Night Tide (37 page)

and! sit! your! ass! back! down! at! that! table.! We! need! to! have! a!

little!chat.!We!had!a!deal.”!

!

I!jerked!my!head!around!and!stared!at!Wink.!“Deal?!What!

deal?”!

!

He!raised!his!shoulders!and!offered!a!rueful!smile.!

!

Drucker! grimaced.! “We! offered! him! early! release! in!

exchange!for!his!cooperation.!Which!has!been!lacking.”!

!

I!stared!at!Wink.!“Cooperation!for!what?”!

!

“They!want!the!Wilsons,”!he!said.!

!

Drucker! jutted! his! jaw.! “I’ve! been! chasing! those! two! for!

forty!years.!Langford!said!he!knew!where!to!find!them.!Based!

on!what!he!told!us,!I!was!willing!to!give!him!a!chance.!But!he!

gave! us! the! slip! after! he! was! released.”! He! scowled! at! Wink.!

“Where!are!they?”!

!

“Not!here.”!Wink!settled!wearily!into!a!chair!at!the!table.!

!

“What!the!fuck!did!you!do!with!them?”!

!

“An! assault! team! came! in,! I! don’t! know,! maybe! twenty,!

thirty!minutes!ago!and!took!them.”!

!

Drucker!looked!as!if!Wink!had!just!told!him!the!dog!ate!his!

homework.!“Assault!team.”!

!

“Same!team!that!shot!my!friend!the!cop,”!I!said,!reminding!

him!he!knew!damn!well!what!Wink!was!talking!about.!

!

He!brushed!me!off!with!a!wave,!glare!still!focused!on!Wink.!

“Guess!you’re!screwed!then.!Deal’s!off.”!

!

A! beefy! man! with! a! round! head! and! no! neck! quietly!

excused!himself!as!he!squeezed!past!Reyna!in!the!doorway.!A!

roll!of!flesh!crept!over!the!too6tight!collar!of!his!starched!shirt.!

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Perspiration! covered! his! florid! features.! He! gestured! toward!

me! while! looking! at! Drucker! for! confirmation.! The! furrow!

between!Drucker’s!eyes!deepened!as!he!nodded!impatiently.!

!

A! flash! flood! of! anger! coursed! through! me,! its! currents!

twitching! muscles! that! rippled! the! skin! on! my! arms! and! face.!

Unanswered! questions! swirled! through! my! head,! stirring! up!

frustration! and! confusion! that! clouded! an! already! overtaxed!

and! spent! brain.! I! could! feel! the! flood! rise! to! the! point! of!

spilling!over.!I!never!knew!what!form!that!might!take—usually!

just! an! inappropriate! comment,! but! sometimes! I! lashed! out!

physically.!The!meds!helped!me!control!it,!but!my!system!was!

so! fried! from! exhaustion! they! probably! wouldn’t! have! done!

any!good!even!if!I’d!remembered!to!take!another!dose.!

!

Just!when!I!thought!I!might!explode,!I!saw!Reyna!pat!the!

air,!pushing!her!palm!toward!the!floor.!I!heaved!a!sigh!and!held!

my!arms!out,!wrists!pressed!together.!Andrews!lifted!the!flap!

of!his!coat!and!reached!behind!his!waist!for!a!pair!of!cuffs.!He!

stood! in! front! of! me! and! snapped! them! on,! looked! up! at! my!

face!and!said,!“Let’s!go.”!

!

Before!we!reached!the!door,!Reyna!put!a!hand!on!my!chest!

and!said,!“Hold!it!”!

!

All!eyes!turned!to!look!at!her.!She!wrapped!an!arm!around!

my! waist,! tugged! the! pistol! loose! and! held! it! up.! Then! she!

fished!in!my!pocket!and!pulled!out!one!of!the!extra!magazines!

and!held!that!up,!too.!A!tic!jerked!at!my!eyelid,!and!my!fingers!

balled! into! a! fist.! I! glared! at! her.! She! stared! back,! her! face!

impassive,!then!swung!her!gaze!away!and!looked!pointedly!at!

Andrews.! Andrews! spread! his! hands! and! glanced! at! Drucker!

with!a!sheepish!expression.!!

!

“Christ,!get!him!out!of!here,”!Drucker!growled.!

!

Andrews!led!me!past!another!agent!standing!at!attention!

on!the!porch!to!one!of!the!sedans!parked!out!front.!He!walked!

around!to!the!far!side,!opened!the!back!door!and!gestured!me!

in.!I!ducked!to!fold!myself!inside!and!he!pushed!my!head!down!

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to!keep!me!from!banging!it!on!the!frame.!He!straightened!and!

put!a!hand!on!the!door.!!

!

“Hey,!hold!on!”!Reyna!lightly!skipped!down!the!steps!and!

hustled!over!to!the!car.!!

!

I! hunched! over! and! peered! sideways! at! her! out! the!

opening.!

!

“I!need!to!talk!to!him!a!minute,”!she!told!Andrews.!

!

“Suit!yourself.”!He!took!his!hand!off!the!door!and!stepped!

back.!!

!

She!crouched!by!the!opening!and!looked!over!her!shoulder!

at!him.!“It’s!okay.!I!got!this.”!

!

He!stared!at!her!for!a!second,!shrugged!and!walked!back!to!

the!cabin.!

!

Reyna!turned!to!me,!leaned!into!the!car!and!spoke!in!low!

tones.! “Don’t! talk,! just! listen.! I’ve! got! a! friend,! a! commander!

over! at! the! sub! base,! who’s! got! a! cottage! over! here,! a! couple!

hours!away,!maybe!less.”!

!

As!she!talked!her!hands!were!busy!slipping!a!thin!piece!of!

metal!into!the!keyhole!on!one!of!the!cuff!bracelets.!She!popped!

it!open!within!seconds.!

!

“I’ll!figure!out!a!way!to!get!Andrews!and!his!buddy!to!come!

in! with! me,”! she! said.! “As! soon! as! they’re! inside,! get! the! hell!

away!from!here.!I’ll!meet!you!at!the!cottage!as!soon!as!I!can.”!

!

“That!was!an!act!in!there?!Reyna,!why—”!

!

“Shut!the!hell!up.!We!don’t!have!time.!We!can!talk!later.”!

!

She! fumbled! with! the! second! cuff! and! finally! released! it.!

Quickly! reaching! into! a! pocket,! she! pulled! out! a! card! and!

handed!it!to!me.!An!address!was!written!on!the!back.!Her!hand!

went! behind! her! back! and! reappeared! holding! Charlie’s! gun.!

She!slid!it!across!the!seat!to!me.!

!

“Take!this.!You!might!need!it.”!

!

Before! I! could! reply,! she! rocked! back! on! her! heels! and!

stood!up.!She!slammed!the!door!and!stalked!toward!the!cabin,!

even! from! the! back! looking! like! a! woman! rebuffed.! Andrews!

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stood!facing!the!other!agent,!arms!crossed,!leaning!against!the!

railing.! Their! heads! turned! to! watch! her! curiously! as! she!

walked! up! the! steps.! She! said! something! I! couldn’t! hear,! and!

their! expressions! smoothed! into! friendly! grins.! She! engaged!

them!in!conversation!for!a!moment,!then!headed!for!the!door.!

Pausing! in! the! opening,! she! turned.! Her! mouth! moved! again,!

and! her! eyebrows! arched.! She! waited! a! moment,! twitched! a!

shoulder! and! went! in! the! cabin.! The! agents! looked! at! each!

other.!Andrews!pushed!away!from!the!rail!and!followed!her!in.!

The!younger!man!trailed!behind.!

!

Heart! pounding! so! loud! it! drowned! out! other! sounds,! I!

sucked! in! a! deep! breath! and! levered! open! the! car! door! with!

both!hands.!With!an!eye!on!the!cabin,!I!slid!out!and!crouched!

next!to!the!car.!Hunching!over,!I!ran!up!the!road,!keeping!the!

car! between! me! and! the! cabin! as! long! as! possible.! After! a!

couple!hundred!yards!the!road!curved!up!the!hill.!Once!around!

it! the! cabin! was! out! of! sight.! I! slowed! to! a! jog,! chest! heaving!

from!the!uphill!climb,!intent!on!increasing!my!distance!before!

they!discovered!the!empty!car.!

!

When! I! left! the! road! and! headed! through! the! woods! the!

way! Keely! and! I! had! come,! my! breathing! came! a! little! easier.!

But! my! mind! chivvied! a! hundred! different! thoughts! and!

questions!like!a!dog!gnawing!a!bone.!!

*!*!*!*!*!

!

!The! drive! took! closer! to! three! nerve6wracking! hours.! It!

traced!the!shore!of!the!Hood!Canal!south!to!its!elbow,!east!to!

its! tip! and! south! again! along! one! of! the! many! inlets! of! Puget!

Sound.!I!kept!my!speed!below!the!limit!and!a!twitchy!eye!out!

for! cops.! By! the! time! I! found! the! place,! I’d! gone! beyond!

exhaustion!to!something!approaching!a!fugue!state!that!had!me!

wondering! who! and! where! I! was.! Sort! of! like! a! dream! from!

which!I!couldn’t!wake!up.!!

!

The! clapboard! cottage! was! weathered! a! rusty! gray,! and!

looked! ramshackle,! dilapidated.! Nestled! in! a! stand! of! trees,! it!

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fronted! a! wide! beach! on! a! rounded! point! of! shoreline.! A! low!

tide!exposed!sand!flats!that!stretched!a!hundred!feet!out!before!

dropping!steeply!into!deep!water.!With!the!nearest!neighbor!at!

least! a! nine6iron! over! the! trees,! the! small! house! was! private!

and! semi6secluded.! Some! of! the! tightness! in! my! neck! and!

shoulders!eased!for!the!first!time!in!hours.!

!

I! walked! out! to! the! water’s! edge,! working! out! kinks! in!

places! cramped! for! hours! in! a! car! built! for! the! average!

Japanese!office!lady.!My!limbs!still!vibrated!at!the!same!high6

pitched!hum!of!the!little!four6cylinder!engine.!A!couple!of!small!

boats! plied! the! dark! blue! water! offshore,! leaving! white! froth!

behind! that! quickly! disappeared.! The! fishy! smell! of! decayed!

seaweed! was! stronger! with! the! tide! out.! I! picked! a! flat! stone!

out!of!the!sand,!turned!it!sideways!and!threw!it!hard,!skipping!

it!across!the!water’s!surface.!I!tried!to!remember!the!last!time!

I’d!done!that.!

!

I!found!the!key!to!the!cottage!where!Reyna!said!it!would!

be.!It!turned!smoothly!in!the!lock.!I!swung!the!door!open!and!

replaced!the!key!before!going!inside.!The!air!in!the!cottage!was!

close! and! musty,! ripe! with! mold,! suggesting! water! damage!

somewhere.! A! stain! on! the! ceiling! in! the! kitchen! indicated! a!

leaky! roof! could! be! the! source! of! the! problem.! The! weather!

service!forecasted!showers!once!the!heat!wave!ended,!but!they!

wouldn’t!arrive!for!a!few!days,!so!leaks!wouldn’t!be!a!problem.!

I!opened!all!the!windows,!despite!the!heat,!to!air!the!place!out.!!

!

The! cottage! was! simple,! but! reasonably! comfortable.! The!

main! room! took! up! nearly! three6quarters! of! the! space,! and!

contained! a! couch,! two! easy! chairs,! a! low! coffee! table! and! a!

secretary’s!desk!on!one!side.!On!the!other!were!a!small!round!

dining! table! and! four! chairs.! In! lieu! of! a! kitchen! was! a!

refrigerator!in!one!corner!next!to!a!sink!and!a!butcher!block6

topped! worktable! on! which! sat! a! propane! camp! stove! and! a!

coffee!maker.!Off!the!main!room!were!a!single!bedroom!and!a!

bathroom.! A! combination! bookshelf! and! cabinet! in! the! living!

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area! held! a! stereo! and! collection! of! CDs,! mostly! classical.!

Otherwise!the!place!appeared!devoid!of!modern!conveniences,!

somewhere!to!go!to!get!away!from!the!bustle!of!the!real!world.!

I! saw! no! television,! computer,! or! phone,! even.! A! telescope!

standing! in! the! corner,! binoculars! on! the! table! and! small!

collection!of!bird!books!in!the!bookshelf!gave!me!a!pretty!good!

idea!of!how!the!owner!occupied!his!time!there.!

!

A! door! on! the! other! side! of! the! refrigerator! opened! to!

reveal! a! small! walk6in! pantry,! its! shelves! stocked! with! a! few!

dishes,! dry! and! canned! goods,! cleaning! supplies! and! other!

sundries!like!paper!towels,!light!blubs,!toilet!paper!and!plastic!

garbage! bags.! I! found! a! box! of! coffee! filters! and! after! more!

searching,!a!sealed!bag!of!whole!bean!coffee!in!the!freezer.!The!

pantry! offered! up! sugar,! but! there! was! no! milk! in! the!

refrigerator.!An!open!box!of!powdered!milk!stood!on!a!shelf!in!

the! pantry! wrapped! in! a! plastic! bag.! I! took! it! out,! sniffed! it!

warily! and! set! it! next! to! the! brewer! while! the! coffee! dripped!

into!the!pot.!

!

Cell!reception!sucked,!but!I!managed!to!find!a!spot!outside!

clear! enough! to! call! Chance,! and! asked! him! to! take! over! my!

route!again.!I!told!him!I!didn’t!know!when!I’d!be!back!and!not!

to!worry!if!a!bunch!of!suits!came!knocking!on!my!door.!When!I!

told! him! not! to! mention! any! of! our! conversation! to! Molly,! he!

knew!I!was!in!real!trouble,!but!he!didn’t!press.!A!true!friend.!

!

I!finished!a!mug!of!coffee!and!was!pouring!a!second!when!

the!sound!of!an!approaching!car!stopped!me.!I!traded!the!mug!

in! my! hand! for! my! gun,! sidled! over! next! to! a! window! and!

peered!out.!A!muscle!in!my!thigh!bunched,!and!my!palms!grew!

sweaty.!!

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!

!

Chapter&39&

!

!

Too*late!*

!

Anger! coursed! through! his! veins,! a! river! of! molten! steel!

hardening!his!resolve!as!it!cooled!in!his!extremities.!He!wanted!

to! pull! his! weapon! and! start! blasting! at! everyone! and!

everything! in! the! cabin,! but! while! that! might! make! him! feel!

better! it! wouldn’t! solve! anything.! They’d! really! screwed! the!

pooch!this!time.!The!couple!was!gone,!and!probably!any!chance!

at! the! intel! he! knew! they! possessed! gone,! too.! Not! only! were!