Night Tide (61 page)

!

Johnson!groaned!softly!behind!us,!bringing!their!heads!up!

sharply.!They!peered!into!the!gloom.!

!

“You’ve!got!bodies!back!there?”!Drucker!said.!

!

“Brilliant!deduction,!Agent,”!Reyna!said.!“What’d!you!think,!

we’re!having!a!early6morning!picnic!up!here?!We’re!going!after!

Baines.!Medics!will!be!here!soon!to!take!care!of!the!wounded.”!!

!

“I! want! the! Wilsons!”! Drucker! roared.! “Where! are! they?!

I’ve!been!looking!for!them!for!forty!years.”!

!

I!jerked!my!thumb!toward!the!lab.!“Over!there.!They’re!not!

going!anywhere.!They’re!hurt!pretty!bad.”!!

!

“Yeah,! well! I’m! sitting! on! them,”! he! said.! “They’re! not!

getting!away!this!time.”!

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!

“Suit! yourself.! MAs! are! on! their! way! to! take! them! into!

custody.”!Reyna!grabbed!my!sleeve.!“Come!on.”!

!

Giving!the!two!feds!a!last!look,!I!turned!away.!Reyna!bent!

over,! scanning! the! pile! of! guns! I’d! collected,! and! picked! out! a!

semi6automatic!pistol.!

!

“Ah,!here!it!is,”!she!said!holding!it!up.!“That’s!the!last!time!I!

let!someone!take!my!weapon!away!from!me.”!

!

I! pawed! through! the! pile! until! I! found! what! looked! like!

Charlie’s!SIG6Sauer.!!

!

“Where!are!you!going?”!Taylor!said.!!

!

“After!Baines.”!I!motioned!toward!Reyna.!“Like!she!said.”!

!

Drucker! sighed.! “Okay,! okay.! You’re! right.! We’re! on! the!

same!side.!A!little!cooperation!might!be!nice.”!

!

Reyna!cleared!her!pistol,!held!the!magazine!up!to!the!light,!

and! traded! it! for! a! new! one.! She! inserted! it! and! smacked! it!

home! with! the! heel! of! her! hand.! Deftly,! she! racked! the! slide,!

clicked!the!safety!and!holstered!the!pistol.!

!

“You’re! a! little! late! to! the! party.”! She! glared! at! him.! “We!

broke!this!open.!You!wouldn’t!even!be!here!if!Langford!hadn’t!

called!you!in.”!

!

“Fine.!You!run!point.”!

!

Reyna!nodded!and!told!them!about!Wink’s!coded!message!

and!the!nearby!airstrip.!Drucker!grunted!and!waved!us!toward!

the!car.!

!

“Come! on,”! he! said.! “Where’s! your! car?! We’ll! take! you!

there.”!

!

I!wedged!myself!into!the!back!seat,!bending!nearly!double!

to! do! it,! leaving! Reyna! a! little! space! to! squeeze! in! beside! me.!

They!drove!us!out!to!the!road,!and!Reyna!directed!them!to!the!

spot!where!we’d!hidden!the!BMW.!We!got!out!and!I!tossed!the!

keys!to!Reyna.!!

!

“You!drive,”!I!said.!“I!need!to!check!something.”!

!

I!climbed!into!the!passenger!seat!and!pushed!it!all!the!way!

back,!reached!into!the!back!and!retrieved!Reyna’s!laptop.!She!

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started! the! car! and! reached! for! the! shifter.! I! put! my! hand! on!

hers!and!stopped!her.!!

!

“Wait,”!I!said.!

!

“They!won’t!just!sit!there,”!she!said.!The!black!coupe!idled!

behind!us.!“They’ll!take!off!and!assume!point.”!

!

I!shook!my!head.!“Doesn’t!matter.!Listen,!why!would!Wink!

pick!an!airfield?”!

!

“Coupeville!is!hardly!used.!There’s!no!one!there.”!

!

“Okay,!but!still.!Did!he!fly!in?!How’d!he!get!here?!Why!hide!

something!at!a!naval!airfield?!Just!seems!too!risky.”!

!

The! screen! on! the! laptop! glowed! brightly,! lighting! the!

interior!of!the!car.!I!tapped!the!keys!to!pull!up!a!map!and!aerial!

photo!of!Whidbey!Island.!Locating!a!label!for!Coupeville!Nolf,!I!

zoomed! in! a! little! tighter,! and! noticed! a! label! for! the! town! of!

Coupeville!a!few!miles!northwest!of!the!airstrip.!I!zoomed!in!on!

the! town,! each! click! magnifying! the! photo! and! bringing!

features—roads,! trees,! buildings,! cars,! even! tiny! people—into!

sharper!relief.!A!long!wharf!stuck!out!into!the!water!from!the!

center!of!town.!I!stabbed!the!screen!with!a!finger.!

!

“There!!Bet!he’s!got!a!boat!tied!up!at!the!wharf.”!

!

“A!boat?!Come!on,!Blake.!Why!the!hell!didn’t!he!drive?!It’s!

faster.”! Reyna! swung! her! gaze! toward! me! and! froze,! eyes! on!

the!mirror.!“Oh,!shit!”!

!

She!swiveled!her!head!and!looked!out!the!rear!window.!I!

craned!my!neck!and!saw!Drucker!and!Taylor!pull!away.!Again,!

Reyna!reached!for!the!shifter.!I!squeezed!her!hand!over!it!and!

pushed!it!forward!so!she!couldn’t!put!it!in!gear.!

!

“Damn!it,!Blake!!They’re!leaving!”!

!

“Reyna,!listen!!Please.!Remember!at!the!cabin?!Wink!was!

out!back!when!we!got!there.!He!was!leading!Clayt!and!Connie!

away
!from!the!cabin.!Toward!the!water.”!

!

She!bit!her!lower!lip,!eyes!searching!the!darkness!outside!

the!windshield!for!the!memory.!

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!

“He!had!a!boat!stashed,”!I!said.!“A!family!boat.!For!cruising!

the!sound,!weekend!trips!up!to!the!San!Juans.!I’m!sure!of!it.”!

!

Instinctively,!I!knew!his!family!must!have!had!a!boat!at!a!

property!like!that.!I!just!felt!it.!

!

Reyna!swallowed!and!nodded!once.!I!took!my!hand!away.!

She!backed!the!car!out!from!under!the!trees,!goosed!it!forward!

to!the!edge!of!the!road!and!turned!toward!town.!!

!

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Reyna!and!I!spotted!the!black!SUV!at!the!same!time!parked!

on!the!street!two!blocks!from!the!wharf.!

!

“Nice!going,!civvy,”!she!said.!“Smart!guess.”!

!

She! found! an! empty! space! at! the! curb! down! on! the!

waterfront,!jockeyed!the!car!into!it!smoothly!and!shut!off!the!

engine.!We!got!out,!quietly!shut!the!doors,!and!started!walking.!

The!street!topped!a!steep!bluff!about!twenty!feet!high.!Several!

buildings! were! built! into! the! bluff! along! the! waterfront—a!

tavern,!restaurant,!gift!shop,!small!inn!and!the!like,!all!dark!and!

closed!up!tight!for!the!night.!!

!

Between!two!of!the!buildings,!water!the!texture!and!color!

of!slate!stretched!across!a!large!cove!under!a!bleak,!fuliginous!

sky.!The!wharf!waded!more!than!four!hundred!feet!from!shore!

into! deeper! water! on! sturdy! pilings! as! thick! as! my! waist.! A!

large!structure!sat!at!the!end,!the!word!“CAFÉ”!painted!in!white!

letters! on! one! red! wall! illuminated! in! a! circle! of! light! from! a!

spot.! Lampposts! shaped! like! shepherds! crooks! stood! at!

intervals!along!the!right6hand!railing!of!the!pier.!Old6fashioned!

metal!warehouse!shades!reflected!cones!of!yellow!light!down!

on!the!wooden!planks.!Shadow!hid!the!left!side!of!the!pier.!!

!

To! one! side! of! the! restaurant,! a! ramp! led! down! to! a!

floating!pier!that!paralleled!the!shore.!The!pier!itself!extended!

two!hundred!feet!from!the!wharf.!Tied!to!the!dock,!six!or!seven!

boats!bobbled!in!the!rippling!water.!Two!had!the!tall!masts!and!

rigging! of! sailboats,! looking! like! a! sloop! and! a! ketch! from! a!

distance.! The! others! all! were! powerboats,! three! of! them! too!

small! for! a! cabin! sizable! enough! to! accommodate! overnight!

sleepers.!At!least!two!appeared!likely!candidates.!

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!

“What’s! your! plan?”! I! murmured! as! we! strode! onto! the!

dock.!

!

“Find!the!boat.!Board!it!forward!and!aft,!and!surround!the!

son!of!a!bitch.”!Her!expression!was!grim.!“Be!nice!if!we!could!

get!him!to!surrender,!but!I’ll!shoot!him!if!I!have!to.!You!okay?”!

!

I! simply! nodded,! knowing! she’d! hear! the! lie! in! my! voice.!

We! stayed! in! the! shadows,! treading! lightly,! footsteps! muffled!

by!the!soft!soles!of!our!shoes.!At!the!end!of!the!pier,!we!skirted!

around!the!side!of!the!café!and!cautiously!made!our!way!down!

the! gangplank! to! the! dock.! Rigging! on! the! two! sailboats!

creaked! as! they! yawed! gently! at! their! moorings.! A! shackle!

swaying! on! a! loose! line! softly! tapped! on! an! aluminum! mast,!

sounding!a!hollow!plink.!Pennants!rustled!in!a!listless!breath!of!

air,!and!quieted.!The!sounds!masked!our!approach.!

!

I! stopped! Reyna! halfway! down! and! whispered,! “What! if!

Baines!is!already!gone?”!

!

“He’s!finished.!We’ll!get!him!eventually.”!

!

“Should!we!wait?”!

!

“For!those!two?!They!didn’t!wait!for!us.!Screw!them.”!

!

From! our! vantage! point,! I! scrutinized! the! powerboats!

moored!to!the!dock!more!closely.!Two!felt!far!too!big,!another!

one!too!new,!and!several!too!small!to!fit!the!image!in!my!head.!

An!older!wooden!trawler!a!little!over!forty!feet!suited!better.!

Blackout! shades! covered! the! windshields,! but! side! window!

coverings! in! the! main! saloon! glowed! a! dim! yellow.! Someone!

was! home.! I! pointed! it! out! to! Reyna.! She! nodded,! pulled! her!

weapon! and! crept! toward! it.! I! followed,! looking! for! access!

points!other!than!the!sliding!door!to!the!main!saloon.!

!

Judging! from! the! boat’s! shape,! I! guessed! two! staterooms,!

one!with!a!V6shaped!bunk!in!the!bow!and!probably!the!master!

in!the!stern.!Both!sat!more!than!halfway!below!deck.!There!was!

a! hatch! on! the! foredeck.! Reyna! stopped! by! the! bow! and!

motioned! me! on.! I! crept! alongside! until! I! had! a! good! view! of!

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the!stern.!On!the!back!of!the!rear!cabin!was!a!sliding!hatch!over!

shutter6style!doors!about!three!feet!high.!!

!

I! nodded! to! Reyna.! She! grasped! the! rail,! bent! her! knees!

and! vaulted! up! onto! the! bow,! landing! lightly! as! a! cat.! She!

crouched!in!front!of!the!hatch,!got!her!fingers!under!the!edge!

and! lifted.! It! opened! soundlessly,! and! she! gently! lowered! it!

until!it!rested!on!the!deck.!She!sat!on!the!lip!and!lowered!her!

feet!into!the!cabin!below.!!

!

I!took!that!as!my!cue!and!stepped!over!the!rail!at!the!stern,!

getting! my! foot! as! far! onto! the! boat! as! I! could! before! quickly!

transferring!my!weight!from!dock!to!boat.!It!rocked!gently,!and!

I! froze,! listening! for! a! reaction.! I! heard! the! low! murmur! of! a!

voice,!but!no!one!came!out!on!deck.!I!tiptoed!to!the!rear!hatch!

and!gave!it!a!gentle!shove.!Wink!apparently!trusted!the!boating!

crowd;! it! wasn’t! locked,! and! it! glided! forward! on! well6

lubricated! tracks.! I! reached! inside! and! eased! the! door! bolt!

open! and! swung! the! little! doors! out.! Tension! squeezed! my!

chest.!With!a!hand!on!either!side!of!the!hatch,!I!stepped!onto!

the! ladder! tread! inside! and! slowly! lowered! myself! into! the!

cabin.!

!

Light!spilled!from!the!main!saloon!into!the!dark!stateroom.!

Varnished! teak! everywhere! added! a! sepia! tint! to! the! yellow!

lamplight.! I! ducked! under! the! ceiling’s! low! headroom! and!

started! forward! on! the! carpeted! floor,! making! no! sound.! The!

four6step!gangway!up!to!the!saloon!was!set!slightly!off6center.!I!

leaned! left! and! peered! into! the! saloon.! From! the! tight! angle! I!

saw! Wink! standing! with! his! back! to! the! helm,! hands! behind!

him.! Duct! tape! bound! his! ankles,! and! a! strip! of! it! sealed! his!

mouth! shut.! Baines! wasn’t! in! view,! but! I! suddenly! heard! him!

speak!softly.!I!couldn’t!make!out!the!words,!but!his!voice!gave!

away!his!position.!!

!

Directly! across! the! saloon! another! gangway! led! down! to!

the!stateroom!in!the!bow.!It,!too,!was!dark,!but!dimly!lit!by!the!

lamps! in! the! main! cabin.! Motion! in! the! shadows! drew! my!

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attention.! Reyna! stepped! down! from! the! V6shaped! bunk! onto!

the!floor!and!cautiously!eased!toward!the!gangway.!I!pointed!

to!my!right!to!let!her!know!where!Baines’!voice!had!come!from,!

but! she! didn’t! look! my! direction.! Instead,! she! leaned! to! one!

side!to!get!a!better!view!of!the!cabin,!as!I!had.!Too!short,!she!

stepped!closer!and!started!up!the!gangway.!The!tread!creaked,!

and!she!froze.!I!sucked!in!a!breath.!!

!

Wink’s! eyes! widened! in! surprise! or! fear,! or! both.! He!

pressed!himself!against!the!wheel,!flinching!from!whatever!he!

saw.! I! had! no! time! to! wonder.! A! gun! fired! with! a! bang! that!

nearly! blew! out! my! eardrums! in! the! enclosed! space.! ! Reyna!

tumbled! back! into! the! forward! cabin! and! disappeared! from!

view.! The! suddenness,! the! shock,! numbed! my! brain,! already!

overloaded! with! sensory! stimuli! and! racing! thoughts.! But! the!

sudden!noise!of!the!shot!touched!off!my!temper!like!a!match!on!

gasoline.!Red6hot!anger!flared!and!spread!through!me,!flooding!

muscles! with! fat! and! glucose! and! accelerating! my! breathing!

and!heart!rate!to!NASCAR!speeds.!

!