Night Tide (41 page)

!

He!wasn’t!sure!how!much!time!he!had.!If!he!was!right,!they!

wouldn’t!kill!the!Wilsons!right!away.!They!wanted!information,!

information!he!knew!now!they!didn’t!have.!When!their!captors!

figured!that!out,!the!couple!was!as!good!as!dead.!He!couldn’t!let!

that!happen.!He!wanted!them!all.!He!wanted!to!make!them!pay.!

And!now!he!had!a!bargaining!chip.!His!hunch!had!paid!off,!the!

stop! he’d! made! on! his! way! back! early! in! the! morning! well!

worth!the!extra!time!it!had!taken.!

!

When!he!rounded!the!point,!putting!the!cabin!out!of!sight,!

he! opened! the! throttle! so! the! little! craft! planed! and! skimmed!

the!surface!of!the!water.!It!wouldn’t!take!long.!The!end!of!the!

peninsula! was! only! about! five! miles! away.! His! parents! had!

stored!the!family!boat!there,!an!old!forty6two6foot!trawler,!in!a!

small!marina.!Dry6docked!until!he’d!shown!up!a!month!before,!

the! boat! now! was! afloat! in! tip6top! shape.! It! was! just! what! he!

needed.!But!he!was!running!out!of!time.!

!

He!opened!the!throttle!as!far!as!it!would!go.!

*!*!*!*!*!

!

Reyna!looked!at!me!curiously.!

!

“She’s! not! Baines’s! daughter,”! I! said,! the! purple! notion!

expanding! and! popping! like! a! sticky! sphere! of! grape!

bubblegum.!

!

Reyna!stiffened!as!if!zapped!with!a!stun!gun.!“What?”!!

!

“Keely’s!not!Baines’s.”!

!

She! chewed! her! bottom! lip.! “Have! you! ever! met! Baines?!

Seen!a!picture!of!him,!even?”!

!

I!shook!my!head.!“Doesn’t!matter.!You!were!the!one!who!

said!there’s!something!odd!about!this!whole!thing.!I’m!telling!

you!I!don’t!think!Baines!is!her!biological!father.”!

!

After! considering! me! for! a! moment! she! finally! said,! “So!

what?”!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

272&

!

“I! don’t! know! what.! It! just! changes! things,! that’s! all.! It!

might! explain! her! obsession! with! finding! out! who! was! really!

responsible! for! killing! her! sister.! If! Daddy! favored! Jill,! then!

maybe! Keely’s! motive! is! a! little! different.! Maybe! she’s! doing!

this!to!win!her!father’s!love,!respect,!whatever.”!!

!

Her! face! pinched! with! worry.! “You’re! losing! your! focus!

here.!Why!the!psychoanalysis?”!

!

“I’m!not!trying!to!‘shrink’!her.!I’m!just!trying!to!figure!out!

what!the!hell’s!going!on.”!!

!

“I’m!not!sure!it’s!important.”!

!

I!spread!my!hands.!“Look,!I!don’t!know!how,!but!I!think!it!

is.!I!need!to!find!out.”!

!

Reyna’s! eyes! flashed.! “How! the! hell! are! you! going! to! do!

that?”!

!

I!shrugged.!“Talk!to!the!mother.”!

!

Her!mouth!hung!open.!“Are!you!always!this!impulsive?”!

!

I!shifted,!feeling!her!gaze.!!

!

“You’re! crazy,! you! know! that?”! she! said.! “You! think! this!

woman!will!even!speak!with!you,!let!alone!suddenly!confess!to!

an!illegitimate!daughter!from!a!forty!year6old!affair?”!

!

“Why!not?!Probably!been!eating!at!her!for!years.!Thought!

she’d!managed!to!keep!it!secret,!but!has!been!looking!over!her!

shoulder!all!this!time,!wondering,!worrying.!I’d!think!she’d!be!

glad!to!get!it!off!her!chest.”!

!

“You’re!serious.”!She!stared!at!me,!wide6eyed.!

!

“What!else!am!I!going!to!do?!Keely’s!in!the!wind.!The!FBI!

has!Wink.!And!somebody—maybe!Keely,!maybe!even!Baines—

has!Clayt!and!Connie.!You!got!any!better!ideas?”!

!

She! inspected! a! pale! pink! fingernail,! brought! it! up! to! her!

mouth! and! nibbled! it.! She! dropped! the! hand! into! her! lap! and!

sighed.!

!

“Okay,!you!do!what!you!have!to.!I’ll!work!it!from!this!end!

and!see!if!there’s!any!buzz!about!the!nanotechnology!now!that!

the!Wilsons!have!been!grabbed!up.”!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

273&

!

“Only!one!problem,”!I!said.!“Drucker!and!Taylor!must!have!

cops!out!looking!for!me.”!

!

Reyna!sighed!again.!“Me,!too.!They’re!not!very!happy.”!

!

“Because!you!let!me!go?”!

!

“They! couldn’t! prove! it,! so! they! let! me! out! of! there.! But!

they!threatened!me!with!aiding!and!abetting.!Drucker!put!in!a!

call!to!NMIC.!My!boss!trusts!me,!but!if!they!find!out!I’m!helping!

you,!I’m!out!in!the!cold.!I’m!on!my!own.”!

!

“What!do!we!do?”!

!

She!pushed!back!from!the!table!and!paced!the!length!of!the!

small!living!room,!eyes!downcast,!raven!wings!of!hair!curving!

over!her!cheeks.!She!stopped!and!looked!up.!

!

“I!know!a!guy!may!be!able!to!help,”!she!said.!“I’ll!see!if!I!can!

reach! him.! Why! don’t! you! see! what! you! can! find! out! about!

Baines’s!wife?”!

!

I!nodded!and!slid!into!the!chair!she’d!vacated.!She!pulled!a!

phone! from! her! pocket! and! stepped! outside.! A! twinge! of!

something—jealousy,! anger! or! fear—set! off! facial! tics! that!

jerked! at! my! eyelid! and! upper! lip.! She! still! didn’t! trust! me.! I!

shrugged!it!off!and!turned!to!the!screen.!

!

By!the!time!Reyna!returned,!I’d!pulled!up!most!of!what!I!

needed.! Petronella! “Pepper”! Baines,! née! Ross,! lived! with! her!

husband!up!in!the!hills!overlooking!Los!Altos,!a!few!miles!from!

Stanford! University! and! Ross! Industries! headquarters.! A!

satellite! view! of! the! property! showed! it! was! gated! from! the!

road.! Along! with! a! sprawling! main! house,! there! was! a! tennis!

court,! pool! and! cabana,! and! a! guesthouse! next! to! the! tennis!

court!on!the!big!lot.!Parallel!rows!of!plantings!stretched!south!

down!the!hillside!away!from!the!property,!running!into!a!large!

building! with! a! dormered! roof! and! what! looked! like! a! cupola!

on!one!end.!

!

Keely!may!have!gotten!her!high!society!do6goodism!from!

her!mother.!Pepper!sat!on!the!boards!of!a!handful!of!charitable!

organizations!in!the!area,!and!was!active!in!several!more.!She,!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

274&

in! turn,! had! probably! inherited! the! gene! from! her! mother!

Elizabeth,! a! member! of! an! upper6crust! San! Francisco! family!

before! marrying! Ross! and! moving! south.! After! pages! of!

searches,!an!item!on!an!obscure!link!a!caught!my!eye.!Pepper!

served! as! deacon! at! a! small! Evangelical! Christian! church! not!

far!from!her!home.!It!could!be!helpful.!

!

I!also!learned!that!the!middle!sibling,!Tucker,!Jr.,!was!the!

black! sheep! of! the! family.! Shunning! the! family! business,! he!

spent! his! time! making,! and! drinking,! wine! at! a! small! local!

winery.!The!rows!of!green!visible!in!the!satellite!photo!must!be!

grape! vines.! He’d! invested! large! sums! of! money! in! the! little!

vineyard,! mostly! his! mother’s! since! he! had! none! of! his! own,!

and!Daddy!apparently!thought!Junior!and!his!dreams!of!being!a!

vintner! were! several! ounces! shy! of! a! full! glass.! The! spat! was!

public!enough!to!make!the!gossip!pages.!

!

“Any!luck?”!Reyna!said,!jutting!her!chin!toward!the!laptop.!

!

“Enough!to!go!on.”!

!

“You’re!sure!about!this?”!

!

“I’m!not!sure!of!anything.!I!don’t!know!the!good!guys!from!

the!bad!guys.”!

!

“The! bad! guys! are! the! ones! who! aim!
at
! you! instead! of!

away!from!you.”!

!

I!shook!my!head.!“I!wish!it!were!that!simple.”!

!

!

!

She! cocked! her! head! and! studied! me! for! a! long! moment.!

“You!slept!with!her.”!

!

I!started!to!deny!it.!My!mouth!worked!like!that!of!a!fish!out!

of! water! while! I! tried! to! come! up! with! some! version! of! the!

truth.!I!knew!that!anything!less!and!Reyna!would!walk.!

!

The!best!I!could!come!up!with!was,!“Not!in!any!way!that!

means!anything.”!

!

“You!don’t!inspire!a!lot!of!confidence!in!a!girl.”!She!smiled,!

but!it!didn’t!look!like!her!heart!was!in!it.!Her!stance!was!coiled,!

shoulders!bunched.!

!

“Reyna,!look,!I!didn’t!mean!to.!It!just!happened.”!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

275&

!

She!shrugged.!“You!don’t!owe!me!anything,!civvy.!You!and!

I,!we’re!good.”!

!

I!frowned,!unable!to!find!words!that!might!be!adequate.!I!

wanted!more!than!just!good.!

!

“You’re!conflicted,”!she!said.!“About!her.”!

!

“Not!in!the!way!you!think.!It’s!just…!Something’s!not!right!

about! Keely.! That’s! why! I! have! to! find! out,! you! know,! about!

who!her!father!really!is.!I’ve!got!a!hunch,!but!I!don’t!know!what!

it!means!yet.”!

!

The!tension!drained!out!of!her,!her!face!smoothing!into!a!

neutral! expression.! “Well,! you’re! all! set.! I’ve! arranged!

transportation!down!to!the!Bay!area!for!you.”!

!

“A!guy!you!know…”!

!

“I!trust!him.”!

!

“That’s!it?”!

!

“What!else!is!there?!Look,!he’s!willing!to!drop!everything!

to!help!me.!Us.!Do!you!really!need!to!know!anything!else?”!She!

came!over!and!put!a!hand!on!my!shoulder.!“You!look!beat.!You!

should! catch! a! short! nap! if! you! can.! He’ll! be! here! in! a! few!

hours.”!

!

I’d! managed! only! a! couple! of! hours! of! sleep! in! the! past!

three! days,! none! in! the! last! forty6eight! hours.! A! nap! sounded!

appealing.!I!nodded!and!went!into!the!bedroom.!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

276&

!

!

Chapter&42&

!

!

The!roar!of!a!loud!engine!brought!me!out!of!fitful!dream.!I!

didn’t! remember! falling! asleep.! I! struggled! for! a! moment! to!

remember!where!I!was.!The!window!in!the!small!bedroom!was!

indigo.!As!it!slowly!came!into!focus,!a!spattering!of!white!dots!

filled! the! upper! third.! Night! had! fallen.! I! padded! out! to! the!

living!room!in!bare!feet.!The!front!door!stood!open!and!Reyna!

was! gone.! The! engine’s! reverberation! settled! into! a! steady!

growl,! punctuated! occasionally! by! a! brief! increase! in! pitch.! I!

pulled!on!shoes!and!stepped!outside,!searching!for!the!source!

of!the!sound.!

!

White! and! red! lights! moved! across! the! water! off! shore,!

then!turned!and!headed!toward!the!beach,!a!green!light!visible!

now.! Running! lights,! but! too! wide6spaced! to! be! a! boat.! The!

beam!of!a!flashlight!led!from!the!beach!out!over!the!water!and!

quickly! played! across! it! twice,! giving! me! a! glimpse! of! wings!

and! spinning! propeller.! The! light! source! silhouetted! a! dark!

figure!on!shore.!Reyna.!The!pilot!snapped!on!a!bright!landing!

light! in! the! left! wing,! illuminating! the! beach,! then! throttled!

down,! and! the! engine! burbled! to! a! stop.! I! hustled! down! the!

slope!and!joined!Reyna!as!the!floatplane!silently!drifted!in.!She!

kept! her! eyes! directed! out! on! the! water,! not! bothering! to!

acknowledge!me.!

!

The! pilot! clambered! out! of! the! cockpit! onto! one! of! the!

floats! and! bent! down! to! attach! a! line.! He! straightened! and!

stood!motionless!as!the!plane!glided!toward!shore.!Twenty!feet!

out,! he! heaved! the! coil! of! rope! at! us.! It! snaked! through! the!

darkness.! I! caught! it! as! it! descended! and! pulled! steadily,!

walking!backward!up!the!gentle!slope!until!the!floats!slid!onto!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

277&

the!sand!jerking!me!to!a!stop.!The!pilot!waved!an!arm!up!the!

beach,!pointing.!

!

“Maybe!just!loop!it!over!that!driftwood!over!there!and!tie!

it! off,”! he! called.! “Won’t! be! here! long! enough! to! worry! about!

the!tide!taking!her!out.”!

!

A!short,!powerfully!built!man!with!unkempt!black!hair!and!

scraggly!beard,!he!stepped!off!the!float!and!wrapped!Reyna!up!

in!a!bear!hug.!

!

“How! you! been,! girl?! I! hear! you’re! gonna! make! admiral!

soon.”!

!

“Jesus,!Toby,!let!me!go.!You’re!going!to!squish!my!guts!out!

like!toothpaste.”!

!

He!dropped!her!gently!on!her!feet!in!the!sand!and!stepped!

back!to!look!at!her!in!the!bright!light!from!the!plane.!

!

“You!look!good,!kiddo.”!

!

“You,! too,! Toby.! Civilian! life! agrees! with! you.”! The! wide!

smile!on!her!face!shone!as!brightly!as!the!landing!light.!

!

“Can’t!complain,”!he!said.!“Life’s!good.”!

!

I! strolled! up! to! them! slowly,! reluctant! to! intrude.! Reyna!

dropped! her! gaze! to! her! feet,! her! smile! falling! with! it,! and!

looked!at!me!coolly.!

!

“Toby,!this!is!Blake!Sanders.!Blake,!Toby!Russell.!Toby’s!an!

old! buddy! from! the! Navy.! We! served! in! the! Persian! Gulf!

together.”!

!

Though! shadowed,! even! in! the! dark! the! flat! planes! and!

chiseled! bones! of! his! cheeks! and! nose! suggested! he! was!