by Hunter Shea
“That is just awesome, bro! Holy cow. How did you manage to hold it in all this time?” Marco said. A waiter delivered their next round and they had several toasts.
After they’d had a sip—or chug—Ollie replied, “I won months ago. It’s easy to keep a low profile. Trust me, the less people that know the better.”
Lenny draped an arm over him. “I’m so happy for you. You were always a good guy, even when you were being an asshole and breaking a bottle over someone’s head. And thank you for bringing us all together to share the good news. This is really special.”
“You haven’t even heard why I asked you all to come.”
“You mean it wasn’t just to party with your favorite drinking partners?” Steven said.
Ollie smiled. “Oh, it’s partly that. Look, I have a proposal and I want you to just sit back quietly and take it in. Okay?”
He motioned to the chairs around the table. Everyone took their drink, and then took a seat. Ollie stood before them like a kindergarten teacher about to start story time.
“Look, ever since college, my life has been . . . well, let’s just say unspectacular. I work, I eat, I watch movies, I shit, I sleep and repeat. For my last birthday, I watched Sixteen Candles alone and fell asleep with a pint of Cherry Garcia on my chest. And that was the best day I’d had all that month.”
The look of sympathy in their eyes, especially Tara and Heidi’s, made him swallow hard.
This is not a pity party, butt wipe. This is supposed to be a celebration.
“Just take that as an example of how exciting things have been. Now I have all this money and I didn’t know what the hell to do with it. Even though I was kept anonymous, I was still besieged by goddamn vultures, all wanting a piece of the pie. After a while, I had to sever ties with just about everyone I knew. How all these people found out, I’ll never know.”
“You have the money now to pay someone to find out,” Lenny said, raising his glass.
“True, but I really don’t care. I’ve been living in a cabin I rented up at Lake Vermillion, trying to figure out what I want to do with the rest of my life. Of course, there are charities I want to help out, but I had to decide where I wanted to live and what I was going to do with all this time I now had on my hands. I sure as shit don’t want to keep freezing my gonads up here.”
“That’s why I moved to South Carolina,” Tara said. “I don’t own a winter coat or snow shovel.”
Ollie said, “Yeah, you weren’t easy to find. But like Lenny said, I was able to pay someone to do that for me. Anyway, when I really thought about it, I realized the best times of my life were all when I was around you guys. And if I was going to be able to enjoy the rest of my life, it was probably best to spend it with you.”
“You may n-n-not crash in our guest room,” Steven joked. “I haven’t told Heidi yet, but I’m planning on putting a pool table in there.”
She gave him a massive eye roll that said there was no way a pool table was ever getting in that room.
“I’ll see your guest room and raise you,” Ollie said. “No, I have a much better idea. I’d like you all to live with me.”
There was a long pause.
“In a cabin at Lake Vermillion?” Lenny said.
Ollie grinned. “It only has one bedroom. So I was thinking, how about an island?”
“An island. What island?” Tara said.
Ollie’s heart was beating so fast, he was sure they could hear it thump away every time he opened his mouth.
“It’s a private island. In Micronesia.”
“Micronesia? Where the hell is that? Is it near Tunisia or something?” Lenny said.
Marco backhanded him. “Your grasp of geography is stunning. Are you sure we graduated from the same college? It’s north of Australia, east of the Philippines.”
“That is correct, sir,” Ollie said. “It’s three square miles of pure paradise. I don’t just want you all to visit. I want you to live there, with me, permanently.”
“Permanently as in we can n-never leave?” Steven said, his tone belying that he was quite serious.
“It’s not a prison. You can come and go as you please. In fact, you can do anything you like. I’ll make sure you not only get to live in one of the most beautiful places in the world, but that you’ll also never need to work a day in your life.”
No one spoke for what felt like ages. Drinks were left untouched. It was as if all of the air had escaped the room.
In nightclubs, no one can hear you scream, Ollie said to himself. He felt sweat break out on his temples and upper lip.
Lenny, bless his heart, was the first to break the silence.
“Where the hell do I sign?”
CHAPTER THREE
Ollie was peppered with questions.
“What’s the name of the island?”
“Grand Isla Tiburon.”
“Sounds pretty.”
“It’s gorgeous.”
“Is there anyone living there now?”
“Nope. It’s been deserted for decades.”
“So, are we just gonna beach bum it?”
“Far from it. I’m going to have homes built for everyone who comes, along with a lot of cool amenities. Think of it as a gated community with everything you need at your fingertips.”
“What about food and basic necessities?”
“And internet and phones?”
“And porn?”
“All taken into account. There’s a company that can set up a VSAT communications system so you won’t miss a single thing on the web. Satellite phones will also be provided so you can stay in touch with your family and friends. As for general supplies, we’ll have monthly deliveries, but can get anything we need at a moment’s notice. We won’t be in the middle of nowhere like Easter Island. There are hundreds of nearby islands, including the capital, Majuro. You won’t lose any of the technology you now have, though you may want to ditch it at some time. I’ll make sure there’s Wi-Fi so your porn is portable.”
“How long until it’s ready?”
“I’ve been assured we can move in by the fall.”
“This sounds like an enormous undertaking. I’m talking billionaire territory. I know you won a huge jackpot, but how is it going to cover all of this?”
Ollie knew Marco would say that. He was a numbers guy, after all.
“The cost of doing business is a lot cheaper in Micronesia than the good old US. Plus, I was able to get the island for . . . well, a little more than a song, but you get the drift.”
“What’s the deal with the island? Does it get wiped out by typhoons every two years?” Lenny asked.
“Maybe it’s haunted,” Steven added with a smirk.
“No and no,” Ollie added. “It was a former military holding. They abandoned it a few years after the war.”
“The war? Which war?” Tara asked.
Ollie felt his confidence stagger. “The big one.”
“Vietnam?” Lenny said.
“You don’t mean the Gulf Wars,” Marco said.
Slapping his forehead, Ollie said, “World War II. Jeez.”
Heidi’s eyes went as wide as ostrich eggs. “World War II? It’s been abandoned since the forties?”
“1954 to be exact.”
“Probably littered with unexploded ordnance,” Lenny said. “If you send people out to build, they could be stepping on a literal minefield.”
“Or the ground or water could be toxic. Militaries don’t give a crap about the environment,” Tara said.
Marco held up a finger. “I’m assuming the Australians were the ones that owned it.”
“As a matter of fact, it was an American base of operations,” Ollie said. “It’s part of the Marshall Islands, which I’m sure you’ve all heard of. Which is why they were willing to work with a fellow American to take it off their hands.”
Tara’s mouth dropped open. “Wait. The Marshall Islands? As in the Pacific Proving Grounds?”
“
What the hell is that?” Lenny asked.
Marco took a quick nibble at his thumb. “That’s where we did a bunch of nuclear testing. You ever hear of the Bikini Atoll? They, like, blew the shit out of the place.”
Steven leaned into the table. “Bikini Island is still there, but there was another island, I forget the n-name, that was completely obliterated when they set off the first thermonuclear bomb. Boom. Gone. Like it n-never even existed.”
Heidi added, “The military had to evacuate whole populations to other islands hundreds of miles away. Not just until things blew over. Forever.”
“We set off all these bombs without warning the civilians. It was a total travesty,” Tara said.
Ollie’s heart galloped. He knew he’d eventually have to address this. He just didn’t think it would happen this soon.
Lenny looked at everyone with hawk’s eyes. “How does everyone know so much about this stuff?”
In unison, they answered, “The History Channel.”
“At least until they went all ancient aliens, hillbillies, and pawn shop cheats,” Marco said.
Ollie had to act fast.
“Everything you said is true. The Marshall Islands are the site of one of the biggest crimes against a race of people since the American Indians. There are, in fact, islands that are uninhabited because of nuclear contamination. Grand Isla Tiburon, I assure you, is not one of those locations. In fact, it was nowhere near the nuclear testing. They had to keep it free and clear of all that craziness.”
“Why’s that?” Steven asked.
“They had a lab or something there. You have to remember, this was back during the Cold War, and there were spies everywhere. They had to find places as remote as possible to do top secret work.”
Marco raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, well, we know that only good things come from under the cloak of secrecy. You get nuclear bombs from Los Alamos, all kinds of diseases from Plum Island, not to mention those Montauk Monsters that washed up on the beach.”
Lenny interjected, “I think if anything that evil came out of this place, we’d have heard of it seventy years later. And the Montauk Monster was a rotted raccoon. Nothing evil about a drowned raccoon. Sounds like the coast is clear, right, Ollie?”
“Absolutely. The military put it in writing that there is nothing left behind harmful to humans or the environment. Even the EPA gave it a total clean bill of health. It’s empty because, to be fair, the Marshallese are poor people. They don’t have the resources to repatriate the island and build it back up. And once the military was done with it, there was no one left to give two shits about the place.”
Heidi looked at him with thinly veiled disgust. “So you want to take advantage of other people’s misery?”
Ollie had to ball his hands into tight fists, under the table, of course, before he spoke.
“Not at all. In fact, part of my plan is to donate millions of dollars to the neighboring islands to improve their health, schools, and infrastructure. I’m going to employ them to help rebuild the island. And when I die, it’s being willed to the Marshallese people. I’m not a monster. We did a wrong down there. Here’s my chance to really do something good in the world . . . and with my friends, to boot.”
“That’s actually kinds of sweet,” Tara said, her hand over her heart.
“And amazing that it came from you,” Steven joked. He cast a quick look at Heidi, whose gaze wiped the smile from his face. She’d definitely need more convincing, just as Ollie had suspected.
“So, there’s nothing on the island?” Lenny asked.
“In fact, all there is is one building, the old main lab. It’s supposed to be totally empty. I’ll have it torn down.”
“Don’t do it right away. I’d like to check it out,” Lenny said.
“You still into that whole abandoned buildings thing?” Tara asked.
“It’s called urban exploring and it’s a rush like you’ve never experienced. I’ll take you all in there, show you how it’s done.”
“Sounds creepy and dangerous. Count me out,” Heidi said.
Ollie felt their attention waning. “Look, I’m not saying that you have to stay there forever. I’m just asking you to come share this amazing adventure with me. I plan to make trips to the other islands and work with the kids there, local hospitals, you name it. I promise, it will be the most amazing experience of your life. You can leave any time you want. If you do, I’ll still make sure you and your kids never need to work a day in your lives. “
Marco stared at him for an uncomfortably long time. Ollie could hear the little calculator keys tapping away in his head. He finally said, “Look, I’m going to be honest with you. I’ve got nothing to lose, so you can count me in. My concern is that you’re not being taken for a ride, Ollie. You’d need independent surveyors going out there to make sure the island truly is safe.”
“Which is why I want to hire you on immediately as my right hand man and financial advisor. I have people now, but I don’t trust them like I do you.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I know. But I really want you running the show.”
In fact, Ollie had never been as close to another person as he had to Marco back in college. They were roommates from totally different worlds, but they made it work. Ollie loved to listen to Marco’s exploits and big plans for future world dominance. He’d always been so brave, so smart, so sure of himself.
It was clear a lot of that bravado had leeched away over the years. Ollie hoped this would give Marco his groove back.
Tara tapped out a cigarette. “I have to say, this has been the craziest twelve hours of my life.”
“Look, there’s no rush. I know this was a lot to lay on you. Take your time and think about it. I only ask that you give me your answer by the end of the month, just so I know how much building has to be done.”
Lenny pushed away from the table. “That seems fair. I can tell you now, I’m in with Marco. I fucking hate market research and I haven’t had a date in over six months. My parents moved to Alabama to be near my dumb-ass brother. I’m free as a bird. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to take a whiskey crap.”
Everyone groaned.
When he left, Tara said, “Well, he hasn’t changed.”
“If that’s true, I’m n-not going in there after him. I roomed with the guy for three years. I kn-know the horror to come,” Steven said.
“I almost forgot!” Ollie exclaimed. He pulled his phone out and went to his pictures file. “This is Grand Isla Tiburon. Tell me it isn’t gorgeous.”
He handed it to Tara. Steven, Heidi, and Marco gathered around while she swiped through shot after shot of white sand beaches, palm trees and crystal blue water. When Lenny returned five minutes later, they were still looking.
You should have shown them the pictures first, Ollie admonished himself. Of course, he was just beginning to sober up, so he could blame it on a liquor-soaked brain.
When he looked at his cell phone, he saw it was eight in the morning. Time to head back home and get some sleep.
They emerged from the club with hands shielding their eyes from the sun. They looked like vampires.
Tara hugged him and kissed his cheek. “Look, I really need to think about it. It all sounds amazing . . . and kind of scary. You understand, right?”
He looked into her emerald eyes and wondered if he’d still want to go through with everything if she didn’t come.
“I do. I’ll send you, all of you, every scrap of information I have and everything that Marco and I discover so there’s total transparency. I want us to be safe more than anything.”
“I know you do.”
In a few minutes, they were gone, headed back to their hotel. Ollie got in his new Land Rover and drove to the cabin.
She’ll go, he said to himself over and over. Above all else, she’d do it just knowing they would help the Marshallese people. She’d always done charity runs and volunteered at the Girls Club and soup kitch
ens. It was part of the reason why he’d chosen Grand Isla Tiburon. It would give her a chance to impact people’s lives on a grand scale.
She had to go.
Ollie pulled down the shade and was out the moment his head hit the pillow.
Oddly enough, he dreamed of mushroom clouds.
CHAPTER FOUR
NINE MONTHS LATER
Ollie wasn’t sure if he could have accomplished everything without Marco. When it came to the worlds of business, real estate and finance, Ollie was as experienced as a Bigfoot optometrist. Whatever areas Marco lacked, he was very skilled at finding the right people with the right expertise.
They’d moved to Grand Isla Tiburon two months ago. It was important to be there to watch over the final construction phases. At first, they’d lived in tents—tricked-out teepees that were the stuff of old time sultans and cost a pretty penny—waiting for the first home to be finished. Ollie had to admit he was reluctant to leave the tent. It had been pretty freaking cool, like camping on steroids. His mother hadn’t let him join the Boy Scouts.
However, it was hot as hell and the tent would turn into an Indian sweat lodge most nights. Plus, no matter what he did with the fine netting, the bugs always found their way inside.
The heat didn’t diminish the beauty of the island. The shore was lined with soft white sand, with clusters of palm trees everywhere you looked. The crystal blue waters of the Pacific cradled the island like a baby in the womb. He’d thought it would be a flat island, but it had its share of peaks and valleys.
He was still getting used to the bugs, most of which looked like something out of a Bert I. Gordon monster movie. Luckily, they didn’t seem intent to drain him of his blood. The cry of gulls was omnipresent during the day.
When it came to the design of the houses, or bungalows as he preferred to call them, Ollie opted for simplicity rather than opulence. The whole idea of coming out here was to live in peace and harmony with nature. The bigger the bungalow, the more work that had to be put into upkeep. Plus, he wasn’t comfortable with gold showers that could fit six, sunken pools in the living room, or sprawling estates with rooms that would only collect dust.
