Night Tide (9 page)

“What’ve!you!got?”!White!said!as!Tedesco!stepped!into!the!

circled!space!they’d!cleared!for!him.!

!

“Tunnel! leads! south,! sir.”! Tedesco! brushed! dirt! from! his!

uniform.!“About!three!hundred!yards.!Comes!up!in!a!shed!big!

enough! for! a! large! vehicle.! Dirt! track! leads! south! into! the!

woods! from! there! then! turns! east.! I’m! guessing! it! probably!

dumps!out!on!Banner!Road.”!

!

The! men! glanced! at! each! other,! as! if! waiting! for! a! cue.!

White!looked!pointedly!at!Roberts.!

!

Roberts! didn’t! hesitate.! “Check! in! with! crime! scene,”! he!

told! Tedesco.! “See! if! they! can! spare! someone.! Burke,! maybe.!

Then!go!around!and!see!if!you!can!come!in!at!the!shed!from!the!

east,! and! tape! off! the! scene.! We! may! be! able! to! get! tire! track!

impressions! or! something! else! that! can! help! tell! us! what!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

56&

happened.! Could! be! the! Jones! couple! managed! to! get! out! this!

way.”!

!

“It’s! like! they! were! expecting! it,”! Lewandowski! muttered.!

“What!the!hell!were!these!people!into?”!

!

I!wondered!the!same!thing.!

!

!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

57&

!

!

Chapter&11&

!

!

After!another!hour!of!questioning,!they!let!me!go!without!

charging! me.! They! kept! Charlie’s! back6up! gun,! of! course,! and!

admonished!me!not!to!stray!too!far!from!home.!

!

My!paper!route!took!more!than!an!hour!longer!than!usual!

that!night.!I!couldn’t!get!the!shooting!out!of!my!head!and!ended!

up!missing!several!stops.!I!retraced!large!portions!of!the!route!

to! make! sure! the! right! people! got! the! right! papers,! the! scene!

playing! like! an! endless! film! loop! in! my! imagination.! Several!

times,! involuntary! tremors! left! me! quaking! so! badly! I! had! to!

wrench!the!wheel!and!pull!over!until!they!subsided,!leaving!me!

drained!and!short!of!breath.!!

!

Not! even! the! magnificent! sunrise! that! bloomed! on! the!

horizon! like! a! peach! blossom! opening! against! a! pale! blue! sky!

seemed!to!hold!much!promise.!I!knew!I!wouldn’t!even!be!able!

to!get!close!to!Charlie’s!room!for!all!the!cops,!so!I!drove!home!

and!fell!asleep!in!my!clothes.!

*!*!*!*!*!

!

Craig!Downing!was!just!leaving!when!I!went!to!see!Charlie!

later! that! morning.! He! stopped! me! in! the! hall! with! a! somber!

wave.!!

!

“Hey,!how’s!he!doing?”!I!said.!

!

Downing! shoved! his! hands! in! his! pockets.! “Good.! You!

know,!under!the!circumstances.!He!got!lucky,!man.!Docs!pulled!

a!bullet!out!of!his!scapula.!The!word!is!that!forensics!says!the!

shooter! made! a! mistake.! Round! was! a! mil6spec! M6one6nine6

three,!but!an!FMJ.”!!

!

I!held!up!a!hand.!“English,!Craig.”!

!

His!face!pinked.!“Sorry.!It!was!a!full!metal!jacket!bullet,!so!

it! stayed! intact.! Did! much! less! damage! than! if! it! had! been! a!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

58&

round! like! the! hollow! point! boat! tail! SWAT! uses.! That! bullet!

fragments!in!a!zillion!pieces.!Would!have!killed!him!for!sure.”!

!

“They! looked! like! pros! to! me.! How! could! they! screw! up!

that!bad?!Not!that!I!wish!they!hadn’t.”!

!

He!shrugged.!“Guys!use!FMJs!for!target!practice.!Maybe!the!

shooter!just!mixed!up!his!magazines.!Grabbed!the!wrong!one.!

Like!I!said,!lucky.”!

!

I!nodded.!

!

He!shifted!awkwardly!in!the!silence.!“Thanks,!by!the!way.!

You!know,!for!being!there.!Most!folks!would!have!ducked!and!

covered.!I!heard!you!took!one!of!them!down.”!

!

“Sure.”!!

!

“Well,!I’ll!see!you!around,!then.”!

!

“Yeah,!see!you.”!

!

I! watched! him! walk! down! to! the! elevators,! then! entered!

Charlie’s!room,!knocking!on!the!door!as!I!went.!Charlie’s!chalky!

face! barely! stood! out! against! the! white! hospital! pillow,! his!

expression!vacant,!eyes!dull!and!slow!to!pick!up!on!movement.!

A! corner! of! his! mouth! turned! up! in! recognition,! not! a! smile!

exactly,!but!an!indication!he!was!lucid.!!

!

“You!look!like!shit,”!I!said.!

!

He!licked!his!lips.!“Feel!like!it,”!he!said!in!a!scratchy!voice.!

“Told!you!I’d!live.”!

!

“If!you!call!this!living.”!I!looked!around.!“I!can’t!tell!if!this!

looks!more!like!a!florist!shop!or!a!mortuary.”!

!

He!managed!a!full6fledged!grin!this!time.!It!didn’t!last.!“You!

did!good.”!

!

I! hesitated.! He! stared! at! me,! brows! knitting! in!

concentration.!His!eyes!went!out!of!focus!and!despite!his!effort!

to!hold!it!steady!his!head!bobbed!from!the!drugs!dripping!into!

his! IV! tube.! When! I! finally! nodded! his! eyes! shuttered! and! he!

relaxed,!head!lolling!back!on!the!pillow.!

!

“What! happened! out! there,! Charlie?”! I! wasn’t! sure! he!

heard!me.!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

59&

!

He!struggled!to!raise!his!eyelids.!“Been!trying!to!figure!it!

out.”!He!winced,!and!pressed!a!hand!against!his!side.!“Hurts!to!

breathe.”!

!

I!squeezed!his!forearm.!“Don’t!talk.”!

!

Gratitude! washed! though! his! eyes.! We’d! have! to! play!

Twenty!Questions.!!

!

“Any!idea!who!those!men!were?”!

!

He!shook!his!head.!

!

“You!never!saw!them!before?”!

!

His!mouth!was!a!grim!line,!lips!white!at!the!corners.!

!

“Did!they!tell!you!about!the!tunnel?”!!

!

He!nodded.!

!

“Did!you!know!about!it?”!!

!

A!headshake.!!

!

I!sighed.!“I!don’t!imagine!there’s!any!possibility!Clayt!and!

Connie! decided! to! augment! their! retirement! account?! Open! a!

meth!lab?!Grow!sinsemilla!out!in!the!woods?”!

!

The!headshake!was!vehement!this!time.!

!

“Fine.!I’ll!take!your!word!for!it.”!I!stared!at!him.!He!blinked!

first.! “They! expected! trouble,! Charlie.! People! who! expect!

trouble!are!usually!the!ones!stirring!the!pot.”!!

!

That!elicited!a!grunt—acknowledgement,!I!guessed.!

!

“You!knew!about!the!security!system?”!

!

“Helped!them!put!it!in.”!

!

“Seems!like!overkill!to!me.”!

!

“They’re! city! people.! Out! in! the! country.! They! worried! a!

lot.”!

!

“Or! they! expected! it,! like! I! said.”! I! paused.! “You! have! no!

clue?”!

!

“No,”!he!said.!“Couple!of!middle6aged!hippies.!Harmless.”!

!

“And!no!idea!where!they!might!have!gone?!Who!was!after!

them?!Nothing?”!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

60&

!

“They’re! my! parents.”! He! winced! and! raised! a! hand! in!

helplessness,! the! effort! draining! him.! He! didn’t! have! to! say!

more.!

!

“Where’s! Babs?”! My! head! swiveled! reflexively! as! if! she!

might!have!snuck!in!without!me!noticing.!

!

Charlie!grimaced!at!the!mention!of!her!name.!He!squeezed!

his!eyes!shut,!a!tear!leaking!from!one!corner.!His!face!reflected!

pain!greater!than!any!he’d!shown!so!far.!!

!

“She’s!not!here?!This!is!serious.”!!

!

He!opened!his!eyes!and!peered!at!me.!“You!think?”!

!

I!rubbed!my!shoulder!as!if!kneading!out!the!sting.!“Sorry.!

Man,!that’s!cold.”!

!

“She’s!scared.!I!don’t!blame!her.”!

!

His! head! turned! at! the! sound! of! the! door! opening.! A!

willowy! brunette! walked! through,! pushed! by! a! sense! of!

purpose,!her!ponytail!a!standard!streaming!behind!her.!!

!

“Damn!doctors!are!worse!than!auto!mechanics,”!she!said.!

!

“Sarah.”!I!stared,!but!remembered!to!close!my!mouth.!

!

!The! scowl! on! her! face! softened! when! her! gaze! swung!

toward! my! voice.! Age! had! carved! more! angularity! into! her!

features,! harder! planes! and! angles.! The! maturity! added!

subtlety! to! her! attractiveness,! the! difference! between! a! head6

stopping! Ferrari! and! a! more! carefully! appraised! Continental!

GT.!!

!

“Blake,”!she!said!softly.!“It’s!been!so!long.”!!

!

She! moved! in! to! embrace! me! and! rose! on! tiptoes! to! kiss!

my! cheek.! The! heather! cashmere! turtleneck! under! my!

fingertips!felt!soft,!the!body!beneath!it!firm,!athletic.!

!

“Hey!!Hey!”!Charlie!piped!up!from!the!bed.!

!

Sarah!pulled!away!with!a!smile.!

!

“What!are!you!doing!here?”!I!said.!

!

“Where!else!would!I!be?”!She!looked!up!at!me!expectantly.!

“Tim!and!the!kids!can!do!without!me!for!a!day!or!two.”!

!

“You’re!staying!at!Charlie’s?”!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

61&

!

Her!smile!broadened.!“Don’t!even!think!of!offering,!Blake.!I!

know! your! place! is! a! lot! closer! than! the! house! in! Renton.!

College!was!a!long!time!ago;!crashing!at!your!bachelor!pad!just!

doesn’t!sound!as!much!fun!anymore.!Besides,!I’ll!be!here!at!the!

hospital!most!of!the!time.!Until!his!doctors!say!he’s!out!of!the!

woods,!I’m!okay!in!that!chair.”!

!

She!nodded!toward!an!easy!chair!in!the!corner!that!pulled!

out!into!a!flat!futon.!It!might!have!accommodated!about!two6

thirds!of!my!frame.!

!

“Bachelor!pad?”!I!said!weakly.!“Monk’s!cell,!you!mean.!And!

how!do!you!know!it!wouldn’t!be!fun?!My!landlords!upstairs!are!

a!hoot.!You’d!love!them.”!

!

“I’m!sure!I!would.”!She!smiled.!“Some!other!time,!maybe.”!

!

“Good!girl,”!Charlie!said!thickly.!He!tried!to!wet!his!lips.!!

!

Sarah! quickly! stepped! to! the! side! of! his! bed! and! handed!

him! the! cup! of! ice! water! sitting! just! out! of! his! reach.! She!

smoothed! the! hair! back! from! his! forehead! while! he! sipped!

through!a!straw.!

!

“Always! my! protector,! right,! big! brother?”! The! words!

sounded!strained,!despite!the!upturned!mouth.!

!

Charlie!rolled!his!eyes!up!to!look!at!her!face!above!his!and!

smiled!wanly,!unspoken!history!passing!between!them.!I!knew!

some!of!it—ancient.!Didn’t!want!to!know!more.!

!

She! turned! and! sat! on! the! edge! of! his! bed.! “How’ve! you!

been?”!!

!

I!hesitated,!not!sure!how!to!answer.!“Not!bad.”!

!

Her!neck!and!cheeks!turned!crimson.!She!let!out!a!nervous!

laugh!and!waved,!as!if!to!dissipate!an!offensive!odor.!!

!

“Sorry.!Dumb!question.”!

!

“No,! it’s! fine.”! I! leaned! against! the! windowsill,! braced!

myself! with! my! arms.! “Other! than! getting! shot! at?! I’ve! been!

good,!actually.!You?”!

!

An!infectious!laugh!erupted!from!her!throat!at!my!earnest!

attempt!to!sound!normal.!Tenseness!in!her!shoulders!melted,!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

62&

the! twenty6year6old! college! girl! appearing! under! the! well6

turned! suburban! soccer6mom! façade.! The! chitchat! flowed!

freely! after! that,! light6hearted! banter! catching! us! up! on! each!

other’s!lives.!Superficial!enough!to!avoid!touching!off!potential!

landmines.!Cheery!enough!to!keep!Charlie!grinning.!

!

When! the! grin! disappeared! and! his! head! lolled! on! the!

pillow,!I!made!excuses!and!told!him!to!get!some!rest.!

!

“I’ll! walk! you! out,”! Sarah! said.! “I! need! some! coffee.! Need!

anything,!Charlie?”!

!

Charlie! shook! his! head! slowly.! “Just! need! to! get! out! of!

here.”!

!

I! patted! his! good! shoulder.! “Do! what! they! tell! you.! You’ll!

get!better!faster.”!

!

He!clapped!a!hand!on!top!of!mine!and!struggled!to!lift!his!

gaze.!He!opened!his!mouth,!but!nothing!came!out.!Questioning!

eyes!searched!my!face.!

!

“It’s!okay,”!I!told!him.!“It’ll!all!be!okay.”!

!

He!nodded!gratefully!and!closed!his!eyes.!

!

In!the!hallway!outside,!Sarah!took!my!arm!as!we!walked!to!

the!elevator.!“Buy!you!a!cup!of!coffee?”!There!was!nothing!coy!

in!her!expression.!!

!

“Sounds! like! a! fine! idea.”! I! needed! to! ask! her! the! same!

questions,!but!not!in!front!of!Charlie.!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

63&

!

!
Chapter(12(

!! We!sat!on!hard!plastic!seats!of!uncomfortable!steel6framed!

chairs!in!a!deserted!corner!of!the!hospital!cafeteria.!I!offered!to!

splurge!on!better!coffee!somewhere!else,!but!Sarah!didn’t!want!

to!stray!too!far!in!case!Charlie!needed!her.!So!we!settled!for!the!

remains!of!an!air!pot!that!tasted!as!if!they’d!been!brewed!hours!

before! and! took! our! paper! cups! to! a! small! table! covered! in!

plastic!laminate!made!to!look!like!maple!veneer.!

!

Sarah!toyed!with!the!stir!stick!in!her!cup!before!raising!her!