Night Tide (42 page)

Eskimo,! maybe! Inuit! or! Inupiat.! He! stuck! out! a! paw! and!

gripped! my! big! hand! with! such! force! I! was! sure! I! heard!

something!crack.!

!

His! face! split! into! a! smile.! “Big! fella,! huh?! May! have! to!

shove!you!through!the!cargo!door,!but!we’ll!make!you!fit.”!He!

turned! to! Reyna.! “Got! any! grub?! And! a! cold! beer! would! be!

nice.”!!

!

She!laughed.!“We’ll!find!something.”!

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!

“Give!me!a!minute!to!shut!her!down.”!

!

With!a!nimbleness!that!belied!his!size,!Toby!danced!down!

the!float,!threading!his!way!around!the!struts,!and!leaned!into!

the! cockpit.! The! landing! light! and! running! lights! blinked! off,!

leaving!us!in!sudden!darkness.!I!was!blind!for!a!moment!until!

my!eyes!adjusted!to!the!light!of!the!stars.!Toby!hopped!down!

on! the! sand,! draped! an! arm! around! Reyna’s! shoulders! and!

turned!her!toward!the!cottage.!I!followed!along!behind!like!an!

obedient!mutt.!

*!*!*!*!*!

!

We! took! off! a! little! after! midnight,! pontoons! slicing!

through!the!calm!water!with!hardly!a!splash.!The!wide!square6

tipped!wings!quickly!found!lift,!and!Toby!pulled!back!the!stick!

after! a! short! run,! lifting! the! nose! into! the! air.! With! the! floats!

free!of!the!water,!the!plane!gained!speed!and!altitude!fast,!and!

within! seconds,! the! scattered! lights! below! glittered! like! tiny!

jewels! on! black! velvet.! My! ears! popped! as! the! plane! climbed!

skyward,! its! propeller! clawing! a! path! toward! inky! blackness!

and!bright!stars!overhead.!The!little!plane’s!power,!combined!

with!the!short!take6off!surprised!me.!

!

I!yelled!over!the!engine!noise.!“What!is!this?”!

!

He!scrunched!his!broad!face!into!a!question!mark.!

!

I!twirled!a!finger!in!the!air.!“What!kind!of!plane?”!

!

He! handed! me! a! pair! of! headphones,! with! a! microphone!

boom!attached,!and!plugged!the!other!end!into!a!jack.!

!

His! voice! came! through! the! earpieces.! “Maule! M6seven6

four6twenty.!Turboprop.”!

!

“Big!wings,”!I!said.!“STOL?”!

!

He!nodded.!“I!can!take!off!and!land!on!a!pond!a!little!larger!

than!a!football!field.”!

!

“You!a!bush!pilot?”!

!

He! grinned.! “Smarter! than! you! look.! What! gave! it! away?!

My!WASP6ish!good!looks?”!

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!

My! face! lit! up! the! cabin! in! red.! “Something! like! that.!

Figured!you!must!be!from!Alaska.”!

!

He! nodded.! “My! mom’s! Inuit.! She! married! a! white! guy,! a!

wildcatter!from!Texas.!He!split!when!I!was!a!kid.”!

!

“Explains!your!name.”!

!

“Real! name! is! Taqukaq,! but! no! one! can! pronounce! it,! let!

alone!spell!it.!I!settled!on!Toby.”!

!

“What’s!it!mean?”!

!

“Grizzly!bear.”!

!

It!fit.!I!laughed.!!

!

“You!flew!down!from!Alaska!for!this?”!

!

“Yeah,!Ketchikan.”!

!

“To! ferry! a! complete! stranger! all! the! way! down! to!

California?”!

!

“Wasn’t!doing!anything!else.”!He!flashed!a!quick!smile.!

!

I!stared!at!him,!setting!his!beard!on!fire!and!boring!a!hole!

in!his!head.!!

!

He!finally!glanced!at!me.!“How!well!do!you!know!Reyna?”!

!

“Not!as!well!as!I’d!like,!but!I!hope!to!change!that.”!

!

Now!his!gaze!cut!into!me!like!a!laser.!He!tipped!his!head!

once,!as!if!making!up!his!mind.!

!

“She! saved! my! butt! a! couple! of! times! in! the! service.”! He!

didn’t!offer!an!explanation.!“It!wouldn’t!make!any!difference!if!

she!hadn’t.!If!you!knew!her,!you’d!know!why!I!came.”!

!

We!fell!into!silence!save!the!occasional!crackle!of!the!radio!

and!Toby’s!responses!to!air!traffic!controllers.!At!altitude,!the!

sky!was!awash!in!stars,!so!many!that!it!hardly!seemed!possible!

one! among! them! wasn’t! like! our! own! sun,! shining! on! a! blue6

marble!planet!like!ours.!A!black!curtain!covered!the!stars!in!the!

lower!quarter!of!the!western!sky,!a!sharp!line!demarcating!the!

front! that! hung! out! over! the! Pacific.! The! thick,! wide! band! of!

clouds!waited!patiently!for!a!ridge!of!high!pressure!over!us!to!

weaken,!biding!its!time!until!it!unleashed!rain!and!likely!some!

brisk!winds.!Relief!after!the!few!days!of!heat.!

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!

A! waning! crescent! moon! rose! over! the! eastern! horizon!

some!time!after!two!in!the!morning,!casting!a!blue!glow!over!

the!land!far!below!and!lighting!up!bodies!of!water!in!flashes!of!

silver! as! we! glided! by.! We! droned! on! through! the! night,! and!

though! pushed! all! the! way! back,! my! seat! grew! teeth! after!

another! hour.! I! was! glad! when! Toby! started! a! descent,! but!

confused!when!nothing!below!us!glowed!with!the!expanse!and!

brightness!of!a!major!city.!

!

I!thumbed!my!mic.!“What’s!up?”!

!

He!glanced!over.!“Pit!stop.”!

!

Soon! the! lights! of! a! small! city! on! the! coast! came! in! view,!

and! Toby! nosed! the! plane! down! ever! closer! until! the! black!

expanse!of!a!large!bay!rushed!up!to!meet!us.!The!plane!lightly!

kissed!the!surface!and!scudded!across!the!water!toward!a!long!

dock.!!

!

“Eureka,”!Toby!said.!

!

“Yeah,!nice!landing.”!

!

“No,!this!is!Eureka.!California.”!

!

We! skirted! the! big! industrial! dock,! and! I! saw! he! was!

aiming! for! a! marina! just! beyond! it.! He! busied! himself! with!

controls!as!we!came!in,!jockeyed!the!plane!in!close!and!cut!the!

engine! to! glide! in! the! last! thirty! yards! without! power.! He!

quickly! climbed! out! on! the! pontoon,! fastened! a! line,! hopped!

onto!the!dock!and!tied!the!other!end!to!a!cleat.!But!for!pools!of!

light! under! evenly! spaced! light! poles! the! dock! was! deserted!

and! dark.! The! air! was! still! and! almost! deathly! quiet! after! the!

loud!drone!of!the!engine!for!so!long.!Through!the!ringing!in!my!

ears! I! heard! the! soft! lapping! of! water,! the! creak! of! boat! hulls!

against!the!dock,!the!muffled!ding!of!a!line!hitting!a!metal!mast.!

!

I! unfolded! myself! and! climbed! out! while! Toby! went! to!

rouse!a!night!manager!to!unlock!the!gas!pumps.!I!stretched!and!

paced!the!dock!in!the!cool!salt!air!as!the!plane!was!gassed!up.!

When!Toby!returned!I!held!out!some!plastic!and!offered!to!pay!

for!the!fuel.!He!waved!it!away!and!said!he’d!just!bill!it!to!the!

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government.! He! looked! serious.! I! put! the! card! back! in! my!

wallet.! Toby! disappeared! with! the! manager,! showing! up! five!

minutes! later! with! two! huge! cups! of! steaming! coffee.! Five!

minutes! after! that! we! were! back! out! on! the! bay,! accelerating!

across! the! smooth! onyx! surface! until! we! were! airborne! once!

again.!

!

Soon,! the! eastern! horizon! gradually! lightened,! black!

turning! to! indigo! and! then! a! dusky! Union! blue! before! rapidly!

paling! to! the! fragile! color! of! a! robin’s! egg.! Soon! the! nuclear!

blast! furnace! of! the! sun! rose! above! the! Earth’s! rim,! changing!

from! rosy! pink! to! flaming! orange! on! the! way.! Not! too! much!

later!we!touched!down!again!on!the!south!end!of!San!Francisco!

Bay.!!

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!

!

Chapter&43&

!

!

She! called! the! familiar! number.! He! answered! on! the! first!

ring,!as!she!knew!he!would.!The!last!few!times!they’d!spoken!

he’d!been!more!brusque!than!usual,!on!edge.!If!she!didn’t!know!

him! better,! she! might! even! have! thought! he! seemed! anxious.!

She’d! never! seen! him! as! anything! but! cold,! calculating.! She!

couldn’t!imagine!him!panicking!in!any!situation,!not!even!one!

in!which!he!faced!death.!But!she!definitely!heard!the!strain!in!

his!voice.!Something!made!him!nervous.!

!

“We!have!them,”!she!said.!

!

“They’re!secure?”!!

!

The! sarcasm! she! detected! in! his! voice! hinted! at! how!

irascible!he’d!become.!

!

“Yes.!We’re!at!the!compound.!They’re!in!restraints,!locked!

up,!with!guards!pulling!four6hour!shifts.”!

!

“Good.!Any!casualties!this!time?”!

!

“Jensen.!Flesh!wound.!Not!serious.”!

!

“Glad!to!hear!it.”!

!

She! seethed! with! anger,! the! sudden! attack! leaving! her!

quaking!almost!uncontrollably.!

!

“It! was! my! fault.! It! never! should! have! happened.! The!

pigeon!got!his!hands!on!another!gun.!I!should!have!anticipated!

that.”!

!

“He’s! an! amateur.! They’re! unpredictable.! The! important!

thing!is!you!found!them.”!

!

“I!suppose.”!!

!

She!hesitated,!wondering!whether!to!tell!him.!She!knew!it!

might! displease! him,! incense! him! even.! But! she! worried! now!

that!he!hadn’t!told!her!everything.!For!the!first!time!since!he’d!

convinced! her! to! help! him! catch! her! sister’s! killers! she!

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wondered! what! he! wanted.! What! he! really! wanted.! They’d!

stolen! something! from! him,! he’d! said.! That! much! may! have!

been!true,!and!for!a!long!time!it!had!been!enough!for!her.!If!she!

helped!him!they’d!both!get!what!they!wanted.!But!now!she!was!

no!longer!sure.!Something!felt!wrong.!

!

“I’m!concerned,”!she!said.!

!

“About!what?!Everything!is!under!control!now.”!

!

“They! don’t! know! where! it! is.”! She! blurted! it! out! and! bit!

her!tongue!with!instant!regret.!

!

“You!are!
not
!to!question!them!!Under!any!circumstances.”!

!

The!sharpness!of!his!tone!made!her!wince.!“All!right!”!

!

“Wait!until!I!get!there,”!he!said,!calmer!now.!“I!leave!first!

thing!in!the!morning.”!

!

She! didn’t! want! him! to! come,! she! realized,! actually!

dreaded!the!thought!of!seeing!him!in!person!after!all!this!time.!

She!wished!he!could!see!that!he!could!accomplish!nothing!by!

questioning! the! couple! further.! She! wished! for! once! that! he!

trusted! her.! But! only! big! girls,! it! seemed,! not! baby! sisters,!

earned!that!from!him.!

!

She! made! a! last! half6hearted! attempt.! “But! what! if! they!

really!don’t!know!anything?”!

!

“Not! to! worry.! Let! them! imagine! what’s! coming.! By!

tomorrow,!I’m!sure!they’ll!be!so!unnerved!I’ll!get!them!to!talk.”!

!

The!certainty!in!his!voice!sent!a!shiver!through!her.!!!

*!*!*!*!*!

!

The! plane! glided! around! a! point! toward! a! wide! estuary!

before! touching! down! with! a! spray! of! water.! Toby! cruised!

inland! past! a! large! dock! and! into! the! shallower! water! of! a!

marsh,! moving! at! a! fast! clip.! At! the! far! end,! over! the! top! of! a!

low! embankment,! rows! of! light! planes! sat! parked! on! tarmac!

under!the!hot!sun.!

!

“Where!are!we?”!

!

Toby! motioned! out! the! windscreen.! “That’s! the! Palo! Alto!

Airport.!Get!ready!to!bail.!I!shouldn’t!be!in!here.!Get!as!close!to!

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the! front! of! the! pontoon! as! you! can.! When! we! get! near! that!

embankment,!hop!off,!but!stay!ready.!I!may!need!your!help!to!

shove!off.”!He!fiddled!with!the!controls.!“Down!the!road!a!little!

ways!is!a!rental!car!agency.”!!

!

“What!are!you!going!to!do?”!

!

“Find! a! place! to! gas! up.! Nearest! place! is! probably! up! in!

Redwood! City.! When! you’re! ready,! call! me! on! my! cell! and! I’ll!

meet!you!back!here.”!

!

He!rattled!off!the!number,!and!brought!the!plane!around!in!

a!sharp!arc.!!

!

“Out!you!go,”!he!said.!!

!

I!clambered!out!the!cockpit!door!and!sidestepped!toward!

the! front! of! the! float.! Toby! cut! the! engine! as! the! plane! glided!

toward! the! embankment! and! the! spinning! prop! slowed! to! a!

stop.!With!the!tide!in,!the!plane!rode!high!enough!for!the!wing!

to!easily!clear!the!top!of!the!embankment.!As!the!plane!curved!

in! close,! I! stepped! onto! the! embankment! and! crouched! until!

the!wing!swept!over!me.!I!turned!to!see!if!Toby!needed!help,!

but!the!little!plane’s!engine!caught!with!a!throaty!growl,!and!it!

continued!its!turn!back!out!toward!the!bay.!

!

I! figured! the! rental! car! agency! wasn’t! open! yet,! so! I!

stopped! in! a! café! across! from! the! airport’s! main! office.! I!

couldn’t!really!call!it!a!terminal.!More!like!a!place!for!pilots!to!

file!flight!plans,!pay!the!rental!fees!for!their!hanger!space!and!