Night Tide (48 page)

following! the! route! mapped! out! by! the! GPS! unit.! The! house!

where!all!this!had!started!a!week!earlier!wasn’t!far!now.!!

!

Reyna!held!the!phone!away!from!her!ear.!“Did!Keely!give!

you!a!contact!number?”!

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!

I!dug!in!my!pocket,!pulled!out!the!wad!of!cash,!receipts!and!

scraps!of!paper,!and!handed!it!to!her.!!

!

“Should!be!in!there!somewhere.”!

!

She! shuffled! through! the! stack,! rattled! off! a! number,! and!

closed!the!phone!a!moment!later.!

!

“A!friend!of!mine!at!ONI,”!she!explained.!“Apparently,!not!

everyone’s! gotten! the! memo! that! I’m!
persona* non* grata
.! It’s!

time!we!turned!the!tables.!If!Keely!uses!her!phone,!he’ll!get!her!

location!for!me.”!

!

“You!think!they’re!okay?”!

!

“The! Wilsons?! Depends! on! how! badly! she! was! wounded,!

but! I! think! they’re! alive.! Unless! Baines! has! already! found! out!

where!the!notes!are.!Assuming!you’re!right!about!all!this,!that!

is.”!

!

“I!don’t!know!if!I’m!right!about!anything.!Keely!played!me!

pretty! good.! Could! be! I’m! wrong! about! a! lot! of! other! things,!

too.”!

!

“Don’t!be!so!hard!on!yourself.”!!

!

I!blinked!at!the!harshness!in!her!voice.!

!

More! gently,! she! said,! “For! an! amateur,! I! think! you’ve!

surprised!a!lot!of!people.”!

!

“What?! That! I! haven’t! gotten! myself! killed! yet?! Probably!

an!office!pool!on!that.!You!have!any!money!on!it?”!

!

“For!God’s!sake,!stop!trying!to!make!a!joke!out!of!it!!You!

think!I!jump!into!bed!with!every!man!I!meet?”!

!

“I!was!kidding.!I’m!not!exactly!used!to!people!trying!to!kill!

me.”!

!

“I!was!trying!to!pay!you!a!compliment.!Christ,!Blake,!get!a!

clue.!I!care!about!you.”!

!

Molly’s! face! suddenly! flashed! in! my! head,! the! image!

seemingly!so!random!my!chest!tightened!as!if!pressed!in!a!vise.!

Feeling! a! twinge! of! guilt! for! having! been! taken! in! by! Keely’s!

charms! I! could! understand,! but! the! sudden! image! of! Molly!

triggered!panic!that!I!fought!to!quell!with!deep!breaths.!I!felt!

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Reyna’s!eyes!on!me!and!glanced!at!her.!Her!features!registered!

disappointment,! shame,! embarrassment,! even! anger.! With! a!

sinking! heart,! I! realized! that! how! she! must! have! interpreted!

my! lack! of! response! and! sudden! gasping! like! a! fish! out! of!

water.!!

!

“Reyna,!I’m!sor—”!

!

“Forget!it!”!!

!

Silence! ballooned! inside! the! car,! squeezing! the! air! out,!

making!it!hard!to!breathe.!My!face!felt!flushed!and!hot.!One!of!

these! days! I! would! have! to! figure! out! who! the! hell! I! really!

wanted!to!be!with,!Molly!or!Reyna.!Unfortunately,!now!wasn’t!

the!time.!

!

I!clamped!my!jaw!and!drove.!

*!*!*!*!*!

!

Langford! finished! securing! the! boat! and! wheeled! the!

electric! scooter! across! a! gangplank! onto! the! dock.! The! only!

thing!that!saved!the!folding!bike!from!being!completely!dorky!

was! the! fact! that! the! tubular! aluminum! frame,! flared! fenders!

and! raked! seat! post! made! it! resemble! a! kids’! BMX! bike.! No!

banana! seat,! but! he’d! substituted! a! short6rise! BMX! handlebar!

for! the! flat! handlebar! it! came! with—as! a! practical! matter,! of!

course,! making! it! more! suitable! for! taller! adults—and! that!

added!to!its!curb!appeal.!It!was!no!Pinarello,!but!the!hub!motor!

propelled!it!at!a!steady!eighteen!mph!for!up!to!twenty!miles!on!

a!charge.!He!could!pedal!it!faster!in!a!short!sprint,!but!it!was!an!

effortless!way!to!get!around.!And!it!was!deadly!silent.!

!

He’d! paid! for! a! week’s! dock! rental! in! cash! at! the! office,!

letting! the! manager! know! in! casual! conversation! he! intended!

to! do! some! sightseeing! in! the! area.! Now! dressed! in! jeans,! an!

old!T6shirt!with!a!line!art!drawing!of!an!orca!on!the!front,!and!a!

Mariner’s! ball! cap,! he! waved! and! smiled! as! he! walked! the!

scooter!past!the!office.!!

!

Slipping!on!a!pair!of!sunglasses,!he!adjusted!the!straps!on!

his!backpack,!straddled!the!bike!and!pedaled!up!the!street.!He!

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knew! exactly! where! he! was! going.! Mindful! of! both! the!

vehicular! and! pedestrian! traffic! in! the! small! seaside! town,! he!

carefully! threaded! his! way! through! the! business! district.!

Tourist!season!had!barely!begun!since!many!families!still!had!

kids!in!school,!but!the!hot!weather!had!brought!out!travelers!

earlier!than!usual.!

!

In! the! backpack! he! carried! a! bottle! of! water,! a! couple! of!

protein! bars,! thermos! of! coffee,! flashlight,! binoculars,! light!

windbreaker!and!two!of!the!pistols!he’d!taken!from!his!father’s!

collection,! a! J.P.! Sauer! 38H! and! a! Beretta! M1935.! He! wasn’t!

expecting! trouble,! but! one! never! knew.! Made! near! the! end! of!

WW! II,! both! were! pristine,! .326caliber! semi6automatics.! He!

could! have! brought! more! firepower—like! the! beautiful,!

Belgian6made! Browning! Hi! Power! his! father! had! gotten! in!

1970!to!test!some!new!9mm!parabellum!ammunition.!But!the!

small6framed!guns!were!easier!to!conceal.!Getting!caught!with!

any!of!them,!of!course,!was!a!parole!violation!with!no!chance!of!

ever!using!a!“Get!Out!Of!Jail!Free”!card.!!

!

On!the!outskirts!of!town,!he!flipped!on!the!electric!motor!

and! sat! back,! enjoying! the! ride.! The! terrain! was! flat! prairie!

broken! occasionally! by! stands! of! conifers! or! a! tall! Pacific!

madrone,! easily! recognized! by! its! peculiar! reddish,! peeling!

bark.! Rows! of! varied! crops—potatoes,! squash,! lavender,!

strawberries66filled!several!fields!he!passed.!About!three!miles!

out! of! town! he! saw! the! long,! low! buildings! of! the! complex!

ahead.!They!stood!several!hundred!feet!from!the!road,!looking!

like!every!other!stable!or!poultry!barn!in!the!area.!!

!

The!property!wasn’t!fenced,!and!from!all!appearances!had!

no! security.! Incongruous,! really,! considering! what! they! made!

inside! those! buildings.! The! whole! idea! of! a! high6tech!

manufacturing! facility! plunked! down! in! the! middle! of! bucolic!

farmland!in!a!remote!location,!in!fact,!seemed!a!bit!ludicrous.!

But! with! a! navy! airfield! ten! miles! north! and! an! auxiliary!

airfield! less! than! a! mile! east,! the! location! made! more! sense.!

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Take! into! account! that! the! deepwater! port! of! Anacortes! lay!

only!thirty!miles!north!and!Seattle!about!60!miles!south,!and!it!

became!obvious!the!choice!had!been!strategic.!The!only!people!

in!the!area!were!navy!personnel,!farmers!and!local!townsfolk,!

making!strangers!readily!identifiable!for!the!most!part.!

!

Three!smaller!buildings!sat!adjacent!to!the!manufacturing!

shed! closest! to! the! long! drive! from! the! road.! One! actually!

resembled!a!Victorian!farmhouse!replete!with!octagonal!turret,!

gabled!roof!and!gingerbread!trim.!The!others!were!nondescript!

two6story!boxes:!one!windowless,!the!other!more!reflective!of!

an!office!building.!!

!

As!Langford!glided!past,!he!took!note!of!the!electric!eye!on!

low! posts! flanking! the! entrance! to! the! drive! and! the! camera!

mounted! discreetly! on! the! modest! sign! that! announced! the!

occupant! simply! as! “Ross! Industries.”! It! gave! no! indication! of!

what!the!company!made!or!what!might!be!inside!the!complex!

of!buildings.!Except!for!the!unusual!number!of!cars!parked!in!

the! spaces! around! the! three! smaller! buildings,! the! compound!

might! have! been! a! corporate6owned! farm.! Langford! was!

confident! that! the! cattle! guard! he! saw! stretched! across! the!

pavement! at! the! entrance! housed! sensors! and! cameras! to!

capture!weight!and!scans!of!the!bellies!of!vehicles!passing!over.!!

!

He! nonchalantly! swung! his! head! the! other! direction,!

playing! tourist! for! any! cameras! that! might! be! watching.! He!

looked!instead!for!a!possible!vantage!point!that!would!give!him!

a!decent!line!of!sight!and!provide!some!cover!at!the!same!time.!

From!this!side!of!the!property!he!could!see!nothing!but!open!

fields.!Half!a!mile!farther,!the!road!curved!into!a!patch!of!thick!

forest.!He!switched!off!the!motor!and!coasted!to!a!stop!on!the!

shoulder.! Setting! his! backpack! on! the! ground,! he! took! a! long!

drink!from!his!water!bottle!while!he!took!a!mental!look!at!the!

map!of!the!island!he’d!consulted!the!night!before.!

!

Though! roundabout,! he! traced! a! route! in! his! mind! that!

would! lead! him! to! the! back! of! the! hundred6acre! property.! He!

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pulled!out!some!aerial!photos!he’d!printed!off!the!computer!a!

few! days! earlier! and! compared! them! to! memory.! A! small!

subdivision!had!been!built!near!the!auxiliary!airfield,!probably!

to!provide!housing!for!service!personnel.!The!landing!strip!was!

little!used!these!days,!he!knew,!which!meant!that!some!of!the!

houses!were!likely!vacant!due!to!the!crappy!real!estate!market!

of!late.!Satisfied,!he!hoisted!the!pack!and!mounted!his!bike.!

!

Half!an!hour!later!he’d!found!the!perfect!spot.!Just!as!he’d!

thought,!real!estate!agents!had!staked!For!Sale!signs!in!front!of!

several! of! the! houses! in! the! neighborhood.! In! the! far! corner,!

separated! from! the! boundary! of! the! Ross! Industries! property!

by!a!copse!of!trees,!stood!a!house!“for!sale!or!rent”!with!no!car!

in! the! drive.! He! wandered! up! to! the! front! door! and! knocked,!

and!after!a!suitable!interval!knocked!again.!When!no!one!came!

to!the!door,!he!took!the!bike!around!back,!climbed!the!steps!to!

the! back! porch! and! peered! in! the! windows.! The! house! was!

empty.!He’d!noticed!a!Realtor’s!key!box!on!the!front!door,!and!

jiggled!the!handle!on!the!back!door.!Locked.!For!the!hell!of!it,!

he! stood! on! tiptoes! and! ran! his! fingers! over! the! top! of! the!

frame.!
Bingo!
!His!fingers!touched!cold!metal.!He!slid!the!single!

key! over! the! edge! of! the! doorframe! and! let! it! drop! into! his!

other!hand.!If!someone!asked,!he!could!always!say!he!found!the!

door! open! and! wanted! to! take! a! look! around.! Agents!

sometimes!got!sloppy!and!didn’t!lock!up!properly.!

!

He! let! himself! in! and! headed! for! the! facilities! to! relieve!

himself! first.! The! house! was! staged! with! a! bare! minimum! of!

furniture!to!give!the!rooms!scale,!and!several!were!completely!

empty.!The!owner!or!previous!tenant!had!left!a!patio!table!in!

the! backyard,! so! Langford! refilled! his! water! bottle! and! went!

out! to! sit! in! the! sun.! He! ate! one! of! the! protein! bars! slowly,!

knowing!he!might!have!to!make!the!other!one!last!quite!some!

time!before!he!had!a!decent!meal!again.!Finished,!he!carefully!

stowed! the! wrapper! in! a! side! pocket! of! the! backpack.!

Retrieving!the!field!glasses,!he!wandered!toward!the!trees!and!

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looked!for!an!easy!way!through.!Someone,!kids!probably,!had!

trodden! a! path! into! the! copse! from! a! spot! next! to! a! large!

storage!shed!behind!the!house.!!

!

Wending!his!way!cautiously,!he!followed!the!path!less!than!

a!hundred!feet!to!its!end!at!the!edge!of!a!large!pasture.!The!rear!

of!the!third!manufacturing!building!in!the!Ross!compound!was!

five!hundred!yards!away.!From!this!angle,!he!couldn’t!see!the!

entrance! to! the! windowless! building,! but! that! shouldn’t! be! a!

problem.!The!building!was!dedicated!to!lab!work,!and!he!still!

had! a! relatively! unobstructed! view! of! the! entrances! to! the!

other!buildings.!He!backtracked!to!the!yard,!wheeled!the!bike!

behind!the!storage!shed,!hid!it!in!some!bushes,!and!returned!to!

the! path’s! end.! Staying! back! in! the! trees,! he! trained! the!

binoculars! on! the! building,! brought! it! in! focus,! and! slowly!

scanned!the!property.!Other!than!a!car!pulling!into!the!parking!

area,!nothing!moved.!The!complex!was!quiet,!but!he!imagined!

the!interior!of!those!buildings!hummed!with!activity.!

!

When!he!felt!comfortable!with!the!layout,!he!lowered!the!

glasses! and! took! in! the! countryside! around! the! complex,!

watching,! waiting.! Occasionally,! he! lifted! the! binoculars! again!

to! get! a! closer! look! at! a! bird,! a! cloud! formation,! a! distant!

tractor! working! a! field,! or! some! movement! that! attracted! his!

attention.! Mostly,! he! was! content! to! let! the! day! settle! on! his!

shoulders!like!a!comfortable!cardigan.!!

!

The! space! of! the! flat! green! prairie! and! endless! blue! sky!