‘You said surfing was his salvation as a boy, following his parents’ divorce. But surfing also became his downfall. Do you think he’s looking for snowboarding to give him . . . redemption?’

Ari looked stunned by the question. She felt almost bad for asking it. ‘. . . No. I just think he was ready for a new challenge. There’s other worlds to conquer.’

‘Does snowboarding give him the kicks surfing used to? If that’s where he processes his emotions . . .’

‘Yeah. I mean, it’s hard to find something that can compare. When you’ve spent your life pushing yourself to the very limits, as he has . . . There’s not much that makes you feel more alive than screaming down a wall of water that’s threatening to break on you with four hundred tons and is coming at you at speeds over a hundred kilometres an hour. Especially when you know that even if you survive the wipeout, chances are you’re five metres underwater and gonna get stuck in a hold-down too . . .’

He seemed to realize what he’d said, the words fading on his lips. Clover didn’t stir. They were back to Cory again.

She inhaled slowly. ‘Kit thrived out there because he was driven. Driven by pain at his parents’ divorce, driven by anger at his father . . . Is he reckless with life, would you say? His own? Other people’s?’

‘No!’ Ari almost came off the seat of his chair. ‘He’s always been incredibly safety-conscious. He’s an athlete, he knows his limits. He knows what the dangers are and he does everything he can to mitigate them.’

‘But that’s patently not true,’ she said in a deliberately calm, slow voice. ‘The rule of interference and respecting priority is based on water safety – and Kit deliberately ignored Cory’s priority. He intentionally blocked his path, forcing Cory into the water, where the wave picked him up and slammed him down with those four hundred tons of force – and where he then got pinned under a double hold-down.’

Ari stared back at her. He didn’t say anything for a long time. ‘. . . The double hold-down was . . . just a freak happening. Kit couldn’t have known it was coming. If it had just been a normal set of waves, Cory would have been okay. All surfers breath-train. Kit, when he was competing, could hold his for almost four minutes. He learned to slow his heart rate right down. It saved his life more than once.’

Clover stared at him. ‘. . . Breath-training?’ she frowned. ‘Could you tell me more about that? How do you train for that?’

‘The old-fashioned way – stick your head under water and hold your breath for as long as you can. In the ocean ideally, but in the tub or even a sink if you have to.’

‘. . . Is there any reason why Kit would need to incorporate that into his current training regime?’