Night Tide (28 page)

years!ago.”!

!

Charlie!looked!puzzled.!“What,!the!’Sixties?!What’s!that!got!

to!do!with!anything?”!

!

“Try!to!follow!me,!here.!You!remember!me!telling!you!why!

Wink!went!to!jail?”!

!

“He! set! a! bomb! on! some! campus.! Back! when! we! were!

maybe!sophomores,!juniors.”!

!

I! nodded.! “Okay,! so! ten! years! later! when! AFIS! comes! on!

line,!FBI!flags!a!fingerprint!found!at!the!scene,!and!ties!it!to!a!

guy!Collins!knew!here!back!in!the!’Sixties!who!was!an!agitator!

for! student! radical! groups.! The! guy! followed! a! couple! of!

protestors!out!from!the!University!of!Wisconsin!in!Madison,!a!

married!couple!he!got!to!be!friends!with.!Collins!busted!him!a!

few!times!back!then.”!

!

“Okay,”! he! said! slowly.! “I! still! don’t! know! where! you’re!

going.”!

!

“The!guy’s!name!was!Sebastian!Fitch.!Ever!hear!of!him?”!

!

He! stiffened,! then! shifted! on! the! bed! with! a! grimace! as!

though!in!pain.!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

186&

!

“Nah,! doesn’t! ring! a! bell.”! His! eyes! slowly! met! mine.! “So,!

what,!Collins!thinks!this!guy!might!be!good!for!that!bombing?!

Maybe!your!friend!gets!a!pardon?”!

!

“Maybe.”! I! waved! impatiently.! “Guess! I’m! not! explaining!

this! right.! I! forget! who! I’ve! talked! to! about! what.”! I! took! a!

breath! and! put! my! thoughts! in! order.! “Like! I! said,! Fitch! was!

tight! with! a! married! couple! back! in! the! ’Sixties.! They!

supposedly!split!for!Canada!when!things!got!too!hot!here!after!

the! riots! in! ’seventy.! Twenty! years! later,! Fitch! leaves! a!

fingerprint! at! the! scene! of! a! bombing! at! SIU,! for! which! my!

childhood! buddy! Wink! goes! to! jail.! Fitch,! of! course,! is! long!

dead.”!

!

He!started,!eyebrows!arching.!

!

“Right,! sorry,”! I! said.! “Something! else! maybe! you! didn’t!

know.! He! died! in! a! motorcycle! accident! not! long! after! the!

bombing.!But!here!it!is!twenty!years!later,!Wink!gets!out!of!jail,!

disappears,! and! all! hell! breaks! loose! around! here.! You! don’t!

think!that’s!a!little!strange?”!

!

Confusion! played! across! his! face,! and! he! looked! away,!

brows!knitting!in!concentration.!

!

“I’m!still!not!tracking.!What!are!you!talking!about?”!

!

“Your! parents! are! gone,! Charlie.! The! men! who! shot! you!

and!tried!to!kidnap!them!tried!to!blow!my!head!off!a!few!nights!

ago.!They!didn’t!come!after!you?”!

!

The!thought!hadn’t!occurred!to!him.!“Why!would!they?”!

!

“Hell,! I! don’t! know.! Eliminate! witnesses,! maybe?! I! can’t!

think! of! why! else! they’d! come! after! me.! You’ve! got! so! many!

cops! in! and! out! of! here! maybe! they’re! just! playing! it! safe.! I’d!

watch! your! back! when! you! get! out.! Anyway,! The! FBI! and! the!

bombing!victim’s!sister!are!after!Wink!and!think!I!know!where!

he!is.!It’s!all!gotta!be!tied!together!somehow.!Don’t!you!see?”!

!

“Wait!…”!He!frowned,!sucked!in!a!breath!and!started!again.!

“You! think! Clayt! and! Connie! had! something! to! do! with! this?!

With!a!twenty6year6old!bombing?”!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

187&

!

“You’re! the! one! who! keeps! telling! me! they! weren’t! into!

drugs.! So! what! else! could! it! be?! I! went! to! see! Collins! this!

morning.!He!kept!copies!of!old!cold!case!files.!He!showed!me!

what!he!had!on!Fitch.”!I!paused.!

!

Charlie’s!mouth!tightened,!but!he!said!nothing.!

!

“Fitch! worked! as! a! janitor! at! Ingraham,”! I! said.! “Where!

Clayt!taught.”!

!

Muscles!at!the!corners!of!Charlie’s!jaw!worked!and!his!face!

colored.!!

!

“’Cause! this! guy! worked! the! same! place! where! my! dad!

taught!school!makes!my!parents!bombers?!Terrorists?!Are!you!

out!of!your!freakin’!mind?”!

!

“He!had!to!have!known!him.”!

!

“I’m!sure!he!did.!Clayt’s!a!friendly!guy.!And!he!was!always!

nice! to! the! staff.! Just! ’cause! he! might’ve! known! who! this! guy!

Fitch!was!doesn’t!mean!he!
knew
!him.!And!you!think!they!hung!

out!with!him!in!the!’Sixties?!Organized!antiwar!protests?”!

!

“Like!they!didn’t?!Get!real,!Charlie.!They’ve!admitted!they!

hated!the!war.”!

!

“Big! difference! between! holding! up! a! sign! and! bombing!

buildings.! Besides,! the! time! you’re! talking! about! they! were!

living!in!Canada.!I!was!a!baby.”!

!

“What,! you! remember! that?! Or! is! that! what! Clayt! and!

Connie!always!told!you.!You!couldn’t!have!been!even!two!years!

old.”!

!

His!face!darkened!to!a!blotchy!purple,!and!his!hand!balled!

into!a!fist!on!top!of!the!blanket.!

!

“Fuck!you.!You!don’t!know!shit!about!them.”!

!

“That’s!the!problem;!neither!do!you.!Fact!is,!that’s!another!

thing! that! bugs! me.! Clayt! and! Connie! told! you! they’re! from!

Canada,! and! that’s! where! the! Wilsons! disappeared! to! after!

things!got!too!hot!here!in!Seattle.!Coincidence?”!

!

“Damn!straight.”!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

188&

!

“Really?!Where!were!you!born,!Charlie?!Here!in!the!States,!

right?!Where?”!

!

His!jaw!worked,!and!I!know!he!wanted!to!hit!me.!Instead,!

he!said,!“What!does!the!bombing!have!to!do!with!it?!The!war!in!

Vietnam! was! long! over.! Maybe! Fitch!
was
! involved.! And! sure,!

Clayt! probably! knew! him.! That! doesn’t! mean! he! and! Connie!

had!anything!to!do!with!it.”!

!

“They!
ran
!! They! knew! those! assholes! were! coming.! They!

had!high6tech!security!and!an!escape!route!all!planned!out.!A!

tunnel,!for!God’s!sake!!They’re!guilty!of!something,!Charlie.”!

!

“You!keep!trashing!them,”!he!growled,!“and!so!help!me!I’ll!

take!you!with!one!good!arm.”!

!

His! head! turned! at! the! sound! of! the! door,! and! I! followed!

his!gaze.!Sarah!walked!in,!the!smile!on!her!face!fading!as!she!

looked!at!each!of!us!in!turn.!

!

“What’s!going!on?”!!

!

Charlie! looked! away! quickly,! and! Sarah! swung! her! gaze!

back!to!me,!hands!on!her!hips.!

!

“Ask!him,”!I!said.!

!

“It’s!no!big!deal,”!Charlie!said.!

!

I!rounded!on!him.!“You’re!in!serious!denial!if!you!can’t!see!

it,”!I!said.!

!

“See!what?”!Sarah!said.!

!

“I! think! your! parents! were! into! something.! Something!

bad.”!

!

Sarah’s!eyes!widened.!“What?”!

!

“You!two!figure!it!out.”!I!headed!for!the!door.!

!

“Where! are!
you
! going?”! Charlie! flung! the! question! at! my!

back.!

!

I!stopped!and!turned.!“Your!place.”!

!

“What!for?”!

!

“To! get! your! other! back6up! piece.! I’m! sure! Babs! doesn’t!

want!it!in!the!house,!and!where!I’m!going!I!might!need!it.”!

!

I!walked!out!before!he!could!say!no.!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

189&

!

&

Chapter&30(

!

!

Langford!found!the!big!house!on!Capitol!Hill!where!Molly!

lived,!and!whistled.!Someone!was!doing!well.!He!sat!in!the!old!

Scout!and!thought!about!what!approach!to!take.!Straight!in!was!

probably!best.!Maybe!fudge!the!truth!a!little,!depending.!Sweat!

broke! out! on! his! upper! lip! and! he! wiped! his! mouth! on! his!

sleeve.! The! day! had! turned! into! a! scorcher,! which! might! hide!

his!nervousness;!he!hadn’t!had!much!practice!at!social!graces!

for! a! while.! He! checked! his! appearance! in! the! mirror! and!

climbed!out!of!the!car.!

!

A! copper! blond! woman! with! a! thin,! attractive! Irish! face!

answered!the!door.!Tall!and!willowy,!she!stood!nearly!eye6to6

eye,!and!looked!at!him!curiously.!

!

“Can!I!help!you?”!she!said.!

!

“Ms.!McHugh,!I’m!sorry!to!bother!you!on!a!Sunday,!but!I’m!

looking!for!Blake!Sanders.”!

!

She!started!to!say!something,!but!he!rushed!on!before!she!

got!a!word!in.!

!

“We!were!classmates!back!in!high!school.!I’m!out!here!on!

vacation!and!thought!I’d!look!him!up,!but!the!only!information!

I!have!is!from!an!old!UW!alumni!directory.”!

!

He!saw!her!expression!change,!a!note!of!suspicion!flashing!

in!her!eyes.!He!kept!going!without!any!hesitation,!giving!her!no!

indication!he’d!noticed.!!

!

“I!assume!you!two!are!no!longer!married,!and!I!wouldn’t!

have!thought!of!disturbing!you!except!that!Blake’s!not!listed!in!

the!phone!book.!I!wondered!if!you!could!tell!me!where!I!might!

find!him.”!

!

“I’m!sorry,!who!did!you!say!you!are?”!she!said.!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

190&

!

He!stuck!his!hand!out!and!smiled!broadly.!“Where!are!my!

manners?!Chuck!Hanson.”!

!

“How,!exactly,!did!you!find!me,!Chuck?”!Her!tone!was!cool,!

but!she!kept!a!pleasant!half6smile!on!her!face.!

!

“I! went! to! the! house! you! two! must! have! owned! on!

Ravenna!before!you!divorced.!That!was!the!address!I!had.!The!

woman!there!said!she!and!her!husband!bought!the!house!from!

you,!so!I!looked!you!up.!I!hope!you!don’t!mind.”!

!

She!relaxed!her!weight!onto!one!leg,!but!she!still!guarded!

the!doorway!uncertainly.!

!

“No,! that’s! quite! all! right.! I’d! certainly! be! happy! to! get! in!

touch! with! Blake! and! give! him! a! number! where! you! can! be!

reached.”!

!

He! let! his! face! fall.! “I! really! was! hoping! to! see! him.! See,!

we’re!only!in!town!for!the!day,!and!then!we’re!off!on!a!cruise!to!

Alaska.!I’d!love!to!drop!in!on!him.!Does!he!live!nearby?”!

!

“Not!far,”!she!said.!She!looked!at!him!and!nodded.!“Tell!you!

what,! I! suppose! it! wouldn’t! hurt! to! give! you! his! number.! You!

could!give!him!a!ring!and!see!if!he’s!up!for!a!visit.”!

!

He! forced! himself! not! to! push! it,! to! keep! his! expression!

genial,!his!voice!enthusiastic.!“That!would!be!great.!I!can’t!wait!

to! catch! up.! You! wouldn’t! believe! some! of! the! stories! I! could!

tell!you!about!what!Legs!and!I!did!in!high!school.”!

!

Her! throaty! laugh! took! him! by! surprise.! “I! haven’t! heard!

anyone!call!him!by!that!name!in!years.!I!think!the!only!one!who!

dares!is!a!cop,!and!one!of!Blake’s!friends!put!him!up!to!it.”!She!

looked!at!him!in!amusement.!“Wait!here!while!I!get!a!piece!of!

paper!and!a!pen.”!!

!

Excitement! pulsed! through! him,! pushing! aside! his!

nervousness.!Blake!Sanders,!after!all!these!years…!!

!

She! reappeared! in! the! doorway,! this! time! pushing! the!

screen!open!and!stepping!onto!the!porch!in!front!of!him.!She!

handed!him!a!slip!of!paper.!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

191&

!

“Here! you! go—Chuck,! is! it?”! she! said.! “He! may! not! be! up!

yet.! He! works! nights! and! tends! to! sleep! in,! so! he! should! be!

home.!But!I’d!call!first!to!give!him!a!little!warning.”!

!

Langford! looked! at! the! paper! in! his! fingers.! “Thanks,! I!

really!appreciate!this.”!

!

She!shrugged.!“Wish!I!could!be!there!to!see!the!look!on!his!

face.”!

!

Langford!gave!a!little!wave,!turned!and!headed!down!the!

steps,! suddenly! aware! that! she! hadn’t! looked! all! that!

enthusiastic! when! she! made! that! last! comment.! He! glanced!

over! his! shoulder.! She! swung! the! door! shut! with! one! hand,!

eyes! on! the! cell! phone! in! her! other! hand.! He! quickened! his!

pace.!

*!*!*!*!*!

!

Babs!wasn’t!happy!to!see!me.!More!like!surprised.!

!

“Charlie’s!still!in!the!hospital,”!she!said!when!she!opened!

the!door.!

!

“I!know.!I!just!came!from!there.!He!told!me.!I’m!sorry.”!

!

Sadness!rippled!off!her!like!tendrils!of!mist!wafting!from!a!

block!of!dry!ice,!her!frown!of!resentment!and!disapproval!cold.!

!

“It’s!not!like!I!wanted!this,”!she!said.!“He!should!have!seen!

this!coming.”!

!

“I!had!no!idea!how!bad!it!was!between!you!two,!Babs.”!

!

“I’m! not! taking! him! back.”! Her! voice! rose! in! pitch.! “You!

can’t!talk!me!out!of!it.!He!shouldn’t!have!sent!you.”!

!

“He!didn’t.!I’m!not!here!for!Charlie.”!

!

“Oh.”!Her!shoulders!fell,!and!the!emotion!drained!from!her!

face.!!

!

“May!I!come!in?”!

!

She!looked!at!me!blankly!and!stepped!back.!The!interior!of!

the!boxy!split6level!was!dim!and!cool!as!a!morgue.!Shrunken,!

her! face! lined! with! fatigue,! Babs! couldn’t! fill! the! quiet! and!

empty!house.!Without!the!boys!home,!she!would!rattle!around!