Night Tide (58 page)

child.!!

!

“Daddy,! don’t! they!
all
! have! to! be! punished! for! what! they!

did!to!Jill?”!

!

“Not!now,!Keely!!I!have!to!think.”!Baines!rubbed!his!chin,!

eyes!on!the!floor.!“This!puts!a!different!wrinkle!on!things.”!

!

He! jerked! his! head! up! and! his! gaze! lasered! on! Wink.! “I!

could!eventually!get!it!out!of!you.!Don’t!think!prison!made!you!

so!tough!you!can!resist!all!the!interrogation!techniques!those!

pansies! in! D.C.! want! to! outlaw.! Waterboarding! works,! Mr.!

Langford,! I! assure! you.! But! it! takes! time.! I! assume! you! have!

something!in!mind?”!

!

“We!can!probably!work!out!an!agreeable!price,”!Wink!said.!

!

“And!your!friends?”!

!

Wink! shrugged.! “The! Wilsons! deserve! whatever! they! get.!

Do! what! you! want! with! them.”! He! looked! at! Reyna,! then! me.!

“Them?! Up! to! you.! The! woman! is! pretty! much! screwed.! You!

saw! to! that.! She’s! got! no! credibility! with! her! superiors.! Him?!

Probably! no! threat! to! you,! but! it’s! no! skin! off! my! ass! if! you!

want!to!blow!him!up.”!

!

“How!do!I!know!the!notes!have!any!value?”!Baines!said.!

!

Wink!grinned.!“Suppose!I!might!have!been!able!to!tell!if!I’d!

finished! college.! Oh,! that’s! right,! I! did—in! prison.”! His!

expression! turned! serious.! “If! we! agree! on! a! price,! why! don’t!

you!give!me!half!up!front!for!half!the!notes.!You!can!have!your!

research!team!look!them!over!and!see!if!they’re!legit!and!hold!

promise.!If!so,!you!give!me!the!rest!and!I!deliver!the!other!half.”!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

382&

!

Baines! pinched! the! bridge! of! his! patrician! nose! between!

thumb!and!forefinger.!

!

“Daddy?”!Keely!whined.!“I!did!this!for!you.!I!hunted!them!

down!for!
you
.!I!found!the!Wilsons.!I!even!found!that!harmless!

old!man,!Fitch’s!friend.!You!had!
him*
killed.!You!promised!you’d!

punish!them!
all
!for!what!they!did!!Don’t!you!even!care?”!

!

The!light!in!her!eyes!was!alien.!Something!inside!her!had!

snapped,! sending! her! over! the! edge.! The! suddenness! of! the!

change!was!unsettling.!I!wondered!how!long!she’d!managed!to!

hold!it!all!together,!and!shivered!as!I!thought!of!how!close!I’d!

let!her!get!to!me.!
Fitch’s*friend?
!Jesus,!I’d!been!right.!I!shivered!

again.! ! Baines! threw! her! a! piercing! look,! face! reddening! with!

anger.! He! drew! in! a! deep! breath! and! looked! away,! as! if!

mustering!some!force!to!quell!the!beast!welling!up!inside.!The!

motion! put! his! features! in! profile,! and! suddenly! the! memory!

from!earlier!lurched!back!out!of!the!muck!and!clawed!its!way!

into!my!consciousness.!No!fresh!linen,!this!was!a!creature!from!

a!black!lagoon!of!guilt!I’d!dammed!up!all!those!years!ago.!

!

“It!was!you!”!!

!

The!exclamation!out!of!my!mouth!surprised!me!as!much!as!

everyone! else.! I! stared! at! Baines,! seeing! him! not! with! silver!

hair! and! loose! skin! around! his! throat,! but! dark! hair! and!

youthful!vigor.!He!blinked!rapidly.!!

!

“You!were!right!the!first!time,!Keely,”!I!said.!“Wink!didn’t!

kill! your! sister.! The! Wilsons! didn’t! even! do! it,! though! they!

might!as!well!have.!
He
!killed!her.”!!

!

I!pointed!at!Baines.!!

!

Keely’s!pout!turned!to!confusion!again.!“Daddy?”!!

!

Baines’!lips!curled!back!in!a!snarl.!“What!the!hell!are!you!

talking!about?”!

!

Giving!voice!to!the!truth,!stirring!up!the!muck,!sent!bits!of!

what! I’d! thought! were! flotsam! and! jetsam! floating! into! place!

like!daubs!of!pigment!in!a!paint6by6numbers!picture.!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

383&

!

“It! all! makes! sense! now,”! I! said,! wondering! why! I! hadn’t!

seen!it!before.!“Kill!two!birds!with!one!stone.”!

!

“You’re! babbling,”! Baines! growled.! He! gestured! to! one! of!

the!twins.!“Shut!him!up!”!

!

Tweedledum! took! a! step! toward! me,! but! Keely! latched!

onto!his!arm!and!dug!in!her!nails.!

!

“Wait,!just!wait!”!she!screeched.!“I!want!to!hear!this.!What!

do!you!mean?!What!two!birds?”!

!

“Kwan!Ji!and!Clayt—Colin!Wilson.”!I!watched!Baines’!face.!

“You! suffered! two! blows! to! an! ego! that! normally! wouldn’t!

stand!for!one!of!them.!Kwan!had!been!right!all!along.!He!had!

something,!technology!that!could!revolutionize!battery!storage.!

And!you!let!him!go.!He!was!going!to!prove!you!wrong,!and!all!

his! patents! would! have! belonged! to! him! and! SIU,! not! Ross!

Industries.!You!bombed!the!lab!to!destroy!his!work,!and!then!

you!had!him!killed,!burned!his!house!down.”!

!

Keely! stared! at! her! father,! incredulity! straining! her!

features.!

!

“Is! this! true?! You! set! the! bomb?! To! get! back! at! someone!

you!
fired
?”!

!

“Keely!”!he!barked.!“Don’t!listen!to!this.!It’s!all!crap!”!

!

She! cringed,! but! held! her! ground.! “What! about! the! other!

bird?!What!did!Wilson!do?”!

!

“Colin! Wilson! had! a! fling! with! your! mother.! A! long! time!

ago.! She! didn’t! mean! for! it! to! happen,! and! it! was! a! one6time!

thing.!But!Baines!found!out.!Spent!years!trying!to!find!Wilson!

and! his! wife! after! they! skipped! to! Canada! in! the! early!

’Seventies.! They! weren’t! there! long.! They! managed! to! sneak!

back!into!the!States!and!used!Corinne!Wilson’s!maiden!name,!

Jones.!

!

“Your! father! finally! came! up! with! a! scheme! to! lure! them!

out!of!hiding.!He!found!Fitch,!knew!that!Fitch!had!been!close!to!

the! Wilsons! during! the! Vietnam! years,! and! told! him! that! he!

wanted! to! make! a! statement,! bomb! a! lab! back! in! Illinois.! He!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

384&

convinced! Fitch! to! talk! the! Wilsons! into! sponsoring! the!

mission.!Figured!they’d!get!blamed!and!eventually!caught,!and!

Clayt—Colin—would!go!to!prison!for!a!long!time.”!

!

“But!Jill.!He!wouldn’t!have!done!that!to!Jill.”!!

!

“Of! course! not,”! Baines! interjected.! “It’s! bullshit,! Keely.!

Don’t!listen!to!him.”!

!

“I’m! not! lying,! Keely.! Kwan! didn’t! just! take! potential!

billions! of! dollars! away! from! the! company! when! your! father!

fired! him.! He! enticed! your! sister! to! help! him! work! on! the!

technology.! He! recognized! her! talent,! and! wanted! to! put! it! to!

useful!work.!Isn’t!that!right,!Baines?!You!couldn’t!stand!the!fact!

that! Jill! preferred! working! with! Kwan! than! working! for! you.!

That’s!another!reason!you!destroyed!his!work.”!

!

The! veins! in! Baines’! neck! stood! out! and! his! face! turned!

claret.!“Someone!shoot!this!bastard,!goddamn!it!”!

!

“What! happened,! Baines?! Too! much! explosive?! Didn’t!

realize!it!would!take!out!the!office!next!door!and!your!daughter!

with!it?”!

!

“You!son!of!a!bitch!!I’ll!kill!you!myself!”!

!

Baines!marched!over!to!Tweedledum!and!tried!to!wrestle!

his!gun!away,!but!the!big!man!pushed!him!away!and!held!him!

off! with! a! huge! arm! across! his! chest.! Baines! strained! to! push!

past.!

!

“You!realized!what!had!happened,”!I!told!him,!“went!back!

in,!and!shot!her.!Only!problem!was!Wink.!You!hadn’t!counted!

on! anyone! else! being! there.! He! got! caught.! The! Wilsons! went!

free.!You’ve!been!looking!for!them!ever!since.!Oh,!and!Kwan’s!

notes! were! missing.! The! one! thing! you! hoped! to! profit! from.!

Besides!revenge.”!

!

Keely!stared!at!me!with!a!growing!look!of!horror.!!

!

“How!do!you!know!this?”!she!whispered.!!

!

“I! was!
there
.”! I! watched! my! revelation! home! in! on! her!

heart!like!a!heat6seeking!missile.!

!

Baines!stopped!struggling.!“Not!possible.”!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

385&

!

“I!saw!your!whole!team!come!out!of!the!building,”!I!said.!

“You!waited!for!the!blast.!When!the!girl!started!screaming,!you!

went! back! in.! Less! than! a! minute! later! I! heard! the! gunshots,!

and! you! came! back! out.! I! was! there,! Baines.! I! saw! your! face,!

clear!as!day.”!

!

“Daddy?”!!

!

Baines! turned! slowly! as! if! pushing! against! an! enormous!

weight.!!

!

“You! killed! her?! Daddy?! All! this! time! I! tried! to! make! you!

love!me!as!much!as!her.!I!helped!you!find!the!people!
you
!told!

me!were!responsible.!And!you!
killed
!her?”!Keely’s!voice!rose!to!

a!shriek.!“‘
My
!daughter,!
my
!daughter’…!
I’m
!your!daughter,!too,!

you!bastard!”!

!

“No,”!he!said!coldly,!“you’re!not.!You!are!the!product!of!a!

generation!that!squandered!its!potential!on!recreational!drugs!

and! illicit! sex,! on! making! itself! feel! good! without! taking!

responsibility.!Facts!of!life,!little!girl:!The!Vietnam!War!was!a!

tragedy,! but! thousands! of! good! men! died! for! their! country! in!

that!war!while!hippie!faggots!like!Wilson!stayed!home,!smoked!

dope! and! fucked! whomever! they! felt! like,! including! your!

mother.”!

!

Spittle!foamed!at!the!corner!of!his!mouth!as!he!spewed!the!

words! like! cobra! venom.! “While! I! was! off! trying! to!
prevent
!

some! of! those! soldiers! from! dying,! the! bitch! went! up! to! San!

Francisco!to!see!how!the!other!half!lived.!Like!a!trip!to!the!zoo!

to! see! all! the! exotic! animals.! Smelling! the! sex! on! them! and!

reverting! to! her! basest! instincts,! an! animal! just! like! them.! I!

never!touched!her!after!that.!Your!
father
?!Take!a!look!at!him,!

Keely.! Right! over! there.! Sucking! a! comfortable! living! out! the!

very! system! he! tried! to! subvert! and! destroy! back! then.! Big!

revolutionary.! That! pathetic! never6was! is! where! you! come!

from.!Not!me.”!

!

For! an! interminable! moment,! a! hush! as! solemn! as! a!

funeral!fell!over!the!room.!Portentous!as!the!eye!of!a!hurricane,!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

386&

that!brief!calm!carried!tension!that!thrummed!like!high!voltage!

through! a! transmission! line! and! then! exploded! in! a! blur! of!

motion!and!rage.!

!

“You! were!
there
?”! Wink! roared! from! behind! me.! “All! this!

time!I!thought!you!bailed,!and!you!saw!the!whole!thing?”!

!

He! jumped! up! on! a! stool! and! launched! himself! over! the!

worktable! before! I! could! fully! turn! around.! At! the! same! time,!

Keely! flew! toward! Baines! with! outstretched! talons,! mouth!

contorted!in!a!snarl.!Wink!hit!me!full!force,!chest!high.!On!the!

way! down,! I! saw! the! twins! jerk! one! way! then! another! in!

confusion.! After! that,! all! I! saw! was! ceiling! as! Wink’s! weight!

bore!me!to!the!floor!and!he!swung!a!fist!into!my!ribs.!Between!

the!floor!and!his!blow,!most!of!the!air!in!my!lungs!was!expelled!

with!a!
whuff
.!Shouting!added!to!Keely’s!howls!filled!the!room!

with!dissonant!clamor.!Wink!put!me!in!a!clinch,!his!mouth!next!

to!my!ear.!

!

“Gun,!Legs,”!he!whispered.!!

!

I!struggled!to!break!free,!but!he!just!clamped!down!harder,!

not!even!my!height!and!weight!advantage!a!match!for!his!wiry!

strength.!

!

“I’ve!got!a!gun,!asshole!”!he!whispered!again.!“Behind!my!

back.!Take!it!!On!three.!One,!two,!three!”!

!

By! the! time! I! figured! out! what! the! hell! he! was! talking!

about,!he’d!thrown!himself!to!the!side,!taking!me!with!him.!As!I!

rolled!on!top,!I!got!an!arm!loose,!reached!around!behind!him!

and!felt!the!hard!lump!under!his!shirt.!
Tweedledee’s*gun*from*

the* conference* center.
! I! got! a! grip! on! it! and! yanked! as! Wink!

rolled! us! again,! putting! me! underneath! him.! I! held! the! gun!

down!on!the!floor!close!to!my!thigh,!keeping!it!hidden.!

!

“Get!off!me,!butthead!”!I!said.!

!

“Fuck!you!”!Wink!yelled.!!

!

“Hey,!knock!it!off!”!someone!behind!me!bawled.!

!

Wink!stifled!a!laugh!and!threw!a!punch!at!my!face.!I!barely!

had! time! to! block! it.! For! a! moment,! the! years! were! stripped!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

387&

away,! reverting! us! to! a! couple! of! kids! roughhousing! in! the!

backyard.!I!put!a!hand!on!his!chest!and!shoved!hard.!He!flew!

back!on!his!rump!and!slid!halfway!under!a!lab!table.!Instead!of!

charging! at! me,! he! leaned! forward! and! dug! a! hand! under! his!

pant! leg.! He! came! up! on! one! knee! with! a! small! pistol! in! his!

hand.!

!

“Now!”!he!shouted.!!

!

He!aimed!over!my!shoulder!and!squeezed!off!three!shots!