“There’s something I want to ask you,” I shouted to Michael. “What exactly are you planning to do to Calvin, as I’m getting his confession on tape?”
“It depends on how much he cooperates!” Michael leaned in so I could hear him over the wind and waves. “I should ask what you’re going to say.”
“I could tell him that I was bodysurfing at the hotel beach and got pushed along his way by the current.”
“It’s pretty dark to be bodysurfing.”
“Oh. Maybe I was washed up along that horrible pile of rocks earlier, and was trying to find my way across them, and his house was closer than the rest of the resort?”
“Now you’re talking…What is it, Kurt?”
On the other end of the dinghy, Kurt was shouting something about rocks.
“We don’t want to hit the rocks, so we’re going to drop anchor here,” Michael translated. “We’re going to have to swim or wade in the rest of the way.”
“No way!” To me, it looked like we were at least three hundred feet from the shore. It was going to be a challenge for me to get in, given the darkness and size of the waves, and I wasn’t sure how we were going to get out, either.
Michael leaned over to kiss me, and spoke in my ear. “Look how close the lights of the house are now. You can hang on to the strap of my lifejacket, if things get rough.”
After the rowboat was secured, Kurt slipped into the water and started walking, using a series of hand signals to indicate to us where the rocks were. Michael and I followed, and I was grateful for the buoyancy the life vest gave me. The hardest thing was not swallowing water from the giant waves and their spray. Kurt reached the beach in what seemed like five minutes, while Michael and I continued to struggle.
“It looks as if Kurt’s started the reconnaissance,” Michael called out to me. “Notice how he’s creeping into shore-typical Navy Seal.”
I didn’t answer because a massive wave was building, starting to pull me into its undertow. I wouldn’t be able to fight it, but would it separate me from Michael?
I grabbed the strap on his life vest with both hands, and we were flung about like a toy, knocking against each other painfully.
“You’re pushing me down,” Michael said, when we came out of it. “Can you relax a little?”
“Yes, I’ll just pretend I’m in the Kainani pool,” I said as I loosened my hold. “Someone will be coming around with a low glycemic index mango smoothie for me any minute.”
“Make mine strawberry, with extra sugar.”
That made me laugh. “Michael, I’ve decided something.”
“Mmm?”
“If we make it in, and I recover from my injuries, I’ll definitely marry you.”
Michael didn’t answer, and suddenly, the wind was awfully loud. There was now a different feel to the water-not of power building behind, but something underneath. Michael finally spoke between hard breaths. “It’s a rip tide, and it’s going to move us. Just let me hold you.”
The water pushed us again, and when I opened my eyes, I couldn’t see Kurt on the beach anymore.
“Damn, I lost my belt. Did you see it?” Michael asked.
I shook my head.
“Well, at least we’ve got you.”
Michael’s hold seemed to be stronger, as if he were pulling me in on both sides of my body, not just my left. In confusion I looked to other side, and saw Kurt’s face.
“Need a hand?”
“Thanks,” said Michael shortly, loosening his hold of me as the new, massive arms encircled me.
“Took me a while to catch up with you, but I saw where the current was heading,” Kurt said. As he powered me to shore, I relaxed in relief, unable to do anything but breathe.
“What the hell happened here? Mikey forgot how to swim?” Kurt asked as the shore grew closer.
“Kurt, give us a hand getting Rei to shore. I’ve got to find my belt, which ripped off in the waves.”
As Michael searched the water, I lay on the beach, catching my breath. It was dark, and there seemed to be only giant globs of seaweed and a discarded potato-chips bag nearby. The prospect of abandoning the mission, because we’d lost our equipment, seemed almost tempting. But then I thought about what Calvin had done to my father and me, and knew, as Michael had said, there could be no going back.
36
“THAT WAS CLOSE,” Michael said to Kurt, when he finally swam back in, nothing in hand. “Thanks a lot.”
“Yes, thank you,” I echoed.
Kurt shrugged his hulking shoulders. “You two could have made it, but I was getting bored just hanging by myself.”
“I can’t believe I lost my belt.” Michael sounded grim. Now Karen and Parker won’t know what’s going on.”
“Do you want me to look for it?” Kurt asked.
“I don’t think there’s any point. We can get him on tape; all that equipment’s inside Rei’s wetsuit.”
“Yes, I’m wearing everything we really need. I think we should just get it over with,” I said in a voice that was braver than I felt.
“Remember, I don’t want you going inside the house. It’s important for your safety,” Michael said.
“OK. But I’ll have to connect with Calvin, and that could mean knocking on the door, stepping in the kitchen for a moment-”
“Enough chatter,” Kurt said. “When I was checking the house out, I saw an Asian guy through the downstairs windows, in a huge room-I guess you could call it a home theater, or entertainment center. I’d like one just like it, only there’s the problem of my military salary.”
“So Calvin really was planning to listen to music.” I told them what Tom had told me.
“I don’t know if there’s music on because the windows were closed. All I can tell you is he was dancing like a fool,” Kurt said. “Check out that second-floor balcony. Beautiful entry point.”
Michael cleared his throat. “Ordinarily, Kurt, I’d say have fun, but there is no need for a home invasion. Calvin will answer the door when Rei calls on him, and we’ll just back her up as needed.”
Kurt looked ticked off, so I smiled at him and said, “There are jobs for everyone. Michael, will you please help me turn on the recorder inside my wetsuit? When that’s fixed, Kurt can give us a tour around the house and explain what else he noticed. We’ll go from there.”
KURT HAD SPOTTED a lot of interesting details, including which windows were locked and where the house alarms were, but he’d missed one crucial detail, which I was to discover myself: the front door had no buzzer, bell or knocker. I knocked, and there was no response. I realized that probably nobody ever came to the front door, because all visitors would use the buzzer at the gate.
I silently rehearsed my cover story about the body surfing, and thought about what I’d do if I’d washed up at a house like this and felt desperate. I trekked around the house, heading for the big ground-floor lanai, a tropical fantasy veranda with its own pool and an elegant bar. Beyond that were ground-to-ceiling sliding glass doors leading to the entertainment room, lit up to reveal a massive flat screen television playing VH1 and low chairs upholstered in what looked like black velvet. On the wall, I spotted a few Haruki Murukami paintings. The object of my pursuit, Calvin Morita, was not in there.
I continued around the house and finally saw him illuminated through the window of a stainless steel and marble luxury kitchen. Calvin was mixing himself a cocktail, with blue and yellow liquids. I rapped on the door here, which had a glass window, and called his name. Clearly startled at first, he identified me, smiled, and moved toward the kitchen door.
“Rei! This is a quite a surprise.” He opened the door wide, and stepped back to allow me entrance.
“For me, too.” I was breathing audibly, because I was nervous; I hoped he took that as a sign that I’d just come out of the water. “I was body surfing around sunset, and the waves carried me right past the hotel beach. I started climbing my way back to land over the rocks, but it got so dark I didn’t know if I’d make it…I hope you don’t mind me coming this way…”