Night Tide (54 page)

his! story! and! compared! notes,! they! might! put! someone! on!

board!the!ferry!to!look!for!me.!I!wasn’t!out!of!the!woods!yet.!

!

Five! minutes! later,! the! vibration! of! the! truck! bed! had!

changed! from! the! buzz! of! the! truck’s! three! hundred! fifty!

horsepower! diesel! V68! to! the! low! rumble! of! the! ferry’s! five!

thousand! horses.! Car! doors! opened! and! shut! as! drivers! and!

passengers! emerged! and! made! their! way! to! the! passenger!

deck.! After! a! minute! or! so,! I! heard! the! truck! door! open! and!

close,! too.! I! slowly! counted! to! thirty! before! easing! out! of! my!

hiding!place!and!peering!over!the!tailgate.!The!truck!was!next!

to!last!on!the!ferry,!the!car!behind!it!empty.!

!

I! stripped! off! the! poncho! and! stuffed! it! in! the! bag! of!

clippings.! I! repositioned! Charlie’s! gun! from! waistband! to! a!

deep!pocket!in!the!cargo!pants,!and!checked!once!more!to!see!if!

anyone!was!watching.!I!climbed!over!the!tailgate!and!hopped!

down.!The!car!deck!was!deserted.!I!walked!a!few!yards!to!the!

stern,!pulled!out!my!phone!and!powered!it!on.!Six!missed!calls!

Night&Tide
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and!two!messages.!All!but!one!from!Chance.!The!other!an!old!

one!from!Molly.!I!frowned!and!dialed!Chance’s!mobile.!

!

“Where! in! God’s! name! have! you! been,! doll?! You! had! us!

worried!sick.!Are!you!okay?”!

!

“I’m! all! right,! Chance.! I’m! sorry! I! forgot! to! call.! I’ve! been!

distracted.!You!okay!with!taking!the!route!again?”!

!

“Yeah,!sure,!it’s!fine.!I’ve!got!it!covered.!Where!are!you?”!

!

“Southworth!ferry.!Chance,!I!need!a!favor.”!

!

“Whatever!you!want,!honey.”!

!

“We!need!a!car.!Can!you!borrow!Peter’s!or!Toji’s!for!me?”!

!

“‘We?’!What’s!going!on,!Blake?”!

!

“I’ll!tell!you!when!I!see!you.!Can!you!do!it?!We!have!to!get!

up! to! Whidbey! tonight.! Fast.! I! wouldn’t! ask,! Chance,! but! it’s!

truly!a!matter!of!life!and!death.”!

!

“You!know!I’d!move!mountains!for!you,!doll.!I’ll!meet!you!

at!Fauntleroy!in!forty!minutes.”!

!

“Whenever!you!get!there!is!fine.!Don’t!get!a!ticket!on!your!

way.!And!thanks,!Chance.”!

!

I!stayed!put,!hunched!over!the!rail,!and!watched!the!black!

water!glide!by.!The!storm!front!had!kicked!up!some!waves,!and!

the! ferry! rocked! gently! in! the! swells.! The! lights! of! Vashon!

Island! drifted! into! view! then! slowly! slid! past! until! they!

retreated!behind!the!vessel,!growing!smaller!in!the!distance!as!

the!lights!of!West!Seattle!grew!bigger.!Already!cool,!the!breeze!

over! the! sound! picked! up! the! water’s! chill,! making! my! teeth!

chatter.!I!crossed!my!arms!for!warmth!and!wished!for!the!first!

time!that!the!heat!wave!hadn’t!ended.!

!

When! the! ferry! was! five! minutes! from! landing,! I! texted!

Reyna! and! told! her! to! meet! me! at! the! bus! stop! by! the! ferry!

entrance.! Before! too! many! people! returned! to! their! cars,! I!

headed!toward!the!bow!so!I’d!be!one!of!the!first!passengers!off.!

Two!deck!hands!manned!the!bow!and!two!others!stood!in!front!

of! the! lead! cars! ready! to! direct! traffic! off! the! boat.! The! ferry!

glided!in!the!last!several!hundred!yards!without!power.!At!the!

Night&Tide
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last! minute! the! pilot! reversed! thrust,! and! the! deck! rumbled!

underfoot! from! the! power! of! the! engine.! The! bow! kissed! the!

end!of!the!dock!without!a!bump,!and!the!deck!hands!made!the!

boat!fast.!In!less!than!a!minute,!they!lowered!the!ramp,!pulled!

aside! the! cargo6net! gate! and! waved! the! pedestrians! off.!

Slouching,!I!disembarked!with!the!first!ones!off,!staying!in!the!

middle! of! the! small! group,! doing! my! best! to! remain!

inconspicuous.!!

!

Reyna!caught!up!to!me!halfway!up!the!dock!and!squeezed!

my!arm.!“You!made!it.”!

!

“Barely.! Navy! cops! showed! up! and! looked! like! they! were!

going!to!check!foot!passengers,!so!I!had!to!create!a!diversion.”!

!

“You! did! that?! I! wondered! what! was! going! on.! Quick!

thinking.”!!

!

“More!like!desperation.”!!

!

“So,!I!figured!we!could!call!a!cab,!have!him!take!us!to!get!

another!rental.”!

!

“Already!took!care!of!it.!A!friend!is!bringing!us!a!ride.”!

!

“You’re!kidding.”!

!

I!shook!my!head.!“Should!be!here!soon.”!

!

By! the! time! we! got! to! the! street,! however,! Chance! was!

already! waiting! in! the! small! parking! lot! next! to! the! ferry!

entrance.!He!stood!beside!the!open!door!of!a!white!convertible!

dressed!in!four6inch!stiletto!heels,!a!short,!tight!cocktail!dress!

and!a!sequined!black!shrug,!and!waved!to!us.!I!steered!Reyna!

toward!the!familiar!car,!frowning.!

!

“Chance?”!I!said!as!we!drew!closer.!“What!did!you!do?”!

!

His! heavily! made6up! face! split! into! a! wide! grin,! the! brief!

illusion!of!femininity!gone.!

!

“You!said!you!needed!to!get!to!Whidbey!fast.”!

!

“Is!this!what!I!think!it!is?”!

!

“What!do!you!think!this!is?”!Reyna!said.!

!

I!faced!her.!“My!ex6wife’s!car.”!Her!pride!and!joy,!a!BMW!

M5.!“I!can’t!believe!you!asked!Molly!for!her!car,!Chance.”!

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!

“I!knew!she’d!let!me!borrow!it.!So,!what’s!the!big!deal?!And!

who’s!the!dish,!doll?”!

!

“Sorry.! Reyna,! this! is! my! friend! Chance! Reno,! one! of! my!

landlords.!Chance,!meet!Lieutenant!Commander!Reyna!Chase.”!

!

Chance’s! penciled! eyebrows! practically! disappeared! into!

his! platinum! wig.! “
The
! Reyna! Chase?”! Chance! knew! all! about!

the! last! time! Reyna! had! been! in! town,! six! months! earlier.! He!

straightened!and!gave!her!a!mock!salute.!

!

Reyna!laughed.!“No!need!to!be!formal.”!

!

I! looked! around,! suddenly! nervous.! “I! hate! to! push,! but! I!

think!we!ought!to!get!out!of!here.”!

!

Chance! handed! me! the! keys! to! Molly’s! car.! “Top! secret!

mission,!I!suppose.!You!get!to!have!all!the!fun,!doll.!Good!luck.!

Don’t!go!getting!yourself!killed!like!you!almost!did!at!Javier’s.”!

!

“Oh,!hell,!I!forgot!to!call!him,!too.”!

!

Chance! waved! airily.! “He’s! fine.! Restaurant’s! fine.!

Window’s! all! fixed.! He! forgives! you.! Says! the! notoriety! has!

actually!helped!business.!Don’t!worry!about!it.”!!

!

He!turned!to!go.!

!

“Do!you!need!a!ride?”!Reyna!said.!

!

Chance! thumbed! over! his! shoulder.! “Toji! drove! down! in!

his!car.!He’ll!give!me!a!ride!back!to!the!warehouse.”!

!

“You’re!not!working!the!paper!route!dressed!like!that,!are!

you?”!I!swallowed!hard.!

!

Chance!laughed.!“And!ruin!these!fuck6me!pumps?!Hell!no,!

doll.”!

!

He! spun! around! and! sashayed! across! the! lot! to! a! waiting!

car.! Toji! waved! through! the! windshield.! Chance! rounded! the!

front! of! the! car! and! climbed! in! next! to! him,! rolled! down! his!

window!and!leaned!out!as!they!drove!past.!!

!

“Whatever!you!do,”!he!called,!“don’t!wreck!that!cute!little!

car.!Molly!would!have!a!fit.”!

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!

They! roared! off.! As! they! vanished! in! the! line! of! cars!

heading! up! the! hill,! a! parade! of! unmarked! black! SUVs! with!

flashing!lights!swept!down!toward!the!ferry!entrance.!!

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!

!

Chapter&51&

!

!

Langford!moved!quickly!from!room!to!room!on!silent!feet,!

committing!the!layout!to!memory!as!he!searched!for!a!way!to!

the!basement.!The!high6ceilinged!rooms!in!the!old!farmhouse!

were! capacious! and! airy.! While! they! all! retained! original!

moldings!and!dimensions,!even!in!the!dark!he!could!see!they’d!

been!updated!with!recessed!lighting!on!dimmers,!a!high6speed!

LAN! connection! to! the! Internet,! and! a! multi6line!

telecommunications!system.!The!living!room!and!front!parlor!

had! been! converted! to! conference! rooms! with! multi6media!

projection! capability.! The! dining! room! remained! as! originally!

intended,!restored!to!a!level!of!elegance!likely!not!seen!outside!

of! Seattle! when! the! home! had! been! built.! The! kitchen! had!

undergone!a!complete!remodel!with!top6line!commercial!food!

equipment,!the!gleaming!stainless!reflecting!the!warm!tones!of!

rich!cherry!cabinetry!even!in!the!faint!light!from!outside.!

!

Time!worked!against!him!now,!and!he!increased!his!pace.!

He!spotted!the!door!to!the!basement!stairs!in!the!kitchen.!As!he!

crossed!the!room!his!weight!caused!a!spot!on!the!bamboo!floor!

to!creak.!He!froze,!barely!breathing,!and!listened!to!the!sounds!

in!the!house.!A!refrigerator!compressor!hummed!quietly.!A!pirr!

of! air! whispered! to! him! from! the! heating! vents! in! the! room.!

Water! dripped! outside! the! kitchen! window.! Faintly,! he! heard!

the!wind’s!colloquy!with!the!trees!outside.!Nothing!else!in!the!

house!stirred.!Cautiously,!he!took!a!step.!Still!hearing!nothing!

out!of!the!ordinary!he!hurried!to!the!door!and!down!the!stairs.!

!

At!the!bottom,!he!pressed!a!wall!switch,!bathing!the!room!

in!light.!The!basement!also!had!been!extensively!remodeled.!He!

stepped! into! a! carpeted! game! room! dominated! by! a! billiards!

table! in! the! center,! a! couple! of! pinball! machines! on! one! wall,!

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and! seating! areas! on! another.! He! didn’t! pause,! crossing! the!

room!to!a!door!on!the!far!side.!Pushing!through!it,!he!turned!on!

the!lights!and!found!himself!in!a!large!media!room!with!more!

than! a! dozen! plush! movie! theater! style! chairs! facing! a! blank!

wall!framed!by!heavy!drapes.!Beyond!that!he!found!a!door!into!

a! mechanical! room! housing! furnace,! water! heater! and! air!

filtration! system! and! a! storeroom.! There! was! no! sign! of! the!

Wilsons,!and!he!was!running!out!of!time.!

!

Quickly!returning!to!the!game!room,!he!scanned!it!again!to!

see! where! he! might! have! gone! wrong.! There! were! two! other!

doors! in! the! room.! One! was! clearly! marked! with! a! restroom!

sign.!He!opened!it!and!glanced!inside.!The!only!other!door!was!

narrower.! He! tried! it! anyway! and! discovered! a! small! closet.!

Frustrated!now,!he!went!back!into!the!media!room.!To!the!left,!

behind!the!rows!of!chairs!was!a!door!to!a!projection!room.!The!

glass!pane!between!the!rooms,!he!noted,!was!blacked!out.!!

!

With! a! growing! sense! of! exigency,! he! strode! to! the! door!

and! put! his! hand! on! the! knob.!
Locked.
! He! hesitated! before!

bashing!it!in,!worried!about!the!noise!it!would!make.!He!took!a!

step! back! and! removed! his! backpack.! Quietly,! he! reached! in!

one! of! the! pockets! and! grasped! the! butt! of! the! J.P.! Sauer.! He!

aimed! it! at! the! door! while! he! slowly! summoned! his!

concentration.! With! as! much! power! as! he! could! muster,! he!

kicked! the! door! next! to! the! handle,! splintering! the! flimsy!

frame.!He!stepped!back!as!it!burst!open,!holding!the!pistol!in!

both!hands.!!

!

The! room! breathed! fetid! air,! and! Langford! nearly! gagged!

on!the!stale!and!ferrous!odors!of!duress!and!dried!blood.!The!

light!barely!penetrated!the!deep!gloom,!but!he!saw!the!forms!of!

two! people! in! the! corner! prone! on! the! tile! floor.! One! of! the!

huddled!figures!struggled!to!raise!a!head!off!the!floor!and!turn!

a! face! toward! the! light.! Langford! shuddered! involuntarily,!

momentarily! repulsed! by! the! sight! of! the! man’s! ravaged! face,!

almost!unrecognizable!from!repeated!beatings.!The!man!stared!

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at!him!from!his!one!good!eye,!and!lifted!an!outstretched!arm,!

feeble!as!a!baby.!

!

“Help!us,”!he!rasped.!

!

Langford!swiftly!pulled!the!door!shut!and!turned!away.!He!

had!what!he!needed.!He!shouldered!the!backpack!and!hurried!

back!to!the!game!room,!pulling!his!cell!out!of!his!pocket.!Gun!

still!in!his!hand,!he!punched!a!speed!dial!number!and!heard!it!

ring.!

!

When! a! voice! answered,! his! response! was! terse.! “It’s!

Langford.!They’re!here.”!

!

He! hit! the! wall! switch! and! slipped! the! phone! into! his!

pocket!as!he!raced!up!the!stairs!in!the!pitch!black.!Just!a!few!

feet! more! and! he’d! be! out! the! door! and! on! his! way! to! true!

freedom.!He!faltered!at!the!top!when!he!heard!muffled!voices,!a!

door!closing!and!the!tread!of!feet!on!the!hardwoods.!Pausing,!

he! cracked! open! the! kitchen! door! and! listened.! The! voices!

belonged! to! one! female! and! two! males.!
Security.
! They’d! find!