Night Tide (53 page)

Beemer*back*…*what’s*that*idiot*in*the*ferry*lane*trying*to*do?*…*

damn,*it*got*chilly*in*a*hurry*…*this*thing*with*Reyna,*is*it*…*hope*

Molly* remembered* Cole’s* birthday;* still* can’t* believe* I* …* there*

goes* that* rap* music* again* …* I* knew* this* ratty* piece* of* cloth*

would* smell* when* it* got* wet* …* oh,* shit,* here* come*

reinforcements…
!

!

With! effort,! I! reined! in! my! attention! as! it! gamboled! after!

one!last!brightly!hued!denizen!of!the!deep.!Taking!stock!of!the!

scene,!I!fished!in!a!pocket!for!meds,!found!two!pills!and!popped!

them!like!candy.!Off!to!the!left,!an!unmarked!SUV!with!flashing!

lights! pulled! up! next! to! one! of! the! county! cruisers! by! the!

tollbooth.! Another! vehicle! quickly! followed,! this! one! a! white!

sedan!with!the!same!markings!as!the!Navy!Region!Northwest!

cop!car!that!had!pulled!us!over!earlier.!The!uniform!climbing!

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out!of!the!SUV!donned!a!dark!campaign!hat!and!walked!over!to!

confer! with! the! sheriff’s! deputy.! State! patrol.! Two! uniforms!

from!the!Navy!cop!car!joined!him.!

!

The!second!county!cop!headed!back!from!the!parking!lot!

to!join!the!party.!Lights!out!on!the!water!drew!my!attention.!A!

few!hundred!yards!offshore,!a!ferry!as!brightly!lit!as!a!birthday!

cake! steamed! toward! the! dock,! less! than! five! minutes! from!

landing.!Now!seemed!as!good!a!time!as!any!to!figure!out!how!I!

was!going!to!get!aboard!unnoticed.!I!walked!around!the!end!of!

the!fence!into!the!largely!empty!parking!lot!and!surveyed!the!

scene!one!last!time.!

!

Pedestrian! passengers! boarded! first! and! last,! no! ticket!

needed! on! this! side! of! the! sound.! Ferry! workers! wouldn’t! let!

anyone!on!foot!board!while!vehicles!were!driving!on.!That!left!

me!with!two!choices:!board!with!the!first!group!of!passengers,!

which! might! attract! attention! to! Reyna;! or! hang! back! and!

board!after!all!the!vehicles!were!loaded,!which!would!make!me!

stand!out!like!a!sore!thumb!to!all!the!law!enforcement!officers!

waiting! on! shore.! Neither! choice! had! the! same! appeal! as! the!

spicy!Thai!red!curry!I!craved!right!about!then.!!

!

The! two! Navy! cops! broke! away! from! the! confab! around!

the! tollbooths! and! walked! alongside! the! far! lane! of! waiting!

vehicles,!their!billed!caps!visible!over!the!car!roofs.!They!didn’t!

bother! looking! at! the! cars,! which! meant! only! one! thing.! I!

glanced! down! the! long! lot! at! the! small! terminal! building.!

Beyond! it,! the! ferry! was! slowly! gliding! in! the! last! few! feet!

between! the! pilings! at! the! end! of! the! dock.! No! sign! of! Reyna.!

The!staging!area!came!alive!as!people!returned!to!their!parked!

vehicles! after! stretching! their! legs,! walking! dogs! or! getting!

coffee!or!something!to!eat.!

!

The! driver! of! the! pickup! truck! lumbered! down! the! hill!

from!the!store.!I!slipped!between!two!parked!cars,!vaulted!the!

low! fence! into! the! staging! lanes! and! swam! upstream! toward!

him,!an!impulsive,!half6formed!thought!taking!charge.!I!stepped!

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in! front! of! him! as! he! made! his! way! down! the! narrow! alley!

between!two!staging!lanes.!He!stopped!and!looked!up.!!

!

“Hey,”!I!said,!“that!your!truck!in!front!of!those!kids!in!the!

Caddy?”!

!

He!frowned.!“Yeah.!So?”!

!

“I’m! pretty! sure! I! saw! one! of! them! messing! with! your!

truck.!I!don’t!know!if!they!did!any!damage,!but!I!thought!you!

ought!to!know.”!

!

A!corner!of!his!lip!curled!up!briefly!in!a!sneer!of!disgust,!

and!his!hands!clenched!into!fists.!

!

“Thanks,!man.”! !

!

“Any!time,”!I!said,!stepping!out!of!his!way.!

!

A!line!of!headlights!snaked!up!the!dock!and!swept!abreast!

of!the!staging!lanes!as!the!ferry!disgorged!its!westbound!load!

of!vehicles.!I!slipped!over!a!lane!and!weaved!between!several!

cars.! Behind! me,! I! heard! a! shouting! voice! and! the! sound! of!

pounding.!!

!

“Get! out! of! the! car,! motherfucker!”! More! pounding.! “Get!

out!of!the!fucking!car!”!

!

The! commotion! stopped! the! Navy! cops! in! their! tracks.!

They! looked! at! each! other! and! said! a! few! words.! One!

backtracked,!waving!his!arm!at!the!three!officers!standing!up!

by!the!tollbooths.!The!other!angled!across!the!lanes,!zigzagging!

between!the!cars.!I!glanced!back!and!saw!the!burly!man!take!a!

tire! iron! out! of! the! bed! of! his! truck.! Both! county! deputies!

shifted!over!for!a!look!down!the!alley!between!the!lanes,!saw!

the!potential!threat!and!broke!into!a!run.!!

!

Burly! man! brandished! the! tire! iron! and! screamed! at! the!

Caddy,!“Did!you!mess!with!my!truck,!asshole!!Get!out!here!!I’ll!

teach!you!to!fuck!with!people!”!

!

The! state! trooper! sauntered! after! the! deputies.!

Reluctantly,! the! other! Navy! cop! cut! across! a! lane,! and! all! five!

officers! converged! on! the! man! before! he! could! smash! the!

Caddy’s!windshield!with!the!tire!iron.!

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!

Looking!around!quickly,!I!spotted!a!landscape!truck!sitting!

at!the!back!of!an!outside!lane.!Casually,!I!made!my!way!over!to!

the!open!lane!closest!to!the!fence!and!walked!back!to!the!end!

of!the!line.!People’s!attention!seemed!to!be!on!the!cops!talking!

the!crazy!man!down!from!his!rage.!

!

“Calm! down?”! he! shouted.! “You! want! me! to! fucking! calm!

down?!When!that!asshole!is!the!one!causing!trouble?”!

!

The!driver!of!the!landscape!truck!climbed!down!from!the!

cab! and! watched! the! ruckus.! The! cops! spoke! in! low! voices! I!

couldn’t!hear.!I!sidled!along!the!side!of!the!landscape!truck.!

!

“Didn’t!you!hear!that!shit?”!burly6man!shouted.!“They!play!

that! crap! so! freakin’! loud! you! can’t! hear! yourself! think!”! He!

paused!and!turned!toward!one!of!the!deputies.!“Fine!!You!want!

me!to!put!it!down,!it’s!down.”!

!

He!turned!around!and!threw!the!tire!iron!into!the!back!of!

his!pickup.!It!landed!with!a!loud!clang.!Satisfied,!he!faced!the!

cops!again.!

!

“Look,! I! didn’t! do! anything! wrong.”! His! voice! was! loud!

enough!to!carry,!but!he!stopped!shouting.!“That’s!the!prick!you!

ought!to!arrest.!He!messed!with!my!truck!”!

!

I!eased!closer!to!the!back!of!the!truck.!!

!

“How!do!I!know?!Somebody!
saw
!him!do!it!!Guy!right!over!

there!”!!

!

The!burly!man!pointed!in!the!direction!he’d!last!seen!me.!

Heart!running!laps!around!my!chest,!I!ducked!around!the!back!

of! the! truck! out! of! sight.! Putting! a! foot! up! on! the! bumper,! I!

slowly!eased!my!weight!onto!it.!The!truck!was!big!enough!that!

the! suspension! didn’t! even! feel! me.! I! swung! a! leg! over! the!

tailgate,! kept! my! head! low,! and! squeezed! in! between! two! big!

push! lawn! mowers.! With! barely! space! to! sit,! I! managed! to!

crouch! under! the! handle! of! one! of! the! mowers! and! tugged! a!

half!full!canvas!bag!of!grass!clippings!close!enough!to!hide!me!

from!view.!

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!

Minutes! later,! car! engines! all! around! us! rumbled! to! life.!

The!truck!door!slammed,!and!the!bed!beneath!me!shuddered!

and!vibrated!as!the!driver!started!it!up.!In!a!moment!I!felt!the!

truck!moving.!

!

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!

!

Chapter&50
&

!

!

The!noise!woke!her!from!an!uneasy!slumber.!She!thought!

about! the! sound! that! had! lifted! her! toward! consciousness,!

wondering!if!it!had!been!real!or!part!of!her!dream.!A!small!bell,!

perhaps.!Or!breaking!glass.!She!came!fully!awake,!shaking!off!

the! tendrils! of! shadowy! images! that! had! been! part! of! her!

dreamscape.! They! retreated,! wisps! of! fog! confronted! by! an!

advancing!sun.!She!rose!on!one!elbow!and!listened!intently.!!

!

She!didn’t!like!staying!out!in!the!middle!of!the!countryside!

alone.! She! knew! she! wasn’t;! the! compound! had! round6the6

clock!security.!And,!of!course,!the!couple!was!still!downstairs.!

But!they!didn’t!count.!They!weren’t!exactly!guests.!A!couple!of!

former! radicals! who’d! never! actually! been! all! that!

insurrectionary! or! nihilistic.! By! now! she! fully! believed! them!

when!they!said!they’d!never!blown!up!anything!before!the!lab!

in! the! Midwest.! And! even! that! had! been! the! work! of! others.!

They’d! only! been! peripherally! involved.! That! despite! all! their!

talk!back!in!the!day—of!revolution,!and!“offing!the!pigs,”!about!

an!egalitarian!and!just!society—they!never!did!anything!except!

grow! comfortable! off! the! capitalistic! society! they’d! railed!

against.!She’d!heard!that!story!before—it!was!almost!a!running!

joke!about!Baby!Boomers!who’d!been!activists!in!the!’Sixties.!

!

She!shuddered!at!the!incredible!naïveté!and!ignorance!of!

the! pair.! The! wife! was! in! bad! shape;! she’d! lost! a! lot! of! blood,!

and! her! wound! was! likely! infected.! And! in! the! past! thirty6six!

hours! the! husband! had! gone! downhill! fast.! Of! course,! the!

interrogation!techniques!her!father!had!ordered!had!a!lot!to!do!

with! it.! Wilson’s! face! was! practically! unrecognizable! through!

the!bruises!and!swelling.!One!eye!had!swollen!completely!shut,!

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and!the!left!side!of!his!face!was!the!size!and!color!of!a!melon!

blackened!with!rot!from!a!broken!jaw!and!four!missing!teeth.!

!

They!didn’t!know!anything.!Of!that!she!was!sure,!but!her!

father!wanted!to!be!certain.!He’d!be!back!in!the!morning.!She!

wondered!if!the!Wilsons!could!hold!out!that!long,!wondered!if!

they!knew!it!didn’t!matter!one!way!or!the!other.!They!were!as!

good! as! dead.! The! knowledge! didn’t! give! her! the! sense! of!

satisfaction!she!once!imagined!it!would.!

!

She! was! here! because! of! them.! Here,! not! home! in!

California.!Here,!not!warm!and!comfortable!in!a!hotel!like!the!

self6important! Tucker! Prescott! Baines.! Here,! because! she’d!

wanted! answers! for! more! than! twenty! years,! and! because!

she’d! become! desperate! for! something! from! him,! some! small!

sign! that! she! now! realized! would! never! come.! A! realization!

that!had!slowly!soured!the!affection!and!admiration!she’d!once!

felt!for!her!big!sister!until!now!all!she!felt!was!a!soul6shriveling!

hate,! black! and! acidic.! For! what?! What! had! been! the! point?!

Neither! she! nor! her! father! had! gotten! what! they! wanted!

beyond! a! small! measure! of! revenge—no,! justice—on! some! of!

those! responsible! for! Jill’s! death.! The! real! story,! perhaps,! lay!

buried!too!deep!in!the!past!to!unearth.!But!it!was!too!late!to!go!

back,!and!now!she!had!blood!on!her!hands.!

!

She! stiffened! suddenly! at! the! sound! of! a! muffled! creak!

from! somewhere! downstairs.! Someone! was! in! the! house.!
A*

security* guard* on* rounds?* Her* father?
! She! shuddered.! She!

recalled! the! sound! that! had! roused! her,! swung! her! legs! out!

from!under!the!covers!and!pulled!on!a!pair!of!jeans!as!quietly!

as!she!could.!She!didn’t!see!how!anyone!could!get!past!all!the!

security,!let!alone!break!in,!but!the!odd!noises!had!set!her!on!

edge.!She!looked!around!the!room!for!a!weapon!of!some!sort,!

then!shook!her!head!ruefully!at!her!own!foolishness.!

!

She! sat! on! the! edge! of! the! bed! for! a! moment,! unmoving.!

The! only! sounds! now! were! the! wind! whistling! through! the!

eaves! and! the! syncopated! drip! of! rainwater! in! a! nearby!

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downspout.! She! stood! and! silently! padded! across! the! floor! to!

the!dresser,!rummaged!in!a!drawer!for!a!sweatshirt!in!the!dim!

light! from! the! window! and! pulled! it! over! her! head.! Resolved,!

she!took!a!deep!breath!and!stole!out!of!her!room.!

*!*!*!*!*!

!

The!truck!inched!ahead.!From!the!other!side!of!the!truck!

box!came!the!voice!of!the!man!I’d!goaded!into!a!rage.!

!

“I!can’t!believe!you!pulled!me!over,!not!him.”!

!

“Sir,!you!need!to!calm!down,”!a!cop!said.!

!

“I!swear,!officer,!them!kids!was!messin’!with!my!truck.!Guy!

told!me!he!
saw
!’em!screwing!around.”!

!

“What!guy?”!

!

“
Big
! guy.! Like! ballplayer! big.! Tall.! You! know! them! kids,!

blasting!that!trash!they!call!music…”!

!

The!voice!faded!as!the!truck!passed!by,!picking!up!speed.!

For!a!moment!I!felt!bad!for!the!guy.!The!cops!would!likely!let!

him!get!on!the!next!ferry!with!a!warning,!but!if!they!believed!