Night Tide (13 page)

founded! E.L.F.! Said! he! didn’t! know! what! the! hell! they! were!

talking! about.! He! got! religion! or! some! such.! Said! he’d!

renounced!violence.!Had!an!alibi.!Kept!his!nose!clean!after!he!

got!out!of!prison.”!

!

He! waggled! a! finger.! “Oh,! yeah,! that! was! another! thing.!

Back!in!the!’Seventies,!before!he!got!caught,!the!head!elf!was!all!

about! pesticides! in! food.! Not! acid! rain! or! coal.! Why! pick! a!

target!in!the!Midwest!so!far!from!home!when!he!had!so!many!

to!environmental!beefs!to!choose!from!here!on!the!West!Coast?!

And!why!would!the!guy!wait!ten!years?!So,!that!was!that.!Cops!

figured!some!nut!job!just!wanted!attention.!Especially!since!the!

FBI,!ATF!and!local!cops!back!in!Illinois!had!this!kid!at!the!scene.!

Along!with!a!ton!of!evidence.”!

!

“And!that!was!the!end!of!it?”!

!

His! eyes! narrowed.! “What’s! this! all! about?! Why! the!

interest?”!

!

“I!knew!the!guy!they!put!in!jail!for!it.”!

!

“What,! and! now! you! want! to! prove! he’s! innocent?”! He!

snorted.!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

84&

!

“Not! me.! He’s! out.! Looking! for! the! people! behind! it,! I!

heard.”!

!

His!ears!perked.!“Who!from?”!

!

“Reliable!sources.”!!

!

That! made! him! smile.! He! sat! back.! “What’s! your! part! in!

this?”!

!

“I!don’t!know!yet.!Self6preservation,!maybe.”!

!

He!waited,!attentive!now,!but!I!didn’t!elaborate.!He!looked!

up! as! the! waitress! came! over! with! our! food! balanced! on! one!

forearm!and!a!beer!for!Frank!in!her!other!hand.!Frank!dug!into!

his!patty!melt!with!gusto,!mouth!full!after!two!bites,!a!snail!of!

melted!cheese!sliding!toward!his!chin,!leaving!a!trail!of!grease.!

Small! and! thin! as! an! ascetic! monk,! there! didn’t! appear! to! be!

room!anywhere!in!his!body!for!all!the!food!on!his!plate.!

!

He! worked! some! food! into! his! cheek! and! swallowed,!

making!space!in!his!mouth!for!words.!“How!well!did!you!know!

this!guy?”!!

!

“We!grew!up!together.”!

!

“Close,!then.!You!been!in!touch?”!

!

“No.”!

!

“There!a!story!here?”!

!

“There’s!always!a!story.”!

!

He!nodded.!“You!know!where!he!is?”!

!

I!shook!my!head.!

!

“But!you’re!looking!for!him?”!

!

“Unless!he!finds!me!first.”!

!

His!eyebrows!went!up!and!he!stopped!chewing.!“So!what!

do!you!want!from!me?”!

!

“Root! around.! See! what! else! you! remember! from! back!

then.! Anything! that! might! tell! me! what! or! who! he’s! looking!

for.”!

!

A!glint!reflected!off!his!glasses!like!the!one!in!his!eye.!“Like!

somebody! responsible! for! a! bomb! twenty! years! ago?! Sure,!

that’d!play!with!readers.!I’ll!dig!up!the!file,!see!what!I!can!find.”!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

85&

!

!
Chapter(15(

!! A! full6size! dark! gray! government6issue! sedan! pulled!

alongside! as! I! walked! back! to! the! lot! where! I! left! my! car.! Mr.!

Clean—
Taylor,* rhymes* with* sailor
—jumped! out! while! the!

sedan! rolled! slowly,! keeping! pace.! He! wore! a! friendly! smile.!

Behind! the! wheel,! Drucker’s! face! carried! no! such! affability.!

Taylor! stepped! in! front! of! me,! impeding! my! progress.! The!

sedan!stopped!with!a!little!jerk.!!

!

Taylor!motioned!to!the!car.!“Get!in.”!

!

I! glanced! at! my! watch! and! sighed,! prospects! of! the! short!

nap!I’d!envisioned!before!work!quickly!dimming.!

!

“Why?”!

!

Drucker! leaned! across! the! seat! and! growled! through! the!

open!door.!“Just!get!in!the!car.”!

!

I!hesitated.!Taylor!took!a!step!and!clapped!a!friendly!hand!

on!my!shoulder,!steely!fingers!giving!it!a!quick!squeeze.!I!shook!

him! off.! He! tipped! his! head! and! gave! me! a! wink! his! partner!

couldn’t!see.!!

!

“Please,”!he!said.!!

!

Ignoring! the! flare! of! heat! coursing! through! my! limbs,! I!

stepped! off! the! curb,! opened! the! back! door,! folded! myself! in!

half! and! squeezed! in.! Taylor! shut! the! door! behind! me! and!

climbed! in! front.! Drucker! checked! his! mirror! and! stepped! on!

the! gas.! The! car! spurted! ahead! with! a! chirp! of! tires! on!

pavement,!rocking!me!back!against!the!seat.!

!

“What!do!you!guys!want?”!I!said.!!

!

Drucker’s! eyes! met! mine! in! the! rearview! mirror,! but!

neither!one!answered.!

!

I!looked!out!the!window.!“This!is!a!waste!of!time.!I!already!

told!you!what!I!know.”!!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

86&

!

A! waste! of! breath,! too,! apparently.! Five! minutes! later,!

Drucker! pulled! into! the! parking! garage! beneath! the! federal!

building!downtown,!wound!down!several!subterranean!levels!

and!parked.!They!escorted!me!to!the!elevators!and!whisked!me!

to! a! small! conference! room! on! an! upper! floor.! Taylor! offered!

me! coffee.! Drucker! offered! nothing! but! sour! expressions! that!

gave!the!impression!he!suffered!from!constipation.!

!

I! sprawled! in! a! chair.! Drucker! paced! on! the! other! side! of!

the! small! table.! Taylor! leaned! against! a! far! wall,! arms! folded,!

ankles!crossed.!

!

“You’re! in! some! serious! trouble,! Mr.! Sanders,”! Drucker!

said.!

!

“Why?!What!have!I!done?”!

!

“Interfered!with!a!federal!investigation,!for!starters.”!

!

“That!is!such!bullshit.!How?!You!guys!came!and!pounded!

on! my! door,! woke! me! up,! asked! some! questions.! I! gave! you!

answers,!and!you!left.”!!

!

Careful.
! I! took! a! deep! cleansing! breath—
dirgha*

pranayama
.!!

!

“You! need! to! tell! us! a! little! more! about! your! relationship!

with! Perry! Langford,”! he! said,! jaw! jutting! beneath! a!

downturned!mouth.!

!

“We!went!through!this.!What’s!to!tell?”!

!

“Oh,! maybe! the! fact! that! on! at! least! one! occasion! back! in!

high! school,! you! helped! Langford! rig! locker! doors! with!

nitrogen!tri6iodine,!blowing!several!half!off!their!hinges.!Or!the!

fact! that! you! helped! him! build! or! set! off! explosive! devices! on!

dozens! of! other! occasions.! Homemade! cannons,! fireworks,!

guns,!contact!explosives—a!regular!arms!depot!for!a!couple!of!

juvenile!terrorists.”!

!

“We!were!kids.!Sure,!we!set!off!some!firecrackers,!shot!up!

some!tin!cans!with!BB!guns.!Terrorists?!Give!me!a!break.!The!

Bush!years!made!all!you!guys!paranoid.”!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

87&

!

!Drucker!put!his!hands!on!the!table!and!leaned!toward!me.!

“When! I! was! a! kid,! Mr.! Sanders,! ‘kids’! blew! up! buildings! on!

college! campuses! across! the! country.! ‘Kids’!
killed
! people!

blowing! up! shit.! Now,! half! a! dozen! or! more! kids! around! the!

world!blow!themselves!up!every!day,!taking!dozens!of!people!

with!them.!It’s!our!
job
!to!take!terrorism!seriously.”!

!

I! shook! my! head.! “Practical! jokes,! sure.! We! pulled! our!

share.!We!never!hurt!anyone.”!

!

Drucker! straightened.! “Where! were! you! the! night!

Langford!blew!up!the!SIUC!lab?”!

!

I! blinked,! and! clamped! my! jaw! shut! to! keep! from!

answering,! fishing! through! a! school! of! thoughts! like! a! greedy!

shark,! watching! them! all! dart! just! out! of! reach! before! I! could!

sink!my!teeth!into!one.!

!

“It’s!an!easy!question,!Mr.!Sanders.!We!know!you!weren’t!

here!at!U.W.!at!the!time.”!

!

I!snapped!at!a!passing!tuna.!“I!never!said!I!was.”!!

!

He!looked!as!if!he!was!about!to!contradict!me,!and!thought!

better!of!it.!

!

I! rubbed! my! jaw.! “Been! a! long! time.! If! I! remember!

correctly,!I!was!at!home.!Asleep.”!

!

“In!Centralia.!Witnesses!who!can!vouch!for!you,!of!course.”!

!

I! shrugged.! “My! mom,! I! suppose.”! Back! then! she’d! had!

ways!of!knowing!if!I’d!sneaked!out!of!the!house.!She!wouldn’t!

be!of!any!help!to!Drucker!now,!though.!Alzheimer’s!had!robbed!

her!of!most!of!her!memories.!

!

“What! is! that,”! he! said,! “an! hour! or! so! from! Southern!

Illinois?”!

!

“I!suppose.!About!eighty!miles,!I!think.”!

!

“You!think?”!

!

“I!didn’t!have!much!reason!to!go!to!Carbondale.”!

!

“You! never! visited! Langford! down! there?! Your! childhood!

buddy?”!!

!

“I!may!have.”!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

88&

!

He! clenched! his! jaw! and! tugged! at! the! corner! of! his!

mustache.! Taylor! stood! attentively! now,! less! relaxed,! muscles!

bunched!under!the!fabric!of!his!suit,!smile!gone.!

!

“What!do!you!really!want?”!I!said.!

!

“We!want!to!know!where!Langford!is,”!Drucker!said.!

!

“This!is!getting!really!boring.”!!

!

His!eyes!sparked.!A!muscle!along!his!jaw!twitched.!A!watch!

ticked!loudly,!and!a!pirr!softly!hissed!from!an!overhead!vent.!

!

“We! don’t! think! your! buddy! pulled! off! that! bombing!

alone,”!he!said!finally.!“He!had!a!partner,!or!partners.”!

!

My!thoughts!flashed!back!to!nighttime!images!of!four!men!

in!black.!

!

Taylor! threw! in! his! two! cents! from! the! side.! “Now! he!

wants!revenge.”!!

!

“Or!the!truth,!maybe,”!I!said,!heat!rising!into!my!face.!“He!

always!said!he!was!innocent.”!

!

“Based! on! what! we! know,! he’s! out! for! blood,”! Drucker!

went!on.!“If!it!wasn’t!you,!then!we!want!to!know!who,!before!

Langford!starts!killing!people.!For!all!we!know!that!still!may!be!

you.!Now!are!you!going!to!tell!us!where!he!is?!Or!do!you!want!

to!be!an!accomplice!to!murder?”!

!

I! gritted! my! teeth.! “How! do! I! make! it! any! plainer! than! ‘I!

don’t!know’?”!

!

He! considered! me.! “You! were! involved! in! a! shooting! two!

days!ago,”!he!said.!

!

The! sudden! change! of! subject! threw! me.! Sweat! dripped!

down!my!sides,!and!blood!thrummed!in!my!veins.!

!

“If!you!don’t!cooperate!with!us,!Mr.!Sanders,!we’ll!charge!

you! with! gun! violations,! take! you! down! to! FDC! and! lock! you!

up.”!

!

I! looked! from! one! to! the! other.! Taylor! glanced! at! his!

partner! and! nodded.! The! Federal! Detention! Center! in! SeaTac!

just! south! of! the! airport! might! be! moderately! more!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

89&

comfortable!than!King!County!lockup,!but!jail!was!jail.!I!didn’t!

relish!another!stay.!

!

“Are! you! nuts?”! I! said.! “I!
am
! cooperating.! I! already! got! a!

pass!on!the!shooting.!It!was!self6defense.”!

!

Drucker! hardened! his! stare.! “Unlawful! discharge! of! a!

weapon.! Using! a! concealed! pistol! without! a! license.! Hell,! we!

might! even! throw! in! assault.”! He! turned! to! Taylor.! “He!

assaulted!you!back!there!on!the!street,!right?!I!saw!it.”!!

!

I!folded!my!arms!tight,!holding!everything!in,!and!searched!

for!a!
drishti
.!“Are!you!charging!me,!or!am!I!free!to!go?”!

!

Drucker’s!dark!skin!turned!a!mottled!purple.!“I!can!get!the!

paperwork!started!if!you!want.”!

!

Taylor! patted! the! air.! “Let’s! not! rush! it.”! To! me! he! said,!

“You’re!not!under!arrest.”!

!

I!stood.!

!

“Sit!”!Drucker!said,!the!command!a!pistol!shot!in!the!small!

room.!

!

“I’d! like! to! call! an! attorney! now,”! I! said,! lowering! myself!

back!into!the!seat.!

!

Taylor! pushed! away! from! the! wall! and! put! his! hand! on!

Drucker’s! shoulder.! “That’s! it,! Fred.! We’re! done! for! the! time!

being.”!!

!

He!rounded!the!table,!lifted!a!black!extension!phone!from!

a!side!table!and!set!it!down!in!front!of!me.!Drucker!didn’t!take!

his!eyes!off!my!face!the!whole!time.!When!I!lifted!the!handset!

he!rose!and!turned!for!the!door.!!

!

Molly! wasn’t! happy! to! hear! about! my! circumstances,! but!

since!she!was!a!partner!at!one!of!the!city’s!biggest!law!firms,!I!

knew!she!could!hook!me!up!with!someone!who’d!get!me!out!of!

this! jam.! And! since! we! were! still! on! pretty! good! speaking!

terms,! even! after! our! divorce,! I! figured! she’d! at! least! be!

sympathetic.!

!

She!showed!up!in!person!fifteen!minutes!later,!two!spots!

high!on!her!freckled!cheeks!glowing!red!against!her!pale!skin,!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

90&