Night Tide (50 page)

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

328&

out! in! plain! sight! all! those! years.! I! went! through! the! second!

bedroom!as!quickly!as!the!first.!By!the!time!I!got!to!the!master!

suite,!I’d!cooled!down!enough!to!do!a!more!thorough!search.!As!

expected,!I!saw!no!sign!of!a!Bible!or!a!notebook.!!

!

As!I!headed!down!the!hall,!a!bell!chimed!somewhere!in!the!

house.! I! detoured! to! the! front! door.! Reyna! intercepted! me!

there,!finger!held!to!her!lips.!Before!I!stepped!to!the!peephole,!

movement! on! the! little! video! monitor! on! the! wall! caught! my!

eye.!I!pointed!to!it!and!took!a!step!closer.!A!white!sedan!near!

the!entrance!from!the!road!crossed!the!small!screen.!Above!a!

diagonal! orange! slash! across! the! car! door! was! the! word!

“POLICE”!in!blue!letters.!!

!

“Shit!”!I!said.!“What!do!we!do!now?”!

!

Words!in!smaller!type!across!the!bottom!of!the!door!were!

too! hard! to! read! on! the! moving! vehicle.! Reyna! moved! closer,!

peering!at!the!monitor!as!the!car!drove!into!range!of!the!next!

camera.!

!

“That’s!Navy!police!out!of!Bremerton,”!she!said.!“How!the!

hell!did!they!find!us?”!

!

“The!lights!!Get!the!lights!!Follow!me!”!

!

Reyna! ran! to! the! family! room! and! hit! the! light! switch,!

plunging!us!into!relative!darkness.!The!glow!from!a!bathroom!

nightlight! down! the! hall! gave! us! enough! light! to! navigate.!

Reyna!raced!down!the!hallway!behind!me!as!I!ducked!into!the!

master!bedroom!and!stopped!in!front!of!the!linen!closet!next!to!

the!bathroom.!I!bent!down!and!clawed!at!the!carpet.!

!

“What!are!you!doing?”!Reyna!said.!“We!need!to!get!out!of!

here!”!

!

“There’s!a!tunnel!down!here.”!!

!

I!pulled!back!the!flap!of!carpet!and!felt!for!a!way!to!open!

the!hatch!with!my!fingers.!“Got!a!flashlight?”!

!

She! tapped! me! on! the! shoulder! with! a! tiny! penlight! a!

moment! later.! By! then! my! fingers! had! hooked! the! ring! of! the!

recessed!pull!latch,!and!I!yanked!the!hatch!open.!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

329&

!

“Come! on,”! I! said,! scrambling! down! the! ladder! into! the!

black!hole!below.!!

!

I! slid! down! the! last! few! rungs! and! stepped! away! in! the!

tight!space!as!Reyna!swung!her!feet!over!the!edge,!holding!the!

penlight! in! her! teeth.! The! hole! was! so! shallow! the! top! of! my!

head!was!only!a!foot!or!so!below!the!opening,!and!barely!wide!

enough! for! the! two! of! us.! I! pressed! myself! against! the! wall!

while!Reyna!secured!the!hatch!door!and!descended!the!last!few!

steps.! She! took! the! flashlight! out! of! her! mouth! and! shined! it!

around! the! hole! and! down! at! the! tunnel! entrance.! The! light!

played! across! rough! cinderblock! walls! painted! a! ghostly! gray!

and!a!packed!dirt!floor.!!

!

The! mouth! of! the! tunnel! was! about! five! feet! tall.! Reyna!

bent!and!pointed!the!beam!inside.!I!squatted!next!to!her!as!she!

poked! her! head! into! the! opening.! Pressure6treated! six6by6six!

beams! held! sheets! of! marine! plywood! against! the! walls! and!

ceiling.! The! floor! was! dirt.! The! passage! narrowed! to! a! black!

square! in! the! distance! where! the! light! no! longer! penetrated.!

Damp! earth,! wood! and! mildew! crowded! out! all! other! smells,!

disguising!the!edginess!that!dampened!my!shirt.!

!

“This!is!how!they!got!out?”!she!said!in!a!low!voice.!!

!

“Cops! said! it! comes! out! about! three! hundred! yards! from!

here.!Shall!we?”!

!

She!put!a!hand!on!my!arm.!“Wait.!Let!me!think.”!

!

Like!faces!around!a!campfire!telling!ghost!stories,!hers!was!

lit! from! below.! Instead! of! casting! her! features! in! creepy!

shadows,!it!accentuated!the!symmetry!of!her!sculpted!visage—

de*Milo
!in!a!darkened!Louvre.!I!touched!a!fingertip!to!her!lips,!

marveling!at!the!sensation.!Her!brows!curved!into!a!question!

mark.!I!yanked!my!finger!away!like!a!kid!touching!a!hot!stove.!

!

Dispassionate,!she!murmured,!“The!rental—it’s!got!a!GPS!

locator.! ONI! must! have! called! Navy! Region! Northwest! and!

dispatched!a!patrol!car.”!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

330&

!

“Then!they!definitely!know!we’re!here,”!I!whispered.!“Let’s!

go!”!

!

“No,!listen.!The!cop!only!knows!what!they!told!him,!and!I!

doubt!they!told!him!much.!He’s!a!scout.!They!want!to!verify!our!

whereabouts! first,! then! send! in! the! troops.! Like! you! said,!

there’s! no! way! they! could! know! you’re! with! me,! so! he’s! only!

looking!for!me.!Let’s!hang!tight.!The!car’s!out!of!sight.!He’ll!do!a!

walk! around! the! perimeter,! check! the! doors,! find! everything!

locked!up!tight!and!figure!they!must!have!given!him!the!wrong!

location.”!

!

“You!sure?”!

!

“Bremerton!doesn’t!even!know!about!this!place,!about!the!

shootout.!HQ!does,!but!all!they!gave!this!cop!was!an!address.!

Trust! me,! big! guy.! You! didn’t! see! Navy! personnel! out! here,!

right?”!

!

I!thought!about!the!assemblage!of!emergency!vehicles!on!

scene! the! day! Charlie! was! shot.! “No.! County,! Seattle,! Port!

Orchard,!EMT!vans…!I!think!that’s!it.”!

!

She! nodded! and! leaned! into! me.! “We’ll! be! okay.! Give! it! a!

few!minutes.”!

!

After! one,! a! different! bell! from! before! chimed! above! us,!

followed!by!a!distant!pounding!like!the!rumble!of!a!woofer!in!a!

gangbanger’s!ride.!After!two,!a!faint!voice!called!out!something!

unintelligible,! sounding! first! from! one! direction! and! a! few!

moments!later!from!another.!After!five,!silence!gnawed!at!me,!

amplifying! the! ringing! in! my! ears! to! a! roar! and! causing! my!

muscles!to!twitch!and!my!scalp!to!tingle.!The!wall!sandpapered!

my! arm! in! the! tight! space,! its! chill! seeping! into! my! back!

through!the!thin!shirt!fabric.!Reyna!put!a!hand!on!my!shoulder!

and!drew!it!slowly!down!my!arm,!her!touch!calming!me.!

!

“What!if!he!stays?”!I!whispered.!“He!might!call!in!and!wait!

for!reinforcements.”!

!

“Then!we’ll!try!your!way.!But!we!need!wheels,!Blake.!Give!

this!a!little!more!time,!first.”!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

331&

!

“Okay,!okay.”!

!

She!stood!up!on!tiptoes!and!gently!kissed!the!corner!of!my!

mouth.!“Just!so!you!know,!I’m!glad!you’re!with!me!in!this.”!

!

“Misery!loves!company?”!

!

The! corners! of! her! mouth! turned! down.! “No,! because! I…!

Damn!it,!Blake.”!

!

She!turned!away!and!shut!off!the!light.!I!bit!my!lower!lip!

hard,!drawing!blood,!hoping!it!would!take!away!the!taste!of!my!

foot! being! where! it! didn’t! belong.! I! put! my! hand! on! her!

shoulder.!She!drew!away!from!my!touch.!Extending!my!arm,!I!

put!my!hand!between!her!shoulder!blades!and!pulled!her!close.!

!

“I’m!sorry.!I’m!nervous.!Scared.”!

!

She!tipped!her!head!back.!“It’s!okay.!I!get!that.!No!reason!

you—”!!

!

I! bent! and! kissed! her.! Her! body! stiffened! momentarily,!

then! melted! into! me! as! she! returned! the! favor,! hands! gently!

caressing!my!cheeks.!

!

“I’m!glad!I’m!with!you,!too,”!I!said!when!we!broke!the!kiss.!

!

“Oh,!shut!up.”!She!laughed!and!punched!me!on!the!arm.!

!

A! sound! stood! me! upright! and! accelerated! my! already!

racing! pulse.! For! a! long! moment,! all! I! heard! was! the!

syncopated! rhythm! of! two! hearts.! Then! came! a! low! exhale! of!

breath.!I!let!mine!out,!too.!

!

“It’s!nothing,”!Reyna!whispered.!!

!

“Then!why!are!you!whispering?”!I!murmured.!

!

She! turned! around! and! climbed! the! ladder,! aiming! the!

penlight!at!the!hatch.!Before!I!could!object!she!cracked!it!a!few!

inches! until! she! could! peer! through! the! opening.! She! opened!

the! hatch! wide,! and! clambered! through,! leaving! a! gray!

rectangle!in!her!place.!

!

“Reyna!”!I!said!softly.!No!answer.!

!

I! climbed! out! after! her.! The! master! bedroom! was! empty!

and!still.!I!stood!motionless!outside!the!small!closet!until!dark!

shapes! revealed! themselves! against! darker! or! lighter!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

332&

background—bed,! bureau,! nightstand,! doorway.! A! muffled!

tread! emanated! from! an! unseen! part! of! the! house.! I! followed!

the! sound,! expecting! to! catch! up! quickly.! But! Reyna! proved!

elusive!as!a!ghost,!vanishing!from!each!room!before!I!entered,!

leaving! only! a! vague! remnant! of! her! scent! in! her! wake.! I!

steered! clear! of! windows! and! ducked! low! past! doorways,!

mindful! of! the! possibility! that! someone! was! still! out! there,!

watching.! The! dark! house! closed! in! oppressively,! shifting!

shadows! threatening! menace.! I! shook! off! the! nervousness,!

chiding!myself!for!allowing!in!childish!fears.!

!

New!sounds!led!me!to!the!garage.!Reyna!busily!transferred!

gear! from! the! rental! car! to! the! Prius! I’d! seen! parked! in! the!

drive!the!week!before.!I!bent!over!the!open!trunk!of!the!rental!

and!unzipped!the!bag!containing!the!few!clothes!I!had.!I!pulled!

out! Charlie’s! gun,! tucked! it! in! my! waistband! and! put! two! full!

clips!of!ammunition!in!my!pocket.!As!I!stashed!the!bag!in!the!

back!seat!of!the!Prius,!I!noticed!that!Reyna!now!wore!her!.45!

holstered! on! her! hip.! I! wondered! if! maybe! my! case! of! nerves!

wasn’t! unfounded.! A! muffled! buzz! stopped! Reyna! mid6stride,!

and!she!dug!into!her!jeans!for!the!throwaway!cell.!!

!

“Yeah?!…!Okay,!that’s!good…!How!long!ago?!…!Hang!on!…”!

She! leaned! into! the! car! and! pawed! through! a! soft6sided!

computer! case! that! doubled! as! purse,! coming! up! with! a! pen!

and! scrap! of! paper.! She! lifted! a! shoulder,! pressing! the! phone!

against! her! ear,! pen! poised! over! paper.! “Again?! …! Got! it,!

thanks.”!

!

Slipping!the!phone!into!her!pocket,!she!held!up!the!piece!of!

paper.!“We’ve!got!her.”!

!

“Where?”!

!

“A!couple!hours’!drive!north.”!

!

She! eased! into! the! passenger! seat! and! pulled! her! laptop!

out!of!her!bag.!In!seconds!the!screen!lit,!coloring!her!face!blue!

as!her!fingers!flew!over!the!keys.!Moments!later,!she’d!mapped!

the! location! her! source! had! provided.! Peering! over! her!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

333&

shoulder!at!the!screen,!I!recognized!the!north!end!of!Whidbey!

Island.! She! tabbed! to! a! blank! search! screen! and! typed! in!

something! so! fast! I! didn’t! have! a! chance! to! see! it! before! the!

search!engine!served!up!a!page!of!results.!Reyna!clicked!a!link!

and!quickly!scrolled!through!pages!on!a!site!before!stopping!on!

a!contacts!page.!She!scrolled!down!quickly!toward!the!bottom!

before! stopping.! The! cursor! hovered! near! an! address! on!

Whidbey,! giving! me! a! chance! to! identify! the! website—Ross!

Industries.!

!

“Bingo,”!she!said!softly.!!

!

“Baines?!Keely’s!at!a!company!facility?”!

!

“Manufacturing! plant.! Guidance! system! components,!

according!to!this.”!

!

Toggling! back! to! the! map! page,! she! pulled! up! a! satellite!

view! and! zoomed! in! on! the! property.! I! moved! in! closer! for! a!

better!view,!almost!brushing!her!cheek,!the!faint!floral!scent!of!

her! shampoo! making! my! head! spin.! I! slowly! drew! in! a! deep!

breath,! hoping! she! didn’t! notice! the! effect! she! had! on! me,!

forcing!myself!to!focus!on!the!images!onscreen.!

!

Onscreen…
!The!little!wireless!icon!in!the!tool!bar!winked.!I!

straightened,! pulling! my! face! away! as! if! the! screen! had! just!

hissed!at!me.!

!

Reyna!glanced!over!her!shoulder.!“What?”!

!

“Can!they!trace!your!computer,!too?”!

!

Her! hands! hovered! over! the! keyboard.! “No,! I! don’t! think!

so.!This!is!mine,!not!Navy!issue.”!

!

“Even!so…”!

!

“I’ll!use!it!sparingly.”!Closing!the!laptop,!she!peered!up!at!

me.!“You!up!for!this?”!

!

I!shrugged.!“Rock!and!roll.”!

!

“The!notebook?”!

!

I!shook!my!head.!“No!sense!looking!anymore.!It’s!not!here.!

The! Wilsons! didn’t! know! what! they! had.! Someone! else! came!

and!took!it.”!I!just!hadn’t!decided!who!yet.!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

334&

!

After!keying!in!the!alarm!code,!I!pressed!the!button!for!the!

garage!door.!It!opened!with!a!rumble!as!I!walked!to!the!car!and!

got!in.!Reyna!handed!me!the!keys.!I!backed!out,!put!it!in!gear!

and! glided! silently! down! the! drive.! The! first! drops! of! rain!