beach. Kai and Bean were about to pick up their boards and go when Lucas said, “Wait a minute.”

  Kai straightened up. “Yeah?”

  “Did I hear you say something to that guy about Big Dave?” Lucas asked.

  Kai and Bean shared a look. Neither answered. But in a way, their silence was an answer.

  “So what’s going on?” Lucas asked. “I mean, what was that about?”

  “He had a bunch of boards that belong to Curtis,” Kai said. “So Bean and I took them back.”

  “And what’s that got to do with Big Dave?” Lucas asked.

  “Maybe you should ask your father,” Kai said.

  Lucas frowned, but didn’t say anything more. He picked up his board and headed for the water. Bean and Kai walked up the beach with their boards under their arms.

  “How come you didn’t tell him about Big Dave?” Bean asked.

  “Gotta have proof,” Kai said. “I mean, you and I both know that he was almost definitely involved, but why should anyone else believe us?”

  “How’re you gonna get proof?” Bean asked. “Nobody saw him sell the boards to Goldilocks, and you know for sure neither of them would ever admit it”

  “You never know,” Kai said. “Stranger things have happened.”

  Bean stared at him. “You are a mysterious dude, Kai. But I’m past the point where I’d ever think of betting against you.”

  They reached the parking lot and headed for the hearse. Suddenly Bean stopped and muttered, “Shit.”

  Fifteen

  All four tires on the hearse had been slashed and were completely flat.

  “Crap, crap, crap,” Bean growled as he and Kai walked around the car, inspecting the damage.

  Kai felt awful. “It’s my fault, dude. If I hadn’t gotten you involved in this, it never would have happened.”

  Bean didn’t argue. He unlocked the car door and got out his cell phone. “Good thing I’ve got Triple-A. They’ll tow it to the nearest station for free.”

  “Bet they don’t replace the tires for free,” Kai said.

  Bean shook his head.

  Kai waited with Bean until the flatbed truck came. They couldn’t use a tow truck to tow a car with four flat tires. Kai had no idea what car tires cost, only that they couldn’t be cheap because nothing on a car was cheap. He and Bean watch
ed as the driver winched the hearse onto the back of the truck.

  “Know what’s weird?” Bean said. “I’m pissed, but I’m not sorry. I know we did the right thing.”

  “I’ll make it up to you,” Kai said.

  “Thanks, dude, I appreciate the thought. Catch you later.”

  Bean got into the truck with the driver. Kai watched them pull out of the parking lot, then he walked over to Teddy’s. Behind her workshop he rinsed himself off with a garden hose, then stood in the sunlight and let the rays dry him. He let himself into the workshop. The lights were off. “Teddy?”

  No one answered. That was unusual. Teddy was almost always in the shop by that time of the morning.

  Kai crossed the yard to Teddy’s house, stepped up on the porch, and rang the bell. He waited, listening to the wind chimes clink. No one answered, but Kai had a feeling she was home. Of course, she didn’t have to answer her door if she didn’t want to, but it made Kai uncomfortable. Teddy lived alone, and there was always a chance, no matter how slim, that she’d fallen and hurt herself or otherwise needed help for some reason.

  He stepped off the porch and walked around the house, peeking in the windows. He found Teddy in her kitchen, sitting at the table with a cup and a cigarette.

  “Hey,” he said through the window.

  Teddy looked up. While there were no tears visible, her glassy eyes were puffy and red rimmed. That could have been either from lack of sleep or crying. Maybe it didn’t matter.

  “Go away,” she said.

  “I didn’t know you smoked,” Kai said.

  “I don’t.” Her words hung in the air like the smoke drifting up from the embers of the cigarette.

  “How come you’re not in the shop?”

  “I said, go away.”

  “Come on, Teddy.”

  She took a drag on the cigarette, then exhaled a cloud. “Fucking Buzzy did it. He cut me off.”

  “He got a new shaper?”

  “A guy over in Fairport.”

  “Any good?”

  Teddy made a face. “Do you really think Buzzy cares? As long as he makes his money he could give a crap.”

  “Maybe you could work for one of the other shops,” Kai said. “Like Fairport Surf.”

  Teddy smirked. “Pack Petersen would be lucky to sell one custom board a month.”

  “What about opening your own place?” Kai asked.

  Teddy’s eyebrows dipped for a moment. “Oh, right, you and me as partners against Buzzy Frank. How could I forget?”

  “We don’t have to be partners.”

  “That’s for damn sure.”

  “Come on, Teddy.” Kai braced himself for some sharp rebuke, so he was surprised when she turned away from him. He heard her sniff and saw her shoulders tremble.

  In a cracking voice she said, “For the love of God, Kai, go away!”

  Kai went back across the lawn to the workshop, let himself inside, and flicked on the lights. He turned on the radio and got to work buffing a board. Propped in the corner of the room was a nine-footer—shaped, but not yet glassed. It was a “spec” board. One Teddy worked on in her spare time in the hope of selling.

  Kai had an idea. What if he took the round T-L logo he’d done for T-licious and turned it into a TL logo that stood for Theodora Lombard. He could copy the style of the TL Teddy always placed on the stringer of each board. Maybe, if she actually saw what her own brand of custom board would look like, it might inspire her to start her own business. Kai glanced out the window toward the house. It would take a while to draw the logo. There was no way of telling if, or when, Teddy might decide to get to work that day.

  Then again, maybe it didn’t matter.

  Teddy had an airbrush, some spray cans of acrylic lacquer, brushes, tape, pencils, and enough acrylic paints for Kai to do what he needed to do. It was basically the same circular design with T and L in the center. Instead of “Team T-licious” in fancy script forming the perimeter, it would now say “Theodora Lombard Custom Boards.”

  Kai wanted it to be perfect, and it took almost the entire day just to get the outline and lettering right. He was about to start coloring when the workshop door opened and Teddy stepped in. Her eyes focused on the spec board and she scowled. She stepped closer. Kai instinctively moved back, not just to give her room, but in case she decided to grab the power planer and bash him in the skull with it.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” she asked, still staring at the board.

  “I thought maybe if you saw what it would look like …” Kai’s words trailed off as he realized how stupid that must have sounded.

  “What it would look like?” Teddy repeated. “There is no it for it to look like. There’s no Theodora Lombard custom surfboard company, except in your imagination. All you’ve done is ruin a perfectly good board. And that means you now owe me for two boards, not just one.”

  Kai picked up a sheet of sandpaper. “I can sand it off.”

  “No, you can’t,” Teddy said. “Not today. I’ve seen enough of you for one day.”

  Sixteen

  Dinner on Pete’s Hubba Hubba terrace had become a regular event. Not everyone showed up every night—and sometimes Kai and his friends still had pizza at Spazzy’s—but if you were going anywhere else, Pete’s was the place. Lucas and his brahs had their regular table; Kai and his friends had theirs. Everett was still the only one among them who felt comfortable at both.

  The rest of the crowd was mostly vacationers. Pete’s specialized in catering to teenage tourist kids who didn’t want to be seen eating lunch or dinner with their parents. These kids were easy to spot—their skin was either pale because they’d just started vacation, or bright red from too much sun too fast. It was only in contrast to them that Kai realized how darkly tan he and his friends had become since May.

  Pete’s was set up like a school cafeteria. You stood on line and got a tray. Only, instead of picking the food from inside a glass counter, you placed an order, then slid the tray down the rail and picked up drinks. By the time you got to the other end where the cashier was, your chili cheesesteak or slice of pizza or whatever was ready to be picked up.

  When Kai got on line he noticed that Shauna was ahead of him. He was about to say hello (and see if he could jump the line to join her) when he realized that she was standing next to Derek, and that they were talking. Not only talking, but smiling as well. Kai decided to keep his place in line and not bother them.

  A few moments later he picked up his Hubba juice and chili cheeseburger and headed out to the terrace. He saw Shauna sitting by herself at their regular table. Derek had gone over to Lucas’s table to sit with the brahs.

  “Hey,” Kai said, joining Shauna.

  “Hi, Kai.” Shauna flashed him a smile.

  “So’d you finally manage to catch a wave at Screamers today?” he asked.

  “Oh, yes!” Shauna lit up excitedly. “I had this one ride. It was incredible! Probably on the biggest wave I ever rode … I know that’s not saying much for me, but still it was so awesome! I was sideways and everything! Like I could almost reach out and touch the face. I wish you could have seen it!”

  Kai smiled. Hearing her talk about that ride was the definition of pure stoke. But then her expression changed and became more somber. “I heard about Bean’s car. Why’d that guy slash his tires?”

  “He got involved in something that he should have stayed away from,” was all Kai cared to say.

  “Bean did?”

  “No, the other guy,” Kai said. “Although, I guess right now Bean feels that way too.”

  “Do you think the other guy’ll come back again?”

  “Don’t know,” Kai said. “If he does, we’ll just have to deal with him.”

  They ate quietly for a few moments. Kai noticed that Shauna glanced over at Lucas’s table where Derek was sitting. It was hard to imagine those two having anything to talk about, and Kai wasn’t sure how he felt about it.

  “Hey, guys.”
Spazzy joined them, placing a slice and a Coke on the table. “How was it this morning?”

  “Not bad if you don’t mind the occasional mouthful of jellyfish,” Shauna said.

  “I thought you would’ve been out there,” said Kai.

  “Believe me, I would’ve, but big sister put her foot down,” Spazzy said. “As far as she’s concerned, her brother and jellyfish do not swim in the same ocean.”

  “Even though most of them are harmless?” Shauna asked.

  “Most, but not all,” Spazzy said. “Don’t forget who you’re dealing with. Julian read about them in the newspaper yesterday and it was straight to the Internet to find out what kind they were and which might be harmful. So it turns out that the big ones with reddish centers are called Lion’s Manes, and they have tentacles that can cause burning and skin irritations. That was all she had to read and there was no way I was surfing.”

  “Sorry, dude,” Kai said.

  “Hey,” Spazzy said, “she’s come a long way. At least she lets me surf when there are no jellyfish.”

  “Maybe it’s a good thing you weren’t here,” Shauna said. “Would you believe these guys had a jellyfish fight?”

  “No way.” Spazzy grinned.

  “Not with the Lion’s Mane ones,” Kai explained. “Just the round, flat clear ones.”

  “Those are called moon jellies,” Spazzy told them, shaking his head wearily. “Ask me anything you want to know about jellyfish. My sister made me learn every single type found in the northern Atlantic, so I could identify the dangerous ones. I mean, she tested me.”

  “She cares about you,” Shauna said, and checked her watch. “Dinner break’s over. Back to work. See you guys later.”

  Kai watched her get up. As she left she glanced at the table where Derek was sitting, caught his eye and gave him a little wave.

  The sun was setting and a slight breeze swept across the terrace. Unlike the breezes of a summer evening, which often blew warm and moist, this one had a dryness and chill to it. Kai recognized what it meant.

  Spazzy twitched and blinked rapidly, licked the back of his hand and sniffed it, then made some squeaking sounds. Kai knew him well enough by now to know that when he got going like that, it meant something was on his mind.