Night Tide (25 page)

!

“What! are! you! doing! here?”! Chance! said.! “I! thought! you!

were!out!of!town.”!

!

“Got! in! after! ten.! Thought! I! might! as! well! work.! Sorry! I!

didn’t!call.”!

!

“Why!didn’t!you?”!

!

“I! didn’t! want! to! bug! you! at! the! club,! and! wanted! to! see!

you!anyway.!Hope!you!don’t!mind.”!

!

He!tilted!his!head.!“You!all!right,!doll?”!

!

I!sighed.!“Been!a!long!couple!of!days.!I!don’t!like!spending!

that!much!time!with!an!airplane!strapped!to!my!ass.”!

!

“Where’d!you!go?”!

!

“Home.”!

!

He! shook! his! head.! “Oh,! Blake,! honey,! don’t! you! know!

Dorothy!had!it!all!wrong?!There’s!no!going!back.”!

!

“I!wasn’t!trying!to!relive!my!glory!days.!I!was!just!trying!to!

get!a!line!on!a!guy.”!

!

“Switching!teams?”!The!corners!of!his!mouth!turned!up.!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

166&

!

“You’ll!be!the!first!person!I!call!if!I!do.!No,!an!old!friend.”!

!

He! glanced! at! the! stacks! of! assembled! papers.! “So,! you!

don’t!need!me,!then?”!

!

“I!do,!actually.!I’m!running!on!fumes.!I!could!use!the!help,!if!

only!to!keep!me!awake.”!

!

Chance! stepped! up! to! the! table,! grabbed! an! armful! of!

papers!and!laid!them!on!the!cart.!I!followed!suit,!and!moments!

later! we! wheeled! the! cart! out! of! the! warehouse! into! the!

parking!lot.!

!

“My!car!or!yours?”!Chance!said.!!

!

“Yours,!if!you!don’t!mind.”!I!didn’t!tell!him!why.!

!

Still! buzzed! from! working! the! club,! he! kept! up! a! lively!

patter! about! the! show.! He’d! changed! it! some,! adding! more!

stand6up,!a!couple!of!new!songs,!and!it!seemed!to!be!working.!

Weekend! crowds! were! bigger,! Toji! was! selling! more! drinks,!

and!everyone!was!happy.!!

!

“I’m! surprised! anyone! in! the! club! knows! who! Carol!

Channing!is,”!I!said.!“Aren’t!they!all!a!little!young?”!

!

“You’ve! got! to! be! kidding,! doll.! A:! she! was! born! here! in!

Seattle.!And!two:!she’s!one!of!the!biggest!gay!rights!supporters!

out!there.!You!really!did!come!from!a!turnip!patch,!didn’t!you?”!

!

“Sorry.!I!didn’t!know.!Cole!was!never!into!show!tunes.!Just!

sports.”!

!

It!didn’t!make!any!difference!whether!Cole!had!been!a!fan!

of!Barbra!or!Beckham.!He!was!gone.!The!memory!clawed!at!the!

inside! of! my! chest.! Chance! threw! a! quick! glance! my! way! and!

motored! on,! chatting! about! nothing,! yet! everything! that! was!

important—friends,! small! triumphs,! compassionate! gestures,!

the! business! of! everyday! living.! I! was! glad! of! the! company.!

Chance! drove,! animatedly! gesturing! with! alternate! hands! as!

the! words! tumbled! out! of! his! mouth.! In! the! passenger! seat,! I!

folded! and! stuffed! newspapers! into! plastic! sleeves,! read!

recipients’! street! addresses! off! to! Chance,! and! tossed! papers!

out!the!window.!!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

167&

!

The! work! went! quickly! with! two! people.! I! ticked! off! the!

addresses! on! the! list! until! soon! the! end! of! the! route! was! in!

sight.!I!couldn’t!avoid!it!any!longer.!

!

“You! and! Peter! okay?”! I! said! during! a! lull! in! Chance’s!

monologue.!

!

“Good.!Why?”!

!

I!saw!him!shrug.!“No!excitement!while!I!was!gone?”!

!

“The!usual.”!He!glanced!at!me.!“What!do!you!mean?”!

!

“No!one!came!looking!for!me?”!

!

His!head!tipped!and!his!eyes!rolled.!“Oh,!that.”!

!

My!shoulders!tensed.!

!

He! put! a! fist! in! his! mouth! to! stifle! a! yawn.! “I’m! sure! you!

find!it!exciting—about!time!you!got!laid—but!it’s!T.M.I.!as!far!

as! we’re! concerned,! Blake.! I’m! happy! for! you,! but! don’t! need!

the!details!of!your!love!life,!thanks.”!

!

“A!woman!named!Keely?”!

!

“That’s! the! one.! Wanted! us! to! be! sure! to! tell! you! she!

stopped!by.!Said!she!was!worried!about!you.!Something!about!

not!telling!her!where!you!were?!I!didn’t!tell!her!you!were!out!of!

town.”!

!

“She!gave!you!details?”!

!

He!shook!his!head.!“Didn’t!have!to.!If!she!hadn’t!seemed!so!

put! out,! she! would! have! positively! glowed.! Morning6after!

regret,!honey?”!

!

I! shook! my! head! then! stopped.! “I’m! not! sure.! She! seems!

nice!enough.”!

!

“But?”!!

!

I! could! have! offered! up! one! of! half! a! dozen! answers,! but!

didn’t! know! if! any! were! right.! Molly’s! face! popped! into! my!

head,!and!again!Reyna!Chase’s!crowded!it!out,!large!dark!eyes!

challenging!me,!full!lips!mouthing!a!soundless!question.!I!said!

nothing.!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

168&

!

“Maybe!you’re!not!ready!yet,”!Chance!said.!“Or!maybe!you!

call! this! woman,! apologize! like! a! gentleman! and! see! where! it!

goes.”!

!

“Maybe.”!

!

We!finished!the!route!in!silence.!Chance!idled!at!the!curb!

after! I! tossed! the! last! paper! into! a! subscriber’s! yard.! He! sat!

hunched!over!the!wheel.!

!

“Where!to?”!he!said.!“Want!me!to!take!you!back!to!get!your!

car?”!

!

I!gazed!out!the!window!for!a!moment.!“Nah,!I’ll!cab!over!in!

the!morning.!Let’s!go!home.”!

!

“Sounds!good.”!He!leaned!back!and!gave!the!car!some!gas.!

!

After!a!moment!I!said,!“You!haven’t!noticed!anything!else!

going!on!around!the!house?”!!

!

“Like!what?”!

!

“Strange! cars! hanging! around! out! front.! People! lurking.!

Folks!asking!about!me.!Besides!the!woman.!Anything!out!of!the!

ordinary.”!

!

“Oh,!my!god,!Blake,!you’re!creeping!me!out.!You’re!not!in!

trouble!again!are!you?”!

!

“Just! answer! the! question.! Have! you! or! Peter! noticed!

anything!weird?!Anyone!watching!the!house?”!

!

“No.!Not!a!thing.!Other!than!your!new!girlfriend,!it’s!been!

quiet.!No!weirdos!pounding!on!your!door!or!anything!like!that.!

No!one!skulking!in!the!bushes!late!at!night.”!

!

“You’re!sure?!I!just!don’t!want!anything!to!happen!to!you!

guys!because!of!me.”!

!

“I’m!sure.!What’s!going!on,!Blake?”!

!

“I!don’t!know.”!!

!

“What!have!you!gotten!yourself!into?”!

!

“It’s! complicated.! It! may! have! something! to! do! with! the!

cop!who!got!shot!last!week.”!

!

“Your!friend!Charlie?”!He!glanced!at!me.!

!

I!nodded.!“And!she’s!not!my!girlfriend.”!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

169&

!

He!rolled!his!eyes.!“Whatever!you!say,!doll.”!

!

I!sat!up!straighter!as!we!pulled!onto!the!street!leading!to!

the! house,! senses! on! alert,! watching! for! hulking! black! SUVs,!

silhouettes! in! car! windows,! early6morning! pedestrians.! The!

street! was! quiet,! too! late! for! clubbers! and! too! early! for! the!

nine6to6five!crowd.!A!pale!blue!sky!tinged!pink!on!the!eastern!

horizon! reflected! pre6dawn! light.! Almost! daybreak.! Chance!

found! an! empty! spot! at! the! curb! half! a! block! from! the! house!

and! parked.! I! got! out! and! stretched! while! he! retrieved!

costumes!and!a!make6up!kit!from!the!back!seat.!

!

“Thanks! for! taking! the! route! the! past! couple! nights.”! I!

yawned!hugely!and!followed!him!up!the!street.!

!

“Glad! to! help.! You! know! me;! I! can’t! sleep! after! a! show!

anyway.!Might!as!well!put!all!that!energy!to!good!use!making!a!

little!extra!instead!of!partying!all!night.”!

!

“Well,!money!or!not,!you’re!a!good!friend!to!fill!in.”!

!

Even! in! the! pale! light,! I! saw! him! blush.! In! the! shadows!

ahead,!sudden!movement!caught!my!eye!and!made!me!suck!in!

a! breath.! I! turned! to! look.!
There!
! A! dark! form! slipped! out! of!

sight! around! the! far! corner! of! the! house.! Headed! toward! my!

apartment!on!the!lower!level.!

!

I!put!a!hand!on!Chance’s!arm.!“Stay!here,”!I!said!quietly.!

!

Without!waiting!for!a!reply,!I!broke!into!a!trot!toward!the!

house!and!pulled!up!at!the!corner.!

I!poked!my!head!out!for!a!quick!glance!down!the!slope!toward!

the!back.!Nothing!there.!Cautiously,!I!slipped!around!the!corner!

and!down!the!hill.!A!dead!broken!tree!limb!lay!on!the!grass!by!

the! fence.! I! picked! it! up! and! held! it! over! my! shoulder! like! a!

tomahawk.!Hugging!the!side!of!the!house,!I!peaked!around!the!

end! toward! my! door.! No! one! there.! But! a! rustle! and! clatter!

came! from! the! other! side! of! the! detached! garage! thirty! feet!

away.!!

!

Pulling! back! out! of! sight,! I! opened! my! mouth! wide! and!

drew! in! a! slow! silent! breath.! Chance! tiptoed! down! the! slope.!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

170&

Peeved,! I! waved! him! toward! the! side! of! the! house! and! put! a!

finger!to!my!lips.!The!soft!sound!of!footsteps!shuffling!on!grass!

floated! on! the! still! morning! air.! Grasping! the! branch! in! both!

hands,! I! tensed.! Now! the! sound! breathing! accompanied! the!

footsteps! as! the! figure! labored! up! the! slope.! I! sensed! him,!

smelled! him! before! the! dark! figure! rounded! the! corner,! and!

swung!the!heavy!limb.!

!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

171&

!

&

Chapter&27&

!

!

A!shriek!rent!the!stillness!and!pierced!my!ears!as!Chance!

hit! me! from! behind! like! a! charging! rhino.! The! collision! felled!

me!like!a!Douglas!fir.!I!crashed!to!the!ground,!tangled!in!yards!

of!hand6me6down!high6fashion!fabric!and!the!slender!limbs!of!

my! cross6dressing! landlord.! We! rolled! once! down! the! slope!

and!came!to!rest!at!the!feet!of!someone!in!flip6flops!and!sweat!

pants.!I!spit!out!a!mouthful!of!grass!and!dirt!and!looked!up!at!

the!startled!face!of!my!other!landlord!Peter.!

!

“What! are! you! two! doing?”! Peter! hissed.! “You’ll! wake! up!

the!whole!neighborhood.”!

!

Chance!sat!up!and!unwound!the!dress!wrapped!around!his!

torso.!

!

“Are!you!okay?”!I!asked!him.!

!

He!nodded.!“You?”!

!

“No!harm,!no!foul.”!I!got!to!my!feet!and!gave!him!a!hand,!

feeling!a!flush!rise!up!my!neck!into!my!cheeks.!“Thanks.”!

!

“For!what?”!Peter!said,!gaze!turning!from!one!of!us!to!the!

other,!nose!wrinkling.!

!

“Nothing,”! Chance! said! airily.! His! eyes! narrowed.! “What!

are!you!doing!up!so!early?”!

!

Peter! sighed.! “Damn! heat.! House! never! cooled! off! last!

night.!I!couldn’t!sleep.”!!

!

“Time!to!spring!for!air!conditioning,!honey.!What!are!you!

doing!out!here?”!

!

“It’s!a!lot!cooler!out!than!in.!I’ve!been!sitting!on!the!porch!

waiting!for!you.!Figured!I!might!as!well!do!something!useful.!I!

was! just! taking! out! the! garbage.”! He! turned! to! me.! “You’re!

home.”!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

172&

!

“Got!in!last!night—too!wired!to!sleep!and!too!tired!to!work!

the! route! by! myself.! Thanks! for! loaning! me! Chance! for! the!

weekend.”!

!

“I’m!sure!he!was!happy!to!help.”!

!

Chance! pursed! his! lips! and! threw! him! a! look.! “
We
! were!

happy!to!help.”!

!

“Yes,!well,!
we
!have!to!go!to!work!in!a!couple!of!hours.”!

!

“You’re!going!to!be!a!wreck!today,!aren’t!you,!poor!baby?”!

!

“I’ll!manage.”!

!

Chance!opened!his!mouth.!I!stepped!on!whatever!he!was!

about!to!say.!“Thank!you!again,!both!of!you.!I’m!turning!in.”!

!

Their!heads!turned!in!unison,!the!same!pleasant!smile!on!

both!faces.!

!

“Good!night,”!Chance!said!sweetly.!

!

“Good!morning,”!Peter!said,!his!smile!souring.!

!

I! rounded! the! corner! of! the! house! down! to! my! door!

wondering! when! I’d! grown! so! paranoid! I! could! nearly! take!

Peter’s!head!off!with!a!length!of!dead!wood.!

*!*!*!*!*!

!

Even! with! a! fan! doing! its! best! to! evaporate! the! glaze! of!

perspiration!coating!me,!the!heat!caused!sleep!to!come!in!fits!

and!starts,!mottled!by!unsettling!dreams.!The!sun’s!attempts!to!

beat! its! way! through! the! curtains! an! hour! after! I! lay! down!

pushed! up! the! mercury! in! the! thermometer! like! someone!

sucking!it!up!through!a!straw.!Shortly!after!midday,!I!gave!up,!

rinsed! off! in! the! shower! and! threw! on! cargo! shorts! and! a! T6

shirt.! I! cabbed! over! to! Ballard,! retrieved! my! car! and! headed!

north,!careful!to!check!for!a!tail.!I!threw!in!a!few!extra!turns!on!