Night Tide (46 page)

rate.!I!pressed!my!right!hand!down!hard!on!my!leg,!calming!the!

shakes!in!both.!The!navigation!screen!indicated!I!was!a!block!

or! so! from! a! major! thoroughfare! that! would! take! me! back! to!

the! road! that! leading! to! the! airport.! They! had! to! figure! an!

airport! is! where! I’d! go,! either! San! Jose! to! the! south! or! San!

Francisco! to! the! north.! They! likely! couldn’t! call! out! the!

manpower!to!cover!them!all.!They’d!pick!one.!I’d!been!heading!

north,!so!I!hoped!they’d!choose!San!Francisco!International,!far!

from!where!I!was!going.!

!

Traffic!was!light!now!and!I!made!good!time.!It!only!took!a!

couple! of! minutes! to! get! to! the! same! cross6town! expressway!

that! had! taken! me! out! to! the! Baines! estate! less! than! an! hour!

earlier.!Keeping!an!eye!out!for!the!SUV,!I!got!out!my!phone!and!

called!Toby.!!

!

“You’re!still!alive,”!he!said.!

!

I!didn’t!laugh.!“I’m!five!minutes!away.”!

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—Sherer&

304&

!

He!heard!something!in!my!tone.!“Problems?”!

!

“I! don’t! think! so.”! Without! realizing! it! I! stretched! the!

words!like!taffy.!

!

“I’ll!stow!my!fishing!gear.”!

!

“I!thought!you!were!going!to!catch!some!Zs.”!

!

“This! was! more! fun.! Remember! that! big! dock! when! we!

came!in?!That’s!where!I’ll!be.!I!better!not!come!all!the!way!in.”!

!

“Okay.!See!you!there.”!!

!

I! pocketed! the! phone! and! concentrated! on! driving.! The!

expressway!quickly!came!to!an!end,!traffic!slowing!to!a!sedate!

pace.!The!rental!agency!rolled!by!on!the!right.!Behind!a!forty6

foot6high!screen!on!the!left,!golf!balls!plopped!into!the!verdant!

green! of! a! driving! range.! Past! the! end! of! the! range! came! the!

golf! course! clubhouse,! parking! lot! and! entrance.! The! airport!

property! started! across! the! street,! the! main! office! tucked!

behind!a!small!parking!lot!on!the!corner.!!

!

In!the!last!space,!twenty!feet!from!the!corner,!a!man!stood!

next!to!the!open!door!of!a!gray!sedan,!scanning!the!street!over!

the! roof! of! the! car.! The! BMW! caught! his! attention! and! he!

locked!eyes!with!me!through!the!windshield.!Face!lighting!up!

with!recognition,!he!stuck!a!foot!in!the!car!and!ducked!his!head!

to!get!in.!I!noticed!a!heavy6set!man!in!the!passenger!seat!point!

at!me,!jump6started!my!heart!with!another!jolt.!

!

I! jammed! the! gas! pedal! to! the! floor! as! the! gray! sedan!

backed!up.!The!BMW’s!engine!whined!louder!and!higher!as!it!

redlined,!the!force!of!the!sudden!acceleration!pressing!me!into!

the!seat.!I!flew!past!the!lot!before!the!sedan!even!got!out!of!its!

space.!The!car!shifted!gears!and!went!even!faster!as!it!rounded!

a!small!curve!and!headed!for!the!marsh.!Ahead,!the!road!ended!

in! a! T.!
Right?* Left?
! I! couldn’t! remember! which! way! I’d! come!

that!morning.!
There!
!I!spotted!familiar!landmarks.
*Left!
!

!

I! curved! around! the! top! of! the! mud! flats,! ignoring! the!

speed! limit! signs! that! screamed! at! me! to! slow! down.! A! half6

mile! across! the! flats,! Toby’s! yellow! and! white! plane! floated!

Night&Tide
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next! to! the! big! T6shaped! dock! jutting! out! onto! the! water’s!

surface.!
Pay* attention!
! I! flashed! by! a! rest! area! standing! in! a!

grove!of!trees.!On!the!far!side,!a!pedestrian!stepped!out!of!the!

shadows!onto!a!crosswalk.!I!hit!the!horn!and!swerved!to!avoid!

him.! I! swallowed! hard,! trying! to! clear! my! heart! out! of! my!

throat.!Dead!ahead!lay!nothing!but!salt!marsh!where!the!road!

took!a!sharp!right!turn!down!to!the!dock.!An!attractive!wood!

building! sat! on! pilings! a! hundred! yards! catty6corner! across! a!

pond.!An!interpretive!center,!according!to!signs.!I!slammed!on!

the!brakes!when!I!got!close,!slid!around!the!corner!and!opened!

the!throttle!again!the!last!three!hundred!yards.!!

!

The!road!ended!in!a!cleared!area!the!size!of!a!football!field,!

a!staging!area!for!sailboat!trailers.!The!dock!extended!from!the!

far!corner!of!the!big!lot.!I!angled!for!the!dock,!sped!across!and!

skidded!to!a!stop.!I!scrambled!out!and!raced!to!the!dock,!eyes!

searching!the!road!across!the!mud!flats!for!signs!of!pursuit.!I!

craned! my! neck,! twisting! halfway! around! before! spotting! the!

gray!sedan!as!it!approached!the!turn!at!the!interpretive!center.!

The!sight!spurred!me!on!faster.!Eyes!ahead,!I!raced!down!the!

dock!to!the!T!at!the!end!where!the!floatplane!sat,!propeller!a!

lazy!pinwheel!spinning!in!the!sun.!!

!

Toby!had!positioned!the!plane!on!one!end!of!the!T,!leaving!

the! passenger! door! open.! I! sprinted! to! the! end,! grabbed! the!

line! off! the! dock! cleat! and! unclipped! the! carabiner! that!

fastened! the! other! end! to! the! pontoon.! The! engine! growled,!

changing!pitch!as!I!threw!the!rope!in!the!back,!grabbed!hold!of!

the! strut! and! shoved! with! all! my! strength.! I! dove! into! the!

passenger!seat!as!the!plane!quickly!pulled!away!from!the!dock.!

Grabbing! the! door! handle,! I! slammed! it! closed,! and! saw! two!

men! in! suits! step! out! of! the! gray! sedan! into! the! dust! cloud!

swirling! around! its! wheels.! The! one! on! the! passenger! side!

steadied! a! pistol! on! top! of! the! doorframe.! The! muzzle! spit!

flame.! Half! a! second! later! I! heard! a! distant! crack,! muffled! by!

the!roar!of!the!plane’s!engine.!!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

306&

!

Instinctively,! I! cringed,! pressing! myself! down! in! the! seat.!

Toby! swung! the! plane! around! and! headed! out! to! sea,! putting!

our!backs!to!the!dock.!Twisting!in!my!seat,!my!last!sight!of!the!

pair!behind!us!showed!the!gunman!holding!his!weapon!muzzle!

down! with! an! expression! of! disgust,! his! partner! looking!

resigned.!I!swung!around!and!stared!out!at!the!sparkling!deep!

blue!water!of!San!Francisco!Bay,!heart!pounding,!mouth!dry!as!

a!desert!and!drenched!in!sweat.!

!

“Nice!wheels,”!Toby!shouted!over!the!sound!of!the!engine.!

“Is!that!a!rental?”!

!

He!pulled!back!on!the!yoke!and!the!plane!leapt!into!the!air.!

*!*!*!*!*!

!

Keely! sat! hunched! over,! arms! clasping! her! knees,! head!

resting!on!her!forearms.!Two!men,!faceless!in!the!dark,!stood!

on! either! side! pointing! carbines! at! her,! small! steel! snouts!

snuffling! at! her! short,! shaggy! hair.! Guarding! her.! Not! from!

harm.!Preventing!her!from!escape.!She!slowly!raised!her!head,!

eyes! baleful,! accusatory,! teeth! bared! vengefully.! The! gun!

barrels!prodded!her!to!her!feet,!her!captors!intending!to!lead!

her!to!her!fate.!!

!

I!watched!with!curious!detachment,!uncertain!whether!to!

feel! concern! or! elation.! That! depended! on! the! identity! of! the!

men! in! shadow.! But! as! she! stood,! shadows! played! across! her!

face,! changing! her! features,! filling! them! out,! turning! soft! into!

hard,!delicate!to!rugged,!feminine!to!masculine.!With!growing!

horror,!I!realized!that!it!was!Cole,!not!Keely,!and!his!expression!

beseeched! instead! of! belittled.! I! couldn’t! let! them! take! him.! I!

knew! the! outcome! if! they! did—he! would! die.! I! couldn’t! go!

through!that!again.!I!lurched!toward!him,!but!someone!held!me!

back.!Someone!put!a!hand!on!my!shoulder,!preventing!me!from!

running!to!his!aid,!and!the!two!men!led!him!away!into!the!dark.!

!

“Blake,!time!to!go.”!

!

Reyna! stood! over! me,! a! hand! on! my! shoulder.! I! blinked!

and!turned!my!head,!trying!to!see!where!they’d!taken!my!son.!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

307&

The!hard!edges!of!reality!came!into!focus!as!the!dream!faded,!

the!vaguely!familiar!furnishings!and!dimensions!of!the!cottage!

replacing!the!shadows.!I!wet!my!lips!and!swallowed.!My!shirt!

clung!to!me!in!spots,!the!turquoise!fabric!stained!navy.!

!

“What!time!is!it?”!

!

Daylight! filled! the! room,! but! no! direct! sunshine.! I! sat! up,!

rubbed! my! eyes! and! looked! out! the! window.! The! shadows! in!

the!yard!had!lengthened,!but!the!sun!still!blasted!the!roof!with!

heat,!turning!the!cottage!into!an!oven.!!

!

“It’s!getting!late,”!she!said.!“Come!on,!we!need!to!move.”!

!

“Why?! What’s! happened?”! I! swiveled! my! head.! “Where’s!

Toby?”!

!

“Already!gone,”!she!said.!She!handed!me!a!mug!of!coffee.!

!

I! took! a! sip,! nearly! scalding! my! tongue,! and! got! my!

bearings.!!

!

Toby! had! set! the! floatplane! down! in! Puget! Sound! late!

afternoon.! Needing! sleep! as! badly! as! I! did,! he! beached! the!

plane! and! we! both! crashed! in! the! empty! cottage,! me! on! the!

couch! and! Toby! in! the! bedroom.! I’d! fallen! into! such! a! deep!

sleep!I!hadn’t!heard!the!plane!take!off!again.!I!stifled!a!yawn.!A!

couple!of!hours!of!shut6eye!were!better!than!nothing.!!

!

Reyna!moved!to!the!table!and!closed!her!laptop.!She!was!

dressed!in!a!service!uniform!of!khaki!blouse!replete!with!Navy!

insignia! and! black! trousers.! Her! bearing! was! stiff,! martial.! I’d!

never!seen!her!in!full!regalia!before.!More!awake!now,!I!sensed!

a! canyon! between! us! far! wider! than! the! few! feet! from! the!

couch!to!the!table.!Dregs!of!panic!and!fear!brought!on!by!the!

dream!lingered.!

!

“I!thought!this!place!was!safe.”!

!

“Not!any!more.”!She!glanced!over.!“What!the!hell!did!you!

do!down!there?”!

!

“What!did!I…?!I!did!what!I!said!I’d!do.!I!talked!to!Pepper!

Baines.!Found!out!I!was!right.!Colin!Wilson!is!Keely’s!biological!

father.”!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

308&

!

She!stared!at!me.!“And?”!

!

“And! nothing.! For! my! trouble,! Keely! apparently! sicked! a!

Ross! Industries! security! team! on! me.! They! chased! me.! I! got!

away.!Why?”!

!

“You! ruffled! somebody’s! feathers! but! good.! I! went! up! to!

the!sub!base!at!Bangor!today!to!do!my!
job
!and!see!if!I!could!nail!

down! what! the! Chinese! are! after.! It! wasn’t! even! lunchtime!

before! two! Masters6at6Arms! showed! up! looking! for! me.! I!

overheard! the! MAs! when! they! came! in.! Lucky! for! me,! the!

NAVCOMTELSTA! folks! know! me.! The! petty! officer! on! duty!

stalled!them!so!I!could!slip!out.”!

!

“Damn!”! The! thought! of! Keely! had! brought! back! the!

memory!of!Cole’s!face!in!my!dream.!

!

Reyna’s!eyes!widened.!“What?!What!is!it?”!

!

“I! forgot! Cole’s! birthday!”! I! squeezed! my! eyes! shut! and!

rubbed!my!forehead.!“I!can’t!believe!I!did!that.”!

!

“What! the! hell! are! you! talking! about?! Have! you! heard!

anything!I’ve!said?”!

!

“Cole—my!son.!His!birthday!was!three!months!ago.!I!can’t!

believe!I!fucking!forgot.”!

“Blake!! Three!
months
?”! She! shook!

her!head.!“We’ve!got!more!important!issues!here.”!

!

I! promised! myself! I’d! keep! Cole’s! memory! alive—one! of!

the! reasons! I! still! volunteered! for! Jeri’s! suicide! prevention!

organization! and! attended! group! support! meetings! on!

occasion.! And! I! couldn’t! even! remember! his! damn! birthday.!

But! Reyna! was! right;! I! was! off6task,! a! signal! that! I’d! been! off!

meds! for! a! while.! Not! without! effort,! I! mentally! backtracked!

and!picked!up!the!trail!of!her!conversation.!!

!

“Why!would!base!police!want!you?”!!

!

“That’s! what! I! wondered.! I! got! the! hell! out! of! there! first,!

then!put!in!a!call!to!my!friend!who!owns!this!place.!Near!as!he!

can!tell,!the!Master!Chief!got!word!to!have!me!brought!to!the!

CO’s!office!because!some!big!mucky6muck!was!raising!holy!hell!

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about! a! civilian! terrorizing! his! family.! A! civilian! the! Navy! let!

loose,!he!said.!He!was!talking!about!you,!Blake.”!

!

“I! swear! I! didn’t.! The! woman! agreed! to! see! me.! I! didn’t!

have!to!threaten!her.!But!she!did!call!Keely!to!check!up!on!me.!

Keely’s! the! one! who! called! in! security.! Hell,! the! brother—

Tucker?—loaned! me! his! car! so! I! could! slip! past! the! security!

folks.!No!love!lost!there,!apparently,!between!Baines!Junior!and!

Senior.”!

!

“You!didn’t!cause!any!trouble?”!

!

I!thought!back!to!the!morning’s!whirlwind!of!events.!“Well,!

one!of!the!security!guys!may!have!a!few!bruises.”!

!

Reyna! looked! grim.! “You! know! what! this! means,! don’t!

you?! My! boss! didn’t! even! give! me! a! heads6up! first.! This! guy!

Baines!has!so!much!clout!he!can!go!all!the!way!to!the!top.!Or!

ONI!is!involved!somehow!in!all!this.!Either!way,!I’m!out!in!the!