Night Tide (27 page)

He! knew! he! was! taking! a! big! chance.! Too! many! things!

could!go!wrong.!For!one,!the!couple!could!get!away,!though!he!

didn’t! know! how.! He’d! left! them! comfortable! enough,! for!

prisoners,! one! in! each! of! the! two! small! bedrooms! upstairs! in!

the!cabin.!He’d!removed!all!the!furniture!in!both!rooms!excepts!

the!beds,!but!he’d!provided!both!of!them!with!plenty!of!reading!

material—books,!magazines—bottles!of!water!and!a!chamber!

pot.!And!he’d!left!each!shackled!by!a!chain!to!a!heavy!iron!ring!

bolted!into!the!log!wall.!!

!

They!might!talk!to!each!other!through!the!wall,!and!even!

yell!their!heads!off!trying!to!attract!attention.!But!his!nearest!

neighbor! was! more! than! half! a! mile! away! where! the! road!

surface! changed! from! pavement! to! dirt,! and! his! was! the! last!

property!on!the!road.!The!road!did!curve!in!front!of!the!cabin!

back!up!into!the!woods!another!quarter!mile!where!there!was!

an! old! shed! his! father! had! converted! into! a! workshop! with! a!

tiny! bedroom! loft.! When! Harold! had! gotten! into! one! of! his!

tinkering!moods,!he’d!often!slept!at!odd!hours,!sometimes!not!

for! days! at! a! time.! Langford’s! mother! Mavis! had! been! just! as!

happy! to! see! him! out! of! the! cabin! when! he’d! been! like! that.!

“We’re!supposed!to!be!on!vacation,”!she’d!say.!!

!

The! road! ended! in! a! large! field! a! hundred! yards! farther!

where! Langford! remembered! his! dad! happily! blowing! things!

up!or!testing!a!new!invention.!No!one!ever!made!it!as!far!as!the!

cabin! let! alone! the! end! of! the! road.! He! was! pretty! sure! he’d!

taken! enough! precautions! that! he! needn’t! worry! about! the!

couple.!

!

But! exposing! himself! in! public! probably! wasn’t! wise,!

either.!The!thought!made!him!grin.!He’d!done!that,!too,!junior!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

180&

year.!Streaked!bare6assed!naked!through!a!school!assembly!in!

the! gym! on! a! dare.! He’d! made! a! hundred! bucks! off! Chuck!

Hanson! on! that! one.!
Get* serious.
! This! was! worth! it,! too,! he!

decided.! Good! thing,! since! he! was! already! in! the! city! heading!

south!on!I65.!!

!

Holden’s!call!had!worried!him.!If!the!FBI!had!gone!to!Blake!

Sanders! for! information! on! his! whereabouts! they! were!

desperate.!They!had!to!know!from!his!prison!correspondence!

that!he!and!Sanders!hadn’t!been!in!touch!since!the!night!he’d!

been! arrested.! That! meant! they! already! knew! he! was! in! the!

area,! or! had! reason! to! come! out! here! from! Illinois.! He! didn’t!

know! how! they! could! have! found! out! he! was! already! here.!

After!his!parents!had!died,!he’d!asked!Holden!to!sell!the!cabin.!

Only!he’d!set!up!a!trust!with!cash!from!the!estate,!and!had!the!

trust!buy!the!property!so!it!didn’t!appear!on!public!records!in!

his!name.!

!

That! left! the! other! option,! the! one! he’d! considered! when!

they! let! him! out—the! FBI! believed! someone! else! had! been!

involved!in!the!bombing!Langford!had!gone!to!prison!for.!Too!

bad! they! hadn’t! believed! him! twenty! years! ago.! They! knew!

about! his! research,! all! the! requests! for! information! from! the!

DOJ! and! the! FBI! under! the! Freedom! of! Information! Act.! He’d!

made!no!secret!of!the!fact!that!he!intended!to!find!the!people!

who’d! planned! the! bombing.! They! knew! that! the! first! thing!

he’d!do!when!he!got!out!was!track!down!the!people!who’d!set!

him!to!take!the!fall.!And!he’d!spotted!the!tail!almost!as!soon!as!

he! walked! out! the! prison! gates! in! Marion.! But! he! was! pretty!

sure! they! hadn’t! followed! him.! He’d! taken! a! very! circuitous!

route,! booking! and! buying! tickets! to! several! destinations! at!

once,! renting! cars! between! destinations,! driving! to! another!

nearby! city! and! doing! it! all! over! again.! His! first! stop! after!

leaving! Centralia,! in! fact,! had! been! Milwaukee,! where! he’d!

rented! a! car! and! driven! to! a! small! town! outside! Madison,!

Wisconsin.!

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—Sherer&

181&

!

So,! that! meant! the! FBI! had! some! intel! the! people! he’d!

spent! so! long! trying! to! find! were! here! in! the! Northwest.! And!

they!had!sucked!Legs!into!the!whole!thing,!using!him!as!bait!to!

get!to!Langford.!He’d!hoped!he!wouldn’t!have!to!deal!with!Legs!

yet.! He’d! wanted! to! save! him! for! later.! But! Legs! had! found! a!

way!to!step!in!it,!forcing!his!hand.!And!something!else!was!in!

play! now.! He! frowned.! The! gun! battle! he’d! heard! out! at! the!

couple’s! house! was! no! FBI! raid.! Someone! else! wanted! them,!

too.!And!he!was!confident!he!knew!who!it!was.!He!shook!off!the!

thoughts,! letting! his! brow! ease,! checking! the! traffic! around!

him.!Finding!answers!is!why!he’d!decided!to!brave!a!trip!into!

the!city,!and!now!he!needed!to!be!alert!and!aware.!!

!

The! only! address! he! had! for! Sanders! had! come! out! of! an!

old! UW! alumni! directory,! listing! a! house! in! the! Ravenna!

neighborhood.!When!he!turned!off!the!freeway!and!found!the!

house! five! minutes! later,! he! reconnoitered! the! neighborhood!

carefully!before!parking!a!block!away!and!walking!back.!As!he!

drew!closer,!a!casually!dressed!man!in!his!thirties!walked!out!

the! front! door! and! got! into! a! car! in! the! driveway.! Langford!

watched!him!back!into!the!street!and!drive!off.!When!the!car!

was!out!of!sight,!he!walked!up!to!the!front!door!of!the!house!

and!rang!the!bell.!The!woman!who!answered!the!door!said!she!

didn’t!know!a!Blake!Sanders.!She!and!her!husband!had!bought!

the!house!about!a!year!earlier!from!a!woman!named!McHugh.!

Langford! thanked! her! and! turned! to! leave.! He! was! halfway!

down!the!walk!when!he!heard!her!voice!call!out!behind!him.!

!

“Mary!McHugh,!actually,”!she!said.!!

!

Langford!stopped!and!looked!back.!

!

“The! name! she! signed! on! the! documents! was! Mary!

Catherine!McHugh,”!the!woman!said.!

!

“Thanks.”!Langford!smiled.!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

182&

!

!

Chapter&29&

!

!

Charlie!was!reaming!a!nurse!for!some!minor!infraction!of!

his! notion! of! the! rules! when! I! walked! into! his! hospital! room.!

She! didn’t! cut! him! any! slack,! responding! in! a! calm! but! firm!

voice.! Her! fingertips! on! his! sternum! fueled! rather! than!

suppressed!his!anger,!spreading!a!claret!stain!up!his!neck!and!

cheeks.! Pale! spindly! legs! poked! out! beneath! the! hem! of! his!

pastel! blue! hospital! gown.! Dark! circles! rimmed! his! eyes.!

Whiskers,! as! many! gray! as! brown,! sprouted! from! his! cheeks!

like!plants!in!weak!soil!deprived!of!sunlight.!He!stooped,!mouth!

contorted! and! jaw! clenched! with! pain,! aging! in! front! of! me,!

turning! into! the! fusty,! crotchety! geezer! he’d! likely! become! in!

thirty!or!forty!years.!!

!

He!glared!at!me.!“What?”!

!

“How!do!you!ever!expect!to!get!out!of!here!if!you!don’t!do!

what!they!tell!you?”!!

!

“I! need! a! shower,”! he! growled.! “She! says! it’s! against! the!

rules.”!

!

“Sponge!bath’s!as!good!as!it!gets,!mister,”!the!nurse!said.!

!

“For!chrissakes,!at!least!let!me!do!that!myself,”!he!told!her.!

“My! luck,! you’ll! send! in! some! old! crone,! or! worse! some! huge!

hairy!guy!named!Bruno.”!

!

The!nurse!turned!away!to!hide!a!nascent!smile.!“I’ll!make!

sure!you!get!a!basin!and!a!sponge.”!

!

“Could!you!maybe!get!me!a!razor,!too?”!

!

“I’ll!see!what!I!can!do.”!She!walked!to!the!door,!glancing!at!

me! on! the! way! past,! and! jerked! a! thumb! over! her! shoulder.!

“Good!luck!with!that.”!!

!

Charlie! flopped! onto! the! bed,! wincing! as! he! bounced,!

jarring!the!arm!in!a!sling!at!his!side.!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

183&

!

“God,!I!hate!hospitals.”!He!sighed.!!

!

“The!sooner!you!heal!up,!the!sooner!you’re!out!of!here.”!

!

His! eyes! narrowed.! “I! should! be! out! of! here! already.! It’s!

been! almost! a! week.! You! sound! like! everyone! else! in! this!

fucking! place.! Pass! out! pom6poms! and! put! together! a! cheer!

squad.”!

!

“What!the!hell’s!eating!you?”!!

!

“Trade!places!and!tell!me!you!wouldn’t!bitch!about!being!

here.”! He! snatched! at! the! thin! blanket! bunched! at! the! foot! of!

the!bed!and!pulled!it!over!his!bare!legs.!

!

“You’re!right,!I’d!hate!it,”!I!said.!

!

He!picked!at!a!thread,!eyes!downcast.!“Babs!is!home,”!he!

said!quietly.!

!

“That’s!great!!When?”!

!

He!didn’t!share!my!enthusiasm.!“Friday!night.!She!came!by!

yesterday.”!He!raised!his!eyes!slowly,!the!pain!on!his!face!from!

something!other!than!his!shoulder.!“She!wants!a!divorce.”!

!

My!stomach!clenched!and!I!searched!for!something!to!say.!

“Charlie,!I’m!sorry.!Any!chance!she—”!!

!

“She!served!me!papers.!Delivered!them!in!person.!Told!me!

she! would’ve! waited! until! I! was! out! of! the! hospital,! but! the!

boys! had! already! missed! too! much! school.! She! said! if! I! need!

some! time! to! find! a! place! when! I! get! out,! I! can! stay! with! a!

buddy.!She!doesn’t!want!me!in!the!house.”!

!

“Ouch.”!

!

“Yeah,! ouch.! I! worked! my! ass! off! for! that! house.! I! can’t!

afford!my!own!place,!too.!Shit,!I’ll!have!to!pick!up!extra!shifts,!

get!a!second!job!just!to!make!ends!meet.”!

!

“I’m! sorry,”! I! said! again.! Then! more! hesitantly,! “You! can!

bunk!at!my!place.”!

!

His! laugh! was! short! and! derisive.! “You’re! the! last! person!

I’d!stay!with,!Sanders.!But!thanks!for!the!offer.”!

!

My!ears!burned.!“Why?!Not!good!enough!for!you?”!

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—Sherer&

184&

!

“Think!about!it.!Your!place!is!a!shoebox.!One!of!us!farts!the!

other’ll!asphyxiate.!God,!what!a!nightmare.”!

!

“Suit!yourself.”!

!

He!looked!at!me!sharply.!“Get!over!it.”!

!

I!walked!to!the!window!and!stared!out!at!Smith!Tower!and!

a!ferry!plying!the!bright!blue!waters!of!Elliott!Bay!beyond.!!

!

“They!find!out!anything!more!about!the!guy!I!shot?”!I!said.!

!

“Yeah.! Fingerprints! came! back! to! a! former! Army! Ranger.!

Served! in! Iraq! when! I! was! there.! Got! drummed! out! of! the!

service!for!brawling!and!dropped!off!the!radar.!Sources!say!he!

went! mercenary,! fought! in! Kosovo! and! maybe! Chechnya.! No!

one!knows!when!he!got!back!to!the!States.”!

!

I!faced!him.!“They!don’t!know!who!he!worked!for?”!

!

“We’d! know! who! to! look! for! then,! wouldn’t! we?”! He!

plumped! the! pillow! with! his! good! arm! and! lay! back.! “PMCs!

aren’t!going!to!just!give!us!lists!of!their!personnel.!Where!were!

you,! anyway?! You! haven’t! been! around! for! a! few! days.! Sarah!

was!worried!about!you.”!

!

“Sarah.”!

!

“Well,!yeah.!So?”!

!

“I!was!trying!to!keep!from!getting!my!ass!shot!off.”!

!

His! face! went! blank,! like! I’d! spoken! Mandarin.! I! told! him!

everything! that! had! happened,! about! the! drive6by! with! the!

automatic!weapons,!the!narrow!escape!after!trashing!the!front!

window! of! Javier’s! restaurant.! He! listened! without!

interruption,! stifling! a! yawn! once! or! twice! and! pushing! away!

the! exhaustion! on! his! face.! I! told! him! about! the! flight! to! St.!

Louis!and!the!trip!back!to!the!place!I!grew!up.!

!

He! blinked.! “Wait! a! minute.! You! went! back! to! Illinois?!

What! for?! Laying! low?! If! you! think! someone’s! after! you! why!

come!back?!Why!are!you!here?”!

!

“To!find!Wink.”!

!

“Wink?”! He! frowned,! then! his! eyes! slowly! widened.! “The!

kid!you!grew!up!with?”!!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

185&

!

I! nodded! and! told! him! that! Wink! was! out! of! jail,! but!

missing.! That! the! FBI! was! looking! for! him! and! thought! Wink!

might! have! been! in! touch.! I! told! him! what! I’d! learned! on! my!

trip! from! Holden! and! at! SIU! from! Waldron! and! the! library!

search.!The!only!things!I!didn’t!tell!him!about!were!Keely!and!

the!theories!bouncing!around!my!head.!

!

“You’ve! been! busy,”! he! said! quietly.! “Who! else’ve! you!

pissed!off!lately?”!

!

I!frowned!at!him,!decided!he!couldn’t!be!that!slow.!Asked!

him!a!question!instead.!“You!know!Ned!Collins?!Retired!cop?”!

!

He!scratched!the!crown!of!his!head.!“I’ve!heard!the!name.!

Don’t!know!him.”!

!

“Collins!worked!‘The!Ave’!when!he!was!a!beat!cop.!Forty!