by Lee McIntyre
Adam sat bolt upright. The temperature had dropped overnight and he could see the faint outline of his breath in the air.
“Kate, I’m working as fast as I can. Tugg and I are doing everything possible to find her.” “Any luck so far?”
Adam hesitated. “No, but we’re making progress. One more card to play.”
“You’d better play it fast.”
Adam didn’t like the sound of that. “Or what?”
“Steve said that if we move quickly, there’s still time. You can turn yourself in. He said that the minute you do that, he can petition for Emma to come back to me.”
Adam waited. “It sounds like that’s what you want me to do.”
“No.” Kate’s voice had a catch. “That’s not what I’m saying. It’s just that it’s complicated, and I’m worried sick about Emma.”
Maybe they were right, Adam thought. If he went to jail, Emma could come home right away. Wasn’t that the point of all this? Why not trade one for one? Was he being selfish?
They were quiet for a moment.
“I’ve been calling Lisa Castro nonstop,” Kate said. “Finally she took one of my calls and said that she doesn’t know what Steve’s talking about. Emma’s fine. She’s in a stable placement and nothing has changed. Castro’s concerned about you being on the loose, of course. And she confirmed that if you were in custody, it would be much easier to petition for Emma’s release. But she said that there’s no danger for Emma where she is. She’s perfectly safe and there are no plans for her to go anyplace else.”
“Then what’s the problem? I wonder where Steve’s getting his information.”
“Maybe he has an inside source.”
A better source than the placement director for CPS?
“This doesn’t sound right,” Adam said. “There’s something wrong here.”
“That’s what I’ve been telling you.”
A shadow drew across the trees. Adam glanced up to see Tugg standing by the car’s rear window, just about to knock.
“Kate, I’ve got to go. We shouldn’t have talked this long anyway.”
“Adam, be careful!”
“You too.”
Adam rolled down the window and Tugg leaned in. Adam didn’t like the look on his face.
“Tugg, I just talked to Kate and she said —”
“No time for that now,” Tugg said. “I was just in the clubhouse and heard something. The Forest Grove chapter is riding back to Portland this morning. In about an hour.”
Adam grabbed his boots before Tugg could even finish his sentence.
“Wanda’s leaving.”
Chapter 57
By whatever complex turn of fate, an hour and a half later Adam found himself sitting on a motorcycle, next to Tugg, at the back of a pack of twenty riders getting ready to pull out of the gate of the Ontario club.
There’d be no way to talk to Tugg over the next several hours. Adam assumed that Tugg hadn’t been able to get Wanda alone for a conversation, so this must be the next best plan. Tugg’s status with the club was still unclear, but as a prospect with the Forest Grove chapter it probably made sense that he’d want to ride back with them. And of course that meant that Adam had to come.
God help us.
Tugg was still holding his helmet.
“This is going to go fast,” Tugg said to Adam. “You’ll get no slack if you fall behind. I can’t stay with you or it’s my ass too. Just do your best to keep up, but don’t have an accident. We clear?”
Adam already had his helmet on and gave a thumbs-up.
“If we get separated, we’ll meet at the club later. If we get stopped, just pull off, keep your hands visible and wait.”
Adam took off his helmet. “That’d be a disaster, Tugg. I may have a motorcycle and a jacket, but I’ve still got Randall Oppenheim’s driver’s license. If the cops catch me, I’m toast.”
A bike started up front and a swarm of noise blew up around them.
“You got a better plan?” Tugg shouted.
Adam shook his head.
“Then put your helmet back on. If you get taken into custody, I’ll just stick with Wanda and get to the bottom of this. I’ll get Emma out. Or you can stay here in Ontario if you want to let me go ahead?”
Adam put his helmet on again. He gave another thumbs-up, then started his own bike and watched Tugg do the same.
The big steel gates swung open.
As the leaders revved their engines, Adam took one last look around. Doc and Spider gave a back-slapping farewell to the leader of the Forest Grove chapter, then pumped their fists in the air and hooted.
Thirty-eight tires simultaneously bit into gravel as they pulled ahead.
Out of the corner of his eye Adam saw Kurt, standing off to the side like a proud father, cupping his hands under his legs in a pantomime of a prodigious male endowment.
“Kick some ass, teacher!” Kurt shouted. “You’ve got balls like a mountain lion now!”
Adam couldn’t help but smile as he twisted the throttle.
Chapter 58
Adam was so far out front he wondered if he should back off a bit. Not bloody likely. After that first miserable 150 miles lagging behind, the club had put the hammer down. Adam could ride with the club only if he promised to skip all future breaks and get out ahead of them, while they stopped for a two-hour lunch and beer break just outside Pendleton. If they passed him after that, he was on his own.
Just as Tugg had predicted, he was on the hook too.
“He’s your friend, Prospect. You keep an eye on him. He’s on our gear, so someone from the club has to stay with him and make sure he gets back to us.”
Pity they had no chase truck this time. Adam would have welcomed four wheels.
The sun was bright, but Adam felt a bit cold since the highway had turned down the Gorge, wind whipping them toward The Dalles at what seemed like light speed, but was actually probably closer to 55 mph. Tugg was about twenty feet behind him–slowly going crazy again–but Adam dared not look back to see if the club was within sight yet. All he could do was ride as fast as he could and hope that no one got pissed. Or that the cops didn’t stop him again. There’d be no more hometown sheriffs this close to Portland.
The traffic had picked up a bit, but the visibility was perfect.
If Adam could stop worrying for a minute, the ride was gorgeous. Brilliant blue sky. Tangy river air. Nothing but smooth, swiveling curves up ahead, with the Columbia River on his right and Mt. Hood on his left.
In another hour or so, he’d be at Multnomah Falls, where he’d heard the club say they were going to take their next break. He and Tugg could wait for them there. After that, it would be an easy ride into Portland. He was sure he could keep up for the last fifty miles. And he’d need the cover.
Whatever lay ahead, heading back to Portland was a necessary part of the plan. If they wanted to talk to Wanda, this was the only way to do it. If that didn’t work, Adam could always turn himself in and allow Emma to go home. Adam had caught a glance at a newspaper when the club stopped in Pendleton. There it was, on page three of the metro section. A suspected murderer and child-abusing father was “still at large.”
Adam had to admit that he’d made damned little progress in determining Emma’s whereabouts over the last few weeks. Plan Z so far was a failure. They had no realistic hope of getting some miracle information out of Wanda anymore, though they still had to try. After that, they were out of options.
At first Adam thought that Tugg had just changed gears. Then the whine behind him became a roar, and Adam knew what was happening. How fast were those guys going? Eighteen motorcycles shot past on his left at a speed great enough to make Adam feel like he was standing still. But the worst part was the razzing. Yelling and cat-calling — someone would have shown their ass if they could have figured out how to do it on two wheels. Jed brought up the rear, with his middle finger in the air and Wanda laughing on the back.
If it wasn’t
over yet, it was damned close. If they didn’t catch up before the club left Multnomah Falls, he and Tugg could still ride to the clubhouse. But would Wanda even be there when they arrived? And after Tugg’s sexual fiasco in Ontario, would they even let him near her? This was all assuming that Wanda even knew anything that was useful.
As Adam drew closer to Portland, he had a growing sense that his life was ending. That the problems he faced were bigger than the ones he’d left behind only a few weeks back. In a way, they were the culmination of a set of events he’d started long ago. Bad deeds had to be paid for. After twenty-three years, the long arc of karma was about to find him. Emma was just an innocent victim. It was time to let her off the hook. You couldn’t outrun it when things came full circle.
Chapter 59
Tugg was riding alongside him. What was the point?
Adam saw no sign of the club up ahead. Just empty highway and a few passing cars. Two Harleys in the slow lane. Some badass.
The Oregon State Police car rocketed past, with the roof lit up. No siren.
Tugg looked over at Adam, then back at the road as another cruiser whipped by.
Even though they couldn’t talk, it didn’t require telepathy to know what was happening up ahead.
Just stay calm, stay in the slow lane, and try to get by without being noticed.
After a few minutes, Adam saw them all lined up on the right side of the road. Sitting on their motorcycles. Licenses held out in their left hands. No sudden movements. One squad car out front and one in the rear, with two officers walking up and down the line.
Easy does it.
Tugg sped up a bit and tucked in close in front of Adam. If they saw Tugg in front, no matter, but if they saw him from behind, better to have Adam blocking the view of his jacket. Thank God Adam wasn’t wearing any insignia.
They were just two peaceful, law-abiding bikers out for a ride. Not like those outlaw one-percenters.
Thank you, officer. You’ve done a great public service today.
Now they’d see who’d make it first to Multnomah Falls.
Chapter 60
“Maybe we should’ve just gone on to the clubhouse,” Adam said. “We were out front for once.”
They were standing on the bridge at Multnomah Falls, looking at the tremendous splash as 500 feet of falling water met the streambed only 70 yards in front of them.
“No, we said we’d meet them here. This is actually our best chance to talk to Wanda.”
Adam scanned the crowd for cops. On Tugg’s recommendation they hadn’t stayed with their bikes in the parking lot, figuring that after the traffic stop they’d be a cop magnet. They were much safer up here, trying to blend in as much as possible.
All around them fathers smiled, moms held ice cream cones, school groups swarmed, and tourists snapped pictures. What’s the best place to disappear? In a crowd. Go someplace where everyone is looking at something else.
“So what happens when they get here?” Adam said.
“You know they’ll be pissed. A stop like that happens about once a month, but the bikers will be talking about it for years. It’s pure harassment. The cops can’t stand to see anyone having fun. Usually they don’t find anything. They hold ’em for about an hour, then let everyone go. Most I’ve ever seen is a citation for a burned out headlight or a muffler violation.”
“Maybe speeding?”
Tugg smiled. “It may have looked that way to you, but they weren’t actually speeding. Didn’t you notice when we got passed by the minivan?”
“Okay, so I’m not so badass,” Adam said. “That’s why I thought maybe we should just go straight to the club. If we wait here and all leave together, we’ll be behind again after the first mile.”
Tugg looked down at the pool of water hitting the rocks and shook his head. “That’s why I want to try to grab Wanda now. If we go to the clubhouse, anything could happen. They could give me my patch. They could kick me out. We’re here now and she’ll be here in a minute. Let’s give it a chance.”
Adam nodded, then looked at Tugg. “What makes you so sure they’ll want to stay here long enough for you to talk to her?”
Tugg smirked. “You ever seen hippies in water?”
Adam had no reaction.
“Well, they look like a bunch of Bible salesmen compared to bikers.”
Adam nodded again and turned back to the water.
The falls were beautiful, but his stomach was in knots. What a contrast from the last time he’d been here. Kate could walk then, with the canes, and Adam had rashly suggested that they walk up the mile of trail so they could watch the falls spill over the edge. He was surprised when Kate said that’s exactly what they should do. He’d ended up carrying Emma, then 18 months old, most of the way, but Kate had turned back after a few hundred yards.
He’d found her sitting on a bench, smiling beatifically at the inner-city school group of kids who were splashing in the streambed, the falls a curtain of water in front of them. Adam had done the same thing as a kid once and made the mistake of putting his neck too far out into the downpour. He still remembered the panic as he disappeared under the water, fighting to know which way was up, as he bobbed to the surface and heard a woman screaming.
The unmistakable sound of motorcycle engines competed for a moment with the hissing water. Then it was silent.
What were a couple of “This Area Closed” signs to a group of outlaw bikers? As the band of merry cutthroats bush-whacked down the slope and headed toward the pool, Adam could feel the tension rise in the crowd on the bridge. When the jackets and bandanas started to come off — along with the first pair of pants — the civilians began to disappear.
“Let’s go,” Tugg said. “That’s our cue.”
Chapter 61
Wanda wasn’t naked, but she was damned close. Her cherry-red nipples sat like topping on two of the loveliest ice-cream sundae boobs Adam had ever seen. Good thing the water was 60 degrees.
Tugg had made the strategic decision to keep his T-shirt on as he waded into the water. No sense making it a contest. Jed was about 60 feet away, swimming, laughing, and goofing off with the rest of the bikers. Adam and Tugg stood hip deep in the water, watching them.
Wanda paddled over. “Can you hand me my blouse?”
Tugg walked back to shore and grabbed it, as Wanda emerged from the water to reveal thirty inches of ass covered only minimally by a pair of wet panties. Tramp stamp on display, just where Tugg had said it was. She buttoned the blouse and sat down on the bank, as she waved to Jed.
“I know who you are,” she said to Adam, and smiled at Tugg. “And of course I’m already familiar with your work.”
Jed seemed to be chilling in the water, floating on his back in a pair of mirrored sunglasses. Did it still count as a dead man’s float if you were on your back? The rest of the bikers were hooting and dunking one another in the water. The bridge above was empty.
“Don’t worry,” Wanda said. “Jed’s not the type.”
“He almost castrated a man with a hunting knife,” Adam said, “just for putting his hands on you.”
Wanda smiled. “Jed’s a complex guy. A lot of what he does is an act for the other guys. When you get to know him, he’s a real sweetheart. It actually gets him off to see another man want me. As long as he doesn’t touch.”
“I’ll remember that,” Tugg said.
Wanda rubbed the goose pimples on her arm and squeezed her long hair out in a loose ponytail. “You look like you don’t believe me,” she said. “I don’t blame you. It’s pretty clear you’re not welcome back in Ontario or Ashland anytime soon, but they’ll get over it. The guys from Forest Grove were actually pretty amused. Proud of their stud prospect, I think.”
Tugg didn’t smile.
“And I talked to Crystal,” Wanda said. “Once she’s off life support, I think she wants your number.”
Although the nipples were now covered, they made a brief reappearance through the thin cotton fabr
ic, then faded again.
Jed still looked like he was dead.
Tugg paused and gave a quick thumbs-up to one of the bikers who was walking along the rocks behind the falls, about to disappear behind the watery curtain.
“So,” Wanda said. “What did you guys learn at the reservation?”
Chapter 62
“But we still can’t figure out how Emma fits into it,” Tugg said. “How is the governor making money off the suburban kids? And how is he getting CPS to do his bidding? Do you suppose Lisa Castro is in on it?”
Wanda’s cheeks flared pink. She put her hand on Tugg’s arm. “Now just hold the fuck on,” she said. “Lisa is one of the sweetest people you’ve ever met in your life. She’s tough in her job, but that’s because she’s protecting the kids, not exploiting them.”
Adam’s eyes betrayed him — Lisa sweet? — but he didn’t say a word.
“If she’s guilty, then so am I,” Wanda continued. “There’s been a lot of pressure on our office for the last few years. The governor’s office has taken a special interest in the Native American kids. They’re always pushing for more placements. Now maybe we know why.”
“Four times the money is a pretty good incentive, especially when some of it’s coming your way,” Adam said.
“Yeah, that’s pretty damning,” Wanda said. “I’d never heard that before. I guess we’ve always had our suspicions, but no one wanted to say anything. Especially Lisa. She’s such a straight arrow I think sometimes she has trouble imagining that other people aren’t. But it all makes sense now. Why the governor’s office was micromanaging things. Actually, most of the calls came from the governor’s Chief of Staff, Peter Beauchamp.”
The gears were turning in Adam’s head.
“But we still don’t know why the suburban kids,” Adam said. “You told us last time that there was a lot of pressure coming down now about finding child abuse in rich neighborhoods. Maybe that’s where my daughter fits in.”