Night Tide (52 page)

measure.”!

!

I!groaned.!“We!are!in!
so
!much!trouble.”!

!

“We!have!to!dump!this!car!fast.!He’ll!be!on!the!air!quick!as!

he! can.! You! can! bet! he’s! pissed! enough! to! call! out! every! law!

enforcement!vehicle!this!side!of!the!pond.”!

!

“Where!are!we!going!to!get!
another
!car?!We!just!got!this!

one.”!

!

I! glanced! over! and! caught! her! demented! grin! in! the!

reflection!of!the!headlights.!

!

“Steal!one?!Of!course.!Why!not?!We’re!already!going!to!jail!

for! life.! What’s! another! felony?! Do! you! even! know! how! to!

hotwire!a!car?!I!don’t.”!

!

“Just!drive,!civvy.!Fast!”!

!

“Where?”!

!

“Head!for!the!ferry.!Be!quiet!and!let!me!think.”!

!

I!drove!in!silence,!pushing!the!car!as!fast!as!I!dared!on!the!

rain6slicked! road.! Thoughts! popped! up! in! my! head! and!

vanished!as!quickly!as!telephone!poles!in!the!headlights.!!

!

“Isn’t!the!ferry!the!first!place!they’ll!look?”!

!

“Yes.!Now!shut!up.”!!

!

Her! face! was! scrunched! up! in! concentration.! She! felt! me!

looking!at!her!and!glanced!over.!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

342&

!

“The!ferry!is!so!damned!obvious!that!of!course!they’ll!post!

someone! there.! But! it’s! too! obvious.! They’ll! figure! we’re!

smarter!than!that,!so!they’ll!direct!the!search!the!other!way.”!

!

I!turned!my!attention!back!to!the!black!ribbon!of!asphalt!

unspooling! in! the! headlights.! The! jumble! in! my! head! defied!

orderly! filing,! snippets! and! threads! so! tangled! they’d! become!

Gordian.!!

!

Eons!of!silence!later,!she!said,!“You!did!good!back!there.”!

!

Good!seemed!a!relative!term,!but!after!weighing!the!cop’s!

bruised! hip! and! ego! against! the! possibility! of! a! bullet! in! the!

head,!I!acknowledged!the!comment!with!a!grunt.!

!

“How!far!now?”!

!

“A!couple!of!miles,”!I!said.!

!

Any! second! I! expected! to! see! a! parade! of! flashing! lights!

bearing! down! on! us! at! high! speed,! the! wail! of! sirens! like!

banshees!heralding!our!fate.!But!even!if!the!cop!had!been!able!

to! mobilize! the! Navy! police! in! Bremerton! immediately,! they!

were!at!least!fifteen!minutes!out!with!lights!and!sirens.!If!he’d!

roused! the! locals! in! Port! Orchard,! we! still! had! a! few! minutes!

head!start.!!

!

A!public!school!hulking!in!the!dark!signaled!the!outskirts!

of! town.! I! let! the! car! coast,! slowing! closer! to! the! speed! limit.!

Reyna!sat!up!and!peered!ahead.!!

!

“There.”! She! pointed! toward! a! large! structure! coming! up!

on!the!right.!“Pull!in!there.”!

!

A!church!steeple!loomed!out!of!the!rain.!I!nodded.!

!

“No,!no,”!she!said.!“Here!”!!

!

She! indicated! the! entrance! to! a! park6and6ride! lot! several!

hundred!feet!from!the!church.!

!

“Stay!with!me,!Blake.”!

!

I!tapped!the!brakes!hard,!turned!in!and!headed!toward!the!

back!of!the!lot.!Despite!the!late!hour,!cars!filled!a!quarter!of!the!

spaces.!I!backed!the!Prius!into!a!slot!between!two!other!cars!to!

make!the!bullet!hole!in!the!rear!window!less!noticeable.!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

343&

!

Reyna! unclipped! her! holster! and! put! the! gun! in! the! bag!

with! her! laptop.! Leaning! over! the! back! of! the! seat,! she!

rummaged! through! her! duffel! bag,! retrieved! a! spare! clip! and!

stowed! that! with! the! gun.! Then! she! pulled! out! a! brand! new!

hooded!sweatshirt!imprinted!with!a!UW!Huskies!logo,!ripped!

the!tags!off!and!slipped!it!on!over!her!head.!

!

“Got! it! for! my! nephew,”! she! said,! “but! I! can! buy! him!

another.”!

!

She!twisted!and!leaned!over!the!seat!once!more,!this!time!

retrieving!a!plain!black!ball!cap.!

!

“It’s! wet! out! there,”! she! said,! twisting! her! hair! up! into! a!

knot!and!tugging!the!cap!over!it.!“You!ought!to!find!a!jacket!or!

something.”!

!

“Gee,!guess!I!should!plan!my!out6of6town!trips!better.”!

!

She!didn’t!bite.!I!sighed!and!turned!to!look!in!the!back!seat,!

noticing!for!the!first!time!that!Clayt!and!Connie!used!the!same!

housekeeping!techniques!in!the!car!as!they!did!in!their!house.!

The! rear! was! littered! with! an! assortment! of! trash! and!

treasures! that! had! probably! accumulated! daily! since! the! car!

had! been! purchased.! Books,! papers,! two! boxes! of! tissues,! an!

unfurled! umbrella,! a! pair! of! rain! boots,! an! old! clock! radio,! a!

rumpled! lady’s! trench! coat,! a! bag! of! potting! soil,! a! cardboard!

box! on! the! floor! marked! “Donations,”! dry! cleaning! still! in! a!

plastic!bag,!and!a!paper!fast!food!bag!overflowing!with!trash.!

!

I!popped!the!hatch,!got!out!of!the!car!and!walked!through!

the!raindrops!to!the!rear!to!see!what!the!cargo!compartment!

held,! half6expecting! to! find! a! decomposing! body.! More! mess,!

but!nothing!rotten.!I!pawed!through!the!piles!and!found!an!old!

poncho!that!probably!dated!back!to!Clayt’s!hippie!days.!I!threw!

it!on,!and!leaned!in!to!grab!my!bag!off!the!back!seat.!The!nice!

slacks! I’d! bought! in! Palo! Alto! that! morning! were! trashed!

already.!Turning!around,!I!sat!under!the!open!hatch,!stripped!

off!the!slacks!and!changed!into!the!cargo!pants!I’d!worn!before.!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

344&

After! transferring! the! contents! of! my! pockets,! I! closed! the!

hatch!and!met!Reyna!at!the!front!of!the!car.!

!

She!looked!me!up!and!down!with!a!hint!of!a!smile.!“Very!

stylish.”!

!

“All!I!could!find.”!

!

She!nodded,!serious.!“It!hides!the!gun.!Color’s!not!too!loud;!

your! size! attracts! enough! attention! as! it! is.”! She! rubbed! the!

fabric!with!thumb!and!two!fingers.!“Wow,!wool.!The!real!thing,!

vaquero
,!not!some!cheap!imitation.”!

!

“Means!it’ll!smell!when!it’s!wet.”!

!

“Only! if! it’s! dirty.! Tight! weave,! too.! Might! even! keep! you!

dry.”!

!

I!lengthened!my!stride!in!the!direction!of!a!bus!shelter,!not!

interested! in! finding! out.! The! route! schedule! posted! in! the!

small! shelter! indicated! that! shuttles! ran! from! the! lot! to! the!

ferry!only!during!rush!hours.!I!started!walking.!

!

Reyna!called!after!me.!“What?”!

!

“No!bus,”!I!said!loudly.!!

!

I! heard! running! footsteps.! She! came! abreast,! breathing!

hard,!and!fast6walked!to!keep!up.!!

!

“What’s!wrong?”!

!

“I!thought!you!were!going!to!steal!another!car,”!I!said.!

!

“Come!on,!Blake.!What’s!with!you?”!

!

“I’m!tired,!hungry—”!I!held!out!my!arms!“—and!wet.!You!

shot!a!cop!car,!Reyna.”!

!

She!took!several!steps!with!downcast!eyes.!“It!gets!worse.”!

!

“What!do!you!mean?”!

!

“The!cop!didn’t!see!me.!Only!you.”!

!

“He!knows!
someone
!was!with!me.!He!knows!
I
!didn’t!shoot!

up!his!car.”!

!

“But!he!only!saw!you.!You’re!the!one!they’ll!be!looking!for.”!

!

“Wait!!He!had!to!have!heard!your!voice!when!you!yelled!at!

me.!He!must!have!realized!he!heard!a!woman’s!voice.”!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

345&

!

“Look,! forget! I! said! it.! It! probably! doesn’t! even! matter.!

They!might!not!even!have!their!act!together!yet.”!

!

But!by!the!time!we!walked!the!mile!down!the!sloped!curve!

of! the! road! to! the! ferry! terminal! the! cops! were! holding! dress!

rehearsal.! The! asphalt! sprawl! of! the! vehicle! staging! area!

stretched!out!to!our!right!as!we!came!down!the!hill.!Two!green!

county! sheriff’s! cruisers! flanked! the! ferry! tollbooths,! strobes!

flashing.! A! deputy! made! his! way! down! a! line! of! waiting! cars!

swinging!a!long!flashlight.!The!movement!of!a!second!flashlight!

beam!in!the!long,!narrow!parking!lot!next!to!the!ferry!waiting!

lanes!gave!away!the!location!of!the!other!sheriff’s!deputy.!!

!

“Looks!like!we’ll!have!to!split!up,”!Reyna!murmured.!

!

“They’re!checking!cars.”!

!

“And!when!they!don’t!find!the!one!they’re!looking!for?”!

!

“They’ll!wait!for!it.”!

!

“How! long! before! they! check! pedestrians,! you! think,!

Blake?!Use!your!head.”!

!

My!teeth!clenched!so!hard!my!jaw!ached.!

!

“Fine.!We!split!up.!Then!what?”!

!

“Regroup! on! the! other! side! if! we! both! make! it! on.! If! not,!

well…”!

!

“You!mean!if!one!of!us!gets!caught.”!

!

“You!know!where!you’re!going!if!I!don’t!make!it?”!

!

“You’ll! make! it,”! I! muttered.! I! saw! her! nose! wrinkle.! “I’ll!

figure!it!out.”!

!

She!grabbed!a!fistful!of!poncho!and!yanked!me!off!the!road!

under!some!trees.!“This!isn’t!going!exactly!the!way!I!planned,!

you!know.”!

!

“I!got!that!part.”!

!

Taking! the! front! of! the! poncho! in! both! hands,! she! pulled!

hard!until!she!bent!me!over,!and!kissed!me!firmly.!Before!the!

heat! rushing! through! me! had! time! to! register! she! let! go! and!

held!out!her!hand.!

!

“Give!me!your!phone.”!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

346&

!

Still! feeling! the! brand! of! her! lips,! I! handed! it! to! her.! She!

turned!it!on!and!squinted!at!the!small!screen!in!the!dark.!!

!

“Don’t!you!ever!check!for!messages?”!she!said.!

!

“You!said!not!to!use!my!phone.”!

!

She!held!my!cell!next!to!hers,!keyed!a!number!into!it!and!

handed!it!back.!

!

“I’ll!look!for!you!on!board.!If!I!don’t!see!you,!text!me!if!you!

make!it!so!we!can!hook!up.”!

!

I!nodded.!“You!go!first.!You’ve!got!a!better!chance.”!!

!

Hesitating,!she!put!a!hand!on!my!arm.!“Be!careful.”!

!

She!pulled!the!sweatshirt!up!over!her!cap,!hiding!most!of!

her!face!and!turned!away.!I!watched!her!until!she!disappeared!

among! the! cars! in! the! big! lot! next! to! the! staging! lanes.!

Following!as!far!as!the!lot!entrance,!I!stood!behind!a!chain!link!

fence,! spotted! her! and! marked! her! progress.! She! walked!

purposefully,! but! unhurriedly! toward! the! little! terminal!

building!down!near!the!water.!It!held!a!few!vending!machines!

and!provided!shelter!from!the!rain,!but!little!else.!The!deputy!

checking! cars! in! the! lot! straightened! as! she! walked! past,!

turning! to! watch! her! for! a! moment.! Disinterested,! he! swung!

back!to!his!task.!!

!

Unaware!that!I’d!been!holding!my!breath,!I!expelled!it!with!

an!explosive!huff!audible!over!the!sound!of!the!wind.!I!didn’t!

want!to!take!the!same!path!down!to!the!terminal!while!the!cop!

was! conducting! his! search.! I! leaned! against! the! fence! and!

waited!instead.!Intermittent!drops!of!rain!slowly!plastered!my!

hair!to!my!skin.!

!

Three!staging!lanes!had!filled!with!waiting!vehicles,!an!odd!

assortment! of! late! reverse! commuters,! retirees! in! pickup!

trucks!with!camper!tops,!tourists,!a!few!empty!delivery!trucks,!

and!kids!out!for!a!joyride!to!the!big!city.!Wet!metal!and!glass!

glistened!under!the!streetlights!casting!their!cool!glow!over!the!

scene.!Almost!smack!dab!in!the!middle!of!the!pack!of!fifty!or!so,!

a! late! model! Caddy! with! blacked! out! windows! rocked! and!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

347&

bounced! on! its! suspension,! unseen! occupants! moving! in! time!

to!the!loud!bass!beat!of!a!gangsta!rap!song.!They’d!turned!the!

volume! up! so! far! that! about! every! fourth! word! of! the! foul,!

misogynistic! lyrics! were! unambiguous! despite! normally!

incoherent!hip6hop!pronunciations!few!people!understood.!

!

Parked!immediately!in!front!of!the!Caddy!was!a!well6used!

pickup.!The!driver’s!head!appeared!over!the!roof!as!he!got!out,!

walked!back!to!the!Caddy!and!knocked!on!the!window.!Burly,!

dressed!in!jeans!and!an!unbuttoned!plaid!shirt!over!a!T6shirt,!

he!seemed!calm!until!an!arm!appeared!from!the!Caddy!driver’s!

window! and! extended! the! universal! fuck6you! gesture.! The!

burly! man! yelled! a! few! epithets! of! his! own! and! stormed! off!

toward! the! tollbooths.! An! orange6vested! WSDOT! employee!

soon!headed!for!the!Caddy!while!the!pickup!driver!stomped!up!

the! hill! toward! the! grocery! store! on! the! corner.! The! noise!

emanating!from!the!Caddy!went!down!a!few!notches!as!soon!as!

the!orange!vest!approached!the!car.!!

!

A! school! of! iridescent! thoughts! swam! by,! as! tempting! as!

chum.!My!attention!darted!after!a!brightly!colored!one!here,!a!

shiny! one! there—
no* sign* of* Reyna* …* wonder* if* Tucker* got* his*