Night Tide (21 page)

Fingers!with!brightly!painted!nails!hovered!over!a!keyboard!on!

the! desk.! The! pink! cardigan! draped! over! her! shoulders! made!

me!conscious!suddenly!of!the!air6conditioned!chill.!!

!

“Help!you?”!she!said.!

!

“Is!James!Holden!in?”!

!

A! shuffle! of! papers! sounded! through! an! open! door! over!

her!left!shoulder.!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

139&

!

She!tucked!in!her!chin!and!frowned.!“No,!he’s!not.”!

!

I!shifted!my!weight.!“Do!you!expect!him?”!

!

She!pulled!the!glasses!off!her!nose!and!let!them!dangle!on!

her!ample!bosom.!“May!I!ask!what!this!is!in!reference!to?”!

!

A!deep!voice!rumbled!unseen!from!the!office!behind!her.!

“I’ll!handle!this,!Margaret.”!!

!

I!smiled!politely!and!trained!my!eyes!on!the!open!door.!A!

small!mountain!hove!into!view.!The!man’s!girth!was!so!large!it!

pushed! his! arms! out! to! the! sides,! making! him! resemble! a!

pyramid!on!stout!pins.!A!couple!yards!of!red!suspenders!over!a!

starched! white! shirt! held! up! voluminous! pleated! gray! suit!

pants! creased! sharply! enough! to! cut! paper.! A! large! head!

capped! with! short6cropped! salt6and6pepper! hair! sloped! from!

little! round! ears! down! to! the! shoulders,! sagging! jowls! giving!

him! the! sad! visage! of! a! bloodhound.! The! man! twisted! to! one!

side!and!eased!through!the!doorway.!

!

“James! Holden! is! my! father,”! he! said,! extending! a! hand.!

“Been! retired! for! some! time.! I’m! Jeffrey! Holden.! And! you! are!

…?”!He!peered!up!at!me!and!his!eyes!widened.!“I’ll!be!damned.!

Blake?!Blake!Sanders.”!

!

His! recognition! stirred! old! memories.! A! familiar! face!

slowly! emerged! through! the! corpulence.! Jigglin’! Jeff,! butt! of!

schoolyard!jokes!and!the!one!guy!who!could!lift!your!spirits!if!

you! ever! got! to! feeling! sorry! for! yourself.! I! expected! a! soft,!

doughy!handshake,!but!his!grip!was!steely,!unyielding.!I’m!big!

enough!to!comfortably!palm!a!basketball,!but!it!felt!like!trying!

to!wrap!my!fingers!around!a!catcher’!mitt.!

!

“What’s! it! been,! twenty! years?”! Still! firmly! grasping! my!

hand,!he!clapped!me!on!the!shoulder!and!pivoted!a!half6turn,!

pulling!me!toward!his!office.!“Come!on!back.”!

!

He! indicated! a! chair! on! the! way! in.! “Have! a! seat.! Tell! me!

why! you’re! here.! No,! wait.! Let! me! guess.! Wink! Langford.”! He!

leaned! over! the! open! newspaper! on! his! desk! and! cocked! his!

head.!

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—Sherer&

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!

“How’d!you!know?”!I!said.!

!

He! lowered! his! bulk! into! a! chair.! “How’s! your! mom?! Oh,!

right,!you!haven’t!been!to!visit,!and!she!wouldn’t!recognize!you!

if!you!did.!And!how!about!what’s6her6name?!The!cutie!you!had!

a! crush! on! junior! year.! Ellen.! Wait! a! minute.! She! married! a!

college! professor.! Lives! down! in! Carbondale! now.! Has! three!

kids.! Oldest! just! graduated.! Going! to! Michigan! State,! I! heard.!

Me?!I’m!doing!fine,!thanks!for!asking.!Took!over!the!firm—”!He!

leaned! to! his! left,! looked! past! me! and! raised! his! voice.! “How!

long!ago!did!Dad!retire,!Margaret?”!

!

Margaret’s! boredom! floated! in! on! her! answer.! “Six! years!

next!month.”!

!

“Six! years! ago,”! he! said! to! me.! “Business! is! booming.!

Bankruptcies,! foreclosures,! wills,! DUIs! …! Signs! of! the! times,! I!

suppose.”!

!

I!looked!around!the!dark!wood6paneled!office,!two!three6

pound! bass! and! a! big! trout! mounted! on! the! walls! along! with!

framed! degrees! from! a! couple! different! universities,! the! big!

oak! desk! with! a! brass! lamp,! leaded! glass6fronted! bookshelf!

holding!a!leather6bound!set!of!law!books,!an!expensive!putter!

leaning! against! the! windowsill,! a! half6dozen! shiny! white! golf!

balls!on!the!thick!Persian!carpet!next!to!it.!

!

He!sighed!and!peered!at!me.!“You!still!with!me?!What!did!

you! use! to! call! it?! ‘Daydream! dues?’”! His! voice! shifted! to! a!

falsetto.!“‘Pay!attention,!Sanders.’”!

!

“You!remember!all!that!stuff?!I!can’t!remember!what!I!had!

for!breakfast!yesterday.”!

!

He!smiled.!“The!point!is!I!can’t!think!of!one!damn!reason!

for!you!to!come!back!here!after!all!this!time!except!Wink.”!

!

“Wink!always!managed!to!get!me!to!do!what!he!wanted.”!

!

“He!told!you!to!come?”!

!

I!shook!my!head.!“I!need!to!know!where!he!is,!Jeff.”!

!

His! eyes! narrowed.! “Why! should! I! tell! you! something! I!

won’t!even!tell!agents!of!the!federal!government?”!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

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!

“Because!I’m!
not
!one!of!them.”!

!

“I! could! hide! behind! attorney6client! privilege,! but! I! don’t!

need!to!resort!to!legalities.!I!don’t!know!where!he!is.”!

!

“If!you!had!to!guess!where!he!might!be…?”!

!

He!picked!up!a!pen!with!both!hands!and!rolled!it!between!

his!fingers,!then!lifted!it!to!his!nose!and!sniffed.!“I’d!kill!for!a!

good!cigar.!Doctor!says!a!good!cigar!will!kill!me.”!He!held!the!

pen! up.! “This! just! isn’t! the! same.! Dad! once! told! me! an!

interesting! story! about! that! night.! He! said! Langford! told! him!

someone! else! was! with! him,! someone! who! might! have! been!

able! to! corroborate! his! story.! Someone! who! might! have! seen!

the!men!responsible.”!

!

He!spoke!as!if!the!bombing!had!happened!the!week!before,!

his!words!stripping!away!the!intervening!years!like!some!trick!

of! quantum! mechanics.! Bend! the! fabric! of! the! space6time!

continuum! like!
this
,! and—
voila!
—you’re! nineteen! again.!

Holden’s! face! was! impassive,! but! his! eyes! glinted,! ice! chips!

reflecting!winter!light.!

!

“That! someone! must! have! had! good! reasons! for! not!

coming!forward,”!I!said,!shrugging.!“If!someone!really!
was
!with!

Wink!that!night,!maybe!he!didn’t!actually!see!what!happened.”!

!

“People! drift! apart! after! high! school,! lose! touch.! You!

surprised!me.”!

!

“Why?! Because! I! found! it! easier! to! stay! away! than! come!

home!once!I!was!gone?”!

!

“People!here!looked!up!to!you.”!

!

“I!was!flavor!of!the!month!on!the!latest!Orphans!roundball!

team! to! go! to! state.! How! many! teams! have! gone! since?!

Remember! any! of! the! kids! on! those! teams?! I’m! a! name! on! a!

plaque! on! a! wall! at! the! high! school,! that’s! all.! Don’t! make! me!

out!like!I!was!some!big!hero,!Jeff.!People!didn’t!look!up!to!me;!I!

was!just!lucky!enough!to!be!on!a!winning!team.”!

!

He! stared! at! me! and! tapped! the! pen! on! his! desk! blotter.!

“Why!the!sudden!interest?”!!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

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!

“Why!do!you!think?”!!

!

He! turned! to! look! out! the! window.! “You! remember! the!

raven’s! egg! Wink! hatched?! What! was! that,! eighth! grade?!

Freshman!year?”!

!

Early! spring! one! year,! Wink! had! found! an! egg! on! the!

ground! in! the! woods.! Could! have! been! bird,! reptile! or! alien,!

Wink!didn’t!care.!Took!it!home!and!tucked!it!in!his!sock!drawer!

with!a!desk!lamp!and!thermometer!and!hatched!the!darn!thing.!

Ground!up!birdseed,!mixed!it!with!water!and!fed!the!hatchling!

through!an!eyedropper.!When!the!bird!was!old!enough!to!fly,!

Wink!brought!it!to!the!park.!Tossed!it!in!the!air,!watched!it!flap!

its! wings! on! the! way! down! and! land! with! a! thump.! Finally! it!

grew! stronger,! so! that! as! it! neared! the! ground,! it! built! up!

enough!air!pressure!under!those!madly!flapping!wings!to!stay!

aloft.! Zooming! along! in! the! ground! effect! one! day,! the! poor!

raven!wandered!into!the!path!of!an!impromptu!ball!game,!and!

flew! right! over! home! plate.! The! bird! made! too! tempting! a!

target.!The!kid!at!bat!took!a!swing!at!it.!Killed!it!instantly.!

!

Holden! swiveled! toward! me.! “Toby! Schneider.! Dumb!

schmuck.! Langford! waited! three,! four! years! to! get! even.!

Remember?!And!he!was!careful!not!to!do!anything!that!could!

cause! him! real! trouble! if! he! got! caught.! Didn’t! poison!

Schneider’s!dog,!or!set!his!house!on!fire.!Didn’t!beat!him!up,!or!

have!him!killed.!That!might!have!been!my!personal!choice!if!I!

thought!I!could!get!away!with!it.”!

!

I! frowned,! wondered! if! my! memory! was! that! faulty,! that!

full!of!holes.!“What!happened?”!

!

Hairy! black! caterpillars! over! his! eyes! marched! toward!

each!other.!“Maybe!it!was!longer!than!I!thought.!You!might!not!

have!been!here.”!He!tugged!at!an!ear.!“First!hard!freeze!of!the!

winter,! Langford! went! over! to! Toby’s! late! at! night! and! hosed!

down!his!car.”!

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!

I! raised! a! finger.! “I! did! hear! about! this.! Not! from! Wink,!

though.! He! never! said! a! word.! Someone! must! have! told! me!

when!I!was!back!on!break.!Stick,!maybe,!or!Bud.”!

!

Jeff!nodded,!chin!disappearing!into!the!roll!of!fat!below!it!

each!time!his!head!bobbed.!“Froze!the!car!solid.!Encased!it!in!a!

block!of!ice.!Coated!it!with!enough!ice!the!first!time!to!make!it!

impossible! to! open! the! doors.! Went! back! a! few! more! times!

after!that.!Toby!couldn’t!drive!it!until!spring.”!

!

I!rested!my!cheek!on!the!back!of!my!knuckles,!stared!at!the!

carpet!for!a!moment.!“Wink’s!got!a!long!memory!is!what!you’re!

saying.”!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

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!

!
Chapter(23(

!! “Take!it!however!you!want,”!Holden!said.!“I’m!just!reliving!

some!old!times,!chatting!about!a!mutual!acquaintance.”!

!

I! knew! better.! Wink! was! eidetic,! his! recall! nearly!

photographic.!!

!

“I!really!need!to!find!him,!Jeff.”!

!

“What!for?”!

!

“Just!talk.!See!what!he!knows.”!

!

“About!the!bombing?!He’s!had!twenty!years!to!think!about!

it.!Research!it.!File!requests!with!the!DOJ!under!the!Freedom!of!

Information!Act.!I’d!say!he’s!pretty!much!an!authority!on!it!by!

now.! Probably! knows! more! than! anyone.! Including! the!

investigative!team.”!He!paused.!“So!what!happened?!You!get!a!

visit!from!the!FBI?”!

!

I!nodded.!“They!think!I!know!where!he!is.”!

!

His! jowls! rose! as! he! smiled.! “I’m! surprised.! You! sort! of!

slammed! that! door! shut! tight,! didn’t! you?! Don’t! suppose! you!

ever!looked!back!until!now.!But!I!guess!they!had!to!at!least!try,!

given!the!history!between!you!two.”!

!

“Someone!else!is!looking!for!him,!too.”!

!

His!eyes!widened.!I!told!him!about!Keely.!

!

“Might!be!better!if!I!got!to!him!before!the!FBI,”!I!said.!“And!

maybe!Keely!can!help!him,!since!she!was!the!girl’s!sister.”!

!

“I’m!not!sure!what!advantage!that!gives!him.”!He!frowned.!

“I!might!just!advise!him!to!lay!low.!If!he!called!and!asked,!that!

is.”!

!

“I!thought!he!violated!parole.”!

!

He! waved! a! mitt.! “Minor.! He! did! his! time.! They! released!

him!a!month!early!for!good!behavior.!Technically!he’s!AWOL,!

but!really…!The!feds!are!just!pissed!they!don’t!know!where!he!

is.”!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

145&

!

“The!two!agents!who!paid!me!a!visit!thought!he!might!be!

in!my!neck!of!the!woods.!Bearing!a!grudge.”!

!

“A!grudge?!Now!why!would!Wink!do!that?!Just!’cause!you!

bailed!on!him?”!

!

I!shifted!in!the!chair.!“What!do!you!mean?”!

!

“Where’ve! you! been! all! this! time?! You! were! around! that!

summer.! I! remember! seeing! the! two! of! you.! Never! saw! you!

again!after!the!bombing—until!now.!I!thought!friends!stood!up!

for!each!other.”!

!

I!breathed!a!little!easier.!“Like!you!said,!things!change!after!

high!school.!We!go!our!separate!ways.”!

!

“You!didn’t!even!show!at!the!trial.!Hell,!half!the!town!was!

there!at!some!point!in!the!proceedings.!Not!you.!Conspicuous!

by!your!absence.!Bunch!of!other!kids!in!our!class!took!time!off!

from!school!to!show!a!little!support.!Or!gawk,!depending.!But!

they!were!there.”!

!

Heat! climbed! into! my! face! like! mercury! creeping! up! a!

thermometer.!“I!was!two!thousand!miles!away.!In!school,!on!a!

scholarship.!And!if!you!remember,!my!old!man!blew!a!gasket!

end! of! senior! year.! We! weren’t! exactly! rolling! in! dough.! Even!

with!help!from!the!grandparents,!my!mom!was!just!squeaking!

by.! Not! like! I! could! afford! to! just! breeze! in! for! the! weekend,!

Jeff.”!

!

He! rubbed! his! cheek.! “I! suppose! you’re! right.! It’s! just! …!