“I’m going to take your word for it,” Lett said. “Listen, when should me and you see each other, you think?” But then he saw it. Them.

Two MPs passed, in the far distance. Lett turned his back to them, breathing deep. Kanani waited it out.

“The Preserve has a bar,” she said.

“I saw it.”

“They’re giving me work there when I’m not, uh, training.”

Lett wanted to ask her what she was training for, but of course she couldn’t say anything about that. She certainly wouldn’t ask him. As a local on the inside, she was probably on thinner ice than he was. “I’m guessing I won’t see you there much,” he said. “You’ll be busy. And too many mucky-mucks, I suppose.”

She gave a little shrug. “It’s something, Wendell.”

Lett nodded. “The clerk says I’ll be getting work in the kitchen. Kitchen Patrol,” he added with a chuckle.

“KP?” Kanani snorted. “You don’t deserve that.”

“It’s just to fill the hours, in between.”

Kanani sat up a little taller. Half of one eye appeared out the side of her yellow sunglass frames.

“It’s Selfer,” she whispered.

Lett didn’t turn around. “Oh. Well, it’s okay. We’re just chatting. Right?”

“Right, yes.” She rushed to say, “I’m glad you’re doing all right.”

“Me too. And you too—”

“Kids? Hope I’m not interrupting . . .”

Lett whipped around. Selfer was tiptoeing up to them like the manager of a dime-a-dance hall forced to check on a patron. He wore the same tame aloha shirt, linen trousers, and sandals as the other day, and Lett wondered if it was the only such outfit he had.

Lett stood.

“Hello again,” Kanani said, already standing.

“Hello there,” Selfer said around Lett’s shoulder.

“Well, I must be going,” Kanani said, “you two always have so much to talk about,” and added a wink at Lett. “Aloha.” She turned on her heel, and Lett and Selfer watched her go.

Selfer patted Lett on the shoulder, and Lett turned to look at him. The man had a grin on, Lett saw, and it was real.

“What is it?” he said.

“You did it.”

“I did?”

“Uh-huh. You passed the test! That’s what Lansdale said on the horn.”

“He’s not here, not back? Wait, what test?”

“Not yet he’s not, no. So. When I tried explaining to him why I took the liberty of releasing you, I have to confess that I was a little worried. But he wasn’t disturbed a bit. He was delighted! The thing is, you took the initiative. That was the test! That was why he made sure you knew about the Main House. You weren’t going to just stew down there. You needed to act.”

“I guess I did, in my own way.”