The Tsunami Countdown

FOUR

8:58 a.m.

As was usual on Oahu, the May morning was bright blue, with just a few wisps of mist perched on the mountains northeast of Honolulu. The flowers lining the path contributed their sweet aroma to the ocean breeze that tickled the trees. The forecast was eighty and sunny. Kai sighed contentedly as he soaked in the warmth. Teresa and the kids couldn’t have picked better weather for a day at the beach. They were busy packing the boogie boards into the Jeep when the center’s security gate hummed to life. Kai saw a jet black Harley idling on the other side, the distinctive exhaust gurgling.

“Oh no,” he said.

“What’s with the Hell’s Angel?” Teresa said.

“It’s Brad.”

“The playboy, huh? This ought to be good.”

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“Believe me, I’m immune. Divorce will do that for you. What’s he doing here?”

“I have no idea, but I bet I won’t like it.” Since Kai’s move back to Hawaii, Brad stopped by on a regular basis to pester Kai into doing something crazy with him, usually while Kai was supposed to be working.

Brad tore up the drive at a rate that Kai didn’t think possible. He screeched to a stop next to the group, hopped off his bike, and flipped off his mirrored helmet in one move. Kai felt a flare of envy at Brad’s effortless grace, which complemented his rugged surfer-dude appeal.

Brad ruffled his fingers through his thick blond hair and clapped Kai on the shoulder.

“Great day for a round of golf, wouldn’t you say?” Brad waved to the sky as if it had bestowed this day at his request.

Before Kai could answer, Lani ran up and jumped into Brad’s arms.

“Uncle Brad!”

“Hello, my darlin’!” He spun her around and then dropped her and gave her a huge smile. “You are looking as pretty as ever. What? You’re heading to the beach and didn’t invite me?”

Another voice piped up. It was Mia.

“You can come with us if you want,” she said, her eyes wide at the sight of Brad’s tight T-shirt, muscular arms, and sky blue eyes. Her mouth was slightly agape, as if she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. He usually had that effect on women, even thirteen-year-olds.

“And you must be the lovely Mia I’ve heard so much about.” Brad took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. Kai thought Mia would melt into the pavement.

“And I must be her mother, Teresa Gomez,” Teresa said. She seemed unaffected by Brad’s physical gifts and looked a little disturbed at her daughter’s reactions to this thirty-five-year-old smooth talker.

“Brad Hopkins.” They shook hands. “So you’re the doctor?”

“Third-year resident.”

“Well, it’s great you got some time off to come visit. I see you’re ready to enjoy our fine weather.” Brad looked her in the eye, but Kai knew he had already given her tall, tan figure the once-over from behind that mirrored visor.

Teresa rolled her eyes, but Kai could see that she was amused. “Your brother is exactly like you said he was.”

Even though the only physical feature Brad and Kai shared was their six-foot height, they were indeed brothers. Half brothers, specifically. When Kai was four, his father died of cancer. Kai’s mother remarried within a year. She was wooed by Charles Hopkins, owner of Hopkins Realty, one of the most successful real estate companies in the islands. They immediately produced Kai’s little brother, Brad, and Charles adopted Kai. Although Kai kept his birth father’s last name, they were a close family. But it was apparent from an early age that Charles was grooming Brad to take over the business. That was fine with Kai. He had no interest in real estate or business. Science was always his passion.

When their parents died in a car crash five years ago, the estate had been split between them, but Brad kept control of the company. Being a consummate playboy, he enjoyed the freedom the business gave him. He could party all night, play golf the next morning, and still have time to close a major hotel deal before the sun set. No wife, no kids, no responsibility for anything but his business. Even though Kai loved his life, sometimes he wished he could trade places with Brad.

Brad flicked his eyes at Kai. “So I hope all you heard was good things about me.”

“Don’t worry, haole,” Kai said. “Your dark secrets are safe with me.”

“Haole?” Teresa said to Brad. “That your nickname?” Brad laughed. “To some people. It’s Hawaiian for ‘white boy.’ At least he didn’t call me ‘ass-haole.’”

Kai shook his head in mock disgust. “See what I have to deal with? I’m thinking about changing the gate code. Again.”

“It is so freakin’ boring around here, you need me to come in and liven things up.” Brad winked at Teresa. “I swear, this is the most secure nerd farm in the world. I don’t know why they need a fence around this place, anyway. Who wants to break in here?”

“That decision was before my time, after the Oklahoma City bombing. I suppose the higher-ups thought some nut would think we were a secret CIA base and try to blow us up.”

“Whatever. Come on, Kai. Let’s go shoot a round of golf.”

“I have work to do this morning. Some of us work most days.”

“Today is Memorial Day, you know. A holiday?”

“Not for me. The director is on vacation, so I’m in charge while he’s gone.”

“So give yourself the day off,” Brad said. “Hop on.”

“You know there’s no way I’m getting on that thing. You drive like a maniac, and I hate donorcycles.” Kai had adopted Teresa’s nickname for motorcycles, so-called because a disproportionate number of organ donations came from motorcycle crash victims. “You’re about as likely to get me on that thing as I am to get you scuba diving.”

Brad’s smile vanished. “That’s not funny.”

“Why not?” Teresa said.

“He had a scuba diving accident a long time ago.”

“It wasn’t an accident,” Brad said with a scowl. “It was a near-death experience.” “You’ve got my attention,” Teresa said. “What happened?”

“He’s exaggerating,” Kai said. “Nobody got hurt. We were diving in a shipwreck off Oahu, and a rusty bulkhead came apart, blocking the door. Brad got locked inside, and his oxygen gauge almost pegged zero before we could get him out.”

“Now I know why you were reluctant about the scuba camp,” Teresa said.

“I didn’t want to scare you.”

“He should scare you,” Brad said. “My Harley is a hundred times safer than scuba diving.”

“I’m not coming with you,” Kai said.

“Okay,” Brad said, and the smile returned bigger than ever. “But you’re missing out on some easy money. I’m playing with a couple of guys from Ma‘alea Realty. They have no idea you and I are two-handicaps. I’ve already got them up to twenty bucks per hole. With any luck, I can double it with a little creative playing on the first couple of holes.”

“I’m not going to swindle a couple of guys out of their money. If they want to play a fair round … Wait a minute. Why am I even talking about this? I’m not going.”

“If you want to spend the day inside, it’s your loss.” Brad turned to Teresa. “I’ll buy you a mai tai tonight at the luau and dispel all those lies Kai told you.” Brad lowered his voice and spoke into Kai’s ear. “Make sure my seat is next to Teresa’s.” Then he made a slight bow to the girls. “Ciao, ladies!”

In a well-choreographed motion, Brad put his helmet on, fired up the Harley, and peeled off, much to Lani and Mia’s delight. When he was gone, the girls finished putting their supplies in the Jeep.

“He’s a good guy,” Kai said, “but he can be a little much to take.”

“Don’t you dare let Rachel try to play matchmaker. I’m very happy being on my own right now.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Kai said. “I’ll make sure you don’t get stuck with him all night.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” she said, climbing in. She unrolled her window and nodded at the center’s main building, a low, squat structure typical of the government cinder-block construction from the 1940s. It was bland but tidy, with a fresh coat of whitewash and neatly manicured hedges. The words “Richard H. Hagemeyer Pacific Tsunami Warning Center” were emblazoned on the front of the building in large letters, honoring a longstanding director of the National Weather Service. It was only a hundred yards from Kai’s house.

“Must be nice being a thirty-second walk from the office,” Teresa said.

“Not always.”

“I get it. The good part is being close to work. The bad part is being close to work.”

“Exactly.”

Teresa laughed. “All right, you two,” she said to the girls. “Seat belts.”

“Oh, I almost forgot,” Kai said. “Rachel wants you to call her on your way.”

“Okay. And I might as well get your number in case I have to reach you.” Teresa dug her cell phone from her purse and flipped it open. “Oh, crap!”

“What’s the matter?” Kai said.

“I didn’t charge my phone last night. The battery is almost dead.”

“Now, don’t you wish we had my cell phone here?” Mia said.

Teresa swiveled in her seat. “What I wish is that I had taken it away from you before we got that bill for three hundred dollars’ worth of text messages last month.” She swung back around to Kai. “What’s your number?” Their fingers pecked at the phones as they traded info.

“I’ll just talk to Rachel for a minute,” Teresa said. “If I don’t answer my phone, you’ll know why.”

“No problem,” Kai said.

They gave a wave and were off. Kai patted Bilbo on the head.

“Looks like it’s just us boys now,” he said, but the dog was already sniffing around the hibiscus bushes and making his mark.

Kai’s cell phone rang. He opened it assuming it was Rachel, but the caller ID told him it was the PTWC. He punched the Talk button and heard the voice of Reggie Pona, the only other geophysicist staffing the Center that morning.

“Hey, Kai,” Reggie said. “I tried you at home but no answer. Are you around?”

“I’m standing outside. Just saw the family off.”

“As you can see, the tour group isn’t here yet. But I thought you might want a few minutes to look at something before they get here.”

“Why? What’s up?”

“I just issued a tsunami bulletin.”