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Once again Hyienna tried not to think about movies as he paid the friendly cab driver and crossed the quiet road outside Solomon’s house. Strictly speaking it was Solomon and Sarah’s house, although that description didn’t sit well as Sarah’s fiancé didn’t strike him as the sharing type. Still, sharing type or not, he’d been invited back to the house, and it was immediately clear that Solomon liked to throw a good party. Hyienna mentally checked himself as he silently speculated that Solomon saw it as more of a chance to show off than to extend any warm hospitality to family and friends. He silently remonstrated with himself and wondered exactly when he’d become so negative and cynical; before answering his own unspoken question. It was obvious really.
“Good evening, Sir. Can I help you?”
Hyienna blinked at the neatly dressed security guard outside the gate. He wondered how long he’d been standing there arguing with himself. Hopefully it wasn’t too long, and hopefully it had been a silent dialogue. It wasn’t always. “Hi, yeah, I’m here for the party.”
The large man at the gate appeared neither sceptical nor impressed. “May I see your invitation please?”
Invitation? No one had said anything about an invitation. “Well, I’m Hyienna, Sarah’s cousin.”
“I see. Lucky for you she said you’d be dropping by.” The guard put his hand in the pocket of his black jacket and a moment later the heavy steel gates of Casa Hermoso swung open.
“Thanks.” Hyienna quickly walked onto the drive before the guard realised, he’d never asked for any sort of ID. A second or two later it occurred to him that the security guy wasn’t that stupid and the whole exchange had been monitored by the camera mounted discreetly beside the gate. Hell, they’d probably watched him get out of the cab and stand in the road like an idiot before the guy at the gate finally spoke up.
Despite all that, he was in and walking down the smooth driveway, illuminated by small LED lights sunk into the surface on either side. Not too bright, they had the effect of deepening the shadows cast by the foliage rising above the low wall running the length of the drive. Burning braziers would’ve made the whole experience more atmospheric, but the lights did a pretty good job as Hyienna rounded the shallow bend in the drive and saw the house revealed in a blaze of light, which was expected, although the thumping reggae beat was a surprise. As usual, Hyienna hadn’t really known what to expect, but the sounds reverberating in the warm evening were something altogether unexpected.
He stopped at the edge of the large turning circle and began picking his way through the cars carefully packed into the limited space, wondering what would happen if the first person to arrive wanted to leave early. Lucky, he hadn’t driven over as there would be nowhere to park, plus his little Lambretta would’ve been distinctly out of place. He felt self-conscious enough already with his limited wardrobe and he hoped he wouldn’t look too much the misfit when he stepped inside.
The heavy front door was ajar and there was no obvious security presence, although Hyienna had no doubt that the guy on the gate wasn’t alone. Hyienna looked down at his boots, silently thankful that he’d decided to hire a cab and save them from that film of fine Mediterranean dust that endlessly swirled around the windswept island.
Well, this was the moment, it was now never. Hyienna wondered why he was feeling so nervous; he never used to be that way, but a difficult period in Barcelona had left its mark and he harboured a secret fear that someone would recognise him as the guy who was involved in that kid’s disappearance. That hadn’t happened yet, although the internet guaranteed it was just a matter of time. He just hoped he could at least make a few half decent acquaintances before the rumours followed him across the ocean.
Realising that he was once more standing in front of a door while debating with himself, Hyienna took a deep breath and grasped the polished silver handle. A blast of thudding music and laughter rushed out to greet him like a disembodied spirit, ushering him inside to join the party. A cloud of incense, cigarette smoke and what smelled suspiciously like ganja rolled past him and escaped into the warm evening air, a genie of joviality released into the quiet countryside.
For a few seconds he just stood there, finding his feet as he let his brain catch up with what his eyes were witnessing. In truth Hyienna didn’t really know what one of Solomon’s parties might look like and he was finding it difficult to process mentally.
The hallway was a jumble of men and women lounging, leaning, standing, and talking in a haze of intoxicating smoke. Although the clothes were obviously different, the first thought that popped into Hyienna’s head was one of oddly exotic bars from that old Blade Runner movie. There was a strange, almost indefinable eroticism in the air as Hyienna slowly made his way along the hall. Women smiled seductively as he passed while men nodded politely in greeting, despite the fact they were all strangers. Maybe it was all the weed smoke laying heavy in the atmosphere, but Hyienna felt like a gate crasher, a fraud expecting to feel the heavy hand of a security guard on his shoulder at any moment.
He slowly made his way along the hall, following the sound of the thudding bass he figured must be out the back near the pool...and hopefully the bar.
Having threaded his way through the long lounge and out to the pool area, Hyienna was relieved to spot what looked like a small wooden bar area complete with rustic tiled roof. He also spotted Kate standing beside it. They were still some distance apart, but Hyienna clearly saw her smile and raise her classic martini glass in his direction. If he didn’t know better, he’d say that Kate was the real hostess of this lively party, keeping a benign yet watchful eye on her guests as she chatted to various partygoers as they refilled their drinks. Effortlessly elegant in a long white off the shoulder number, the glittering gems resting on her ample bust winked and glimmered as she moved, catching the attention of all passers-by. Curiously, even though it was clear that she knew nearly everybody, Kate never engaged in any long conversations; she merely exchanged a pleasantry or two before resuming her smiling vigil beside the bar.
Hyienna decided he needed a beer, plus Kate was only one of three people he even vaguely knew in the whole place, so the bar was his most logical destination. He could feel Kate’s eyes patiently following him as he weaved his way through the revellers around the pool. As he made his way towards the bar, Hyienna couldn’t figure out whether he was underdressed for the occasion. All the guys seemed to be in suit jackets and trousers of some sort, yet nobody paid any attention to his jeans and boots, or at least nobody made it obvious.
Kate’s smile broadened to show her perfect white teeth as Hyienna finally reached his goal. For a moment he was trapped in indecision; all he really wanted was a cold drink on a warm night and he wondered if his choice of drink might make him seem like a bit of a rube. He toyed with the idea of asking the barman for a glass of wine, but then figured that would just make him look like a guy in a leather jacket trying to blend in by drinking wine; and no way would he be able to carry off one of Kate’s 007 martini glasses. Eventually he opted for the safer and more honest option of a beer straight from the bottle. He decided right there and then to just let Hyienna be who he was and let the chips fall where they may. At least that would make one small aspect of his life easy to manage.
Kate’s smile beamed brighter still as she stepped forward and kissed his cheeks French style. She smelled good and Hyienna was more than a little relieved when she spoke first. “Hey there! Glad you could make it to our little shindig. So, what do you think?” She raised her eyebrows and smiled in not such a seductive but more of a playful manner, as though she was engaged in some sort of game.
Hyienna immediately understood what Sarah had been trying to tell him on the beach. Although he was desperately trying not to think in clichés, he couldn’t help it as the raunchy thudding of the sound system faded away, leaving just the two of them stranded between a beer and a martini while the world span away into a blur of distant colour and sound. He blinked rapidly, realising he’d better say something, but as usual he drew a blank when it really mattered. That had long been a problem for him. Hyienna knew he wasn’t bad looking and neither was he socially awkward as such, it was just that, like so many guys, he felt cripplingly self-conscious around attractive women. At last, some words tumbled from his mouth. “I think I’m talking to the most beautiful and engaging woman here.”
Kate’s smile widened and she winked. “Right answer, Casanova.”
Hyienna mentally kicked himself for uttering such a hackneyed line, despite his thinking it was true. He couldn’t even blame the booze so early in the evening.
The cheeky, seductive grin remained on Kate’s face as she stared playfully at him. “So, know many people around here?”
He couldn’t help smiling, even though he knew she was teasing him just a little bit. “Oh yeah, there’s Jack the lion tamer over there, and on the way in I saw Jodie the ferret farmer.”
Kate played along. “I’m glad Jack’s here, lion tamers are so exciting, not like ferret farmers.” She pulled a face. “So, you just gonna hang out with me at the bar all night?”
Hyienna shrugged. “It’s a tough job but someone’s got to do it.” He immediately cringed inwardly, certain that his playful response had crossed some sort of invisible and unknowable line. Thus, he was more than a little surprised when Kate suddenly grabbed his hand and started pulling him towards the house.
“Well, if you’re gonna hang out with me then you’d better come and meet some people. Let’s see if we can find your ferret farmer.” Kate winked and waved to a woman from across the pool as she steered him in that direction.
Hyienna just managed to grab his beer from the bar as he let himself be led into the fray. He knew it could be a bit of a bumpy ride socially speaking but it was too late for half arsed excuses, he was in it up to his neck.
* * *
HYIENNA WAS RELIEVED to see to see the house was becoming less crowded as he flopped into a vacant armchair. Taking a sip of beer, he watched the comings and goings around the pool through the white chiffon curtains that billowed in the cool night breeze. He had no idea what time it was and in truth he didn’t much care. Finding out would be as simple as looking at his battered but reliable old watch, yet there was something oddly liberating about not knowing the hour.
He needed just to chill out and ground himself for a little while. At some point in the endless avalanche of introductions and shallow small talk, Kate had somehow turned into Sarah, which was an agreeable enough swap. It was good to see the old excitable Sarah again as he let her lead him around the place just as Kate had done, proudly introducing her little cousin to all and sundry. There was this guy who did something in banking, and that woman who ran a travel agent and so on and so forth. Everyone had been very polite and gracious, although Hyienna had never found mingling with strangers especially easy. Luckily his cousin knew it and so she didn’t leave him dangling for too long before she made her excuses and dragged him off to meet the next knot of good-looking people. Hyienna just hoped none of them spoke to him again because they were just too many names to remember. It was a funny thing though, because the one name he could recall was that of Nathaniel, the mysterious guy on the beach below the Green Lizard Inn. It seemed like he was a bit of a local celebrity although nobody could quite explain why. He was some international man of mystery, or so it seemed; a man with a mysterious past who grew up in an orphanage, or escaped from political persecution, or maybe it was the law depending on who you were listening to. In fact, the mysterious man with sand in his shoes was such a talking point Hyienna was surprised he hadn’t bumped into him at the party. He’d considered asking his cousin why the famous Nathaniel was not there tonight, but some peculiar and inexplicable instinct cautioned against it. He had no rational cause for thinking it was a bad idea to raise the subject, but he’d learned to trust his instincts since the tragedy in Barcelona, and that conviction had grown even stronger since the mysterious incident of the witch and the rucksack. The witch and the rucksack; hardly the title for some bestselling children’s book, but it was the most appropriate description he could come up with on the spot. Once again Hyienna’s mind wandered back to the mysterious bag of shimmering nothingness waiting patiently in the darkness of his battered wardrobe. Waiting...that was an interesting choice of words and one that was probably more appropriate in this case. He had no doubt that the thing that the rucksack was waiting for the right time make its purpose known to him.
Hyienna nodded and raised his half-drunk beer to a young man who walked through the lounge and out towards the pool. The man nodded and smiled in return but thankfully he didn’t engage in conversation, because he was one of the many whose names were already forgotten. All Hyienna could remember for sure was that he was a lawyer of some kind; at least he thought that was the guy.
He laid back in the soft leather armchair and just let the sounds from the system wash over him. Clearly the party was starting to wind down as the music was a little more chilled out and the place was a little less crowded, although there was still plenty of enthusiasm to go around as the relaxing sounds of whatever fashionably obscure artist the DJ had chosen gently tapped and echoed around the modernist facade of Solomon’s house.
Solomon! That thought was a strange one because it suddenly occurred to Hyienna that he hadn’t seen the big guy all night. It struck him as rather strange as he figured Solomon would’ve been right in the thick of things. After all it was a perfect chance to show off his house, his wealth and his general coolness, which made his absence all the more inexplicable. Still, it didn’t really matter because he was having a great time just chilling in his armchair, having been introduced to what felt like half of Formentera. He closed his eyes and the first thing he saw was Kate. Sarah had been dead right; she really was a strange, compelling and completely alluring woman. He hadn’t spent much time in her company, but he understood exactly what Sarah meant when she’d told him that Kate could make anyone fall in love with her. Bewitching, that was the word.
Hyienna wasn’t sure if he’d dropped off to sleep for a while before he noticed a change in the pitch and tempo of the voices around the pool. The general ebb and flow of conversation and laughter had been interrupted by a new, jagged tone of raised voices, several of them.
Curious and a little surprised, Hyienna rose from his chair and stepped through the open patio doors leading to the large and tastefully illuminated pool area. He heard the splash before he had time to focus in and figure out what was happening. However, it quickly became obvious as the partygoers rapidly made space for the three young guys who were squaring up to each other, plus a fourth who was cursing liberally as he clambered out of the pool with as much dignity as he could muster, which wasn’t a lot.
Hyienna’s eyes flicked across to the bar area, where he caught sight of Kate casually sipping her martini as she watched the confrontation with a strange mixture of interest and detachment that almost defied description.
It wasn’t clear exactly what was happening, although Hyienna had long ago learned it was a bad idea to go diving into the middle of somebody else’s fight. Despite that, he immediately started forward as he spotted Sarah rapidly making her way towards the young men who’d just graduated to the shoving stage. There were just seconds before the punches started, and by Hyienna’s reckoning that would be the moment his cousin stepped into the fray to cool things down. He rapidly walked around the edge of the pool and had just reached the first corner when the conspicuously absent security made a shock and awe appearance.
Hyienna stopped and watched open mouthed as Seth and two other large guys waded into the young men and ruthlessly extinguished any hint of resistance. He saw Sarah’s hand rise to her mouth as they both watched Seth drop the loudest of the group with a well-placed elbow strike to the side of the head. The young man just folded to the ground, while his buddy’s protestations were cut short as Seth stepped forward and jabbed him hard in the solar plexus with the heel of his hand. The two remaining guys had already surrendered, but that didn’t save them from being bent double by painful arm locks and marched out through a small side gate. Two more security guards suddenly appeared to pick up the gasping and the unconscious before bundling them out the same way. The whole incident was over in less than a minute, leaving the onlookers in a state of surprise and shock as the DJ cranked up a jaunty reggae beat to lighten the mood.
Hyienna glanced back towards the bar area and saw that Kate had barely raised a pencilled eyebrow at the whole incident; although Sarah was clearly upset as she spoke quickly and quietly to Seth. From where Hyienna was standing, there could be no doubt that Seth was in charge of security. He was the biggest of a bunch of already big guys while the black jacket rule didn’t apply to him, his plain black T-shirt struggling to cope with his oversized biceps. Just like in the car, Seth’s Hammer of God tattoo was clearly visible and once again it caught Hyienna’s attention. Not for the first time it made him wonder about its significance as he knew that gym junkies like Seth were either heavily inked or didn’t go in for that stuff at all. It looked like Solomon’s security guy had made an exception for just this one special image, and Hyienna found that intriguing as he watched the exchange between Seth and his cousin from across the pool.
Sarah was very shaken, and while Seth wasn’t exactly rude, neither was he especially interested in what she was saying. He had one of those inscrutable Secret Service vibes about him as he clasped his hands together and leaned forward to better hear her.
There was no trace of any disturbance or any of the protagonists by the time Hyienna had made it to the bar, save for a wet patch where the hapless guy had clambered out of the pool. He looked first at Sarah and then at Seth before he realised, he had no idea what he was going to say.
Somewhat unexpectedly, Seth came to the rescue by speaking first. His voice was every bit as low as his appearance suggested, although his words were pointedly directed towards Sarah. “A lady shouldn’t have to see such things, but that’s the fault of young men with too much beer and too little discipline.”
Sarah’s voice was quieter than usual. “Did you really have to hit them so hard?”
Hyienna was about to interject until he saw that Seth was preparing to speak once more. The big man holding what almost amounted to a proper conversation was such a surprise that Hyienna found himself waiting with bated breath, while his eyes once again focused on the incongruous tattoo adorning Seth’s arm.
Solomon’s head of security took a deep breath, and his voice softened a little, although it lost none of its intimidating bass tone. “I once watched a man bleed out on the street for the crime of telling some punk parked at the corner to turn his music down. We’re only here for a short time before we are called, and that time is far more precarious than most of us will ever know. You have the right to disapprove, but everyone’s still alive and nobody’s seriously hurt. The rest is just noise.”
Hyienna was somewhat taken aback by Seth’s eloquence as he’d just assumed the big guy would be a monosyllabic Conan type. The strong African accent was also a surprise as he’d mentally allocated some kind of south LA patter to him as well. So much for assumptions. He was even more lost for words when he watched Sarah turn on her heel without a word. Once again, he was left just standing there without really knowing what to say or do, and once again Seth came to the rescue.
The big man stepped forward and spoke quietly. “Solomon sends his apologies. He’s sorry that he hasn’t been here to meet you or his other guests, but he’s got some important business to take care of. In fact, he asked me to find you and take you to his office.”
“And where is that?” Hyienna asked.
Seth wasn’t waiting for a response, and he was already at the corner of the pool when he turned back and jerked his head, indicating that Hyienna should follow.
Hyienna didn’t really feel like he had much of a choice, so he followed.
* * *
SOLOMON’S PRIVATE OFFICE was hidden upstairs in a quiet corner of the house, and it was pretty much exactly how Hyienna expected it would be. Although he didn’t like to admit it, he did feel kind of like a big shot as Seth opened a large pair of double doors and ushered him inside. Sure enough, there were enough abstract sculptures and leather sofas to make Solomon’s office a perfect location for some end of season showdown from one of those unending daytime soaps.
Seth quietly closed the door and stood beside it. Although he could be surprisingly unobtrusive for such a large man, his unspoken message was clear. They were not to be disturbed and neither would anyone be leaving until the boss said so.
Solomon was on the phone, and he just carried on with his call as though he hadn’t noticed anyone come in, even though he obviously had. “And that’s it? Nothing else? What do you mean by weird? What kind of noise? So, it’s not actually making a noise? But you just said it was. That doesn’t make sense, it’s either making some sort of sound or it isn’t. Well, just take a quick look. I doubt very much if it’s booby-trapped. Look, just do the job and do it properly. I don’t understand; why can’t you just open it up and take a look inside?”
Reminding himself that he didn’t actually work for Solomon, and neither was he still at school, Hyienna settled himself on a comfortable black sofa as the King of Casa Hermoso laid down the law. He hadn’t set out to listen; in fact, he began to wonder if maybe he was supposed to overhear the conversation.
At last, it seemed like King Solomon was wrapping up. “Look, I gotta go, so you just do what you’re supposed to and get back to me later.” At last, he hung up and leaned casually against his oversized desk. Reaching behind him he picked up a heavy whiskey tumbler and took a sip, all the while his eyes never leaving Hyienna’s. “Sorry I couldn’t catch up with everyone at the party. Business, you know how it is. Can I fix you a drink?”
“Nah, I’m good thanks.” Hyienna suddenly realised that he didn’t know how many beers he’d drunk that evening. He wasn’t seeing double or slurring, but neither was he stone cold sober. That was suddenly a disconcerting thought as he wondered if anyone knew where he was.
Solomon nodded approvingly. “A grown man should know his limits, unlike some of the kids around here.” He shifted his gaze to the big man by the door. “I hear there was a little dust up just now.”
Seth’s shoulders barely shifted as he shrugged. “Nothing serious, just kids and booze, that’s all.”
Solomon took a sip of scotch. “I don’t like having my guests unsettled like that. This isn’t some Ibiza strobe club.”
Seth said nothing.
Hyienna desperately wanted to turn his head and look at the big man behind him, but he thought it would make him look nervous, which was something he wanted to avoid because he actually was nervous. He felt a little calmer when he heard the door behind him quietly open and close as Seth resumed his security duties.
Solomon continued to stare for a few seconds before he tipped his head back, swallowed the last of his scotch and placed the tumbler carefully on the desk beside him. He tapped his fingertips together, looked down and sighed heavily before meeting Hyienna’s gaze once again. “Look, I was out of order before. I know I can come on a bit strong sometimes, but that’s only because I’ve had to fight for what I’ve got.” He pointed to the door behind Hyienna’s head. “Seth is just the same; in fact, he had a harder start in life than I did.”
Hyienna felt he should say something. “He was pretty rough on those kids out there.”
Solomon shook his head dismissively. “No, he wasn’t. Seth knows what he’s doing, and I trust him completely. I don’t much like talking about people behind their back, but I’m pretty sure you’ve figured out that Seth is more than a little used to seeing violence. That’s why he acts the way he does. The likes of you and me might think he’s a bit over the top but in the end those kids have walked away with a few bruises and some dented pride, both of which mend pretty damn fast when you’re young. Decisive action that prevents serious harm, besides, I won’t tolerate people acting out and abusing my hospitality.”
Hyienna could see some logic in Solomon’s outlook, but he still wasn’t convinced; neither could he think of anything useful to add.
It didn’t really matter, as Solomon had already moved on to the next subject. “Look, I was out of order showing off like that when we first met, and I didn’t try all that hard to talk you out of staying at the Lizard. Don’t get me wrong, it’s cute enough in a mumsy sort of way and Yaz sure can cook, but it’s not really a long-term option.”
“I like it well enough, and I’m not under anyone’s feet.” Hyienna could tell what was coming next, but he’d already made his mind up.
Solomon picked up his empty tumbler, for a second and put it back down again. “You can stay in the guest house for free as long as you want. Sarah’s told me all about what happened in Barcelona. That’s a tough break, one of the toughest, even though in the end you did nothing wrong.”
“Well, that’s not your problem.”
“Not directly, but we’re almost family now and a family has to stick together. No family, no security. No future.” Solomon’s expression brightened. “No decent wardrobe either. Why don’t you make yourself at home here? You’ll be able to stretch to more than two shirts.”
Hyienna stood to leave. “Like I said, I like the Lizard just fine. It suits me.”
Solomon raised his hands in a conciliatory gesture. “Hey now, don’t get all ruffled, I didn’t mean nothing by it. Hell, if I was riding a scooter with just a backpack, I’d only have two shirts as well. There’s plenty of room for you here, your scooter and your backpack too.”
Hyienna felt his own eyes narrowing. Was Solomon playing with him? He couldn’t be sure, but the strange phone call and the unlikely mention of a backpack was more than enough to unsettle him. Whatever the case, it was just another reason to keep his cousin’s fiancé at a safe distance. “Hey, I really appreciate the offer, but I’m very comfortable where I am. Speaking of which, I guess I’d better think about getting back.”
Solomon just shrugged. “Whatever you say, buddy. How are you going to get back to the Lizard at this time of night?”
“Same way I arrived; I’ll just call a cab.”
The absent host of the party scoffed, putting his arm around Hyienna’s shoulder as he pushed open the ostentatious double doors to his office. “Nonsense! I’ll have one of the guys drop you off; you know it’s actually a pretty short boat ride from here, straight across the bay. Just don’t fall out or anything.”
Several beers and a late-night were beginning to take their toll, and Hyienna couldn’t think of a good reason to refuse Solomon’s generous offer of a free ride back.
* * *
HYIENNA TURNED DOWN his collar and shook droplets of water off it as a last distant rumble of thunder faded into the cool darkness of the night. He turned to the nameless security guy at the tiller of Solomon’s private motorboat, his runabout as he’d called it. “What in the world was that?”
The nameless security guy didn’t seem to notice that they were both soaking wet. “That’s what they call a thunderstorm.”
Hyienna let that little barb of sarcasm slide by as he was alone in a boat with a trained fighter. Instead, he looked up at the sky. “Where the hell did it go? Where the hell did it come from?”
Meteorological anomalies were clearly of little interest to the man on the tiller as he showed no sign of even having heard the question.
Knowing that he wasn’t about to enjoy any kind of conversation about the weather, or anything else, Hyienna settled back in his seat and tried to ignore his wet clothes as the little motorboat bobbed briskly across the darkened bay. However, it had happened, the squall was gone just as suddenly as it had blown up, leaving a high moon shining down on the black surface of the water, twinkling in mesmerising ripples that spread out from the bow of the boat in a never ending chain of dancing lights. It was a staggeringly romantic moment and Hyienna felt a small pang of regret that he had no one to share it with, save for the immaculately turned out and robotically polite security guy Solomon had tasked with ferrying him home.
Hyienna ran the oddly mundane yet somehow strange events of the party through his mind. Every time he tried to focus on something someone had said, Kate’s beautiful, alluring and unusually expressive face distracted him, leading his mind down a different path until he forgot what he was trying to remember in the first place. She certainly had a power of some sort, kind of like an overdose of charisma that just rendered the rest of the world dull, mundane, and grey. He smiled ruefully to himself in the darkness, thinking that he’d just conjured up the lyrics to some old Sinatra number. If not, it was pretty damn close.
In the end he abandoned his attempts to analyse the subtle nuances of his experience and focused on a single lamp shining defiantly on the approaching jetty. That feeble, yellowy illumination somehow seemed more homely and wholesome than the crisp, surgical LEDs that seared Solomon’s immaculate and angular landing space. In truth Hyienna had no idea who actually owned that little rickety jetty on the quiet beach, but as it was almost directly below the Green Lizard, he’d just kind of assumed. Either way, he noticed that the guy steering the boat didn’t seem to need any directions. Maybe it was a regular trip.
Hyienna thought back to the ferry ride from Ibiza as the little boat throttled back and began drifting towards its destination. Maybe he was just imagining patterns where there were none, but water had suddenly struck him as important in whatever story was unfolding around him. He’d arrived from the sea; he’d been entrusted with something very strange beside the sea and now he was returning to the closest thing he could call home via the sea. On the other hand, on a small island it was kind of hard not to involve the ocean in whatever was going on.
As his private water taxi drew closer to the shore, Hyienna noticed that he wasn’t the only one who was out late and contemplating the water. The silhouette of a tall man, a very tall man slowly materialised beneath that lonely lamp as though someone was awaiting his return. Hyienna blinked rapidly as he tried to focus on the featureless figure standing motionless in that small pool of light. His head was almost grazing the underside of that single lonely lamp, but that would make him well over seven feet tall, if not taller still. Surely not! He glanced back at the guy on the tiller. “You seeing this?”
“Seeing what?” Was his less than helpful response.
Hyienna turned back and pointed towards the more clearly defined figure standing on the uneven boards. It must’ve been the beer or maybe a trick of the ocean’s languid swell as the space between the lamp and the watcher’s head was far greater than he’d first thought. “Never mind.”
The mysterious silhouette finally acquired some human features as the boat slid up alongside the jetty, its fibreglass body squeaking against the ancient car tyres hanging from the sun-bleached woodwork. Although Hyienna had never seen the guy up close before, he knew exactly who was keeping a lonely vigil out there by the ocean. He was surprised when Nathaniel smiled and reached down to help him out of the boat. Hyienna had grasped the outstretched arm and was standing on the creaking planks before he’d even had time to consider why a stranger might be helping a slightly drunk partygoer onto dry land.
“Saw you coming in.” Nathaniel’s voice was calm, measured and matter of fact. He spoke as though he was addressing an old friend rather than someone he’d never met before.
Hyienna didn’t exactly feel unsettled, but neither was he completely at ease as he watched the boat pull away and vanish back into the darkness without so much as a cheery wave or a polite goodbye from the pilot. A few seconds ago he’d been contemplating the more esoteric aspects of water, now he found himself standing on a crumbling jetty with a stranger who seemed oddly familiar. So this was the mysterious Nathaniel, the source of so many rumours and whispers around Solomon’s house. It was like the guy was some kind of minor celebrity, for reasons that were obscure at best. Nathaniel didn’t appear to do very much, and neither did he seem to be socially active, yet it was his name he’d heard on everyone’s lips as he’d passed them by earlier that night.
Nathaniel spoke again. “Had a good time? You look like it. Been swimming?”
Hyienna blinked as Nathaniel’s features momentarily dissolved into a strange, featureless darkness, unnervingly like the endless ocean of black hiding in a cheap little rucksack close by. He knew he’d better say something. “Got caught in the thunderstorm out on the bay; the name’s Hyienna.” He stretched out his hand in greeting not because he was especially pleased to see the guy, but because it just seemed like the right thing to do.
Nathaniel reciprocated. “No storm here, but I’ve heard all about you. I’m Nathaniel, but I guess you already learned that.”
“Sure. Well, it’s nice to finally meet you face-to-face, although I’ve seen you down here on the beach quite often.” Hyienna immediately noticed that Nathaniel’s hand was unusually soft and smooth, matching the rest of his dark and flawless complexion; at least that’s how it looked in the dim light of the solitary jetty bulb. Up close it was pretty obvious why so many people, especially the women, were talking about him. Nathaniel was a good-looking guy; tall, muscular and with a difficult to define kind of brooding quality about him. With a knotted cravat and some riding britches, he could easily have been the aloof object of burning desire in some epic corset buster of yesteryear.
The mysterious Prince Charming of Formentera smiled with one side of his mouth. “Likewise, and I thought to myself, there goes an interesting guy with a lot on his mind.”
Hyienna suddenly let go of Nathaniel’s hand, hoping he hadn’t been holding it for too long. “Yeah, how do you figure?”
Nathaniel turned towards the dark glittering ocean and thrust his hands in his pockets. “They say that life began in the ocean, so what better place to contemplate the really important questions?”
Hyienna just shrugged. “Hey, we all have questions, but are they really important to anyone else?”
“Depends, I guess.”
For a few seconds both men stood staring into the darkness before Hyienna spoke once more. “Well, it’s been nice meeting you, but if you don’t mind I’m heading off to bed.” He didn’t feel it necessary to mention that he was staying at the Green Lizard; somehow he figured that Nathaniel already knew that. “You okay out here by yourself?”
Nathaniel continued staring out to sea. “Sure, I like the peace, the solitude.”
“Yeah, me too. Well, I guess I’ll see you again soon enough.” He turned to leave.
“Lunch.”
That single word stopped Hyienna in his tracks. It was just too incongruous. “Lunch?”
Nathaniel turned on his heel and looked straight at Hyienna. “Lunch, soon, you and I.”
“Lunch? Why would we be having lunch? We’re strangers, you and I.”
Nathaniel’s voice took on a quiet, thoughtful tone. “We’re strangers both, not just to one another but to this place.”
“Haven’t met many people actually from Formentera yet.” Hyienna hadn’t really thought about it until he’d said it, but it was true nonetheless.
“There’s more to being a stranger than where you’re from, but I have a hunch you know all about that anyway. Let’s meet at La Mari Ses Roques later this week. We can have some lunch and figure out what we have in common.”
“How do you know we’ll have anything in common?” Hyienna asked, both a little perturbed and more than a little curious at the same time.
Nathaniel turned back towards the ocean. “We’re both here, staring at the sea in the wee small hours, which means we’re both here to reflect on things that are much greater than just ourselves. Settled and contented men do not stare out to sea all by themselves in the middle of the night.”
“Well, I guess that’s something. Maybe I’ll see you for lunch after all; a lot depends on what I’ve got planned for later in the week. Good night then.” With that Hyienna walked along the jetty and onto the rutted footpath winding its way up to the Green Lizard’s car park.
Nathaniel said nothing more as the darkness swallowed him up once again.