Night Tide (24 page)

Brown.!As!if!looking!for!someone.!I!knew!that!face.!I!wracked!

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my! brain! trying! to! remember! where! I’d! seen! it.! Wondering!

why! a! forty! year6old! photo! of! a! black! kid! in! New! York! would!

seem!remotely!familiar.!The!connection,!when!I!finally!made!it,!

elicited!a!laugh!that!drew!a!glare!from!the!librarian!and!stares!

from!the!few!patrons!in!the!area.!Mentally!adding!a!mustache,!

a!few!wrinkles,!and!some!gray!hair!turned!the!image!of!the!kid!

into!a!dead!ringer!for!FBI!Special!Agent!Fred!Drucker.!

!

I! gave! up! thumbing! through! tales! of! the! excesses! of!

youthful!Boomers!and!traded!the!printed!page!for!microfiche.!

With!the!librarian’s!help,!I!found!boxes!of!film!from!the!end!of!

August,! beginning! of! September,! the! year! the! bomb! was! set.!

The! bombing! remained! front! page! news! for! a! week! after! it!

happened,! relegating! the! story! of! the! house! fire! that! killed!

Kwan! Ji! to! an! inside! page.! Sketchy! details! enumerated! basic!

facts.!A!neighbor!reported!the!fire!shortly!before!dawn.!By!the!

time!the!first!engine!company!responded,!the!house!was!fully!

engulfed.! Two! more! trucks! arrived,! but! all! they! could! do! was!

keep! the! fire! from! spreading.! Two! firemen! were! treated! for!

minor!smoke!inhalation.!The!house!was!a!total!loss,!and!when!

the! last! hotspot! cooled,! two! bodies! were! discovered! in! the!

ruins—Kwan!Ji!and!his!wife!Eun!Joo.!!

!

I! scrolled! through! another! few! weeks! of! issues! before!

finding!a!follow6up!article.!Fire!investigators!from!the!city!and!

the!state!fire!marshal’s!office!had!determined!a!short!circuit!in!

the! garage! had! caused! the! blaze,! which! had! been! accelerated!

by!a!can!of!gas!and!painting!supplies!nearby.!They’d!chalked!it!

up!to!carelessness!and!called!it!an!accident.!I!found!it!odd!that!

an!engineering!professor,!absent6minded!or!not,!would!leave!a!

container! of! gasoline! next! to! an! electrical! outlet,! let! alone!

overload!the!outlet.!!

!

I!glanced!at!my!watch,!discovering!I’d!spent!the!better!part!

of!three!hours!in!the!library.!I!gathered!the!scraps!of!notepaper!

and!shoved!them!into!a!pocket,!then!hurried!across!campus.!I!

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caught! Waldron! just! as! he! left! the! engineering! building.! He!

acknowledged!me!with!a!nod,!but!didn’t!stop.!I!fell!in!step.!

!

“You’re!back,”!he!said.!

!

“I!thought!of!a!couple!more!questions!for!you.”!

!

He!grunted.!

!

“What!happened!to!Kwan’s!research!project?”!

!

“Nothing.!It!died.”!

!

“Why! didn’t! someone! take! it! over?! Surely! he! left! notes,!

protocols!for!experiments!…”!

!

Waldron!shook!his!head,!gaze!on!the!sidewalk!in!front!of!

him.!“Nope.!Kept!most!of!it!up!here.”!He!tapped!his!temple!with!

a! forefinger.! “The! rest! he! carried! around! in! a! notebook.! We!

never!found!it.!It!must!have!been!destroyed!in!the!blast.”!

!

Or*the*fire.*

!

“No! one! else! knew! enough! about! what! he! was! working!

on?”!

!

“On!a!general!basis,!yes.!But!without!his!notes?!Results!of!

experiments?! No! way.! The! only! person! who! might! have! been!

able!to!recreate!what!he’d!done!was!his!research!assistant,!the!

grad! student! who! was! killed! in! the! explosion.”! He! stopped!

abruptly!and!faced!me.!“Anything!else?”!

!

“Yeah,!you!said!something!about!a!shaped!charge.!Do!you!

remember!what!kind!of!explosive!was!used?”!

!

“C6Four.”!

!

“Military!stuff.”!

!

“Looked!like.”!

!

I! started! to! think! about! that,! but! filed! it! away! for! later.!

“Thanks.!Appreciate!your!help.”!

!

“Good!luck.”!He!turned!and!strode!away.!

!

The! sun! hammered! down! relentlessly! on! my! head! and!

shoulders,! slowly! beating! me! into! submission,! tenderizing!

exposed!flesh,!turning!it!pink.!The!cloying!humidity!plastered!

clothing! to! my! body! and! left! a! damp! sheen! on! my! skin.! I’d!

forgotten! how! oppressive! summers! could! be! in! southern!

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Illinois,! had! grown! accustomed! to! the! drier,! cooler! air! of!

Seattle!summers,!a!secret!we!kept!from!the!outside!world.!

!

I! thought! of! the! potential! risks! that! awaited! me! back!

home—trigger6happy! commandos;! a! pissed6off! former! friend;!

a! woman,! not! scorned! exactly,! but! temporarily! abandoned;! a!

pair! of! unhappy! federal! agents;! a! disgruntled! ex6wife;! a!

wounded! friend! and! his! anxious! sister.! I! considered! staying,!

returning! to! the! land! of! my! youth,! starting! over.! Plenty! of!

people!lived!in!one!town!all!their!lives.!Many!who!traveled!the!

world!returned!to!their!roots,!settled!down,!contributed!to!the!

community,!made!their!hometowns!better!places!to!live.!

!

I!climbed!into!the!cramped!oven!of!a!rental!car!and!turned!

over!the!ignition.!A!couple!of!passing!students!glanced!through!

the!glass,!checking!my!degree!of!doneness.!As!soon!as!the!air!

conditioning! kicked! in,! rational! thought! returned.! Whoever!

had! tried! to! kill! me! wouldn’t! give! up! simply! because! I!

inconveniently! changed! locales.! The! clincher! was! the! damn!

heat.! It! was! bad! enough! to! drive! anyone! loony.! Carbondale,!

Centralia—there!was!nothing!for!me!in!those!places!anymore.!I!

backed!out!of!my!parking!slot,!put!the!car!in!gear!and!headed!

for!the!interstate.!

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!

!

Chapter&26&

!

!

He! swung! the! eight6pound! maul! high! over! his! head! and!

brought!it!down!hard,!hitting!the!log!exactly!where!he’d!aimed.!

With!a!satisfying!
thunk
!and!a!loud!crack,!he!drove!the!head!of!

the!maul!all!the!way!through!to!the!stump!below,!splitting!the!

log!cleanly.!Turning!the!length!that!was!left,!he!swung!the!maul!

again! and! split! that,! too.! Though! the! sun! hadn’t! yet! burned!

through! the! overcast,! he! was! shirtless,! sweat! running! in!

rivulets! down! the! center! of! his! sternum! and! the! hollow!

between!his!abs,!tickling!as!it!descended!into!the!thin!stripe!of!

hair!below!his!navel.!Lean!and!wiry,!Langford!had!never!been!

in! better! physical! condition.! He! smiled! wryly.! He’d! had! too!

much!time!on!his!hands!in!prison.!

!

The! work! was! mindless,! physically! satisfying,! but! he!

couldn’t! stop! thinking! about! his! quandary! for! long.! He’d!

reached!an!impasse.!He!wasn’t!sure!he!could!get!anything!else!

from!the!two!people!restrained!in!the!cabin.!They!were!wily,!a!

little! desperate,! and! both! had! lied! through! their! teeth! at!

various!points!in!their!confinement.!He’d!done!his!best!to!keep!

them!separated!ever!since!he’d!abducted!them,!and!the!strain!

of!being!taken!captive!had!taken!a!psychological!toll.!He!hadn’t!

given! them! a! clue! to! his! identity! or! a! reason! for! kidnapping!

them.!Short!of!physical!torture,!he!didn’t!think!he!could!chivvy!

anything!more!that!might!be!useful.!The!question!was!whether!

he!was!willing!to!take!that!step,!or,!if!not,!what!the!hell!to!do!

with!them.!

!

He! set! another! log! on! the! stump! and! split! it! into! thirds!

with! three! well6placed! blows,! feeling! his! muscles! ripple! from!

his! calves! up! through! his! back,! shoulders! and! out! to! his!

fingertips!as!he!swung!the!maul.!He!carried!the!split!logs!to!a!

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neat! pile! between! two! trees! and! stacked! them.! As! he! walked!

back!for!more!he!felt!his!cell!phone!vibrate!in!the!pocket!of!his!

jeans.!Frowning,!he!pulled!it!out!and!looked!at!the!display.!The!

number! was! blocked.! He’d! shared! the! number! with! only! one!

person.! He! opened! the! connection! and! held! the! phone! to! his!

ear!without!speaking.!

!

“Perry,!Jeff!Holden!here.”!

!

Langford!silently!breathed!a!sigh!of!relief.!“Yes?”!

!

“I’ll!keep!it!short!in!case!anyone’s!listening.!Legs!was!here.!

Looking!for!you.”!

!

“Sanders?!What’d!he!want?”!!

!

“Said!the!Fibbies!came!and!talked!to!him!about!you.!I!don’t!

know! where! you! are,! and! I! don’t! want! to,! but! thought! you!

should!know!I!told!him!about!the!old!family!vacation!place.”!

!

Langford!thought!it!through.!He!didn’t!have!much!time.!If!

Legs! came! looking! for! him,! God! knows! who! might! come!

waltzing!in!on!his!tail.!It!might!be!time!to!do!something!about!

that.!

!

“You!good?”!Holden!asked.!

!

“Yeah,!I’m!okay.”!

!

“Don’t!hesitate!to!call!if!there’s!trouble.”!

!

“Thanks,! Jeff,! for! the! heads6up.”! Langford! shoved! the!

phone!in!his!pocket,!grabbed!his!shirt!and!strode!purposefully!

back!to!the!cabin.!!

*!*!*!*!*!

!

A!nonstop!flight!out!of!St.!Louis!put!me!in!Seattle!at!around!

ten! that! night.! I! hadn’t! left! the! heat! behind.! A! low6pressure!

trough! had! moved! through! the! state! and! now! hovered! over!

Kalispell,! Montana.! High! pressure! had! taken! its! place! over!

western! Washington,! the! combination! sucking! warm! air! up!

over! the! Pacific! from! the! southwest.! In! the! winter,! it’s! called!

the! Pineapple! Express,! bringing! exceptionally! wet,! windy!

weather.!In!the!summer,!it!brings!humid!heat.!Uncharacteristic!

for!June!in!Seattle,!the!temperature!had!topped!out!in!the!high!

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80s,! according! to! the! pilot’s! announcement! when! we! landed.!

Records! close! to! triple! digits! were! predicted! for! Monday! and!

Tuesday.!!

!

I!took!a!cab!into!the!city!and!directed!the!driver!up!Capitol!

Hill! and! down! the! street! where! I’d! parked! my! car! two! nights!

before.!It!seemed!like!a!week.!I!told!the!cabbie!to!drive!slowly!

up! the! block,! and! checked! the! car! for! signs! of! a! ticket! or!

tampering! as! we! passed.! A! few! blocks! up,! I! had! him! circle!

around!and!come!down!the!street!the!opposite!direction,!this!

time!looking!for!any!signs!someone!was!watching!the!car.!

!

The! cabbie! dropped! me! off! two! blocks! away,! and! I! went!

back! on! foot.! I! passed! the! car! without! stopping,! walking!

casually,! but! alert! to! the! surroundings.! Behind! me,! Broadway!

hummed! with! traffic,! the! sidewalks! crowded! with! the! usual!

mix! of! gays,! Goths,! gawkers! and! gourmands! patronizing! the!

restaurants! and! shops! or! just! checking! out! the! scene.! The!

excess! spilled! over! onto! side! streets,! giving! me! plenty! of!

company.!

!

The! warm! weather! had! brought! out! more! people! than!

usual.!Even!in!the!dog!days!of!summer,!temperatures!in!Seattle!

rarely!exceeded!eighty6five!degrees,!and!nights!cooled!down!to!

comfortable!levels!quickly.!Few!people!had!air6conditioning,!at!

least! those! in! older! houses! and! apartment! buildings.! Now!

many! ventured! out! to! avoid! oven6like! apartments.! My! gaze!

swung!from!parked!cars!to!upper!windows!of!buildings!lining!

the! street,! open! to! catch! any! faint! breeze.! Seeing! nothing!

unusual,!I!backtracked,!unlocked!the!car,!swung!my!overnight!

bag!in!the!back!seat!and!got!in.!

!

Saturday!night.!All!dressed!up!with!no!place!to!go.!And!no!

date.! My! jaw! shuddered! in! an! attempt! to! stifle! a! yawn! as! a!

rising!tide!of!exhaustion!filled!me.!I!leaned!over!and!retrieved!a!

spare! bottle! of! meds! from! the! glove! compartment,! popped! a!

pill!in!my!mouth!and!swallowed!it!dry.!I!turned!over!the!engine!

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and!drove!down!to!the!warehouse!in!Ballard,!stopping!once!to!

pick!up!a!sandwich!and!coffee.!

!

The!trucks!hadn’t!arrived!from!the!printing!plant!yet,!so!I!

sat!in!the!car!and!ate!slowly.!The!lot!gradually!filled!with!cars.!

A! couple! of! them! were! SUVs,! but! carrying! only! a! driver,! and!

none!painted!shiny!black.!Not!long!after,!trucks!pulled!into!the!

lot!and!jockeyed!into!position.!Forklifts!converged!on!the!dock!

and!off6loaded!the!papers,!and!men!drifted!from!their!vehicles!

toward!the!brightly!lit!building.!I!joined!them!and!checked!in!

with!the!shift!supervisor!for!my!route!list,!got!a!cart!and!went!

to!work.!!

!

My!papers!were!almost!assembled!and!ready!to!load!when!

Chance! showed! up.! Eyeliner! still! darkened! his! eyes,! but! he’d!

scrubbed!the!pancake!off!his!face,!revealing!dark!stubble!along!

his!jaw.!Vinous!polish!covered!his!nails.!A!slender!Vietnamese!

boy!at!another!table!eyed!him!from!behind!with!a!fey!smile!as!

Chance!approached!me.!