Night Tide (43 page)

buy! aviation! supplies.! I! ordered! coffee! and! breakfast,! found! a!

place!to!sit!and!discovered!that!as!hungry!as!I!thought!I!was!I!

couldn’t! choke! down! any! food.! A! combination! of! nerves! and!

lack! of! sleep! left! me! with! an! unsettled! stomach! and! a! case! of!

jitters.!I!killed!some!time!drinking!coffee!and!reading!a!paper.!

!

At!eight,!I!hoofed!down!to!the!rental!agency.!They!gave!me!

a!nondescript!compact!that!looked!barely!large!enough!for!me!

if!I!sat!in!the!back!seat.!I!managed!to!wedge!myself!in!the!front,!

knees!sticking!up!on!either!side!of!the!steering!wheel.!!

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!

The! cross6town! drive! took! me! past! some! of! the! giants! of!

Silicon! Valley,! their! parking! lots! already! half6filled! with!

commuters.! I! stopped! at! a! mall! and! window6shopped! until! a!

clothing!store!manager!took!pity!on!me!when!I!flashed!a!credit!

card!up!against!the!glass!door!and!opened!early.!I!picked!out!a!

few!things!I!thought!might!come!close!to!being!long!enough!to!

fit! my! frame! and! took! them! to! a! dressing! room.! The! slacks! I!

found!passed!muster!though!a!little!big!in!the!waist!to!get!the!

length!I!needed.!A!roomy!tropical!shirt!in!pale!blue!concealed!

the!fault!nicely.!I!looked!around!the!store!for!a!travel!bag,!and!

picked!up!some!toiletries!while!I!was!at!it,!took!everything!up!

to!the!register,!paid!for!it!and!went!back!to!the!dressing!room!

to!put!on!the!clothes.!I!stuffed!the!old!clothes!in!the!travel!bag!

with!the!toiletries.!Out!in!the!mall,!I!cleaned!up!and!shaved!in!a!

men’s! room,! studying! the! results! in! the! mirror.! Satisfied,! I!

walked! out! to! the! car,! threw! the! bag! in! the! back! seat! and!

headed!west!toward!the!foothills.!

!

The!road!climbed!into!the!rolling!hills!past!the!developed!

city! streets,! terrain! changing! to! open! grassland! dotted! with!

trees,! mostly! oaks.! Despite! heavy! winter! rains,! years! of!

drought!and!a!spate!of!dry!spring!weather!had!already!turned!

the! hills! brown.! Higher! up,! the! open! space! gave! way! to! large!

lots! on! winding,! hilly! streets! with! big! houses! protected! from!

view!by!both!natural!growth!and!landscaped!yards.!Geography!

that!was!at!once!familiar!and!as!foreign!as!the!moon.!

!

Ten! minutes! later,! the! road! opened! up! to! a! view! of! an!

orchard!climbing!the!hillside!to!the!right!and!grapevines!on!the!

rise!ahead.!The!road!forked,!and!I!steered!to!the!right,!slowing!

now!to!look!for!house!numbers.!The!hill!rose!steeply!to!my!left,!

trees! and! vegetation! screening! any! view! of! the! property.! I!

passed!a!gated!drive!I!remembered!from!the!satellite!view!that!

led! to! the! building! I! assumed! was! a! winery.! It! wasn’t! visible!

from! the! road,! nor! was! the! house! above! it.! Matching! pairs! of!

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brick! pillars! and! old6fashioned! lampposts! marked! the! next!

drive.!!

!

I!turned!in!and!rolled!slowly!past!tall,!evenly!spaced!arbor!

vitae! on! one! side! and! a! low! box! elder! hedge! on! the! other.! A!

hundred!feet!farther,!a!low!iron!gate!stretched!across!the!lane.!

A!black!steel!box!with!a!keycard!slot!and!a!speaker!hung!on!a!

stanchion!by!the!side!of!the!road!at!window!height.!Nervously,!

I!checked!my!watch!and!gave!a!quick!glance!at!my!appearance!

in! the! mirror.! I! rolled! down! the! window! and! stabbed! an!

intercom! button! with! a! finger.! A! tinny! voice! asked! me! to!

identify!myself!and!state!my!business.!

!

“Blake!Sanders,!here!to!see!Mrs.!Baines.”!

!

“Is!she!expecting!you?”!

!

“I!doubt!it,!but!I!think!she’ll!want!to!see!me.!Please!tell!her!

I!need!to!speak!with!her!about!her!daughters.”!

!

“You! must! be! mistaken,! sir.! Mrs.! Baines! has! only! one!

daughter.”!

!

“The!older!one!was!killed.!This!concerns!both!of!them.”!

!

The! speaker! went! silent.! If! I! couldn’t! get! past! the! gate,! I!

wasn’t!sure!what!I’d!do!next.!I!banged!the!heel!of!my!hand!on!

the!steering!wheel.!
Stupid,*not*to*have*a*plan.*At*least*a*backup.
!

!

The! speaker! crackled.! “Just! one! moment.! I’ll! see! if! Mrs.!

Baines! is! accepting! visitors.”! Even! the! poor! audio! quality!

couldn’t!disguise!the!voice’s!displeasure.!

!

The! speaker! went! dead! again.! I! shut! off! the! engine! and!

leaned!back!in!the!seat,!sunshine!streaming!through!the!open!

window,!the!glare!making!me!squint,!heat!slowly!roasting!bare!

flesh.! Flies! buzzed! lazily,! their! drone! lulling! me! half! asleep.!

California*dreamin’
.!!

!

A! rattling! sound! startled! me! alert.! The! gate! slid! into! the!

bushes!to!one!side,!pulled!by!a!motorized!chain.!I!started!the!

car,! nosed! ahead! until! the! opening! grew! large! enough! and!

drove!through.!

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!

The! asphalt! lane! merged! into! a! cobblestone! circle!

enclosing!a!grass!donut!with!a!small!fountain!in!the!center.!At!

the! top! of! the! circle! sat! a! two6story,! multi6gabled! house! that!

stretched! eighty! feet! from! the! front! door! in! each! direction.!

Mature! trees! flanked! the! two! corners,! with! gardens! of! low!

shrubs!and!flowers!bordering!the!middle!section!of!the!house.!

The! tarmac! lane! resumed! on! the! far! side! of! the! circle,!

branching! off! in! two! directions.! There! were! no! cars! in! the!

drive.!I!parked!at!the!top!of!the!circle!and!walked!to!the!front!

door.!!

!

A!push!of!the!doorbell!yielded!a!low,!resonant!bong!from!

somewhere!deep!in!the!house.!After!a!decent!interval,!a!short!

middle6age!man!with!gray,!receding!hair!opened!the!door.!I’d!

heard!no!footsteps,!suggesting!he!had!a!very!light!tread!or!he’d!

been! waiting.! He! wore! black! trousers,! starched! white! shirt,!

black! tie! and! a! vest.! His! sleeves! were! turned! up! once! at! the!

cuffs,! a! nod! to! informality! that! suggested! he’d! been! working,!

cleaning! something,! perhaps,! or! polishing! silver.! Critical! eyes!

took! quick! measure! of! my! size,! clothes,! general! appearance.!

Though! the! neutral! expression! gave! nothing! away,! one!

eyebrow!rose.!!

!

“Mr.!Sanders?”!He!shifted!slightly!to!one!side!to!admit!me.!

!

I! nodded,! stepped! inside! and! stopped! in! the! middle! of! a!

black! cherry! parquet! floor! inlaid! with! black! walnut! and!

merbau.! Curved! staircases! on! either! side! of! the! foyer! rose! to!

the!second!floor.!Hallways!led!right!and!left!to!each!wing!of!the!

house.!Directly!ahead,!partially!open,!tall,!paneled!pocket!doors!

revealed! a! large! airy! living! room! with! two6story! glass! doors!

and! windows! on! the! far! end! that! looked! out! on! a! tiled! patio,!

strip!of!grass!and!pool!deck!beyond!that.!

!

The! door! closed! behind! me,! and! the! manservant! stepped!

into!my!sight!and!beckoned!with!a!hand!as!he!set!off!down!a!

hall.!

!

“Mrs.!Baines!is!in!the!solarium,”!he!said.!“This!way.”!

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!

His! crepe6soled! black! shoes! made! no! sound! on! the!

hardwood! floor.! Voices! drifted! from! an! open! door! down! the!

hallway,!and!grew!more!distinct!as!we!drew!closer.!My!guide!

turned!into!the!room!and!stopped!a!few!feet!in.!I!followed!as!

far!as!the!doorway.!!

!

I! was! expecting! wicker! or! rattan! furniture! hiding! in! the!

midst!of!a!jungle!of!ferns!and!fuchsias.!The!room!was!open!and!

decorated! with! modern! furniture! in! clean! lines,! most! of! it!

leather.! A! bright! patterned! rug! covered! most! of! the! bamboo!

floor,!and!tall!windows!in!the!far!wall!let!in!tons!of!light.!The!

two!people!in!the!room!turned!their!heads!as!we!entered.!

!

A! handsome! woman! in! her! fifties! sat! in! the! corner! of! a!

cream6colored!couch,!one!arm!resting!on!the!back!support,!the!

other!elbow!propped!on!the!armrest,!a!finger!idly!toying!with!a!

strand!of!hair.!She!wore!a!navy!skirt,!white!silk!blouse!and!teal!

cashmere! cardigan,! feet! tucked! under! her,! covered! knees!

primly!clasped!and!angled!to!the!side.!At!the!window!facing!her!

stood!a!dark6haired!man!about!my!age!dressed!in!jeans!and!a!

white!oxford!button6down!shirt,!the!sleeves!rolled!up!onto!his!

forearms.!

!

The! resemblance! between! them! was! startling,! and! as! my!

gaze!passed!back!and!forth,!I!realized!I!had!to!up!my!estimate!

of! her! age! by! twenty! years! or! more.! She’d! either! had! some!

work!done!or!she’d!aged!extremely!well.!That!Keely!looked!so!

little!like!either!of!them!steeled!my!resolve!to!see!this!through.!

!

“Excuse! me,”! the! butler! said,! “Mr.! Sanders! to! see! you,!

ma’am.”!

!

“Thank!you,!Stephen.”!Throaty!and!rich,!her!voice!was!like!

cognac!and!honey.!

!

She!gave!him!a!brief!nod!of!acknowledgement!and!turned!

curious!eyes!back!on!me.!He!slipped!past!me!without!a!glance.!I!

heard!the!door!shut!softly!behind!me.!The!room!was!quiet!save!

the!ringing!in!my!ears!and!thumping!in!my!chest.!

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!

“Well,! Mr.! Sanders,”! she! said,! “you’ve! piqued! my! interest.!

Who!are!you!and!what!do!you!want?”!

!

“Straight!to!the!point.”!I!wet!my!lips.!“All!right!then.!Your!

daughter!Keely!came!to!me!recently!and!asked!for!my!help!to!

find! someone.! A! man! named! Perry! Langford.! You! may!

recognize! the! name.! He! went! to! prison! for! killing! your! other!

daughter,!Jill.”!

!

Just! before! her! face! hardened! into! a! mask,! sadness,! fear!

and!finally!distaste!played!across!her!features,!as!if!she!didn’t!

want!to!revisit!painful!memories.!

!

“Are!you!a!private!investigator?”!

!

“Perry! Langford! and! I! grew! up! together.! Keely! thought! I!

might!know!where!he’d!be.!That’s!not!the!point.”!I!glanced!at!

the!man!by!the!window.!“You’re!Tucker?!Keely’s!brother?”!

!

He!nodded,!a!small!smile!playing!at!his!lips,!as!if!enjoying!

the!intrusion.!I!turned!to!his!mother.!

!

“I’m!not!sure!you!want!him!to!hear!what!I!have!to!say,!Mrs.!

Baines.”!!

!

Now!she!looked!amused.!“What!could!you!possibly!say!to!

me!that!might!offend!my!son?!We!don’t!even!know!you.”!

!

I!shrugged!and!steeled!myself.!“Keely!isn’t!really!a!Baines.!

Not!biologically!anyway.”!

!

“Don’t!be!absurd,”!she!said.!“Of!course!she!is.”!

!

Her!smile!was!grim,!as!if!running!out!of!patience,!but!her!

eyes!were!guarded!now.!!

!

Tucker! looked! confused,! but! hadn’t! completely! lost! the!

grin.!“What!are!you!saying?”!

!

“Keely’s!your!half6sister,”!I!told!him.!“Your!mother!had!an!

affair!when!you!were!very!young.”!

!

“That’s!enough!”!she!said.!“I!think!it’s!time!you!left.”!

!

“Whoa!”! Tucker! said.! “Wait! a! minute,! Mother,! this! is! just!

getting!interesting.”!!

!

“Tucker,! you! don’t! for! one! moment! believe! him,! a!

complete!stranger.”!

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!

Tucker! tipped! his! head! slightly,! eyeing! me! critically.! “He!

hasn’t! told! us! what! he! wants,! Mother.! So,! what! is! it?! A!

shakedown?!You!want!money?!You!think!we’ll!just!bow!under!

the! pressure! if! you! threaten! to! spread! a! few! lies! about! the!

family?”!

!

I!shook!my!head.!“No.!Nothing!like!that.”!

!

Turning!to!her!again,!I!spread!my!hands.!“I!don’t!care!what!

you!did,!and!I!have!no!interest!in!telling!anyone!else!about!this.!

It’s!your!business.!What!I!need!is!the!truth.”!

!

“The!truth?”!Her!nostrils!flared!and!she!sat!up!on!the!edge!

of!the!couch.!“About!what?!Exactly!what!part!of!my!private!life,!

my!family’s!life,!do!you!wish!to!pry!into?!What!purpose!would!

it!serve?!Who!are!you!trying!to!help!here,!Mr.!Sanders?!Keely?!

Your!friend,!what!was!his!name?!Or!yourself?”!

!

I! let! her! questions! bounce! around! in! my! head! for! a!

moment! before! answering.! “All! of! the! above.! And! if! I’m! right,!

maybe! it! helps! her! real! father! most! of! all.! Isn’t! it! time,! Mrs.!

Baines?”!

!

“Her!
real
!father?!My!husband!is!her!real!father.”!

!

I!shrugged.!!

!

“How! do! I! know! you’re! even! acquainted! with! my!

daughter?”!

!

“Get!her!on!the!phone,”!I!said.!!

!

She! called! my! bluff,! getting! up! and! walking! to! a! phone!

sitting!on!an!end!table!in!the!corner!between!two!easy!chairs.!

She!picked!up!the!receiver!and!dialed.!

!

“Keely,! dear…! Yes,! it’s! me.! I’m! surprised! I! reached! you…!