Night Tide (26 page)

the!way!just!to!be!sure.!!

!

The!front!door!of!the!small!house!in!Shoreline!was!open,!

car! in! the! drive.! I! walked! up! the! steps! to! the! porch,! peered!

through! the! screen! door! into! the! dim! interior! and! knocked!

loudly.!Voices!drifted!faintly!from!the!back!of!the!house.! !

!

“Anyone!home?”!I!called.!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

173&

!

No! answer.! I! knocked! again! and! waited! a! few! moments.!

When! no! one! responded! I! opened! the! screen! and! stepped!

inside.!!

!

“Hello?”! I! walked! toward! the! sound! of! voices.! “Anybody!

here?”!

!

The! back! door! off! the! kitchen! was! open,! too.! The! voices,!

louder! now,! came! from! the! deck.! I! pushed! the! screen! door!

open!and!leaned!through!the!doorway.!A!small!portable!TV!sat!

on! the! patio! table! in! the! shade,! images! of! a! baseball! game!

flickering!across!its!screen,!announcer!calling!the!play.!A!glass!

pitcher!of!lemonade!beaded!with!moisture!rested!across!from!

the!TV,!half6empty!glass!beside!it.!

!

“Don’t! move!”! a! voice! said! behind! me.! “Unless! you’re!

itching! to! get! shot! you’ll! want! to! raise! your! hands! easy! and!

place!them!on!top!of!your!head.”! !

!

I!did!as!I!was!told.!

!

“Now!turn!around!slow.”!

!

I! did! the! turn.! The! cinder! block! on! legs! decocked! the!

hammer! of! a! semiautomatic! handgun! dwarfed! like! a! toy!

popgun!in!his!ham!hock!of!a!hand.!

!

“Thought!it!was!you!from!the!size!of!you,”!Ned!Collins!said,!

tucking!the!gun!in!his!waistband!at!the!small!of!his!back.!“You!

shouldn’t!walk!through!a!man’s!house!unannounced.!Especially!

an!ex6cop’s!house.!Could!get!yourself!killed.”!

!

“I!knocked.!And!announced!myself.”!

!

“Guess! I! didn’t! hear! you.! I! was! kind! of! busy.! Put! your!

hands!down.”!

!

I! lowered! them! and! self6consciously! stuck! them! in! my!

pockets.!!

!

“Sorry! to! barge! in.! I! wondered! if! you! might! have! a! few!

minutes!to!talk.”!

!

He! motioned! toward! the! window.! “You! can! see! how!

frickin’!busy!I!am.”!He!sighed.!“I!suppose!I!could!spare!a!minute!

or!two.”!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

174&

!

He! walked! to! the! counter! next! to! the! sink,! opened! a!

cupboard!and!pulled!down!a!clean!glass,!then!pushed!past!me!

out!onto!the!deck.!I!followed!him!to!the!table!and!sat,!gratefully!

accepting!the!glass!of!lemonade!he!handed!me.!

!

He!picked!up!a!napkin!and!ran!it!over!his!bald!head,!then!

held!his!glass!to!the!side!of!his!face.!“Can’t!remember!the!last!

time! it! was! this! hot! in! June,”! he! muttered.! “Everyone! knows!

summer!don’t!start!here!until!after!the!Fourth!of!July.”!

!

“Lemonade!hits!the!spot.!Thanks.”!

!

He! lowered! his! glass! and! peered! at! me.! “Didn’t! expect! to!

see!you!again.!At!least!not!so!soon.”!

!

“Had!some!more!questions,!if!you!don’t!mind.”!

!

He!tipped!his!head.!“I’ll!help!if!I!can.”!

!

I! told! him! about! my! trip! back! to! Illinois.! About! my!

conversation! with! Waldron! and! the! information! I’d! gleaned!

from!the!library!on!campus.!

!

“Something!bothers!you,”!he!said!when!I!finished.!

!

“Fitch!bothers!me.!From!what!you!told!me,!he!didn’t!have!

the! smarts! to! pull! off! that! bombing.! Where’d! he! get! C64?!

Where’d!he!learn!how!to!use!it?!And!he’s!got!no!motive!that!I!

can!figure.!Why’d!he!do!it?”!

!

He! leaned! back! and! scratched! a! spot! over! his! right! ear,!

then!combed!the!fringe!of!hair!back!in!place!with!his!fingers.!

!

“I! can’t! answer! any! of! those! questions,”! he! said.! “Maybe!

that! puts! your! buddy! back! in! the! hot! seat.! What! about! him?!

Could!he!get!his!hands!on!military!explosives?”!

!

Harold! Langford,! Wink’s! dad,! had! been! a! tinkerer,! a!

MacGyver! type! who! loved! putting! things! together! out! of!

nothing.! An! inventor,! with! a! couple! of! patents,! one! of! which!

had!made!him!fairly!wealthy.!Before!that,!though,!he’d!worked!

for!an!arms!manufacturer!outside!St.!Louis.!His!workshop!had!

been!full!of!stuff!he’d!worked!on!at!the!factory.!Wink!had!been!

playing!with!black!powder!and!other!explosives!since!he!could!

walk.! Could! he! have! put! his! hands! on! stuff! restricted! to! the!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

175&

military?!Wink!had!never!been!one!to!let!little!things!like!rules!

get!in!the!way!of!science!or!a!good!practical!joke.!!

!

“Yeah,!it’s!possible,”!I!said.!“Probable,!even.!But!I!still!don’t!

think! he! did! it.! What! about! the! gang! Fitch! used! to! ride! with?!

Not! exactly! peaceable! folk,! I! imagine.! Could! they! have! helped!

him!put!his!hands!on!explosives?!Did!he!keep!in!contact?”!

!

“Now! there’s! a! thought.”! He! paused! and! looked! out! into!

the! yard.! After! a! moment! he! pushed! back! from! table.! “Come!

with!me.”!

!

Collins! led! me! back! into! the! kitchen! and! through! a! side!

door! into! the! garage.! He! stopped! just! inside! the! door! and! I!

almost! bumped! into! him! before! my! eyes! adjusted! to! the!

dimness.!He!snapped!on!an!overhead!fluorescent!fixture!from!a!

wall!switch.!A!workbench!on!one!wall!was!littered!with!fishing!

reels,! line,! lures,! fly! tying! equipment,! several! pairs! of! needle!

nose! pliers! and! assorted! flotsam! and! jetsam.! Fishing! poles,!

creels,!nets!and!other!gear!were!arrayed!in!stands!next!to!the!

bench.! A! row! of! mismatched! file! cabinets! lined! the! opposite!

wall.!Stacked!boxes!obscured!the!wall!at!the!end!of!the!garage.!

A!small!runabout!on!a!trailer!took!up!the!remaining!floor!space!

in!the!middle!of!the!garage.!

!

Collins!made!his!way!over!to!the!bank!of!file!cabinets!and!

pawed! through! a! drawer! until! he! found! what! he! wanted.! He!

pulled!it!out!and!motioned!me!over.!

!

“Grab!us!a!couple!of!beers!out!of!that!fridge!on!your!way!

over,”!he!said,!pointing.!!

!

A! refrigerator! stood! to! my! left! not! far! from! the! door.! I!

opened!it,!took!out!two!cold!bottles!and!walked!them!over!to!

the!boat.!Collins!legged!it!up!over!the!side!and!spread!the!file!

out!on!one!of!the!bench!seats.!

!

“Climb! aboard,”! he! said.! “A! little! cooler! here! then! on! the!

patio.”!

!

I!swung!a!leg!over!the!gunwale,!handed!him!the!beer!and!

climbed!all!the!way!in.!I!scanned!the!file!drawers,!taking!a!sip.!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

176&

!

“These!all!your!old!cases?”!

!

He!nodded.!“I’m!a!pack!rat.!What!can!I!say?!Let’s!see!what!

we’ve!got!here.”!

!

As!he!flipped!through!copies!of!arrest!reports!and!notes,!a!

photo! print! slipped! halfway! out! of! the! file.! A! sheet! of! Fitch’s!

mug!shots.!

!

I! leaned! over! a! pinched! the! edge! between! thumb! and!

forefinger.!“May!I?”!

!

“Go!ahead.”!

!

I!slid!the!photo!out!from!under!the!pages!he!was!reading!

and!held!the!photos!at!an!angle!to!eliminate!the!reflective!glare!

from! the! fluorescent! bulbs.! Fitch! had! a! broad! face! with! small!

eyes!set!close!to!a!nose!made!crooked!in!a!fight.!A!scruffy!beard!

nearly! hid! thin! lips! pulled! tight! in! a! menacing! grimace.!

Something!in!his!eyes,!though,!suggested!he!didn’t!take!himself!

too!seriously.!The!same!look!on!fellows!who!didn’t!give!a!shit!

would!have!made!me!leery!enough!to!steer!clear!if!I!ever!saw!

them!in!person.!Fitch’s!eyes!had!life!in!them,!almost!a!St.!Nick!

twinkle,!not!the!empty!blackness!of!your!average!psychopath.!

!

And! he! looked! nothing! like! the! face! in! my! memory! from!

that!night!twenty6some!years!ago.!

!

Though! cooler,! the! air! in! the! garage! was! still! and! heavy.!

The!roof!absorbed!the!sun’s!heat!and!radiated!downward.!I!felt!

its! weight! on! my! head,! beads! of! sweat! breaking! out! on! my!

forehead.! The! sound! of! shuffling! papers! was! loud! in! the!

stillness.!

!

“Got! nothing! in! here! that! suggests! Fitch! stayed! in! touch!

with!anyone!in!his!old!gang,”!Collins!said.!“Doesn’t!surprise!me.!

He!pretty!much!left!that!life!behind!back!in!Madison.”!

!

“But!he!could!have!reached!out.”!

!

He! shrugged.! “Sure.! Don’t! know! why! he! would! have,!

though.!Most!of!his!arrests!were!D6and6Ds,!and!after!the!riots!

in!the!early!’Seventies,!he!pretty!much!kept!his!nose!clean.!Got!

busted!in!a!couple!of!drunken!bar!fights!in!the!mid6’Seventies!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

177&

and! slept! it! off! in! the! tank.! Nothing! after! that! until! the!

accident.”!!

!

“A!year!after!his!prints!were!maybe!found!at!the!scene!of!

the!SIU!bombing.”!

!

He!frowned!and!looked!down!at!the!file,!thumbing!through!

the!pages.!

!

“That!was!when?!August,!’Eighty6nine?!Fitch!was!killed!in!

October.!Six!weeks!after!the!bombing,!not!a!year.”!

!

The! skin! between! my! eyebrows! wrinkled! and! my! pulse!

pounded!a!spike!behind!my!left!eyeball.!I!pinched!the!bridge!of!

my! nose! between! thumb! and! forefinger! and! rubbed.! Maybe!

Frank!got!the!timeframe!mixed!up.!Did!it!matter?!

!

“You’re! thinking! if! Fitch! was! involved! in! the! bombing,!

maybe!somebody!cleaned!up!a!loose!end,”!Collins!said!slowly.!

!

“I! don’t! know! what! I’m! thinking.”! Trying! to! pin! down! a!

single! thought! was! like! shooting! a! fly! out! of! a! swarm! with! a!

blow! dart.! I! took! a! few! slow! breaths! and! silently! recited! a!

mantra.!“So!this!guy!Fitch!was!clean!for,!what,!fifteen!years?”!

!

“Looks!like.”!

!

“A!born!troublemaker.!Hell’s!Angel!type.!With!a!history!of!

arrests.!He!get!religion?”!

!

“Maybe! just! grew! up.! Like! a! lot! of! kids! back! then.! How!

many!angry!anti6war!demonstrators!ended!up!with!a!wife!and!

kids! in! the! suburbs! a! few! years! later?! Sure,! the! hardcore,! the!

radicals,!kept!at!it!for!a!while.!Some!were!caught!and!went!to!

jail.! Others! went! underground.! But! most! of! those! eventually!

ended! up! fat,! happy! and! middle6class.! Hypocritical! assholes,!

most!of!them.”!

!

“So,!what?!He!grew!up!and!became!a!doctor?!A!fireman?”!

!

Collins! glanced! down! briefly! but! didn’t! consult! the! file.!

“Nah,!nothing!like!that.!Just!got!a!steady!job!and!stayed!out!of!

trouble.!Your!average!working!Joe.!He!worked!as!a!janitor!for!

the!school!district.!That!much!time!in,!probably!partially!vested!

in!a!pension,!too,!before!he!died.”!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

178&

!

“In!Seattle?”!

!

This!time!he!did!check!a!page!in!the!folder.!“Yeah,!mostly!

at!Ingraham!High!School.”!

!

One!of!the!blow!darts!pinned!a!fly!to!the!inside!of!my!skull!

right! behind! my! forehead.! Messy.! Now! I! just! had! to! learn! to!

read!entrails!to!figure!out!what!it!meant.!

!

“Care!to!share!with!the!rest!of!the!class?”!he!said.!

!

“What?”!I!looked!at!him!and!shook!my!head.!“It’s!nothing.!

A!wild!notion.!Random.”!

!

He!looked!doubtful,!but!left!it!alone.!

!

“Why!aren’t!you!out!fishing?”!I!said.!

!

“Too!damn!hot.”!

!

“Golfing!with!your!buddies?”!!

!

The!look!on!his!face!told!me!that!wasn’t!likely.!

!

“Right,”!I!said.!“Too!damn!hot.”!

!

“Most!of!the!guys!on!the!force!with!me!married!young,!had!

families,!raised!their!kids!together.!The!ones!still!married!see!

each! other! occasionally,! socialize,! travel! together! even.! The!

ones!that!aren’t!pretend!they’re!twenty6five!and!looking!to!get!

married.!I’ve!always!been!a!fifth!wheel,!either!way.”!

!

It!struck!me!he!wasn’t!so!much!interested!in!helping!me!as!

he! was! in! having! a! little! company,! someone! to! share! his!

memories!with.!I!asked!him!about!his!other!cases,!and!his!face!

grew! animated! as! he! related! some! war! stories! from! North!

Precinct,! the! house! where! he! spent! most! of! his! career.! When!

both!our!bottles!were!empty,!I!clambered!out!of!the!boat.!

!

“You!fish?”!he!said.!

!

“Some.”!

!

“You!should!come!along!sometime.”!

!

I! reached! in! my! pockets! and! pulled! out! a! scrap! of! paper!

and!a!pencil!stub,!and!wrote!down!my!number.!

!

“I’ll!bring!the!beer,”!I!said.!“Thanks!for!the!help.”!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

179&

!

!

Chapter&28&

!

!