Night Tide (57 page)

there.!One!more!reason!I’ll!be!dealing!with!you!later.”!

!

Keely!put!her!hands!on!her!hips.!“Not!that!the!reminiscing!

isn’t! fascinating,! boys,! but! save! it! for! old! home! week.”! She!

turned!to!Reyna.!“You’re!obviously!in!charge.!What!now?”!

!

Reyna! appraised! her! coolly.! “I! doubt! everyone! in! this!

company! is! on! your! special! payroll.! Tweedledum! and!

Tweedledee!here!can!change!places!with!those!two!and!carry!

Mrs.!Wilson.!We’ll!head!over!to!the!security!office!in!the!main!

building,! get! her! some! first! aid,! and! call! in! some! guarded!

transport!for!you!and!your!buddies.”!

!

Keely! shook! her! head! in! disagreement.! “Who! are! you!

again?! Blake,! this! one! of! your! cop! friends?! I! don’t! know! how!

you! two! got! in,! but! I! can! guarantee! you’re! not! getting! out! as!

easily.”!

!

“Blake,!would!you!escort!Miz!Radcliffe?!Boys,!you!want!to!

grab!the!patient?!And!please!try!something!stupid.!I’d!love!the!

excuse!to!shoot!any!one!of!you.”!

!

I!circled!around!the!island,!giving!the!twins!a!wide!berth.!

Keely’s! face! was! as! dark! as! the! windows.! She! glared! at! me!

defiantly.! I! tugged! an! arm! behind! her! back! and! levered! it! up!

between! her! shoulder! blades! a! little! harder! than! was!

gentlemanly.!She!didn’t!even!wince.!Instead,!she!smiled!at!me!

over!her!shoulder.!Then!her!eyes!hardened!like!brittle!shards!

of!ice.!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

375&

!

“Fool!”!she!hissed.!“You!have!no!idea!what!you’re!doing.”!

!

“Shut!up.!This!isn’t!what!you!want.!You!want!payback,!turn!

them!in.!They’ll!go!to!jail.”!

!

“How! the! fuck! do! you! know! what! I! want?! You’re! really!

going!to!regret!this.”!

!

“Okay,! folks,! let’s! go,”! Reyna! said.! “Nice! and! easy.! Blake,!

you! lead.! You! big! boys! take! Mrs.! Wilson.! Carefully!! That’s! it.!

Langford,!you!want!to!help!Mr.!Wilson!out,!please?!I’ll!keep!an!

eye!on!these!folks!and!you!can!follow!at!your!own!pace.”!

!

A!piper—drab,!not!pied—I!led!the!procession!out!the!door!

and!down!the!steps.!Reyna!and!I!herded!the!little!group!across!

the! yard! into! a! tree6covered! parking! lot! adjacent! to! the! main!

building.! Halfway! there,! a! pair! of! headlights! sped! down! the!

drive! from! the! main! road! toward! the! conference! center.!

Cavalry?
! A! black! SUV! passed! us,! but! with! a! squeal! of! brakes,!

stopped,! reversed! and! entered! the! lot.! Reyna! had! frozen! in! a!

crouch,!gun!at!the!ready.!

!

“Friends?”!I!said.!

!

“I!didn’t!call!them,”!she!said.!“I!think!we’re!screwed.”!

!

The! others! stopped! and! stared! as! the! vehicle! roared! up!

and!stopped.!Keely!had!a!smirk!on!her!face.!What!looked!like!

the!rest!of!the!twins’!defensive!line!piled!out!and!surrounded!

us.!Suited!up!in!black!fatigues!like!the!others,!these!three!came!

armed! with! assault! rifles.! Reyna! and! I! dropped! our! guns! and!

put! our! hands! on! our! heads.! Keely! walked! up! to! me! smiling,!

and!put!her!hand!on!my!cheek.!Her!eyes!were!so!baleful!under!

the!lot!lights!that!I!shivered!at!her!touch.!!

!

A!figure!stepped!out!of!the!SUV!and!stood!behind!the!door.!

I! couldn’t! make! out! his! features! behind! the! glare! of! the!

headlights.!

!

A!disembodied!voice!bellowed,!“Keely!”!

!

The! sound! jerked! her! head! around! like! a! puppet! on! a!

string,!her!expression!chary.!

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—Sherer&

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!

“Can’t! you—?”! The! voice! was! explosive! with! rage,! but!

went!on!in!a!calmer!tone.!“Take!them!all!to!the!lab.!I’ll!be!there!

shortly.”!The!figure!ducked!back!inside!the!SUV.!

!

One!of!the!men!frisked!me!and!relieved!me!of!the!gun!in!

my!waistband!as!well!as!the!one!I!dropped.!He!frisked!Reyna!

next,! but! Keely! stepped! away! and! picked! up! Reyna’s! pistol.!

Glancing! over! her! shoulder! to! make! sure! the! football! team!

followed! the! playbook,! she! marched! toward! the! boxy,!

windowless!building!on!the!other!side!of!the!main!offices.!

!

Tweedledum! and! Tweedledee! continued! to! carry! Connie,!

only!because!it!was!faster!than!letting!anyone!else!do!it.!Clayt!

could!barely!stand.!Wink!had!pulled!one!of!Clayt’s!arms!around!

his!shoulder,!sagging!under!Clayt’s!weight.!I!suddenly!seethed!

with!anger!at!the!couple!for!putting!us!all!in!this!predicament.!I!

wanted! to! lash! out.! Instead,! I! grabbed! Clayt’s! other! arm! and!

took!some!of!his!weight.!He!looked!up!at!me!blearily!through!

one!swollen!eye.!I!couldn’t!tell!if!he!recognized!me!or!not.!

!

A!few!minutes!later,!we!crowded!into!a!fifteen6by6twenty6

foot! room! furnished! with! three! rows! of! worktables! littered!

with!electronic!equipment,!computer!monitors,!circuit!boards,!

oscilloscopes,!and!tangles!of!multi6colored!wires!snaking!in!all!

directions.! Some! were! fitted! with! an! overhead! shelf! loaded!

down!with!more!gear.!Empty!stools!crouched!under!the!tables,!

waiting.! Several! gray,! wheeled! steel! carts! around! the! room!

held! more! racked! equipment.! The! twins! cleared! a! desk! in! a!

corner!and!laid!Connie!on!it,!unconscious.!They!herded!Wink,!

Reyna! and! Clayt! into! the! last! aisle! between! the! worktables.! I!

ended!up!in!the!middle!aisle.!

!

“What!now,!Keely?”!I!said.!!

!

She! strutted! around! the! corner! of! the! lab! table! into! the!

aisle!next!to!me.!

!

“I’m! sure! you’re! smart! enough! to! figure! it! out,”! she! said.!

“Watch!and!learn.”!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

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!

The!twins!stood!guard!now!while!two!of!the!others!made!

their! way! around! the! room! placing! inch6thick! black! plastic6

wrapped! bricks! in! different! spots.! About! ten! inches! long! and!

two!inches!wide,!the!bricks!were!imprinted!with!green!letters,!

all!caps.!Too!far!away!to!read!it!all,!I!was!able!to!make!out!the!

top!line!on!the!closest!one—CHARGE!DEMOLITION!M112.!The!

words! didn’t! inspire! my! confidence.! I! suddenly! noticed! that!

none! of! the! men! in! black! had! bothered! to! conceal! their! faces!

like!before.!The!room!suddenly!felt!colder!than!a!meat!locker.!

!

“You’re!going!to!blow!up!your!own!lab?”!I!said.!

!

“I!can!answer!that,”!said!a!deep!voice,!the!same!one!from!

the!SUV.!

!

An! older! man! strode! through! the! door! with! the! kind! of!

assurance!that!comes!from!years!of!unquestioning!fealty!from!

everyone!around!him.!Tweedledee!noted!his!presence!from!the!

corner!of!his!eye!with!a!nervous!twitch!of!his!lips.!His!mirror!

image! straightened! perceptibly.! The! other! members! of! the!

team! continued! what! they! were! doing,! but! seemed! aware! of!

him!nonetheless.!The!boss,!obviously.!Baines!himself.!

!

I! paid! more! attention,! noting! hooded! eyes! under! dark!

brows,!a!sharply!curved!nose!like!a!raptor’s!beak!over!a!thin6

lipped! mouth.! Silver! hair! lent! him! the! air! of! elder! statesman,!

but!the!kind!who’d!kept!his!place!in!power!through!backroom!

deals! and! efficient! ruthlessness.! Running! a! billion6dollar!

defense! company! would! be! good! practice.! Vaguely! familiar,! I!

tried!to!remember!where!I!might!have!seen!him,!but!couldn’t!

place!him!in!context.!Television!news,!most!likely.!

!

Instead!of!answering,!he!addressed!one!of!the!men!setting!

charges.!“Pete,!you!guys!about!done!here?”!

!

“Almost,!sir.”!

!

“When! you! are,! take! Rocco! and! Kurt! and! make! sure!

everyone! in! the! facility! evacuates.! Shouldn’t! be! anyone! here!

but! regular! security,! but! double! check.! Tell! them! we! got! a!

bomb!threat!we’re!taking!very!seriously.”!

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!

“Yes,!sir.”!!

!

Baines!turned!to!Keely.!“My!timing!was!fortuitous.”!

!

Keely’s! nostrils! flared! and! the! corners! of! her! mouth!

whitened.!“I!would!have!handled!it.!
You
!might!want!to!have!a!

word! with! your! security! chief! up! here.! First,! Langford,! then!

these!two…!Getting!in!doesn’t!seem!to!be!much!of!a!problem.”!

!

“Even! so,! Keely,! you! nearly! blew! it,! damn! it!! If! it! hadn’t!

been!for!me,!the!compound!might!be!crawling!with!feds!right!

now.”!

!

She! shrank! from! his! anger,! but! parried! one! last! time.! “It!

wouldn’t!have!happened!if!security!was!better.”!

!

Leaving! only! the! twin! linemen! to! ride! herd,! Pete! and!

friends! filed! out! the! door! past! Baines! in! their! black! fatigues.!

The!sight!of!Baines’s!head!behind!them!as!they!exited!stirred!a!

buried! memory.! It! floated! toward! the! light! then! drifted! back!

down!into!the!depths!like!a!freshly!washed!sheet!settling!on!a!

bed.! I! wished! I! could! get! a! better! look! at! it,! but! I! was! just! so!

damned! tired.! I! couldn’t! focus.! My! gaze! bounced! from! face! to!

face,! eyes! attracted! by! movements,! sounds,! voices! as! fast! as!

thoughts!caromed!off!the!inside!of!my!skull.!

!

Baines! gave! an! almost! imperceptible! nod,! conceding!

Keely’s!point.!“Nothing!more!from!the!Wilsons,!I!take!it?”!

!

She!glanced!at!them.!“What!more!could!they!possibly!give!

us?!They’ve!told!us!everything!they!know.”!

!

He!grunted,!following!her!gaze.!Connie’s!chest!barely!rose!

and!fell,!her!breathing!shallow.!Clayt!slumped!on!a!stool,!chin!

on!his!chest,!unresponsive!to!events!around!him.!

!

Baines! turned! to! me.! “To! answer! your! question,! the!

Wilsons! are! notorious! radicals! who! have! been! wanted! by! the!

government! for! forty! years.! They! initially! claimed!

responsibility! for! the! bomb! that! killed! my! daughter.”! He!

shrugged.!

!

I! glanced! at! Keely.! She! looked! pained,! like! someone! had!

poked!her!with!a!pin.!

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!

Baines!went!on.!“Investigators!will!find!their!remains!and!

assume! they! returned! to! their! old! ways.! Langford,! here,! was!

convicted! of! my! daughter’s! murder.! If! I’m! not! mistaken,! he’s!

violating!conditions!of!his!parole!just!by!being!here.!The!police!

will! naturally! assume! he! came! here! to! wreak! some! sort! of!

revenge!on!me,!or!the!company.”!

!

“And! us?”! I! motioned! toward! Reyna,! who! had! been!

unusually!quiet.!!

!

His! jaw! clenched.! “You’re! trespassing.! For! all! I! know,!

you’re! in! league! with! Langford! and! the! Wilsons.! Langford’s!

your!friend,!isn’t!he?!Or!at!least!he!was.”!

!

“She’s!with!naval!intelligence,”!I!said.!“You!can’t!just!kill!off!

government!agents.”!

!

Baines!held!up!a!finger.!“If!I’m!not!mistaken,!Miz—Chase,!

is! it?—Miz! Chase! is! gainfully! unemployed! at! the! moment.! I!

guess!you!two!are!domestic!terrorists!just!like!the!others.”!

!

“You’re! forgetting! something,”! Wink! said! quietly.! Eyes!

turned!and!stared!at!him.!

!

A! vein! in! Baines’! temple! pulsed! now,! but! he! managed! to!

turn!up!the!corners!of!his!mouth!in!a!semblance!of!a!smile.!

!

“And!what!would!that!be?”!he!said,!struggling!to!maintain!

a!pleasant!façade.!

!

“What!you’ve!been!looking!for.!The!notes.”!

!

Baines!frowned!and!glared!at!Keely.!She!looked!confused,!

less!self6assured.!!

!

“Kwan! Ji,! you! mean,”! Baines! said.! He! brushed! aside! an!

imaginary! fly.! “They! don’t! exist.! They! never! did.! That’s! why! I!

fired!him.”!

!

“The!notes!exist,!all!right,”!Wink!said.!“At!least!they!did.”!

!

Baines’! eyes! narrowed.! “What! do! you! mean?”! he! said!

sharply.!

!

!

“I!destroyed!them.”!

!

“How?!How!did!you!get!them?”!

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!

I! piped! up.! “The! Wilsons! had! them! all! along.”! I! looked! at!

Wink.!“You!found!the!Bible?”!

!

Wink! kept! his! eyes! trained! on! Baines.! “Fitch! stole! them!

when!he!helped!set!the!bomb.!He!hid!them!in!a!Bible!and!gave!

it!to!the!Wilsons!for!safekeeping.”!

!

“Impossible,”! Baines! growled.! “And! even! if! he! did,! what!

good!are!they!if!you!destroyed!them?!Seems!to!me!you’ve!lost!

your!bargaining!chip.”!

!

“He’s!got!photographic!memory,”!I!told!him.!“The!only!way!

you’ll!find!out!what!was!in!those!notes!is!if!you!keep!him!alive.”!

!

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!

!

Chapter&53
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!

!

“Daddy?”!!

!

Keely’s!doleful!voice!had!regressed!to!that!of!a!querulous!