Night Tide (20 page)

resembled!the!one!on!the!moving!walkway,!who!looked!eerily!

similar! to! another! in! line! at! the! coffee! shop! across! from! the!

next! gate! down! the! terminal.! A! herd! of! businessmen! in! dark!

slacks! and! dress! shirts! stood! around! the! waiting! area! in!

various! poses,! some! with! newspapers,! a! few! with! cups! of!

coffee,! several! peering! intently! at! PDAs.! Others! appeared! to!

talk!to!themselves!or!imaginary!friends.!A!turn!of!their!heads!

revealed! the! earpieces! that! connected! them! electronically! to!

the!rest!of!the!world.!They!sported!the!bright!bits!of!metal!and!

plastic! like! diamond! stud! earrings,! a! fashion! statement! that!

came! and! went! in! the! ’80s,! reserved! now! to! hip6hop! and!

Hollywood!stars!on!awards!nights.!

!

Memory! seemed! such! a! fickle! construct.! It! should! have!

been!easy!to!blend!in,!to!disappear.!
Is*that*man*at*the*counter*

the*same*one*who*stood*two*sinks*over*as*I*washed*my*face*in*

the* restroom* earlier?
! Change! the! way! you! dressed,! dye! your!

hair,!grow!a!beard,!adopt!a!limp!and!friends!might!pass!by!on!a!

busy! street! without! a! glimmer! of! recognition.!
Had* Wink* done*

that?* Or* Clayt* and* Connie?
! Maybe! people! really! couldn’t! be!

found!if!they!didn’t!want!to!be.!Or,!more!likely,!maybe!it!was!a!

matter!of!finding!a!place!where!people!didn’t!pay!attention.!!

*!*!*!*!*!

!

Sleep! was! another! capricious! concept.! Tired! as! I! was,!

airplane! seats! weren’t! constructed! for! comfortable! catnaps.!

Even!if!my!knees!hadn’t!dug!into!the!seatback!pouch!in!front!of!

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me! as! if! searching! for! a! safety! card! or! barf! bag,! and! even! if!

beverage! carts! passing! by! in! the! aisle! hadn’t! threatened! to!

break!my!elbow,!my!brain!wouldn’t!shut!off.!I!tried!not!to!think!

about!Keely,!about!what!our!frantic!and!needy!coupling!meant,!

or! why,! if! it! had! been! a! mistake,! we’d! repeated! the!

performance.!I!tried!not!to!think!about!the!taste!of!her!skin,!the!

scent!of!her!hair…!Instead,!I!focused!on!who!wanted!me!dead!

and!why.!Running!down!the!list!of!possibilities!took!all!of!thirty!

seconds.! I! had! no! clue.! I! closed! my! eyes! and! let! my! brain! do!

what!it!did!best—wander.!

!

The! connecting! flight! out! of! Salt! Lake! got! into! St.! Louis! a!

little!after!one6thirty!local!time.!By!two!in!the!afternoon,!I!sat!

wedged! in! a! small! rental! car! headed! south! from! the! airport,!

already! sweating! in! the! new! clothes.! Recent! thunderstorms!

had!done!little!to!wash!any!humidity!from!the!air.!The!wet!road!

now!steamed!under!a!hot!sun.!I!turned!the!air!conditioning!on!

high! and! aimed! all! the! vents! in! my! direction.! Fifteen! minutes!

later! I! turned! the! fan! down! a! few! notches! and! caught! an!

interstate!east!toward!a!place!I!once!called!home.!

!

Centralia,! Illinois,! hadn’t! changed! much.! More! fast! food!

restaurants!and!newer!strip!malls!on!the!outskirts!of!town,!but!

time! had! stood! still! downtown.! Century6old! brick! buildings!

dominated!the!main!streets,!the!old!carillon!tower!in!the!park!

rising!high!above!the!treetops.!Substitute!old!jalopies!or!horse6

drawn!buggies!for!the!late6model!cars!and!recreating!a!bygone!

era!would!have!been!easy.!Pressed!for!time,!I!drove!straight!to!

the! library,! navigating! from! memory,! making! only! one! wrong!

turn.!!

!

The! Langford! house! turned! up! in! an! online! search! of!

property!tax!records!under!the!name!of!a!trust.!Wink’s!parents,!

Harry!and!Mavis,!had!set!it!up!so!the!place!would!still!be!there!

for! Wink! when! he! got! out! of! prison.! The! named! trustee! was!

James! Holden,! of! the! firm! Holden,! Skaar! and! Apley,! LLP.! A!

phone!book!look6up!placed!the!law!firm’s!offices!on!Broadway!

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only!a!few!blocks!away.!I!left!the!rental!in!the!library!lot!and!

walked.!!

!

A!breeze!brought!some!relief!from!the!warm!day,!snapping!

the! flags! flying! out! front! and! rustling! leaves,! some! still! tinted!

with!the!light!green!blush!of!spring.!The!air!had!the!weight!of!a!

Midwestern! summer! day,! a! humid! blanket! that! induced!

lethargy!as!effectively!as!a!dose!of!lithium.!As!kids!on!such!days!

we!rode!our!bikes!to!one!of!the!diners!or!drive6ins!for!sodas,!to!

the!pool!to!cool!off!or!over!to!Raccoon!Lake!to!fish!and!dangle!

our! bare! feet! in! the! water.! As! teens! we! found! relief! from! the!

heat! in! the! air! conditioning! and! dim! interiors! of! the! movie!

theater!or!the!bowling!alley!up!the!road!in!Sandoval.!!

!

Sometimes! Wink! would! hitch! his! dad’s! seventeen6foot!

runabout! with! the! Evinrude! 90! outboard! motor! to! an! old!

Willys! Jeep! and! take! it! over! to! Lake! Centralia! where! we’d!

water6ski.!Never!content!to!impress!the!girls!with!just!decent!

skiing,! Wink! had! converted! an! old! army6navy! surplus!

parachute!into!a!sort!of!paragliding!wing!he!used!to!do!aerial!

stunts!behind!the!boat!on!a!short!slalom!ski.!Years!ahead!of!the!

kiteboarders! on! the! Hood! and! Columbia! Rivers! or! kitesurfers!

in!California!and!Hawaii.!!

!

My!prowess!on!a!slalom!ski!didn’t!match!Wink’s.!I!wasn’t!

as!keen!on!trying!his!jury6rigged!contraption.!But!I!could!carve!

turns!that!threw!up!a!fifteen6foot!wall!of!water!and!laid!me!out!

with!my!shoulder!only!inches!above!the!glassy!surface,!so!close!

I!could!take!one!hand!off!the!towrope!and!let!my!fingers!trail!in!

the! water.! Or! catch! enough! air! jumping! the! wake! to! make! it!

over! the! wash! before! touching! down! in! the! curl! outside! the!

other! wake.! Showboating! had! landed! me! in! trouble! on! more!

occasions!than!I!cared!to!remember.!Never!Wink.!Always!me.!

!

Once,!with!me!in!tow,!he!buzzed!a!group!of!guys!in!another!

boat—Chuck! and! Ray! from! the! football! team,! who! we! didn’t!

care!for!all!that!much,!and!two!of!their!coterie!I!recognized!but!

didn’t!know.!They!laughed!and!shouted!at!Wink!as!he!passed,!

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their! words! lost! in! the! wind! rush! and! roar! of! the! outboard.!

Wink! yelled! something! back! and! Chuck! flipped! him! the! bird.!

Seeing! a! chance! to! promulgate! the! supremacy! of! roundball!

players! over! pigskin! lovers,! I! quickly! skied! across! the! wake,!

and!cut!back!just!before!I!reached!them,!carving!a!rooster!tail!

that! drenched! their! boat.! Glancing! back! over! my! shoulder! to!

see!their!reaction,!I!caught!an!edge!and!went!ass!over!teakettle.!

I!came!up!seconds!later!sputtering!and!wiping!water!out!of!my!

eyes.!!

!

Chuck! fired! up! the! boat,! a! cloud! of! blue! smoke! billowing!

from! the! stern,! and! rammed! it! into! gear.! His! cronies!

pinwheeled!backward!and!nearly!went!overboard!as!the!boat!

quickly!planed!and!hurtled!toward!me.!It!grew!steadily!larger!

until! Chuck! and! the! guys! were! no! longer! visible! over! the!

looming!hull.!Frantically,!I!fumbled!with!the!clips!on!my!jacket,!

slipped!out!of!it!and!went!under!feet!first,!using!a!powerful!arm!

stroke! to! push! me! toward! the! bottom! of! the! lake.! With! a!

churning! buzz,! the! water! above! me! boiled! white! as! the! boat!

zoomed! over! my! head.! I! kicked! to! the! surface! gasping! for!

breath,!head!wildly!spinning!to!see!where!the!boat!had!gone.!!

!

Chuck!wheeled!it!around!in!a!big!circle,!his!crew!lined!up!

along! the! gunwale,! eyes! hungrily! focused! on! me.! Wink! came!

around!at!a!right!angle,!and!now!both!boats!rocketed!toward!

me,! playing! a! game! of! chicken.! With! me! as! the! chicken.! They!

bore!down,!neither!willing!to!give!way,!closer,!faster.!I!floated,!

frozen!with!fascination!as!much!as!fear!as!they!rapidly!closed!

the!distance.!
Fifty*yards,*now*forty,*thirty
…!Wink!laid!on!an!air!

horn,! the! long! blast! startling! Chuck! and! his! passengers.! The!

bow! of! Chuck’s! boat! wobbled! then! turned! hard! starboard! as!

Wink!flashed!by!between!us.!!

!

Wink! throttled! back,! the! runabout! immediately! slowing!

and!settling!in!the!water.!He!spun!the!wheel!and!gave!it!some!

gas,!the!little!boat!pirouetting!on!its!stern.!Chuck!came!around,!

too,!and!idled!toward!Wink.!

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!

“Are!you!out!of!your!freaking!mind?”!Chuck!shouted.!“You!

nearly!fucking!got!us!killed!”!

!

“You!nearly!killed!Legs,”!Wink!said.!!

!

“Not! even! close,”! Chuck! said,! shaking! his! head.! “Just!

wanted!to!scare!him.”!

!

“You!ran!right!over!him!”!Wink!said.!

!

“Must’ve! missed.”! Chuck! jerked! his! head! in! my! direction.!

“He’s!still!got!his!head!above!water.”!

!

“C’mon,!let’s!take!him!”!Ray!said.!“Kick!his!skinny!ass.”!

!

The! two! goons! standing! in! the! stern! crowded! forward,!

nodding! and! salivating! like! pit! bulls.! Wink! and! I! should! have!

had!a!spotter!in!the!boat!for!skiing.!An!ally!would!have!evened!

the! odds! a! little,! maybe! given! Chuck! and! the! boys! pause,!

though! I! wouldn’t! have! been! much! help! from! where! I! sat!

treading! water.! But! we! didn’t! have! a! third! man.! Wink! rarely!

followed!the!rules.!And!I!usually!followed!Wink.!

!

Wink! raised! a! flare! gun! and! leveled! it! at! Chuck’s! boat.!

“Don’t!even!think!about!it.”!!

!

“You!wouldn’t!dare,”!Ray!said.!

!

“Try!me,”!Wink!said.!

!

Chuck!elbowed!Ray!in!the!ribs.!“Shut!the!fuck!up,!asshole.!

He!could!blow!us!up!with!that.”!

!

“He’s! bullshitting! you,! man,”! Ray! said,! his! voice! now! a!

whine.!

!

“Langford’s!crazy!enough!to!do!it,!you!moron.”!

!

“He6e6re’s!Johnny,”!Wink!said,!face!splitting!into!a!grin.!

!

He!squeezed!the!trigger.!With!a!loud!pop,!a!streak!of!light!

flew! over! the! other! boat,! causing! all! four! to! duck! and! cover.!

The! flare! streamed! out! over! the! lake! leaving! a! trail! of! blue6

white!smoke!and!landed!in!the!water!with!a!hiss.!Wink!quickly!

snapped!open!the!breech,!loaded!another!shell!and!raised!the!

gun! again.! With! his! free! hand,! he! spun! the! wheel! and!

maneuvered!closer!to!me,!holding!the!gun!steady.!

!

“Get!in,”!he!said.!

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!

I! didn’t! need! to! be! told! twice.! Once! in! the! boat! I! leaned!

over!the!gunwale!and!fished!the!orange!jacket!out!of!the!lake!

as!it!bobbed!by.!

!

“I’d! leave! it! alone,! boys,! if! I! were! you,”! Wink! said.! “Wet’s!

better!than!dead!any!day.”!

!

He! goosed! the! throttle,! spun! the! wheel! and! got! us! out! of!

there.!I!reeled!in!the!towrope!and!joined!him!at!the!wheel.!

!

“Thanks,”!I!said!loudly!over!the!engine!noise.!!

!

He!shrugged.!

!

“What!about!the!ski?”!

!

His!grin!widened.!“We’ll!come!back!later!and!look!for!it.!If!

they!take!it,!no!big!deal—I’ll!get!another.”!

!

Skiing! done! for! the! day,! we! motored! back! to! the! boat!

launch.!

Night&Tide
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138&

!

!
Chapter(22(

!! I!stood!on!the!sidewalk!in!downtown!Centralia,!the!weight!

of!the!afternoon!sun!shortening!me!by!an!inch!or!two.!As!the!

reverie!faded,!a!big!plate!glass!window!loomed!in!front!of!me!

painted! with! the! word! “Antiques”! in! large! gilt6edged! green!

letters.! Next! door! a! clothing! boutique! sported! headless!

mannequins!in!the!front!window!dressed!in!fashions!designed!

to!appeal!to!matronly!Midwestern!women.!A!glass!door!stood!

between!the!two!storefronts,!a!row!of!buzzers!on!the!wall!next!

to! it.! The! street! number! stenciled! on! the! glass! matched! the!

address! I’d! written! down.! A! nameplate! next! to! one! of! the!

buzzers! confirmed! it! was! correct.! I! pushed! the! button.! A!

moment!later!the!door!buzzed.!

!

Stairs!led!to!a!second6floor!hallway.!I!guessed!and!turned!

left.! Halfway! down! the! hall! a! solid! wooden! door! with! brass!

numbers!beckoned.!I!turned!the!knob!and!pushed!through!it!to!

find!myself!in!a!small!vestibule!dominated!by!a!reception!desk!

and! two! chairs! flanking! a! small! side! table! papered! with!

magazines—
Field* &* Stream
,!
Sports* Illustrated
,!
Illinois* Game* &*

Fish
,!
Newsweek
.!!

!

A! woman! with! a! pinched! face! and! jet6black! hair! in! a!

shoulder6length! flip! eyed! me! over! the! top! of! half6frame!

cheaters! from! behind! the! desk.! A! colorful! rope! of! beads!

dangled! from! the! earpieces! and! looped! around! her! neck.!