Night Tide (14 page)

whether!from!a!brisk!five6block!walk!or!anger!hard!to!tell.!She!

frowned! at! me! when! Taylor! showed! her! into! the! conference!

room,!but!saved!her!most!annihilative!gaze!for!the!two!agents.!

They!shuffled!out!reluctantly.!!

!

“I!thought!you’d!send!Cabot,”!I!said.!“I!didn’t!mean!to!pull!

you!away.”!

!

Annoyance!flashed!across!her!features.!“Really,!Blake,!it’s!

bad! enough! you! get! yourself! into! these! situations.! The! senior!

partners!would!have!fits!if!I!asked!Jeffrey!to!bail!you!out!every!

time!you!got!into!trouble.!This!is!easier.”!

!

I!bit!back!the!impulse!to!respond!with!some!clever!dig!of!

my! own,! and! quickly! brought! Molly! up! to! date! without!

prompting.!

!

“You!can’t!tell!them!anything?”!she!asked!when!I!finished.!

“Or!won’t?”!

!

“I!can’t.!I!have!no!clue!where!Wink!is.!Hadn’t!even!thought!

of! the! guy! in! years! until! the! other! day.! How! can! I! give! these!

guys!what!they!want!if!I!don’t!know!anything?”!

!

She!nibbled!the!end!of!the!pen!she!used!to!take!notes.!

!

“I! told! you! about! Wink,”! I! said,! as! if! that! would! explain!

everything.!

!

She! looked! up.! “Not! much.! I! remember! a! few! stories! you!

shared! when! we! first! met,! about! when! you! were! kids.! You!

never!talked!about!him!after!he!went!to!jail.!I!always!wondered!

why!you!never!tried!to!get!in!touch.”!

!

I!raised!my!hands.!“What!was!the!point?”!

!

“I! don’t! know.! Show! some! sympathy,! a! little! support! for!

someone! you! said! used! to! be! a! pretty! important! part! of! your!

life.”!

!

I!didn’t!have!a!response.!

!

She! reached! across! the! table! and! put! a! hand! on! my! arm.!

“I’m!sorry,!by!the!way,!about!what!happened!to!Charlie.!And!to!

you.!Are!you!okay?”!

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!

I!looked!across!Puget!Sound!at!the!snow6capped!Olympic!

Mountains!in!the!distance.!!

!

“Yeah,!I!guess.”!I!left!it!there.!!

!

She! nodded.! “Let! me! go! see! what! it! is! they! want! to! hold!

you!on.”!

!

While! she! was! gone,! I! studied! the! spare! room—round!

table! with! faux! wood! finish,! swivel! chairs! upholstered! with! a!

nubby!fabric!a!color!that!could!only!be!called!puce,!small!glass6

topped! table! against! a! wall! topped! with! the! phone! I’d! used,!

beige! vertical! blinds! on! the! window,! white! walls,! gray!

industrial! carpet.! My! mind! focused! on! none! of! these! things,!

flitting! instead! to! a! hundred! other! unrelated! thoughts,! a!

hummingbird! moving! from! flower! to! flower,! hovering! only!

long! enough! to! fuel! up! for! the! flight! to! the! next! beckoning!

blossom.!I!needed!sleep,!or!another!dose!of!meds.!

!

Molly! reappeared! alone,! and! gathered! up! her! purse! and!

briefcase.!!

!

“You!can!go,”!she!said.!

!

I!looked!at!her!blankly.!“The!charges…?”!

!

“All!a!bunch!of!crap.!The!gun!violations!they!cited!are!state!

law,!not!federal.!And!they’re!so!flimsy,!given!the!circumstances!

they’d!never!stand!up.!I’m!assuming!you!didn’t!assault!or!resist!

Special!Agent!Taylor—you!didn’t,!did!you?!Anyway,!they!didn’t!

bring!it!up,!so!you’re!clear!there.!And,!as!you!pointed!out,!you!

came!here!on!your!own!volition,!so!you’re!not!obstructing!their!

investigation.”!

!

She!turned!for!the!door.!!

!

“Thanks,!Molly.”!

!

She!looked!back!over!her!shoulder,!a!storm!raging!across!

her!face.!“I!don’t!know!what!this!is!about,!but!the!FBI!isn’t!after!

your! friend! just! because! he! violated! parole.! They’d! let! the!

locals!worry!about!him.!If!I!were!you,!I’d!stay!away!from!this.!

Don’t!go!looking!for!him,!Blake.!Stay!as!far!away!from!him!as!

you!can.”!

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!

I!didn’t!make!any!promises.!She!finally!broke!eye!contact.!

When!she!met!my!gaze!again,!her!eyes!filled!with!sadness.!

!

“I!can’t!do!this!anymore,!Blake,”!she!said,!her!voice!barely!

above!a!whisper.!“I’m!trying!to!move!on.!I!don’t!want!to!rescue!

you!anymore.!Stop!calling!me.”!

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!

!
Chapter(16(

!! Worrisome!as!her!last!words!were,!I!took!Molly’s!advice,!

and!went!to!visit!Charlie.!His!pallor!hadn’t!improved!much,!and!

he! didn’t! seem! as! happy! to! see! me.! Eyes! dull! like! before,! the!

grimace!on!his!face!now!said!pain,!not!drugs,!leached!them!of!

their! luster.! He! shifted! position,! wincing! with! the! effort,! and!

fell! back! against! the! pillows.! His! groping! fingers! found! the!

control!unit,!tethered!by!its!cord!to!the!bed!rail.!He!pushed!a!

button! and! the! head! of! the! bed! raised! him! into! a! sitting!

position!with!a!loud!hum.!

!

“This!sucks,”!he!said,!his!voice!scratchy.!

!

“No!visitors?”!

!

“Bunch! of! guys! were! here! earlier,! after! the! end! of! first!

shift.”!

!

I!looked!around!the!empty!room.!“Where’s!Sarah?”!

!

“Taking!a!break.!My!orders.!Told!her!to!go!get!some!sleep.”!

!

“Good!advice.”!

!

“She!probably!went!for!a!walk!to!get!more!coffee.”!

!

“Stubborn.!Like!her!brother.”!

!

He!glared!at!me.!“You!better!watch!yourself!around!her.”!

!

“What!do!you!mean?”!

!

“I! know! you’re! newly! single! again! and! all,! but! she’s! not.!

She’s! got! a! life.! Tim’s! a! good! man.! Bit! of! a! nerd,! but! steady.!

Good!father.!Don’t!screw!that!up.”!

!

My! shoulders! rose! up! around! my! ears,! my! hands! turned!

palms!up.!“Why!would!I!do!that?”!

!

His!eyebrows!dove!into!each!other.!“Bullet!hole!or!no,!I’ll!

kick!your!ass,!so!help!me.!I!saw!the!way!you!looked!at!her.”!

!

“She’s! an! attractive! woman.! I’d! be! a! fool! not! to! notice.!

Doesn’t!mean!I’m!fool!enough!to!make!a!play,!married!or!not.!

What!do!you!take!me!for,!Charlie?”!I!felt!my!fingers!curl!of!their!

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own! accord,! as! if! one! of! the! buttons! on! Charlie’s! remote! was!

linked!to!their!circuitry.!!

!

He! turned! his! hands! over! in! his! lap! and! inspected! them.!

“She!still!carries!a!torch!for!you.”!

!

“After! all! these! years?! I! doubt! it.! A! case! of! the! ‘what6ifs,’!

maybe.! We! all! do! it.! Hell,! I! was! spoken! for! even! back! then,!

Charlie,!and!you!know!it.”!

!

“Yeah,!and!look!how!well!that!turned!out.”!

!

My!jaw!clenched!and!I!took!a!step!toward!the!bed!before!I!

saw!him!smile!weakly!and!wave!me!off.!

!

“Get!a!grip,”!he!said.!“I’m!just!giving!you!a!hard!time.!You!

know!I!wish!you!and!Molly!would!get!back!together.”!

!

“You! hear! from! Babs! yet?”! It! came! out! before! I! could!

squelch!the!impulse.!

!

He! grunted! as! if! he’d! been! punched,! a! wince! turning! to!

something! more! morose.! The! tension! drained! out! of! my!

muscles,!making!me!look!for!a!chair.!I!stood!my!ground.!

!

“You!want!to!talk!about!it?”!I!said.!

!

“Nope.”!He!twisted!the!blanket!in!his!hands.!

!

I! looked! away.! Walked! over! to! the! window! and! read! the!

cards!sticking!out!of!the!bouquets!of!flowers!lining!the!ledge.!

!

“You! given! any! more! thought! to! what! happened! to! your!

folks?”!I!said.!

!

His!reflection!looked!at!me.!“Not!much!else!to!do!in!here!

but!think.!Not!that!these!painkillers!make!it!easy.”!

!

“And?”!

!

“I!don’t!have!a!clue.”!

!

“Maybe!you!should!rethink!taking!that!detective’s!exam.”!

!

His! eyes! bored! into! my! back! for! a! long! time! before! he!

spoke.!“Maybe!I!should.”!His!reflection!said!something!else.!

!

“It’s!just!as!well!Sarah’s!not!here.!She’d!just!be!bugging!me!

to!find!them.”!

!

“You?!That’s!a!laugh.!Stay!out!of!it.”!

!

“I!intend!to,”!I!lied.!!

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!

I! stayed! a! while! longer! and! tried! to! shake! off! the!

grumpiness! that! settled! into! my! bones! like! a! bad! cold.! But!

whatever! Charlie! had! was! contagious,! and! I! left! feeling!

frustrated!and!mean.!

*!*!*!*!*!

!

Frank! called! me! late.! Late! for! him,! anyway.! Early! for! me,!

since!I!was!getting!ready!to!head!for!the!warehouse!in!Ballard!

to!start!work.!He!said!he!wanted!to!meet.!

!

He’d!moved!twenty!feet!from!where!we’d!eaten!lunch,!his!

wiry!frame!now!settled!on!a!stool.!He!hunched!over!the!dark!

oak!of!the!bar,!a!small!paunch!resting!in!his!lap,!elbows!pointed!

bulwarks! against! encroachments! on! the! half6empty! pint! glass!

centered!under!his!nose.!His!arms!circled!it!tightly!when!I!slid!

onto! the! stool! next! to! his.! He! glanced! over! and! his! shoulders!

relaxed.!

!

“Where’s! the! patter?”! I! said.! “The! twenty! questions?”! His!

silence!was!uncharacteristic,!but!I’d!never!run!across!him!after!

an!all6day!bender!before.!

!

He! grunted.! “You! ever! serve?”! He! went! on! before! I! could!

figure! out! what! he! meant.! “I! did.! Army.! Arty! METRO,! over! in!

’Nam.!’Sixty6eight,!’sixty6nine.”!

!

“You!got!drafted?!

!

“Enlisted.! There! was! no! draft! until! ’seventy.! Screwed!

around! too! much! my! first! year! of! college! and! flunked! out.!

Didn’t!know!what!else!to!do.”!He!shrugged!and!picked!up!the!

beer.! “Figured! they’d! send! me! to! Ft.! Lewis! and! train! me! as! a!

grunt.! Wound! up! in! artillery! at! Ft.! Sill! in! Oklahoma! instead.!

Ended!up!at!a!fire!support!base!outside!Tay!Ninh,!maybe!sixty,!

seventy! miles! from! Saigon.! Sent! up! weather! balloons! during!

the! day.! At! night,! we! went! on! patrol.! Did! that! for! the! first!

month,! twenty6four/seven.! Slept! in! one6hour! rotations.! We!

finally! got! enough! reinforcements! we! could! work! a! normal!

shift.! Do! our! work! in! the! day,! get! drunk! or! stoned! at! night,!

sitting! in! our! bunkers! watching! the! fireworks—mortars! and!

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rockets! the! VC! lobbed! at! us.! We’d! crank! up! some! music—

Joplin,! Hendrix,! Stones—and! watch! the! show.! Mortars,! blue;!

rockets,! red.! A! couple! of! times,! the! VC! got! through! the! fence,!

overran!the!camp!and!we!had!to!fight!them!off.”!

!

He!turned!his!head,!his!eyes!taking!a!half!second!to!focus!

on! me.! “I! spent! about! two! maybe! three! months! out! of! a!

thirteen6month! tour! over! there! unofficially! AWOL.! We’d! tell!

our!CO!we!were!going!to!the!beach!at!Cam!Ranh!Bay,!spend!a!

long!weekend!there.!He!didn’t!give!a!shit.!Not!too!many!did.”!

!

My!knee!bounced!up!and!down!under!the!bar.!I!ran!a!hand!

down!the!top!of!my!thigh!and!pressed!hard,!willing!it!to!stop.!

!

He!stared!into!his!glass.!“When!I!joined!up,!there!was!still!

honor!in!serving.!Barely.!The!shit!hit!the!fan!that!year.!King!and!

Kennedy! assassinated;! the! riots! in! Chicago.! By! the! time! I! got!

back! to! the! States,! the! whole! fucking! world! had! gone! topsy6

turvy.! Demonstrators! were! everywhere.! I! went! back! to! U.W.,!

got! interested! in! journalism.! Covered! the! protests! here! in!

town,!and!the!Seattle!Seven!trial!down!in!Tacoma!for!a!campus!

rag.”!

!

“This!is!a!fascinating!walk!down!memory!lane,!Frank,!but!

I’ve!gotta!go!to!work.”!

!

His!lip!curled.!“You!probably!weren’t!even!born!yet.!Got!no!

idea!what!I’m!talking!about.”!

!

“Yeah,! I! get! it.! Hippies! versus! ‘The! Man.’! I’m! not! that!

young.”!

!

He!leaned!back!to!get!a!better!look,!eyes!slowing!focusing.!!

!

“Bet! you! were! in! diapers,! then.! The! history! lesson! is!

important,! smart! guy.! I’ll! tell! you! why.! You! got! me! thinking!

about! the! past! this! afternoon.! Crazy! times.! A! whole! different!

world.”!

!

“What’s!your!point?”!

!

He!waved!and!shook!his!head.!“A!while!after!that!bombing!

you!asked!about—I!don’t!know,!maybe!a!year!later—a!guy!got!

killed! in! a! road! accident.! Guy! named! Fitch,! Sebastian! Fitch.! I!

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don’t!remember!all!the!details.!What!I!do!remember!is!that!the!

cops! thought! Fitch! could! be! linked! to! the! bombing.! Fitch! ran!

with!a!wild!crowd!way!back!in!the!day.”!

!

“Meaning?”!

!

“He! was! a! card6carrying! member! of! the! SLF—Seattle!

Liberation!Front,!the!protest!group.”!

!

“They!protested!the!war,!right?!What’s!that!got!to!do!with!