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atmosphere of anticipation. Like it was frozen in time and just waiting for something to happen.
    “Detective?”
    Stanton turned. Marissa had a card in her hand. He walked over and took it. It was white with blue trim and had a logo for a “Keylock Security.”
    “Thanks,” he said.
    He would have left a card but realized he didn’t have any of those either.

12
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Stanton was back at his desk. He checked his watch and it was well past seven in the evening. Most everyone else had gone home.
    Kai stepped out of his office with a plastic bag, holding the remnants of the lunch he’d brought. He clicked off his light, then walked over to Stanton and pulled up a chair next to him.
    “You ready to investigate graffiti calls?” Kai said.
    Stanton grinned. “How’d you know I wouldn’t do it?”
    “That first day we was on patrol together, you remember that?”
    Stanton clicked his computer off. “I do. We were in City Heights.”
    Kai chuckled. “Man, we knew that place was gonna be crazy but we was just dumb kids, man. That gangbanger we pulled over. You got him outta the car to search him.”
    Stanton nodded. “I smelled pot.”
    “Yeah, and he says he had a baggie on him and you told him to get it.” Kai laughed. “So he reaches into his car and your dumb ass let him.”
    “He would have gotten a fine. I had no idea people could be that irrational.”
    “Man, when he pulled out that piece and shot at you, I swear I thought I was gonna shit myself. I ran over and tackled him, you remember that? Slammed him into his truck so hard he blacked out.”
    Stanton smiled, remembered a young boy’s wide eyes as a three-hundred-pound Hawaiian charged at him like a semi truck. “I think he’s the one that needed new underwear.”
    Kai laughed some more and had to wipe the tears away. “Oh, man. But what was I sayin’? Oh yeah. So when he pulled out that piece, I saw your face. You know what it did?”
    Stanton shrugged.
    “Nothin’, man. You didn’t have no reaction. You was ready to die. That’s when I knew you was a cop, a real cop, for life. Ain’t no property crimes for you, man. This here’s your calling.” Kai rose and slapped his shoulder. He pulled something out of his pocket: a gold badge. He laid it on the desk. “See you tomorrow, Detective.”
    Stanton stared at the badge a long time. He picked it up and ran his finger over gold lettering that said HONOLULU and POLICE. He clipped it to his waistband and rose.
     
     
    A full moon was out and the waves on the North Shore were what the teenagers called a pupule . A term Stanton had learned indicated a set of waves that were reckless to be surfed. Particularly at night.
    He parked near the beach and watched the surfers that were already there. They were young kids, just at the beginning of their lives. The waves were getting up to five or six feet and then would come crashing down on the backs of the surfers. Stanton had felt that crushing pain hundreds of times. It was similar, he thought, to how having a dump truck full of gravel poured on you from behind would feel.
    He drove again and was home in just a few moments. No lights were on. Johnny was sleeping over at David’s house, but Mathew should have been home. Stanton parked in the driveway and went inside. The house was warm, dark, and silent. He kicked off his shoes and flopped onto his couch. One of the rules they had was that Stanton had to know exactly where his boys were at all times, and they had to have their cell phones on. If they didn’t answer, or call back in a few minutes, they were grounded.
    He tried Mathew’s cell phone, but it went straight to voicemail.
    A noise was coming from upstairs.
    Stanton listened quietly a moment. It sounded like voices. He thought briefly about retrieving his Desert Eagle out of the closet but knew he shouldn’t. If he allowed himself to go down that road, where every sound was a threat, he would go all the way and