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disappeared from the screen.
    â€œJust one of my many little moments of surfing immortality,” Curtis muttered, and took another swig from the bottle.
    â€œHow’s it make you feel?” Kai asked.
    â€œHow’s it make me feel?” Curtis repeated. “Like crap. Da Bull goes down in the history books. He’s in all the movies, the documentaries—”
    â€œWait a minute,” Kai said. “He’s in the history books because he rode the biggest wavethat had ever been ridden up to that time.”
    â€œYup. I guess that’s what you had to do. Risk your mortal soul for a wave. You know, surfin’s been the love of my life, but I never saw any reason to die for it. Guess that was my downfall.”
    â€œLet me ask you a question,” Kai said. “If you could do it all over again, would you have ridden the wave Noll rode?”
    Curtis grinned. “Only if I knew I was gonna survive.” He hit rewind and wound the shot back to the beginning, then ran it forward. Only after watching it again did he glance back at Kai. “So to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?”
    â€œI need a room,” Kai said.
    Curtis’s eyebrows rose. “Got yourself a hot date?”
    â€œMore like an eviction notice,” Kai said. “My dad and half brother too.”
    â€œWhere are they?” Curtis asked.
    â€œWaiting for a call from me.”
    Curtis reached to the coffee table and picked up a wireless phone and tossed it to him. Kai called Pat and told him it was okay to come over, then put the phone back down.
    â€œSo, how’d you get your sorry butts evicted?” Curtis asked.
    Kai explained that they’d been sleeping in the shop in violation of the lease. “Turns out Buzzy Frank’s our landlord. Or at least his company is.”
    â€œHis company?” Curtis said. “Try compan
ies
. That’s just one of ’em. Christ, Buzzy Friggin’ Frank’s got more companies than a sea urchin’s got spines. Construction, real estate, housing, stores, offices. He probably owns half this goddamn town, and is trying to buy the other half. He’s got a
vision
, you know. A friggin’
concept
of what Sun Haven’s gonna be someday. Only it won’t be called Sun Haven anymore. It’ll be called Buzzy Land.”
    Kai couldn’t help smirking.
    â€œYou know what this place’ll be like if Buzzy gets his way?” Curtis said. “Socially antiseptic and economically germ free. You’ll be able to eat off the friggin’ sidewalks. Only the best stores. Only the best restaurants. Only the best hotels. Only the best people. You know what kind of people are the best kind of people, grommy?”
    â€œThe ones with the most money?”
    â€œSmart little grom, aren’t ya? Damn straight they’re the ones with the most money. And when they come here to Buzzy Land, themore of it they spend, the more of it winds up in Buzzy Friggin’ Franks pocket. Which is just the way Buzzy Friggin’ Frank wants it.”
    â€œBut if he already owns the surf shop and all this property and companies, he must be doing pretty well,” Kai said.
    Curtis grinned. “Buzzy Friggin’ Frank’s doing way better than just pretty well, my grommy little friend. Buzzy Friggin’ Franks the richest man in town. He’s already got more money than he knows what to do with. Know the Simpsons? Well, Buzzy Friggin’ Frank’s our very own Mr. Burns.”
    â€œIf he’s got so much, why does he still want more?” Kai asked.
    Curtis took another hit off his bottle. “You don’t want me to get all philosophical on your butt, do ya, grommy?”
    â€œCan you keep it simple?” Kai asked.
    â€œI can try,” Curtis said. “The short answer? Fear of death.”
    Kai frowned. “Buzzy Frank thinks if he gets rich enough he won’t die?”
    â€œWell, it