Night Tide (60 page)

shoulder,!and!roughly!forced!him!face!down!on!the!ground.!He!

patted!him!down,!removing!a!pistol!from!a!holster!on!his!belt!

and!another!in!a!pocket!of!his!fatigues.!!

!

“Put! the! guns! on! the! ground,”! a! voice! said.! “Very! slowly.!

Gently.”!

!

Wink! and! I! turned! toward! the! sound.! Baines! stood! near!

the! rear! of! the! SUV,! forearm! locked! tightly! around! Reyna’s!

neck,! holding! a! gun! to! her! head.! I! tensed,! felt! my! heart! leap.!

Her! jaw! was! clenched,! but! her! eyes! were! narrowed! in! anger,!

not! wide! with! fear.! I! stooped! and! set! the! empty,! useless! gun!

down.!From!the!corner!of!my!eye,!I!saw!Wink!slowly!step!away!

from! the! wounded! man! and! lay! down! all! the! guns! he’d!

collected.!!

!

Baines!waggled!his!pistol!to!one!side.!“Move!away.!That’s!

it.!Far!enough.”!

!

Keeping! his! eyes! on! us,! he! walked! Reyna! up! to! the! open!

driver’s!door.!

!

“Don’t,”!Wink!said.!“Take!me!instead.”!

!

Baines!stopped.!“Why!would!I!do!that?”!

!

“I!lied,”!Wink!said.!“I!still!have!the!notebook.!You!want!it.!I!

can!take!you!to!it.”!

!

“You!said!you!destroyed!it.”!

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!

“Hard! to! prove! your! motive! for! killing! Kwan! without!

evidence.!Without!the!notes,!Kwan’s!a!scientific!footnote,!a!guy!

whose!research!once!showed!promise!in!a!new!field.”!

!

“History’s! forgotten! lots! of! people! like! that,”! Baines! said.!

“Tesla! and! Edison.! Tesla! was! the! genius,! but! Edison! secured!

the!patents!and!made!the!money.”!

!

“I! waited! a! long! time! to! find! the! people! who! sent! me! to!

jail,”!Wink!said.!“Do!you!really!think!I’d!trash!the!only!evidence!

linking!you!and!the!Wilsons!to!the!bombing?”! !

!

Baines! considered! it,! and! inclined! his! head! slightly.! “You!

drive.!Get!in.”!

!

I!put!a!hand!on!Wink’s!arm.!“You!sure!about!this?”!

!

He!faced!me!and!grinned.!“No!sweat.”!

!

Wink!walked!straight!to!the!SUV,!stepped!over!Pete’s!body!

and! climbed! into! the! driver’s! seat.! Baines! gave! Reyna! a! hard!

shove,! sending!her!stumbling! toward!me,!and! got!in!the!back!

seat! behind! Wink,! putting! the! pistol! to! his! head.! The! engine!

started!up.!Wink!slammed!his!door!and!shifted!gears.!The!SUV!

inched!forward,!then!stopped,!pavement!to!the!rear!lighting!up!

the!color!of!blood.!Wink!leaned!out!the!window.!

!

“Remember! that! Caddy! my! dad! used! to! work! on?”! he!

called.!“Too!bad!this!ain’t!no!Escalade.”!

!

Before!any!of!us!could!react,!Wink!put!the!SUV!in!motion!

again.! It! wheeled! in! a! wide! circle,! drove! out! of! the! lot! and!

headed!down!the!lane!to!the!main!road.!

!

I!turned!to!Reyna.!The!sight!of!her!face!unharmed,!framed!

in!raven’s!wings!blown!askew!by!the!storm,!turned!my!legs!to!

jelly.!Shaking,!I!gathered!her!into!my!arms!and!held!on!for!dear!

life.!

!

“Are!you!okay?”!I!managed!to!get!the!words!out!before!my!

throat! closed! up! and! my! eyes! filled.! I! blinked! and! swallowed!

hard.!

!

“Just!pissed,”!she!said.!“At!myself,!mostly.!I!let!myself!get!

distracted.!Baines!got!out!the!other!side,!circled!around!behind!

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me!and!had!me!in!a!headlock!before!I!knew!he!was!there.!Took!

me!like!a!damn!plebe.”!

!

“Don’t!ever!scare!me!like!that!again.”!

!

She!wriggled!out!of!my!grasp!and!looked!up!at!me.!Her!lips!

parted,!but!whatever!she!saw!in!my!face!changed!her!mind.!She!

glanced!in!the!direction!of!the!vanished!taillights.!!

!

“What!did!he!mean!about!the!Cadillac?”!She!faced!me.!

!

I! frowned.! “I! don’t! know.! Some! memory! he! wanted! to!

share.”!

!

She!shook!her!head.!“It’s!a!message,!Blake.!Come!on.!
Think.
!

What!was!he!talking!about?”!

!

“His!dad!had!a!big!shop.!Worked!on!all!kinds!of!stuff.!A!real!

MacGyver!type.!Wink,!too.!I!guess!that’s!where!he!gets!it.”!

!

She!put!her!hands!on!her!hips.!!

!

“Sorry.!His!dad!had!a!bunch!of!old!cars.!One!of!them!was!a!

’fifty6nine! Coupe! de! Ville! convertible.! He! used! to! take! us! for!

rides!in!the!summer!with!the!top!down.!We’d!sit!on!top!of!the!

back!of!the!rear!seat,!try!not!to!get!bugs!in!our!teeth.”!

!

“It’s!gotta!mean!
some
thing.”!

!

“‘Caddy.’!Golf!caddy?!Is!there!a!golf!course!around!here?”!

!

“No,!the!message!was!for!you,!Blake.!It!was!meaningless!to!

Baines.”!

!

“Caddy,”!I!muttered.!My!brain!was!fried,!crispy.!“Coupe!de!

Ville.!Escalade.!Ain’t!no…!Ain’t!nobody’s—”!

!

“Coupeville!”!Reyna!whooped.!“That’s!it!”!!

!

She! jumped! on! me,! wrapped! her! arms! around! my! neck,!

and!kissed!me!hard.!

!

“Excuse! me?”! The! wounded! man! sitting! on! the! pavement!

waved!an!arm!anemically.!“A!little!help?”!

!

“What’s!your!name?”!Reyna!said.!

!

“Does! it! matter?”! he! said! wearily.! He! grimaced.! “Johnson,!

okay?!Kurt!Johnson.”!

!

“How!the!hell!did!you!end!up!here,!Johnson?”!

!

Johnson!bit!back!the!pain.!“Fuck!you.”!

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!

Reyna!shrugged.!“Bleed!out!if!you!want.!Your!choice.”!

!

He! grimaced! again,! took! a! deep! breath! and! let! it! out!

slowly.!“Not!a!lot!for!a!soldier!to!do!out!of!the!service.!Baines!

pays! well,! and! the! conditions! are! a! hell! of! a! sight! better! than!

some!mercenary!job!back!in!Baghdad.!Didn’t!think!it’d!come!to!

this.”!

!

Reyna! reached! down! and! pulled! a! combat! knife! from! a!

sheath!strapped!to!her!calf.!Johnson’s!eyes!widened!when!the!

knife! neared! him,! but! Reyna! sliced! open! a! gash! in! his! pants,!

exposing!the!bullet!wound.!!

!

“Who! the! fuck! are! you,! anyway?”! he! said,! watching! her!

work.!

!

“Navy,”!she!said!simply.!“He’s!civilian.”!

!

He!shook!his!head.!“All!this!for!an!ex6con?”!

!

Reyna!didn’t!reply.!With!a!few!more!quick!strokes,!she!cut!

away!the!rest!of!the!pant!leg!and!ripped!it!into!long!strips.!She!

tied!three!of!them!together!and!knotted!the!length!around!his!

leg!tightly.!While!she!broke!a!stick!off!a!dead!branch!that!had!

blown! down! in! the! storm! to! fashion! a! tourniquet,! I! went! and!

collected!guns.!!

!

“Twist! that! tight,”! she! told! Johnson.! “Hang! in! there.! We’ll!

get!help.”!!

!

She! stood! and! did! a! slow! pirouette,! scanning! the!

compound.! Across! the! flat! fields! beyond! the! assembly!

buildings,! the! horizon! had! lightened! to! dull! pewter.! Daylight!

was! approaching,! but! it! would! be! muted! and! dreary.! The! air!

was! calm,! and! the! humidity! after! the! week! of! drier! heat! was!

cloying!and!clammy!on!my!skin.!A!robin’s!song!somewhere!in!

the! dark! broke! the! silence.! Reyna! caught! me! staring! at! what!

were!once!two!living!beings!sprawled!on!the!hard!ground.!

!

“It!helps!sometimes!if!you!don’t!look,”!she!said.!

!

“You!think!they’re!both!dead?”!

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!

Her!forehead!wrinkled.!She!stepped!over!to!Pete,!bent!and!

put! her! fingers! to! his! throat.! Shaking! her! head,! she! moved! a!

few!feet!to!Keely!and!checked!her!for!a!pulse.!!

!

“She’s! still! alive,”! Reyna! said.! She! sounded! surprised.!

“Barely.!Lucky!the!idiot!there!was!using!the!wrong!weapon!in!

close!quarters.”!

!

Same! mistake! they’d! made! when! they’d! shot! Charlie.!

Assault! rifles! are! imposing,! intimidating,! scary! as! all! get6out,!

but! their! small! bullets! launch! at! such! high! velocity! they! can!

pass!right!through!a!body!at!close!range!without!fragmenting.!

Slower,!bigger!handgun!bullets!can!do!a!lot!more!damage!close!

in.!!

!

Typical!of!my!thought!process,!a!question!sailed!in!out!of!

left!field.!!

!

“There!were!three,”!I!said.!“Pete!and!two!others.!Where’s,!

um,!whatshisname,!Rocco?”!

!

Reyna! straightened.! “Out! cold.! Caught! him! coming! out! of!

one!of!the!buildings.!How’d!you!think!I!got!another!gun?”!

!

Without! waiting! for! an! answer,! she! took! out! her! phone!

and!dialed.!!

!

“Deputy!Commander,!please.”!she!said.!There!was!a!pause.!

“I! don’t! care! how! busy! he! is.! Tell! him! it’s! Lieutenant!

Commander!Reyna!Chase.!I’m!in!the!middle!of!a!situation!here!

that! he! needs! to! know! about.! Immediately…! No,! he! needs! to!

hear!it!now.!I’m!two!miles!from!Coupeville!Nolf,!and!all!hell!has!

broken!loose!here…!Ross!Industries…!Yes…”!

!

There!was!a!longer!pause!this!time.!

!

“Sir…!Yes,!sir,!I!know!that…!You!can!arrest!me!later…!Sir…!

Sir!
!Shut!up!and!listen!!You!and!the!section!chief!gave!me!a!job,!

and! I’m! doing! it.! I’ve! got! at! least! three! dead! and! multiple!

wounded!here!that!need!medical!attention!now!!…!No,!sir,!just!

listen
!! Tucker! Baines! was! responsible! for! the! bombing! at!

Southern!Illinois,!along!with!the!death!of!his!daughter!and!the!

murder!of!Kwan!Ji…!Yes,!I!know!what!I’m!saying.!He!as!much!

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as!admitted!it!in!front!of!witnesses,!sir.!He!just!blew!up!one!of!

his!own!damn!facilities!trying!to!get!rid!of!us!all…!He!left.!Took!

a!hostage…!We!think!we!know!where!he!went…!No,!Sanders…!

And! sir?! The! research! notes! still! exist.! There’s! definitely! a!

connection!to!the!back6chatter…!Yes,!sir…!Thank!you,!sir.”!

!

She!closed!the!phone!and!walked!back!to!face!me.! !

!

“What’s!Coupeville?”!I!said.!!

!

“Coupeville! Nolf—naval! outlying! airfield.! It’s! an! airstrip!

about! a! mile! or! so! east! of! here.! An! auxiliary! field,! part! of!

Whidbey!Naval!Air!Station.”!

!

“You!think!that’s!where!Wink!took!Baines?”!My!brows!knit!

in!concentration,!pain!building!behind!my!eyes.!!

!

“Why! not?! He! was! trying! to! tell! you! something.! It! seems!

logical.”!

!

I!tried!to!make!sense!of!it.!“Maybe.”!

!

“We!need!to!move!or!we’ll!never!catch!him.”!

!

“What!about!the!others?”!

!

“The!naval!hospital!up!at!the!air!station!will!send!medics,!

and! some! MAs! to! guard! the! bad! guys.”! She! looked! around!

again.!“We!need!to!get!the!car.”!

!

A! flash! of! light! out! by! the! road! caught! my! attention.! I!

watched!a!pair!of!headlights!arc!toward!us!as!a!vehicle!turned!

off! the! road! and! headed! down! the! long! drive.! I! glanced! at!

Reyna.!She!was!frowning.!

!

“Not!one!of!ours,”!she!said.!“Couldn’t!get!here!that!quickly.”!

!

“Someone!heard!the!shooting!and!called!in!cops?”!

!

“Possibly.”!

!

The! twin! beams! of! light! swung! back! and! forth! on! the!

gently!meandering!drive,!catching!us!twice!in!its!path.!Enough,!

apparently,! to! attract! the! driver’s! attention.! A! small,! black!

coupe!turned!into!the!parking!lot!and!drove!straight!toward!us,!

coming!to!a!stop!at!the!last!minute!with!a!chirp!of!rubber!on!

pavement.! Two! men! got! out! of! the! car! with! weapons! drawn,!

their!faces!hidden!behind!the!glare!of!the!headlights.!

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!

“Hands! on! your! heads!”! one! of! them! called.! “Get! ’em! up!

where!we!can!see!’em.”!

!

Reyna! and! I! both! did! as! he! said.! They! advanced! slowly,!

flanking!us!on!either!side.!!

!

“Where’s!Langford?”!one!of!them!said.!!

!

The!voice!sounded!familiar.!I!cupped!a!hand!over!my!brow!

to! shield! my! eyes.! Light! reflected! off! bright! four6inch! high!

yellow!letters!on!their!dark!jackets—FBI.!White!teeth!stood!out!

against!coffee!skin!hidden!in!shadows.!!

!

“Special!Agent!Drucker?”!I!said.!“Is!that!you?”!

!

“Don’t!fucking!move,!Sanders!!We!asked!you!a!question.”!

!

“Lower!your!damn!guns!”!Reyna!said.!“We’re!on!the!same!

side.”!

!

Drucker!moved!into!the!light!and!sneered!at!her.!“You!sure!

about!that,!sweetheart?!Now!where’s!Langford?”!

!

“Why?”!I!said.!“You!want!him!back!in!jail?”!

!

Taylor!stopped!a!few!feet!in!front!of!me.!“He!called!us.!Told!

us! he! had! a! situation! here.! That! wouldn’t! be! you! two,! would!

it?”!

!

“We’re! wasting! time,”! Reyna! said.! “Baines! is! who! we’re!

after.!Langford’s!his!hostage.”!!

!

“Tucker!Baines?”!Drucker!sounded!skeptical.!