Night Tide (8 page)

Port!Orchard!where!responders!from!the!sheriff’s!office!would!

most!likely!come.!Checking!his!mirrors,!he!watched!his!speed,!

careful!now!to!appear!normal,!like!nothing!had!happened.!He!

tamped! down! the! anger! burning! inside! and! slowed! his! heart!

rate!with!deep,!even!breaths.!

!

Movement!up!ahead!caught!his!attention.!Off!to!his!right,!a!

small! SUV! was! hurtling! down! a! dirt! track! toward! the! road! in!

front! of! him,! a! small! cloud! of! dust! billowing! up! behind! it.!

Langford!kept!his!eye!on!it,!aware!that!at!his!present!speed,!it’d!

come! close! to! ramming! him! if! it! didn’t! slow! when! it! reached!

the! road.! He! let! up! on! the! accelerator! just! a! hair,! and! bore!

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down.! The! SUV! didn’t! appear! to! slow! at! all! as! it! approached,!

but! at! the! last! minute,! the! driver! slammed! on! the! brakes,!

fishtailed,!then!yanked!the!wheel!and!accelerated!onto!the!road!

just!yards!in!front!of!Langford.!!

!

He! barely! caught! a! glimpse! of! the! two! people! in! the!

vehicle,!driver!bearded!and!grim,!a!female!passenger!clutching!

the!dash,!white6faced!with!fear.!It!was!enough.!He!pressed!the!

gas! pedal! to! stay! behind! the! fleeing! vehicle,! his! mind! hard! at!

work!formulating!a!new!plan.!

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!

!

Chapter&10&

!

!

The! blades! of! a! medevac! chopper! whirled! gently! then!

slowly!gathered!speed!as!the!whine!of!twin!turbines!built!to!a!

deafening!roar.!The!downdraft!flattened!the!grass!into!a!crop!

circle! pattern.! Inside,! Charlie! raised! an! arm! off! the! stretcher!

and! waved! weakly! as! they! shut! the! wide! door.! The! fuselage!

lurched!and!rose!gently,!pulling!the!wheels!off!the!ground,!and!

the! fan6tail! rotor! swung! in! a! wide! arc! until! the! copter’s! nose!

pointed! east.! The! chopper! rose! swiftly,! nose! dipping! as! it!

cleared!the!treetops,!and!zoomed!out!of!sight,!a!giant!dragonfly!

in!search!of!prey.!!

!

A! Kitsap! County! sheriff’s! deputy! waved! me! over! to! the!

patio! table,! face! alternately! tinged! blue! and! red,! even! in! the!

bright! sunlight.! Strobes! flashed! atop! the! emergency! vehicles!

circled! haphazardly! on! the! grass! around! the! yard.! I! counted!

five—two! county! cruisers,! a! Port! Orchard! cop! car,! a! South!

Kitsap!Fire!&!Rescue!van!and!an!aid!unit.!Several!more!sat!in!

the!drive!in!front.!!

!

A!small!platoon!ranged!the!property,!an!overpowering!96

161!response!to!the!magical!words,!“shots!fired,!officer!down.”!

Patrol! deputies! festooned! the! stakes! they’d! pounded! in! the!

ground!with!crime!scene!tape,!delineating!a!perimeter!around!

the! truck! and! patio.! One! of! the! county’s! two! crime! scene!

deputies!directed!placement!of!numbered!markers!next!to!the!

shell!casings!and!snapped!photos.!Strewn!across!a!wide!swath!

of!slate!and!grass,!the!little!bits!of!brass!winked!in!the!sunlight,!

lending!the!macabre!circumstances!a!festive!air.!

!

A! paramedic! knelt! on! the! ground! by! the! man! next! to! the!

house,!zipped!a!black!body!bag!closed!around!him.!The!coroner!

hadn’t!arrived!yet,!but!he!wouldn’t!dispute!the!cause!of!death.!

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Nine! rounds! were! missing! from! Charlie’s! back6up! piece.! Four!

flattened! slugs! had! embedded! themselves! in! the! Kevlar! vest!

under! the! man’s! black! fatigues.! One! round! had! hit! him! in! the!

pelvis,! another! in! the! shoulder;! two! missed! him! entirely.! The!

head! shots,! probably.! At! the! range,! they! taught! to! shoot! at!

center!mass!first,!then!in!a!pattern—two!at!center!mass,!a!head!

shot,!two!to!center!mass,!one!to!the!pelvic!girdle,!then!back!to!

center!mass,!etc.,!until!the!target!goes!down.!The!training!paid!

off—one!of!the!few!things!I’d!found!I!was!really!good!at!since!

giving!up!basketball.!One!of!the!nine—the!last?—had!slammed!

into!his!rib!cage!under!his!left!arm!where!the!armor!provided!

no!protection.!A!lucky!shot!when!he!raised!his!weapon!to!fire.!

!

Two!more!medics!chatted!nonchalantly!at!the!back!of!the!

EMT!bus,!one!sitting!inside!the!open!doors,!the!other!standing!

outside,! a! foot! on! the! bumper,! hand! resting! on! his! knee.! I!

caught!a!bit!of!it!as!I!passed!by.!

!

“Looks!like!a!fucking!war!zone.!Those!are!five6fifty6six!by!

forty6five!casings.!Assault!weapons.”!

!

“Guy!was!lucky!the!bullet!didn’t!fragment.”!

!

Both! Charlie! and! I! had! been! lucky.! I! assumed! Clayt! and!

Connie!had!been,!too.!They!were!simply!gone,!whether!before!

or!during!the!firefight!was!anyone’s!guess.!

!

As! I! approached,! the! deputy! waved! at! an! empty! chair,! as!

cavalier!as!the!medics.!

!

“Have!a!seat.”!!

!

I!surveyed!the!faces!around!the!table.!“Didn’t!know!I’d!be!

playing!to!a!packed!house.”!

!

“We! take! it! very! seriously! when! a! member! of! law!

enforcement!gets!shot,”!he!replied.!

!

“I! don’t?! Bastards! ruined! a! perfectly! good! picnic.! Pissed!

me! off.”! I! heard! the! rising! pitch! of! my! voice,! and! took! a! deep!

breath.!“I!defended!myself!and!Officer!Jones!to!the!best!of!my!

ability.!Now!I’ve!got!a!death!on!
my
!conscience,!detective.!You!

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kill!anyone!yet!today?”!My!hands!trembled.!I!slid!them!off!the!

table!into!my!lap!before!anyone!noticed.!

!

“Simmer!down,”!an!older!cop!said,!his!voice!friendly.!“We!

can! imagine! what! you’ve! been! through.! It! can’t! have! been!

easy.”!

!

“Then! what’s! all! this?”! I! drew! a! circle! in! the! air! with! a!

finger.!

!

“Like!Deputy!Roberts!said,!we’re!taking!this!seriously,”!the!

older!cop!said.!“We!want!to!find!these!guys,!whoever!they!are.!

The! more! departments! we! have! looking,! the! faster! we! get!

results.!What!you’ve!got!here,”!he!circled!his!finger!around!the!

table,! imitating! me,! “is! the! core! investigative! team.! Lead!

detective! Roberts! and! his! partner! Hartson! both! report! to! me,!

Lieutenant! White.! Officer! Boyer! there,! with! Port! Orchard!

police,!will!help!us!locally.!And!Detective!Lewandowski!is!our!

liaison!with!Seattle!on!this,!since!your!friend!Jones!is!an!officer!

with!SPD.”!!

!

My!gaze!lingered!on!Lewandowski.!“You!got!here!fast.”!!

!

“Badged! my! way! to! the! front! of! the! ferry! line,”! he! said.!

“Lights!and!sirens!from!Bremerton.”!He!gritted!his!teeth.!“He’s!

one!of!
ours
.!Chief,!assistant!chief,!maybe!a!dozen!guys!or!more!

have!been!waiting!for!him!at!Harborview!since!we!got!the!call.!

You!gettin’!the!drift!yet?”!

!

I!regarded!the!faces!again.!Clenched!jaws,!furrowed!brows!

and!flushed!skin!mirrored!my!own.!I!nodded.!

!

Roberts!took!control!again.!“Take!us!through!it!one!more!

time.”!

!

I!recounted!what!I!remembered.!No,!I!didn’t!know!who!the!

men!were!or!where!they’d!come!from.!I!had!no!idea!how!many!

there’d! been,! but! in! addition! to! the! two! I’d! seen,! I’d! heard! at!

least!two!more!voices.!No,!I!didn’t!know!what!they!wanted!or!

why! they! opened! fire,! but! they! seemed! to! have! been! looking!

for! someone.! When! they! hadn’t! found! whoever! it! was! they!

wanted,!they!left.!No,!I!didn’t!see!their!vehicle!or!get!a!license!

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plate! number.! I’d! been! too! busy! shooting! at! a! man! who’d!

seemed!intent!on!killing!me.!

!

“Attempted!kidnapping?”!Hartson!said!to!his!partner.!

!

Roberts! turned! to! me.! “What,! exactly,! did! these! people!

say?”!

!

“The! two! out! back! here?! Nothing.! I! heard! shouting! from!

inside! the! house.! Didn’t! understand! most! of! it.! Someone! said,!

‘They’re!not!here.’”!!

!

Roberts! squinted.! “‘They’re! not! here?’! You’re! sure?! Not,!

‘They’re!gone?’”!

!

My!fingers!curled!into!my!palm.!“I’m!sure.!Right!after!that!

someone! else! yelled! an! order! to! fall! back.! The! guy! who! came!

from! over! there—”! I! pointed! toward! the! far! corner! of! the!

garage.! “—he! fired! a! couple! more! rounds! and! split.! A! few!

moments!later!I!heard!a!vehicle!take!off.”!

!

“Could! be! someone! has! a! vendetta! against! Jones,”!

Lewandowski!said.!“He’s!got!a!wife!and!two!kids.!Someone!may!

have!come!looking!for!them.”!

!

I!leaned!forward,!the!sudden!movement!causing!a!couple!

of! them! to! recoil.! “Charlie’s! parents! are! gone!! That! doesn’t!

seem! like! ‘attempted’! anything.! Seems! like! the! real! thing! to!

me.”!

!

Before!I’d!pulled!out!my!cell!phone!to!dial!96161,!Charlie’s!

second! thought! had! been! Clayt! and! Connie.! Charlie! was!

bleeding!out,!but!he’d!made!me!run!into!the!house!to!check!on!

his! parents! before! calling! for! help.! I’d! searched,! yelling! their!

names,! yanking! open! doors! and! upending! furniture,! but! after!

wasted!minutes!scouring!every!inch!of!the!house!and!garage,!I!

came! to! the! same! conclusion! that! still! echoed! in! my! ears—

they’re*not*here
.!!

!

“They!didn’t!just!vanish,”!I!said.!“How!would!anyone!know!

Charlie! was! going! to! be! here?! And! why! would! they! think! his!

wife!and!kids!would!be!here,!too?!If!they!followed!Charlie,!then!

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they’d! know! Babs! and! the! boys! weren’t! with! him.! It! doesn’t!

make!any!sense.”!

!

The!cops!exchanged!glances.!No!one!ventured!a!guess.!Or!

maybe! none! of! them! considered! my! questions! worth!

answering.! Hartson! looked! at! me! and! rolled! his! eyes,! but!

Lewandowski!frowned,!eyebrows!knitting!as!if!he!doubted!his!

own!suggestion.!!

!

“Who!was!he!anyway?”!I!jerked!my!head!in!the!direction!of!

the!body.!!

!

“We!don’t!know!yet,”!Roberts!said!quietly.!“No!ID.”!

!

A! patrol! deputy! hurried! across! the! patio! from! the! house.!

“Lieutenant,!Detectives,!we!found!something.!You!need!to!come!

see!this.”!

!

The! three! county! cops! rose! and! headed! for! the! house.!

Lewandowski! and! the! uniform! from! Port! Orchard! followed.! I!

didn’t!wait!for!an!invitation,!and!no!one!told!me!to!stay!put.!I!

brought!up!the!rear!as!they!trooped!into!the!house.!The!young!

deputy!led!us!to!a!small!security!panel!on!a!wall!in!the!kitchen.!

!

“There’re!a!few!more!of!these!panels!in!the!house—one!by!

the! front! door,! one! by! the! door! to! the! garage,! another! in! the!

master!bedroom,”!he!said.!He!pointed!to!a!small!screen!on!the!

panel.! “We! found! cameras! around! the! property,! tripped! by!

motion! detectors.! There’s! one! out! by! the! road.! Like! an! early6

warning!system!when!visitors!show!up.”!

!

Wordlessly,!he!turned!and!led!the!way!down!a!hallway.!We!

fell! into! single! file! to! avoid! more! deputies! and! another! crime!

scene!detective,!moving!from!room!to!room!dusting!for!prints!

and! collecting! evidence.! The! group! fanned! out! inside! the!

master!bedroom!and!clustered!around!a!small!linen!closet!next!

to!the!bathroom!door.!I!stood!up!on!the!balls!of!my!feet!behind!

them!to!get!a!good!look!over!their!shoulders!at!a!gaping!black!

hole!in!the!bottom!of!the!closet.!Propped!against!a!wall!inside!

the!closet,!a!section!of!flooring!held!back!a!flap!of!carpeting.!

!

“What!the!hell?”!someone!said.!

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!

“It’s!a!tunnel,”!the!deputy!said.!“Tedesco’s!down!there!now!

checking!it!out.”!

!

“How!long’s!he!been!gone?”!Roberts!said.!

!

The!deputy!glanced!at!his!watch.!“Close!to!ten!minutes.”!

!

“How’d!you!find!it?”!Roberts!asked.!

!

“A! corner! of! the! carpet! was! loose,! sir.! Looks! like! it’s!

designed!to!flop!back!in!place!when!the!trap!door’s!closed,!but!

it!wasn’t!quite!flush.”!

!

“Good!eye,!deputy,”!Lieutenant!White!said.!!

!

Silence! fell! over! the! assemblage! as! if! the! men! had! been!

called!to!prayer.!The!seconds!ticked!by!glacially.!Minutes!later!

the! hole! lightened! almost! imperceptibly,! slowly! turning! from!

black!to!brown.!The!yellow!beam!from!a!flashlight!flickered!on!

the!dirt!walls!below.!A!moment!later!a!man’s!head!popped!into!

view.!He!blinked!a!few!times,!breathing!heavily!as!he!gazed!up!

at! the! faces! sardined! into! the! space.! An! arm! reached! for! him!

and! helped! him! out,! and! the! cops! made! room.! I! backed! up!

quickly,! toes! barely! avoiding! the! tread! of! a! steel6toed! black!

brogue.!!

!