Anatomy of Evil Read Online Free PDF Page B

“Don’t spoil it. It’s perfect the way it is.”
    The temperatures throughout the trip had remained steady in the eighties with a cooling ocean breeze and no rain. The island’s enormous sprawl of flats and shallow reef meant very little encroachment of other anglers. At times, the island truly felt like a private paradise to its visitors.
    The night before, the hotel treated its guests to a luau, complete with roasted pig, lively dancing and an exuberant musical performance by members of the staff, decorated in colorful native dress.
    For the visitors from Chicago, the stress of their lives back home stripped away in layers with each passing day. Sam expressed he was finding inner peace and healing. “It’s very therapeutic,” he said.
    â€œThis is a real vacation,” said Jake, surrounded by fresh seafood. “Not like last year. We took the kids to one of those big indoor water parks. That was the worst. Standing in line staring at some fat guy’s bacne for 30 minutes to go down a 30-second slide into a pool filled with Band-Aids and phlegm.” He turned to his wife. “Remember that, hon?”
    â€œIt was more for the kids,” said Carol with a gentle smile. “They had a good time.”
    â€œRight,” said Jake. “And this trip is your turn to have fun and relax.”
    Carol’s mind wandered to the children. “I wonder how they’re doing. I hope they’re getting enough to eat. Do you think we should…”
    â€œNo,” said Jake. “They’re fine. They’re big boys. They’re teenagers, not babies. Remember, we weren’t going to worry about them. And we weren’t going to talk about work.” He looked across the table at Gary. “Our first two nights here, all she could do was fret over the kids and worry about her boss and some bank presentation…”
    â€œIt was a very important presentation,” said Carol.
    â€œI don’t know why you bust your ass to make that woman look good,” said Jake. “She just takes all the credit. It’s not fair.”
    â€œHa,” said Gary. “Now you’re the one talking about the office.”
    Jake groaned. “Touché. Let’s change the subject. Let’s talk about something that really matters.” The conversation promptly returned to fishing: effective lures, leaders, hot spots and the ones that got away. The four men had spent most of the past few days fly-fishing in ankle-deep flats, where schools of bonefish traveled the clean inland water, plentiful and visible yet fierce fighters to the end. The men had caught dozens in the 5 to 10 pound range.
    For the first two days, Simon accompanied them to prime locations at the right times and tides. Simon helped spot fish for the guests and shared stories about the island and its history. When Rodney asked more questions about the nuclear tests from the 1950s and 1960s, Simon quickly dismissed them. “That was a long time ago,” he said. “It doesn’t matter now. The fish, the wildlife, everything is clean.”
    Gary’s personal passion was catching the notorious giant trevally, a powerful species that could reach weights of more than 100 pounds. One morning, wading in the flats, a giant trevally three feet long nearly bumped into him before making a hasty escape. “I can still see its dorsal fin,” said Gary, reminiscing at dinner. “I’m not leaving here until I catch one.”
    â€œBe prepared for a nasty tug of war,” said Jake.
    â€œDid you see Simon’s scar?” asked Sam. “It runs across his fingertips where a trevally bit down and wouldn’t let go. Those things are monsters.”
    â€œWell, tomorrow we go monster hunting,” said Gary. “The boat guy is going to be here any minute with the maps.”
    For their final day on the island, the four men planned to take the fishing offshore into