Night Tide (47 page)

cold.”!

!

“You’re!angry.”!

!

Reyna! stood! so! abruptly! she! knocked! the! chair! over!

backward.! She! paced! two! steps! one! way! and! reversed!

direction.!“Damn!straight,!I’m!angry.!I!knew!I!shouldn’t!let!this!

get!personal.!I!knew!I!shouldn’t!get!involved.”!

!

I!set!the!coffee!cup!down!before!my!trembling!hand!spilled!

it.! “Is! that! what! this! is! all! about?! Now!
you’re
! the! one! with!

morning6after!regret?”!

!

“Not!you,!damn!it.!That’s!not!what!I!meant.!I!meant!I!never!

should!have!let!you!go!off!on!a!whim!and!chase!down!stories!

about!who!slept!with!who!a!lifetime!ago.!I!never!should!have!

let!you!know!I!was!here.”!

!

“You!
do
!regret!it.!Or!is!it!because!I!slept!with!Keely?”!

!

“Blake,!stop!it!!This!isn’t!about!you!and!me.!This!is!about!

my!job,!about!my!mission.”!

!

“Fine.!Don’t!get!pissed!at!me.!I!didn’t!call!in!the!cavalry—

sorry,! the! Marines! or! whatever.! You! stepped! in! all! on! your!

own.! I’m! just! trying! to! keep! from! getting! killed.! And! maybe!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

310&

help!Charlie’s!parents!out!of!a!bind.!If!we!ever!find!them!again.!

Besides,!that!hunch!paid!off.”!

!

She!stopped!and!put!her!fists!on!her!hips.!“How?”!

!

I! didn’t! answer! right! away,! hoping! we’d! both! cool! down!

some.!

!

“I’d!say!it’s!a!safe!bet!that!Keely’s!working!with!her!father.!

Which! puts! Ross! Industries! behind! the! attempts! to! snatch!

Charlie’s!parents.”!

!

She!pursed!her!lips.!“Go!on.”!

!

“Keely! said! she! wanted! the! Wilsons! because! she! thought!

they!were!behind!the!bombing.!Baines!might!want!them!for!the!

same!reason.!But!why!would!Ross!Industries!want!them?”!

!

I!watched!her!think!it!through.!

!

“The! battery! technology.”! She! frowned.! “If! the! Wilsons!

have! it.! Langford! said! he! didn’t! think! they! knew! what! they!

were!getting!into.”!!

!

I! barely! heard! her! answer.! My! mind! had! already! caught!

the!scent!of!something!else!and!was!bounding!down!a!different!

trail.!!

!

“Guy!at!SIU!told!me!Kwan!Ji!kept!a!notebook!for!stuff!that!

wasn’t!in!his!head,”!I!said.!“They!never!found!it.!Assumed!it!was!

destroyed!in!the!explosion.”!

!

She! waved! impatiently.! “We! think! it! was! stolen,! either!

from!the!lab!or!from!Kwan’s!home!before!he!was!killed!in!the!

fire.”!

!

“If!it!was!stolen,!why!hasn’t!anyone!capitalized!on!Kwan’s!

research?”!

!

“I!don’t!know.”!

!

“Makes!more!sense!that!it!was!destroyed.”!

!

“Then! what! is! everyone! after! now?! If! Ross! Industries! got!

wind! that! the! notes! still! exist,! it! would! explain! why! they’re!

after!the!Wilsons.!The!interest!from!the!Chinese,!too.”!

!

I!stiffened,!a!hound!on!point!as!my!mind!denned!a!critter!

of!some!sort.!“Fitch.!He!was!the!link,!the!go6between.!What!if!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

311&

he!figured!out!at!the!last!minute!he!and!the!Wilsons!had!been!

set!up?!Sees!the!notebook!and!takes!it!for!insurance.”!

!

“Or! knows! all! along! that! Kwan! is! the! target! and! sees! an!

opportunity.”!

!

“Sure.!Either!way,!it’s!possible.”!!

!

I!pawed!at!the!idea,!trying!to!get!close!enough!to!see!it,!not!

just!smell!it.!
Something*about*Fitch,*something*Collins*told*me.*

No,* Sarah.* Sarah* had* told* me* that* Uncle* Sebastian* had* gotten*

religion.
!

!

I!swore!softly.!“I!know!where!it!is.!The!Wilsons!had!it!all!

the!time.!Probably!didn’t!even!know!it.!I’ve!gotta!call!Sarah.”!

!

I! stood,! fished! my! phone! out! of! my! pocket! and! retrieved!

her! number! from! my! contacts! list.! Reyna! went! into! the!

bedroom! and! with! no! self6consciousness! stripped! down! to!

utilitarian! but! flattering! white! cotton! bra! and! thong.! I! dialed,!

pacing! a! short! path! in! front! of! the! doorway! while! watching!

Reyna!pull!on!jeans.!Sarah!answered!after!the!eighth!ring.!

!

“It’s!Blake.”!

!

“Blake,!I—”!

!

“Sarah,! don’t! talk,! just! listen.! I! don’t! have! a! lot! of! time.! I!

found!your!parents,!but!some!people!took!them!before!I!could!

get!to!them.!They’re!okay.!At!least!I!think!they!are.”!I!cringed!at!

my!own!lie,!remembering!how!Connie!had!gone!down.!“To!get!

them!back!we!need!a!couple!of!things!from!their!house.!Is!there!

a!way!to!get!in?”!

!

“I’ve!got!a!spare!key!in!my!purse.”!She!sounded!subdued.!

“I’m!at!the!hospital!with!Charlie!now.!You!could!stop!by.”!

!

“No,!I!can’t.!I’m!not!anywhere!near!you.!Is!there!a!neighbor!

with!a!key,!maybe?”!

!

“Yes,! yes! there! is.”! Her! voice! grew! more! animated.! “The!

people! next! to! them.! The! Reynolds.! Down! the! road,! on! the!

corner.!The!ones!with!the!horses.!I’m!sure!they!have!a!key.”!

!

“Okay,!good.!Thanks.”!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

312&

!

“What’s! going! on,! Blake?! Who’s! ‘we’?! Where! did! you! find!

them?”!

!

Reyna!walked!in!carrying!a!tote!bag!and!rolled!her!hand!in!

a!circle,!urging!me!to!finish!up.!

!

“I!can’t!talk!now,!Sarah.!I’ll!explain!later.”!

!

“Tell!me!where!you!are,!at!least.”!

!

“I!can’t.”!

!

“Look,!if!it’s!about!what!I!said!at!the!coffeeshop,!I’m!sorry.”!

!

“It’s!not.”!

!

“I!really!didn’t!mean!all!those—”!!!

!

“Forget!it.!Sarah,!I!need!the!alarm!code.”!

!

“The!alarm?!I!don’t!remember!it.!Hold!on,!I’ll!ask!Charlie.”!

!

“Hurry,!please!”!

!

Muffled!sounds!came!through!the!phone!for!what!seemed!

an! eternity.! I! tapped! my! foot.! Finally! she! came! back! on! and!

rattled!off!the!number.!I!repeated!it!silently!several!times!like!a!

mantra,!imprinting!it!in!memory.!

!

“Thanks,!Sarah.!Gotta!go.”!

!

Reyna!glanced!at!her!watch!and!grabbed!the!laptop!off!the!

table.!“We!have!to!move.!You!know!they!have!our!cell!numbers.!

They! might! be! able! to! triangulate! our! position.! We! can’t! stay!

anyway.!They!find!us!here!my!friend!gets!implicated!for!aiding!

and!abetting.!Not!going!to!happen.”!!

!

I!looked!around.!I’d!already!stowed!my!things!in!the!car,!so!

I! checked! the! windows! and! put! away! the! few! things! in! the!

kitchen! we’d! taken! from! the! cupboard! or! pantry.! I! preceded!

her!out!and!waited!while!she!locked!up!and!put!the!key!back!in!

its!hidey6hole.!!

!

“We!need!a!new!car,”!she!said.!!

!

I!rubbed!my!forehead.!“Rental’s!not!good!enough!for!you?”!

!

She! wrinkled! her! perfect! nose.! “They’ll! be! looking! for!

ours.”!

!

“Oh.”!!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

313&

!

Thoughts! spread! out! in! my! head! like! an! endless! patch! of!

lily!pads!on!the!virescent!water!of!a!pond.!I!leapfrogged!from!

one!to!another,!not!settling!long!enough!to!get!a!real!sense!of!

any!of!them!before!getting!distracted!by!the!dragonfly!on!the!

next!one,!or!the!water!lily!on!the!one!after!that.!My!ability!to!

concentrate!was!deteriorating.!I!closed!my!eyes!and!slowed!my!

breathing,!mentally!chanted!a!real!mantra,!uprooting!all!the!lily!

pads!and!picturing!the!flat,!empty!surface.! I!opened!my!eyes.!

!

“We’ll!take!your!car!as!far!as!Clayt!and!Connie’s!house,”!I!

said.!“
I’ll
!drive.!They’ll!be!looking!for!single!passengers!in!both!

cars,!a!female!driver!in!yours.!Be!right!there.”!

!

She! shrugged,! walked! around! the! rental! and! got! in.! I!

hurried!over!to!the!Toyota.!From!the!trunk!I!retrieved!the!gun!

and! extra! magazines,! filling! my! pockets.! I! got! in! and! dug! my!

extra! pills! out! of! the! glove! compartment,! swallowed! one! dry!

and!pocketed!the!rest.!I!started!the!engine!and!rolled!down!the!

window! as! I! pulled! up! next! to! Reyna’s! car.! She! opened! her!

window.!

!

“Follow!me!out!to!the!road,”!I!said.!“I’ll!find!spot!to!dump!

this.”!

!

She!nodded!and!climbed!over!the!console!as!I!pulled!away.!

!

Five!minutes!later!we!were!on!a!loop!road!out!to!the!main!

highway.! Up! ahead,! flashing! blue! lights! appeared! around! a!

curve.!!

!

Reyna!put!a!hand!on!my!arm!and!calmly!said,!“Easy!does!

it.”!

!

I! took! a! breath,! checked! my! speed! and! watched! the!

oncoming! car.! A! county! sheriff’s! car! flashed! past! silently!

without! slowing.! Reyna! craned! her! neck! and! watched! it! as! it!

vanished! behind! us! when! we! took! the! curve! in! the! opposite!

direction.!!

!

“You!think!he’s!looking!for!us?”!I!said.!

!

Reyna! straightened! and! stared! out! the! windshield.! “Oh,!

yeah.”!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

314&

!

!

Chapter&46&

!

!

Sunlight! slanted! across! the! road,! frosting! the! tips! of! the!

tallest! Douglas! firs! with! a! golden! glow,! shadows! darkening!

lower! branches! to! hunter! green.! The! road! tunneled! through!

the!trees,!occasionally!breaking!into!a!clearing!of!pastures!or!a!

lone! house.! We’d! stayed! on! the! highway! for! the! first! twenty!

minutes! to! quickly! gain! some! distance! from! the! cottage,! but!

had!veered!onto!back!roads!once!Reyna!mapped!a!route!on!a!

GPS!device.!!

!

I!broke!the!silence.!“Do!you!have!a!plan?”!

!

I!glanced!at!her.!She!stared!straight!ahead,!thicket!of!hair!

across!her!cheek!hiding!her!expression.!!

!

“Plan?”! she! repeated! softly.! “No,! no! plan.! We! are! so! far!

from!the!plan!we’re!flying!blind.”!

!

For!a!moment!she!looked!out!the!passenger!window,!then!

faced!front!again.!

!

“How!about!you?!You!got!any!brilliant!ideas?”!

!

“Me?”!!

!

The!mindlessness!of!driving!and!the!meds!had!calmed!the!

maelstrom! in! my! head,! letting! me! consider! possibilities! in! a!

more!rational!manner.!But!I!hadn’t!figured!anything!out.!

!

“Look,! I! don’t! think! I! have! much! choice! here,”! I! said.!

“Charlie! and! Sarah! asked! me! to! look! into! what! happened! to!

their!parents.!I!told!them!I’d!try,!but!to!let!the!police!handle!it.!

Charlie,!of!all!people,!knows!that.!But!whoever!snatched!them!

keeps! trying! to! kill! me.! That! seems! to! be! Ross! Industries.! Or!

people!working!for!Tucker!Baines.!

!

“Keely!Radcliffe!shows!up!out!of!nowhere!and!asks!me!to!

help! find! my! old! pal! Wink! Langford! because! he! might! have!

spent!twenty6plus!years!in!jail!for!something!he!didn’t!do.!Only!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

315&

I!find!out!Wink’s!after!Charlie’s!parents,!and,!oh6by6the6way,!so!

is!Keely.!And!Keely’s!probably!doing!it!to!help!out!her!father,!

Tucker!Baines.!The!guy!who!likely!hired!the!men!who’ve!been!

trying!to!kill!me.!And!who,!it!turns!out,!isn’t!Keely’s!father!after!

all.!That!would!be!Clayt!Jones,!or!Colin!Wilson,!or!whoever!he!

is,! the! guy! who! also! happens! to! be! Charlie’s! and! Sarah’s! dad.!

Who!I’ve!known!since!I!was!in!college.!Plus,!come!to!think!of!it,!

I’m!wanted!by!the!FBI.”!

!

I! glanced! at! her.! “I! think! I! got! all! that! right.! I! guess! my!

point!is!I!have!to!see!this!through!or!I’m!likely!to!end!up!dead.!

And!I’m!not!gonna!wait!for!them!to!come!to!me.”!

!

She!didn’t!speak,!letting!it!marinate.!Five!miles!farther,!she!

seemed!to!come!to!some!decision.!Wresting!the!GPS!unit!off!the!

dash,!she!fiddled!with!it!a!moment.!

!

“When! you! get! to! the! highway! up! ahead,! go! south,”! she!

said.!“Take!the!first!exit.”!

!

Curious,! I! followed! her! directions.! She! steered! me! to! a!

shopping! mall! somewhere! outside! Gig! Harbor,! and! we! pulled!

into!the!parking!lot!outside!a!big6box!discount!store.!I!waited!

in!the!car!while!she!went!in.!I!flipped!through!some!stations!on!

the! radio.! Though! out! of! touch! for! several! days,! the! news!

sounded!like!the!same!old!thing.!Smooth!jazz!and!soft!rock!had!

a! soporific! effect.! Classical! sounded! too! sad.! Alternative! rock!

set!my!teeth!on!edge.!A!minute!or!so!of!country!started!to!drive!

me! insane.! I! turned! it! off! and! drummed! my! own! tune! on! the!

wheel.!

!

Ten! minutes! later,! Reyna! slid! in! the! passenger! seat! and!

told! me! to! drive.! I! followed! orders! while! she! plugged! in! a!

disposable! cell! phone! she’d! bought! and! started! making! calls.!

Unable!to!grasp!the!one6sided!conversation,!I!concentrated!on!