Chapter 10: Everybody Loves Miles

On the second day of the Ajira survivors' stay in Tarawa, Officer Nariki bicycled up to the Bikenibeu Lodge. Under his arm he carried some Australian newspapers, a couple of weeks old.

"Nei Claire might like to see them. They're pretty new." Nariki looked around the hotel's patio without hope. No one but Frank, Richard, and Sawyer were out and about.

Sawyer gave Nariki the once-over, trying not to grin. The guy had it bad, didn't he? "I'll give them to her," Sawyer said, taking the newspapers from Nariki's hands. "Me being her fiance and all."

Frank rolled his eyes, and quickly asked the crestfallen Nariki if he could get them a pack of playing cards. "Just to pass the time, you understand."

Much to Sawyer's surprise, Nariki pulled from his pocket a greasy, dirty set, worn thin from thousands of games. He handed it to Frank and said, "We have another pack at the station. Not in such good shape, but they will do." Then he looked around again, still hopeful. "Are Nei Claire and Nei Kate out back or something?"

Sawyer shot a "look what you started" glare over to Frank, then growled at Nariki, "Probably taking a siesta. It's damned hot enough." Then an inspiration seized him, and his tone grew light and friendly. "You maybe wanna play a few rounds?"

Nariki broke into a broad, sunny smile. "Sure."

"You in, Rickey?" Frank asked.

At first Richard protested, but soon he, Sawyer, Frank and Nariki sat in the shade of the concrete breezeway, as Sawyer dealt out cards for twenty-one.

Nariki might have looked gentle, and foolish, but his card-counting abilities were better than Sawyer expected. Soon Sawyer was down the last tiny bottle of shampoo that he'd cadged from Kate the day before. Finally, bluffing his way through a desperate six and queen of hearts, Sawyer managed to get Nariki to bust.

"OK, I'm out. What do you want?"

"Since none of us got no money, how about a favor?"

"What kind of favor?" Nariki asked, a little suspicious.

"A couple suitcases from the plane." Sawyer winced inside, glad Kate wasn't there to tease him about how he should have grabbed some when the getting was good, like she had. "Any two, don't matter whose they were. They all got stuff we could use."

Nariki nodded knowingly. "Chief Biribo and I, we'll go later this afternoon. Maybe there will be some luggage left. I'll look for something nice for the ladies, too."

Sawyer was about to protest, when Frank jabbed him, hard. After Nariki left, he complained, "What the hell was that about, Burt?"

"The less that's on that plane, the better it's going to go for us. You really want Ajira or better yet, the Feds, to find all those wires Widmore ran? Or the C-4?" Frank gave a chuckle. "By the time the team from Ajira gets here, there won't be a seat cushion left."

He pointed to the pink cinder-block house across the road, where a three-abreast row of airplane seats sat in the front yard. The seat cushions were too fresh and unfaded to have been there very long.

"They share things here," Frank went on. "The big men get their cut, and then everything else gets parceled out."

Richard said, "Well, what they really need to share with us is a phone."

"I think we're in a no-coverage zone," Sawyer remarked.

"I mean, a sat-phone. We've really got to get our hands on a phone, before it's too late."

"Before what's too late?" said Frank.

"Before whoever's coming for us from Suva gets off the ground. There are some people I really need to talk to first, and the sooner the better." He nodded towards the roadway, as if making a point.

A few boys walked by, wearing around their thin waists lava-lavas cut from old t-shirts. They waved and smiled, pointing at the visitors. One boy's lava-lava read in bright white letters against a dark blue background, "Adelaide United."

Sawyer got it at once. In a place where even an old pack of playing cards was a phenomenal gift, what could you get with something really valuable? "Where the hell is Miles?"

"Hopefully back inside the room, unless he decided to wander off," said Richard.

"Goddamn, he better not have," said Sawyer, as the three men headed for their rooms.

Miles lay sprawled out on the sofa, reading a paperback Western of World War II vintage. When Sawyer was done explaining, he stared, incredulous. "You want me to do what? No way. I had to go through hell to get those diamonds. You got any idea how bad that grave smelled?"

Frank used the authoritative tone airline pilots save for coaxing reluctant passengers out of burning wreckage. "Look, Miles, they know you have those diamonds. And why they didn't just confiscate them, I'll never understand. But—"

Richard interrupted, "Like you said, Frank, the I-Kiribati are good people. They're not going to just take Miles's diamonds away from him."

"That's right," said Sawyer. "The game is to trade for them."

Frank added, "I hate to be the one to break it to you, Miles, but when the State Department and whoever the hell else gets here, you think you're going to hang on to those diamonds?"

"Yeah, buddy," Sawyer drawled. "Ever hear of asset forfeiture?"

Before Miles could answer, the thumping fan crawled to a halt, and the lights went out.

"What the hell?" Richard said.

"Blackouts," Frank answered. "They have them around here all the time."

"Gonna get hot as hell in here in about ten minutes," Sawyer remarked. "So, Miles, you might as well haul ass out to the breezeway for some more cards. I don't want you doing any betting, though. You're just gonna sit there, watch, and keep your mouth shut till I need you."

"Sure, boss," Miles answered.

Sawyer just sighed.

Claire and Kate watched on the sidelines as the men put together another card game. When Sawyer made it clear that he wasn't going to play any more damned blackjack, at least not without a card-dealing machine and eight decks, Kate gave a disgusted snort. Claire looked at her anxiously, worried about Kate's growing impatience.

"You might have snookered me once, son," Sawyer said to Nariki, "but that's the only chance you're gonna get."

Chief Biribo chuckled at Sawyer's complaints. He was as avid a gambler as his protégé, and better yet, he brought beer. Lots of beer, a whole cooler's worth, and cold, too.

"About the only thing on this damn atoll that is," Sawyer grumbled to Kate.

Nariki had made good on his promise to bring "something nice for the ladies:" a garish jeweled hand-mirror for Kate and a fine peach silk shirt for Claire. Just as he was about to give them out, Sawyer fixed him with a hard stare and held out his hand.

Claire thought that it was quite courageous, actually, because as friendly as the I-Kiribati were, she and Kate were technically prisoners in a foreign country, and these were the police after all.

"What part about Nei Claire being my fiancée don't you get?" Sawyer growled. "No one gives her gifts but me. Right, Miles?"

Miles shrugged, indifferent. "Just keeping my mouth shut, boss, like you said."

Nariki wasn't one to miss an opportunity. Pointing to Kate, he said, "So, look, Mr. Miles, if you don't want her—"

Kate flushed red and livid. Claire could feel her coiled anger, how she was ready to spring to her feet, but Sawyer stood up first. He was almost equal in height to Nariki, but Nariki was considerably wider. Nonetheless, Sawyer kept up the challenge. "Maybe I'll just take 'em both."

"James, if you think for a minute—" Kate said, unable to contain herself any longer.

Claire leaned in close to Kate and whispered, "Kate, don't you see? It's a ploy."

Kate just steamed, livid and red-faced.

Biribo decided to put an end to it. He forced his weight in between the two of them, glaring at Sawyer. "We aren't savages here, so don't talk to us that way. You can't have two women at one time in your own country. What makes you think you can do that in ours?" To Nariki he said, "Stop embarrassing yourself. Are we here to play cards, or what?"

Ignoring Kate's fierce expression, Sawyer sidled over to her and Claire. "You gals best stay in your room tonight. I gotta feeling it's gonna get drunken and a bit rough out here."

"What, you think I need a white knight to keep me safe from the menfolk?" Kate snapped.

Claire tugged at her sleeve. "Come on, Kate." She knew exactly what Sawyer meant.

As they crossed the courtyard, they ran into Mrs. Maleaua, whose husband had settled among the card players. She drew Kate and Claire aside and said, "The ship from Melbourne came in the day before you got here. Look what I picked up, some sticky buns. I've been saving them for something special. I'll put on some tea and we'll have a little party of our own."

Claire said, "Hey, Kate, it'll be fun, like watching a game of footie."

Hidden in the shadows, the women watched. Kate folded her arms, still steaming.

The word must have gone out through the neighborhood that the strange foreigners from the mysterious plane were going to face off against the South Tarawa police in a game of poker. Before long, a dozen men crowded into the patio. The few women hung back, trying to keep the children out, but a few braver ones climbed over the fence when they thought the adults weren't watching.

Before long, people brought their own coolers of beer, and the party slowly spread out onto the main road. It was early evening and there wasn't much traffic, but anytime one of the vans or pick-up trucks rumbled by, they parked for awhile mid-road for a beer and quick conversation.

Claire and Kate brushed away clouds of mosquitoes, licked sticky bun sugar from their fingers, and drank cup after cup of tea as they strained to hear what Sawyer and Frank were wagering. Whatever it was kept them in the game, which went on long into the night. Beer flowed freely along with laughter, curses, and what sounded like long-standing arguments in I-Kiribati. They even managed to drown out the ever-pounding ocean.

When two men got into a fight, Mr. Maleaua threw them out onto the center of the roadway. A rusted old Datsun waited patiently for them to finish throwing punches, before driving on.

Only once did Claire and Kate think about fleeing back to their room, although the light plywood door wouldn't have stopped anyone.

Some of the I-Kiribati men not in the game had started betting on the outcome of each hand. They groaned loudly whenever their favorites lost a round. One of the men said something rude, first in I-Kiribati and then in English. Some other men laughed, but not without a few wary glances towards Sawyer. When Claire's name was mentioned, Sawyer leaped to his feet, scattering the cards.

"I hear that again, I'll cut off your goddamned ear," Sawyer shouted. The offender clambered to his feet too, and his friends gave him room. Everyone was very quiet now, waiting to see what would happen. Both Kate and Claire looked over at Mrs. Maleaua, who sat with a blank expression, silent.

Then the young I-Kiribati man laughed and sat back down again. "Just playin' with you, bro."

Sawyer swung around, hair and sweat flying. "Anybody else got anything to say about it?" When nobody moved, he picked up the fallen cards and dealt out another hand. "Come on, then, let's play some damn poker."

Claire stood up. "I've had enough."

In their room, they drew the only mosquito net around their bed. Both climbed in, but neither one slept as the noises from the breezeway rumbled through the night. At one point Miles started yelling at Sawyer about something, while Richard tried to calm them both down.

The crowd eventually got quiet enough that Claire could once more hear the roar of the sea. She was just about to drift off to the drone of mosquitoes and the relentless ocean-hum, when someone tapped lightly on their door.

Kate leaped up, groping at the back waistband of her jeans for the pistol that was no longer there. "What the hell? Wait here, Claire."

But it was only Richard and Frank, both wearing grins wide enough to split their faces in half. It was clear that Richard was stone-cold sober, unlike Frank.

Richard said, "Sawyer did it. I swear to God that man is crazy, but he did it. He and Frank both. They got us our phone."

Claire lit the small kerosene lamp kept for blackouts. It made the room look like a weird weird camping trip, with the four of them crouched like children around a campfire, waiting to hear a story.

"That police chief, Biribo?" Frank said, trying not to slur his words. "He's the cousin of the direct assistant to the Kiribati President. The cousin's a high muckety-muck, in other words, who just happened to stop by our little get-together."

"Just walking up and down, looking for a party to crash?" Kate said.

"You've never lived by the beach in Sydney," Claire remarked.

Frank went on, still grinning. "So the President's assistant's son is getting married. We thought Miles should do the kind and neighborly thing, give him a little gift. Through Chief Biribo, of course."

Kate stared at Frank. "You bribed the chief of police?"

"Not me. Sawyer."

"Oh, for crying out loud," Kate said, rolling her eyes. "As if we're not in enough trouble already."

"Look, Kate, let them talk." Claire had to fight the rising desire to laugh. Not just at Kate, but at the whole situation. Kate's disgusted expression reminded her of so many evenings on their old beach after the crash, when the sun had set but it was too early to turn in. Kate and Sawyer would spar, Kate appearing annoyed but secretly delighted, the whole game going back and forth like tennis.

Claire struggled for a few seconds to identify the feeling which bubbled up inside her, so seemingly at odd with their dire circumstances. Happiness, for one thing. For another, the irrational and completely crazy sense that somehow, in some way, this might actually all work out.

Richard said, "Another diamond went to Biribo's wife, too."

"Then there was the one for his girlfriend," added Frank. "But that one wasn't as nice."

"Then Sawyer suggested that Miles give one to Nariki too, for when he got married. Whenever that would be."

Frank added, "The sooner the better. What a horn-dog. He reminds me of me at that age."

"I don't believe I'm hearing this," said Kate.

"So you didn't wager for them?" Claire asked.

"Absolutely not," said Richard.

"Sawyer did win a couple pints of whiskey," Frank said. "But the diamonds, no. The poker game was long over by then. We were just finishing up the beer and getting better acquainted."

"They didn't just promise the sat-phone, either," Richard said. "Biribo actually sent Nariki down to the station to get it."

"Plus the charger," said Frank.

"Nariki wasn't in much shape to get up on a bicycle. In fact, he fell off on the first try, and—"

"So now what?" Kate interrupted.

Richard said, "Frank here is going to go sleep it off—"

"I'm not drunk. Perfectly fine. Never better."

"Frank, get lost," said Richard. "You were masterful earlier. Now it's time to let me do what I do best."

Frank grumbled, but headed for the door, giving everyone an imaginary hat-tip on his way out.

"You sure you want us around?" Kate said. "It being a man's world and all."

Richard ignored her as he examined the sat-phone controls. "Thank God it's mostly charged. The power around here probably won't come on till mid-morning at the earliest. And every second counts."

"Why?" said Claire. "I mean, we're not going anywhere anytime soon, are we?"

"Maybe not," Richard said, still scrolling through menus on the phone's controls. "Somehow, Chief Biribo hasn't yet worked up the effort to call the US Embassy, much less the Australian one. He apologized, but I told him, 'No rush.' He looked distinctly relieved. Then Miles gave him another diamond."

It was clear to Claire that Kate wasn't sympathetic. "Poor Miles. What does that leave him with, a whole handful?"

"I told him Mittelos would reimburse him, but that could never happen if I didn't get to make some calls. It settled him down a bit."

From the next room, Claire could hear Sawyer and Miles still arguing in drunken tones, although it sounded like they were starting to run out of steam.

Richard went on, "Biribo did manage to contact Ajira headquarters in Mumbai. They're sending a team out later in the week to retrieve the plane."

Kate said, "Don't planes have, you know, these things that record everywhere they've been, all their maneuvers and such?"

"You mean the black box?"

Kate nodded. "Ajira's is going to be interesting."

Richard shook his head like a man who has had a very long evening, is tired to the bone, and still has a great deal of hard work ahead of him. "I can't worry about that now, Kate. One step at a time."

In the circle of lamplight, Richard's sharp, carved profile reminded Claire of some hawk-like Renaissance man from a painting. It took no effort to believe that he was very old, and that the slow tick of his life's clock only started up again now that Jacob was dead. She laid her hand on his shoulder, trying to put as much warmth into the gesture as she could. "Thanks, Richard. For everything."

"Don't thank me yet. I'm still not sure how we're going to get out of here." He must have found the screen he was looking for, because he started to key in numbers.

"What time do you think it is in the USA?" Kate whispered to Claire.

"I don't think it matters. My guess is that there's always someone awake at that switch."

Frank had left the door open, so that the refreshing breeze was joined by clouds of moths and mosquitoes. Claire and Kate retreated behind the netting, but no matter how tightly they tied it down, mosquitoes always managed to squeeze in anyway. Claire slapped at a few, grumbling that she would have to get used to mosquitoes all over again. "We never did get bit on the Island, did we?"

After awhile both of them stopped slapping and didn't bother, as they were more interested in listening to Richard.

Most of what Richard said didn't make a lot of sense. He gabbled on about the new operations manager who had just taken over the Pacific division, and was expected to work out splendidly. He spewed strings of numbers and technical jargon, then mentioned that the botanical research team had gotten stranded on a small island near Tuvalu and needed extraction. Yes, so far the samples were intact, although he couldn't guarantee how long they would last. Time was of the essence if they wanted to get these critical new extracts back to the home office laboratories.

"It must be a code," Claire said under her voice to Kate.

"Richard said that Mittelos made pharmaceuticals," Kate whispered back. "In case anybody's spying, it sounds like they're discussing an expedition."

Finally, Richard wrapped up. "No, I'll contact Norton myself. It's after 9 AM in LA, so he should be there." He fiddled with the phone some more, complaining under his breath. "Damn, only about fifteen minutes left." The charger sat at his feet, useless in the blackout.

Richard drummed his fingers anxiously, waiting for someone to pick up. Finally they did. "Deirdre, it's Richard... Yes, you too, sweetheart. Look, I need to speak with Dan right now. It's about the botanical team." There was a long pause, and Richard began to pace. "I understand that he's headed to court. But Deirdre, these are critical assets we're talking about. Critical and perishable. Yes, I'll hold."

Again, drawn-out silence filled the room. Richard's anxiety was contagious, and the two women put their arms around each other like children afraid of the dark. After repeating much of the long, obtuse message, Richard said, "Dan, thanks. I haven't got much time. The situation here is delicate but still manageable."

Richard listened to the last intense silence, then wrapped it up. "Okay, Dan. Our resources are limited and you won't be able to call me for another twelve hours or so... Great, I'll be looking forward to that. You're why we hired you, Dan... Good-day to you as well."

Richard let the sat-phone fall with a thud. It rocked for a few seconds on the pandamus mat like a small box full of multi-colored jewels, then went dead. The only light left in the room came from the kerosene lamp. As Richard turned it off, he said in an abstracted tone, "This is actually a good way to asphyxiate. We lost someone that way in a tent last year." Then he rolled onto his side on the mat, hands over his head.

"Richard, are you okay?" Claire said.

"Look, can I just lie here for awhile? It's quiet in your room. And clean. I just need some time, and a little peace."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Kate said. "I mean, considering how old-school they are around here."

"I'll tell them I'm a eunuch. I'll get Sawyer to distract them. Please, I just want to sleep. When Dan Norton calls tomorrow, I've got to be at my best. Please. You can kick me out first thing in the morning."

The two women nodded. Claire said, "Take the sheet, Richard. It's too hot for it anyway."

"Sorry there's no mosquito netting for you," Kate added.

Claire's bites were starting to flare up into big itchy weals, and she started to scratch. "Fat lot of good the net did me. I'm covered."

But even though the mosquitoes descended onto Richard in droves, he was already asleep.

(continued)