Night Tide (31 page)

stopped,!engine!running.!His!tail!cruised!on!by!to!the!end!of!the!

block! and! turned! the! corner.! Langford! took! a! right! a! block!

behind! where! Legs! had! stopped.! He! pulled! up! in! front! of!

hydrant,! got! out! and! ran! back! to! the! corner! to! see! what!

Sanders!was!up!to.!The!block!looked!familiar.!He!scanned!the!

houses! and! realized! that! he’d! been! there! earlier! to! talk! to!

Sanders’s!ex.!!

!

Langford! shook! his! head.! How! Legs! had! let! that! one! get!

away! he’d! never! know.! He! guessed! it! hadn’t! been! without!

regret—Sanders! sat! parked! across! the! street! from! her! house,!

but!he!made!no!move!to!get!out!of!his!car.!After!five!minutes!or!

so,! Langford! saw! the! car’s! back6up! lights! flash! on.! He! hustled!

back!to!the!Scout!and!slowly!drove!around!the!block,!giving!the!

tail! time! to! fall! in! behind! Sanders! before! he! brought! up! the!

rear.!

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!

From! there,! Sanders! led! them! up! into! a! park! on! top! of!

Capitol! Hill.! The! sedan! that! followed! him! slowed! and! nosed!

into!the!entrance.!Langford!drove!on!past,!and!accelerated!up!

to! the! corner! of! the! park,! casting! glances! to! his! left,! trying! to!

get! a! glimpse! of! the! two! cars! in! the! park.! He! took! a! left! and!

followed! the! perimeter! of! the! park! for! another! block! or! two,!

but!could!see!little!from!the!street!through!the!trees.!He!caught!

a!glimpse!of!the!back!of!a!low!building!in!the!park,!but!couldn’t!

see! the! road! that! Sanders! had! taken! into! the! park.! He! cursed!

under!his!breath.!

!

At! the! next! corner,! he! noticed! a! pedestrian! entrance! into!

the! park! on! the! other! side! of! the! street! and! made! a! quick!

decision.!Swinging!into!the!curb,!he!parked,!darted!across!the!

street!and!jogged!deeper!into!the!park.!The!building!he’d!seen!

was! ahead! to! his! left,! and! as! he! drew! closer,! he! figured! it! for!

some!sort!of!museum.!He!slowed!to!a!walk—he!saw!plenty!of!

joggers!in!the!park,!but!he!wasn’t!exactly!dressed!for!the!part.!

The! last! thing! he! needed! was! someone! to! think! he! was! a!

mugger!or!rapist!running!from!the!scene!of!a!crime.!

!

Numerous! parking! spaces! had! been! striped! on! the!

pavement!in!front!of!the!museum.!He!scanned!the!cars!quickly!

and! spotted! Sanders’s! tucked! in! between! an! SUV! and! an! old!

Volvo! wagon.! He! stooped! to! one! knee! and! yanked! a! shoelace!

loose,! and! took! his! time! retying! it,! alert! for! signs! of! the! two!

men!tailing!Sanders.!He!finally!located!their!car,!parked!in!the!

farthest!space!away!from!him,!facing!the!museum.!The!driver!

had!remained!in!the!car.!Langford!caught!sight!of!his!partner!

on!the!sidewalk!in!front!of!the!museum,!feigning!interest!in!a!

sign,! but! turning! for! occasional! glimpses! across! the! road!

behind! him.! Langford! followed! his! gaze! and! saw! a! small!

reflecting!pool!across!the!road!and!down!a!short!slope!beyond!

that!a!larger!reservoir.!!

!

Park!benches!lined!the!sidewalk!overlooking!the!reservoir.!

Sanders!occupied!one!almost!directly!across!the!road!from!the!

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man!in!front!of!the!sign.!He!sat!facing!west,!arm!draped!over!

the!back!of!the!bench,!not!moving.!Langford!stood!and!casually!

sauntered! a! few! yards! toward! the! museum! entrance,!

pretending! to! admire! the! flowerbed! set! back! from! the!

sidewalk,!turning!every!so!often!to!keep!tabs!on!the!others.!He!

sidled!closer!and!suddenly!realized!Sanders!wasn’t!waiting!for!

anyone.! He! was! simply! taking! in! a! breathtaking! view! of! the!

Space! Needle! back6dropped! by! snow6capped! peaks! of! the!

Olympic! Mountains! across! the! sound! in! the! distance.! Bright!

and!hot,!the!sun!dropped!toward!the!horizon,!its!position!so!far!

north!surprising!Langford.!He!checked!his!watch—nearly!nine!

in!the!evening!and!still!a!half6hour!of!light!left.!!

!

Langford! wandered! off,! conscious! of! drawing! attention! if!

he! loitered! in! one! place! too! long.! A! few! hundred! yards! down!

the!road!a!park!bench!perched!at!the!end!of!a!grassy!field,!set!

back! in! an! alcove! of! shrubbery.! He! crossed! the! street! and!

walked! across! the! grass! toward! the! bench,! the! day’s! heat!

sapping!his!energy!and!lulling!him!to!lethargy.!He!sagged!onto!

the!bench,!abruptly!aware!of!how!tired!he!was!from!the!strain!

of!the!past!several!days—the!long!drive!on!the!trail!of!the!Jones!

couple! and! the! longer! drive! back! with! them! as! his! prisoners.!

Constantly! keeping! watch.! He! put! a! hand! to! his! mouth! and!

stifled!a!yawn.!
Not*now.
!He!couldn’t!afford!to!sleep!yet.!

!

Even! at! this! distance,! he! still! had! a! view! of! the! road! in!

front!of!the!museum.!If!Sanders!walked!back!to!his!car!or!the!

agents! tailing! him! moved! their! positions,! Langford! would!

know.!Earlier,!he’d!considered!knocking!on!Sanders’s!door!and!

confronting! him! face6to6face.! The! FBI’s! presence! had! quickly!

changed! his! mind.! They! probably! hoped! Sanders! would! lead!

them! to! him.! He! should! have! left! already! for! the! cabin.! But!

Sanders! didn’t! seem! gung6ho! about! finding! him,! despite! the!

fact!that!Holden!had!told!Sanders!where!he!was.!It!made!him!

curious!enough!to!blow!off!a!little!time!relaxing!in!the!park.!

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!

Sanders!was!on!the!move.!Langford’s!senses!went!on!alert,!

but! his! body! showed! no! outward! appearance.! He! slouched!

casually! on! the! bench! as! Langford! walked! in! his! direction,!

glanced!over!his!shoulder!to!check!for!traffic!and!crossed!the!

road! to! the! opposite! side.! Even! as! he! drew! abreast,! Sanders!

was!a!good!sixty!yards!away,!his!gaze!on!the!ground!in!front!of!

him! as! if! in! thought.! A! minute! later,! the! suit! who’d! been!

standing! in! front! of! the! museum! sauntered! along! behind,! his!

attention!strictly!on!Sanders.!Langford!waited!until!they!were!

well!past!before!he!got!up!and!stretched.!He!stepped!out!of!the!

alcove! and! crossed! the! grass! to! the! sidewalk.! He! looked! for!

Sanders! and! the! suit! near! a! building! that! looked! like! a!

greenhouse!at!the!edge!of!the!park.!Instead,!they!followed!the!

curve!in!the!road!that!led!to!a!park!exit.!!

!

Langford! headed! for! the! botanic! gardens! and! watched!

from! there! as! Sanders! continued! on! toward! the! park! exit.!

Discreetly,!Langford!followed,!but!when!Sanders!crossed!over!

to! his! side! of! the! road,! Langford! hung! back.! He! sprinted! to! a!

copse!of!trees!on!the!opposite!side!of!the!street,!and!stayed!out!

of! sight! until! he! got! a! fix! on! where! Sanders! and! his! tail! were!

headed.!A!hundred!yards!down!the!road,!Sanders!stopped!and!

stood!on!the!outskirts!of!a!large!playground.!!

!

The!shouts!and!laughter!of!high!voices!drifting!toward!him!

froze!Langford!where!he!stood.!He!hadn’t!heard!those!sounds!

since!he!was!a!kid!himself.!They!churned!memories!of!carefree!

days! and! all! the! time! that! had! been! taken! away! from! him.!

Sanders! just! stood! there,! watching! the! children! play.!
Was* he*

some*sort*of*perv?*A*pedophile?*Did*he*have*kids*of*his*own?*The*

house* the* exHwife* lived* in* was* large* enough* to* handle* a* whole*

passel*of*them.
!Langford!frowned,!wondered!if!he’d!ever!have!

children!of!his!own,!or!if!that!possibility!was!yet!another!thing!

that! he’d! been! denied.! He! didn’t! even! know! if! he! wanted!

children,!hadn’t!ever!considered!it.!Those!weren’t!the!sorts!of!

thoughts!one!fostered!in!prison.!

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!

Dusk!shrouded!the!park!in!growing!darkness.!Mothers!and!

fathers!had!already!been!rounding!up!their!offspring,!trickling!

out!in!small!groups!for!some!time.!The!cheerful!noises!slowly!

died! along! with! the! light! as! the! park! emptied.! Langford! sat!

comfortably!on!the!grass,!half6hidden!by!a!flowering!shrub!at!

the!edge!of!the!path.!!

!

The! streetlamps! luminesced,! glowing! orbs! atop! ten6foot!

iron!posts.!The!playground!was!long!empty!and!night!had!fully!

taken!hold!when!Sanders!walked!back!the!way!he’d!come,!head!

down,! hands! thrust! deeply! into! his! pockets,! shoulders!

hunched.!The!lights!cast!shadows!that!advanced!and!retreated!

as! he! moved.! Langford! stood! and! eased! away! from! the!

sidewalk! deeper! into! the! copse! of! trees.! Sanders! passed! by!

without!looking!up.!!

!

Melting!into!the!darkness,!Langford!watched!until!he!was!

sure!Sanders!was!headed!back!to!his!car,!his!government6paid!

escort!close!behind.!Then!he!found!his!way!back!to!the!street!

where!he’d!parked,!unlocked!the!Scout!and!climbed!in!to!wait.!

It!wasn’t!long!before!Sanders’s!car!pulled!out!of!the!park!exit!

under!the!streetlight!at!the!next!corner.!The!dark!sedan!wasn’t!

far! behind.! Staying! well! back,! Langford! pulled! onto! the! street!

and!followed.!

!

Sanders! led! them! randomly! through! town! for! another!

hour,!stopping!only!once!more,!this!time!to!buy!a!cup!of!coffee!

at! an! espresso! stand.! Twice,! Langford! was! sure! that! Sanders!

had! spotted! the! cars! tailing! him,! but! his! erratic,! haphazard!

turns! never! materialized! into! attempts! to! shake! pursuers.!

Langford! was! beginning! to! rue! his! decision! to! dog! his! old!

friend!when!Sanders!pulled!into!a!large!parking!lot!down!near!

Ballard!locks!that!linked!Lake!Union!with!Puget!Sound.!!

!

The! sedan! pulled! into! the! lot! entrance! of! a! waterfront!

restaurant! next! door,! already! closed! for! the! night.! Langford!

craned!his!neck!to!see!Sanders!park!behind!him.!He!passed!the!

restaurant! entrance! and! halfway! down! the! next! block! swung!

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the! wheel! into! a! tight! U6turn.! Stepping! on! the! accelerator,! he!

drove! past! the! restaurant! and! the! lot! where! Sanders! had!

parked.!He!saw!Sanders!climb!out!of!the!car!and!walk!toward!a!

large! warehouse.! Speeding! up,! he! drove! to! the! end! of! the!

building! and! found! another! entrance! on! the! far! side.! He!

wheeled!into!the!lot!in!the!back!and!followed!the!perimeter!of!

the!building!down!to!the!side!facing!the!water.!!

!

Far!ahead!he!saw!Sanders!and!a!few!men!headed!toward!

the!light!spilling!out!of!the!open!door!of!a!loading!dock!in!the!

warehouse.!Sanders!towered!over!the!others.!He!drove!slowly!

now,! getting! a! little! closer! to! the! lighted! warehouse! door.! An!

open!space!with!a!good!vantage!point!beckoned,!and!he!quickly!

braked! and! backed! into! the! slot,! giving! him! a! full! view! of! the!

loading!dock.!Above!the!door!on!the!side!of!the!building!large!

letters!spelled!out!“Seattle!Times.”!

!

His! eyes! widened.!
Sanders,* a* newspaper* boy?
! The!

information! he! had! must! be! outdated.! Sanders! was! supposed!

to! be! high! up! in! some! consulting! firm,! dealing! with! public!

affairs!for!clients!like!sports!teams!and!local!companies.!As!he!

absorbed! this! new! development,! a! figure! stepped! out! of! the!

shadows!of!a!small!shed!on!the!quay!and!intercepted!Sanders.!

A!woman.!Sanders!stopped!dead,!obviously!taken!aback!by!her!

presence.!She!turned!slightly,!giving!Langford!a!glimpse!of!her!

face!as!she!accosted!Sanders.!Langford!was!just!as!surprised.!

!

He! knew! that! face.! Back! row,! closest! to! the! door! of! the!

courtroom!in!Benton.!She’d!been!there!every!time!he’d!turned!

for!a!glimpse!of!the!gallery!that!had!rooted!for!his!conviction.!

Had!asked!his!attorneys!who!she!was.!And!now!had!no!trouble!

remembering!that!her!sister!Jill!Baines!had!been!the!one!who’d!

died,! the! one! he’d! been! accused! of! shooting! at! point6blank!

range.!The!one!whose!body!they’d!found!him!standing!over.!A!

chill! ran! through! him! and! for! a! brief! instant,! panic.! He!

squelched!it,!cleared!his!head!and!thought!about!what!it!meant.!

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!

Pieces! of! the! puzzle! he’d! labored! for! years! to! solve!

suddenly! dropped! into! place,! rendering! a! more! complete!

picture.!It!made!sense.!He!was!closer!now.!But!so!were!they.!He!

didn’t!have!much!time.!Especially!since!now!he!knew!he’d!have!

to! make! an! additional! stop! on! the! way! back,! one! that! would!

take!him!the!long!way!around!the!Sound.!He!put!the!Scout!in!

gear! and! slowly! pulled! out! of! the! space,! turning! away! from!

Sanders!and!the!woman!and!quickly!leaving!them!behind.!

!

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Chapter&33&

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