Night Tide (30 page)

close,!just!in!case.”!

!

“I! never! said! they! were! there.! But! they! were! involved,!

Sarah.”!

!

A!grim!storm!clouded!her!expression.!“I!don’t!believe!it.”!

!

“Believe!what!you!want.”!It!came!out!more!harshly!than!I!

intended.! I! had! an! impulse! to! shake! her! until! she! started!

making! sense.! “Didn’t! you! ever! think! your! parents! were!

weird?”!

!

She!blinked.!“Not!really.!A!little!eccentric,!I!suppose.”!

!

“Come! on,! Sarah.! You! can’t! believe! all! that! hippie6dippie!

shit!is!normal.”!

!

“Just!because!they!love!nature!and!have!eclectic!taste?”!

!

“I’m! not! just! talking! Connie’s! earth6mother! act! or! Clayt’s!

lectures!on!how!all!of!today’s!political!problems!wouldn’t!exist!

if! the! Boomers! hadn’t! capitulated! and! bought! into! the!

Establishment! instead! of! continuing! ’Sixties6style! activism.!

They’re!strange!people,!Sarah.”!

!

The!heat!lightning!of!a!summer!storm!of!anger!flashed!in!

her!eyes.!“It’s!all!relative.!Weren’t!your!parents!weird!in!their!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

199&

own!way?!We!had!a!lot!of!reminders!around!the!house!of!those!

days.!Books,!record!albums,!artwork…!So!what?”!

!

“Your!parents!also!read!stuff!like!Che’s!diary,!Mao’s!‘Little!

Red! Book,’! Eldridge! Cleaver,!
Civil* Disobedience
,!
Guerilla*

Warfare
,!all!those!Yippie!manifestos!…”!

!

“For! God’s! sake,! Blake.! They! also! read! Ken! Kesey,! Tom!

Wolfe,! Timothy! Leary,! Hunter! S.! Thompson! and! a! bunch! of!

other! drug! culture! books,! but! they! weren’t! druggies.! And! tell!

me! you! didn’t! read! Kurt! Vonnegut,! or!
CatchH22
,! or!
Trout*

Fishing* in* America
! when! you! were! in! school.! Does! that! make!

you! a! counterculture! revolutionary?! Are! they! left6leaning!

liberals?!Sure.!Do!they!believe!passionately!in!causes!like!clean!

water! and! clean! air?! Absolutely.! We! all! should.! Do! they! vote,!

and! write! letters! and! advocate! for! alternative! energy,! better!

schools!and!healthcare!coverage!for!people!in!minimum!wage!

jobs!who!can’t!afford!it?!You!betcha.!!

!

“But! did! they! ever! tell! us! the! way! to! achieve! energy!

independence,! or! equal! rights! for! women! and! minorities,! or!

more! public! transportation! was! to! bomb! buildings! or! foment!

revolution?! No! way.! They! never! suggested! that! freedom! of!

speech,!or!fighting!for!what!you!believe!in,!involved!use!of!your!

fists! or! physical! confrontation! of! any! kind! that! might! harm!

another! living! being.! Or! property,! for! that! matter.! They! don’t!

resolve! disputes! with! violence.! They’re! good! people,! Blake.!

What’s!the!matter!with!you?”!

!

“You!never!heard!them!talk!about!a!campus!bombing?!Or!

Southern! Illinois?! Or! a! research! lab?! Coal! gasification!

experiments?!Nothing!like!that?”!

!

“No,! damn! it!! The! only! times! I! heard! them! talk! about!

things! like! that! were! in! reference! to! the! antiwar!

demonstrations! during! Vietnam.! Like! history! lessons.! They!

were!in!Canada!then,!anyway.!They!didn’t!get!mixed!up!in!all!

that.”!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

200&

!

“They! never! told! you! about! Uncle! Sebastian?! About! his!

SDS!activities!back!in!the!day?!The!fact!that!he!was!an!agitator!

at! demonstrations! here?! And! back! at! the! University! of!

Wisconsin?”!

!

“No,!never.!He!was!just!a!guy!Clayt!knew!at!work.!A!friend,!

that’s!all.”!

!

“Charlie!
lied
,! Sarah.! I! asked! him! about! Fitch.! He! said! he!

never! heard! of! the! guy.! Why! would! he! lie?! He! knows!

something.! Trying! to! protect! your! parents! maybe.! Whatever.!

Clayt! and! Connie! are! in! this! thing! up! to! their! necks,! and!

whoever!shot!Charlie!wants!them!dead.”!

!

“Why?! That’s! crazy!”! Her! eyes! darted! back! and! forth,!

reflecting!panic.!She!swallowed!hard,!calming!herself.!“I’m!not!

saying!I!believe!it,!but!even!if!they!did!something!stupid!back!

then,! why! would! someone! want! to! kill! them! after! all! these!

years?!It!doesn’t!make!sense.!You!must!be!mistaken.”!

!

“I!don’t!think!so.!If!you!and!Charlie!want!to!live!in!denial,!

okay!by!me.!Just!don’t!expect!me!to!be!much!help!if!you’re!not!

willing!to!admit!the!truth.”!

!

“The! truth?”! Her! eyes! glistened.! “Calling! my! parents!

terrorists,!that’s!your!idea!of!the!truth?”!

!

She!stood!so!quickly!her!chair!fell!over!onto!the!floor.!She!

glared!at!me!across!the!table,!shaking!with!anger.!

!

“Forget!it,!Blake.”!

!

“What,!you!ask!for!my!help,!but!don’t!want!it!because!you!

don’t!like!what!you’re!hearing?”!

!

“Just!forget!the!whole!thing!”!!

!

“Sarah!”!

!

“Stay!the!hell!away!from!me!!From!us!”!

!

She! stormed! out,! leaving! me! fuming,! insides! roiling! and!

building!up!pressure!like!a!volcano!about!to!explode!through!a!

rotten!lava!dome.!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

201&

!

!

Chapter&32&

!

!

Langford!watched!his!old!friend!Legs!climb!out!of!the!car.!

There!was!no!mistaking!his!size—as!he!unfolded!his!long!limbs!

and!stood!upright,!the!vehicle!appeared!to!shrink!to!the!size!of!

a! circus! clown! car.! His! features! had! changed! little! over! the!

years,!face!maybe!a!little!fuller!and!more!mature.!

!

A!memory!of!Sanders!flashed!in!his!head,!two!feet!shorter,!

standing!stupidly!in!the!hall!at!school!as!Langford!had!rounded!

the! corner! at! a! dead! run,! two! jerks! hot! on! his! heels! trying! to!

catch! him! and! pay! him! back! for! a! practical! joke! he’d! pulled.!

Sanders,!his!usual!spastic!self,!had!unintentionally!gotten!in!the!

way,! taking! them! both! down! in! a! tangle! of! arms! and! legs,!

allowing!Langford!to!get!away.!

!

What! had! bonded! them?! Sanders! had! been! like! a! big!

puppy,! offering! unconditional! adoration! and! near! constant!

companionship.! Sanders! had! admired! him,! liked! him! for! who!

he! was.! That! was! it.! Langford! had! always! been! able! to! talk!

Sanders!into!going!along!with!whatever!crazy!scheme!he!came!

up!with.!Never!as!a!participant,!but!Sanders!hadn’t!hesitated!to!

be! an! observer.! Almost! like! an! official! witness! or! attestor,!

someone! who! could! chronicle! his! derring6do.! For! a! while—

years!in!fact—they!
had
!made!a!pretty!good!team.!

!

Now! he! wondered! if! Legs! was! still! a! friend.! He! extended!

his!arm,!pointed!his!index!finger,!sighted!over!his!raised!thumb!

and!quietly!said,!“Bang.”!It!would!be!that!easy!to!take!him!out.!

He! watched! Legs! stomp! toward! the! house! and! disappear!

around!the!side!down!an!incline!to!the!back.!

!

Movement! down! the! street! caught! his! eye.! A! gray! sedan!

pulled!into!an!open!space!at!the!curb!half!a!block!down!from!

the! house! Sanders! had! just! entered.! Langford! waited,! but! no!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

202&

one!got!out.!Curious,!he!pulled!a!pair!of!binoculars!from!under!

the!seat!and!trained!them!on!the!windshield!of!the!sedan.!Two!

men! sat! in! the! front! seat,! one! white,! younger! than! Langford,!

broad6shouldered,! one! black,! older,! neatly! trimmed! graying!

mustache,! slight! stature.! Both! wore! suit! coats! and! ties! over!

white! shirts,! bored! expressions! on! their! faces.! They! may! as!

well! have! stenciled! “Property! of! U.S.! Government”! on! the! car!

doors!and!the!breast!pockets!of!their!suits.!

!

Langford!sucked!in!a!breath.!He!recognized!the!older!man,!

a!memory!immediately!coming!to!mind!that!placed!him!in!an!

interrogation! room! in! the! federal! building! in! Benton,! Illinois,!

where!the!trial!had!taken!place.!A!pair!of!sheriff’s!deputies!had!

driven! him! up! from! the! Jackson! County! jail! in! Murphysboro,!

had!led!him!into!the!federal!building!shackled!as!if!he!posed!a!

threat! the! likes! of! King! Kong.! The! black! guy! had! been! one! of!

four!FBI!special!agents!asking!questions!about!the!night!of!the!

bombing,!the!night!that!had!changed!his!world.!
Drucker,*Fred*

Drucker
,!the!name!as!easily!accessible!in!his!memory!banks!as!

the!pattern!of!the!blue!tie!the!FBI!agent!had!worn!that!day.!!

!

Langford!didn’t!know!the!younger!agent!behind!the!wheel,!

but!realized!the!man!probably!would!have!been!in!high!school,!

maybe!even!grade!school,!when!Langford!had!gone!to!prison.!

He! settled! back! in! his! seat! to! wait.! Things! were! beginning! to!

get!interesting.!

*!*!*!*!*!

!

I!made!one!stop!on!the!way!home!to!buy!several!boxes!of!

ammunition!and!a!few!spare!magazines!for!the!gun!I’d!gotten!

from!Babs.!Not!a!good!idea!given!the!mood!Sarah!and!Charlie!

had!left!me!in.!I!didn’t!like!where!the!past!week!had!taken!me.!I!

never!thought!I’d!have!a!gun!in!the!house.!Then!again,!I!never!

thought!I’d!need!one.!!!

!

Still!sour!and!vengeful!when!I!got!home,!I!stripped!down!

to! shorts! and! eased! into! a! series! of! yoga! sun! salutations,!

gradually! pushing! myself! until! my! muscles! were! warm! and!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

203&

loose.! Then! I! switched! to! a! taekwondo!
pumsae
! and! moved!

through! a! half6dozen! forms! I! still! remembered! until! sweat!

dripped! off! my! nose! and! my! muscles! burned.! It! was! still! too!

bloody!hot!to!exert!that!much!effort,!but!some!of!the!anger!and!

frustration!evaporated!with!the!sweat.!I!drained!two!glasses!of!

ice! water! and! stepped! into! the! shower! to! rinse! off.! With! the!

water!on!cold,!the!spray!felt!like!little!icicles!needling!my!skin.!

!

When! I! started! to! shiver,! I! twisted! the! valve! closed! and!

toweled!off.!I!padded!out!and!sat!on!the!bed,!both!energy!and!

reason!sapped.!Exhausted,!I!tried!napping,!but!I!couldn’t!sleep.!

Snippets! of! conversations! kept! running! through! my! head!

reminding!me!of!all!the!times!I’d!let!my!mouth!flap!before!I’d!

had!a!chance!to!think!about!what!was!coming!out!of!it.!Instead,!

I! got! dressed,! went! into! the! kitchen! and! made! myself! a!

sandwich.!I!put!it!on!a!plate,!uncapped!a!beer!from!the!fridge!

and!took!them!to!the!table!in!my!small!living!area.!While!I!ate!I!

took!the!supplies!I!purchased!out!of!the!bag,!spread!them!out!

on!the!table!and!loaded!the!magazines.!

!

I!carried!the!empty!plate!back!to!the!kitchen,!washed!my!

hands!and!sat!back!down!in!front!of!the!table.!I!took!Charlie’s!

gun!out!of!its!case!and!spent!the!next!thirty!minutes!practicing,!

loading! and! unloading! magazines! until! I! could! do! it! with! my!

eyes!closed!in!just!a!few!seconds.!!

!

Satisfied,! I! packed! up! the! gun! and! magazines! in! the! gun!

case!and!put!it!in!a!small!sports!duffel!along!with!an!extra!box!

of! ammunition.! I! looked! around! the! apartment! to! see! if! I’d!

forgotten!anything,!picked!up!the!bag!and!left,!locking!the!door!

behind!me.!

*!*!*!*!*!

!

Sanders!had!been!inside!the!house!for!more!than!an!hour!

when!Langford!noticed!a!car!pull!up!alongside!the!gray!sedan.!

The! younger! agent! opened! the! driver’s! side! window! and!

Drucker!leaned!over!to!say!something!to!the!new!arrivals.!After!

a!moment,!the!car!backed!up!several!feet,!giving!the!gray!sedan!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

204&

room!to!jockey!in!the!tight!space!and!pull!away!from!the!curb.!

Langford! ducked! down! until! Drucker! and! his! partner! had!

passed.!When!he!raised!his!head,!the!other!car!was!parking!in!

the!spot!the!gray!sedan!had!just!left.!
Changing*of*the*guard.
!

!

Less! than! fifteen! minutes! later,! Sanders! rounded! the!

corner!of!the!house!and!walked!to!his!car,!a!blue!bag!slung!over!

his!shoulder.!Sanders!stopped!to!open!the!trunk!and!slung!the!

bag!inside.!He!slammed!the!lid!shut!and!folded!himself!behind!

the! wheel,! started! up! and! pulled! away.! A! moment! later,!

Drucker’s! replacements! pulled! out! and! followed.! Langford!

smiled! and! waited! a! moment! or! two! before! starting! up! the!

Scout!and!making!it!a!parade.!

!

Langford!was!careful!to!keep!a!several!cars!between!him!

and!the!tail!on!Sanders.!The!Scout!was!too!recognizable,!and!he!

chided! himself! for! using! it.! But! he! doubted! they’d! think! to!

check!for!someone!following!them.!Sanders!led!them!aimlessly,!

up!the!hill,!taking!random!turns.!Not!as!if!he!suspected!he!was!

being! followed,! but! as! if! preoccupied! and! unaware! of! his!

surroundings.! At! one! point,! he! swung! into! the! curb! and!