Night Tide
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frozen!with!fascination!as!much!as!fear!as!they!rapidly!closed!
the!distance.! Fifty*yards,*now*forty,*thirty…!Wink!laid!on!an!air!
horn,! the! long! blast! startling! Chuck! and! his! passengers.! The!
bow! of! Chuck’s! boat! wobbled! then! turned! hard! starboard! as!
Wink!flashed!by!between!us.!!
!
Wink! throttled! back,! the! runabout! immediately! slowing!
and!settling!in!the!water.!He!spun!the!wheel!and!gave!it!some!
gas,!the!little!boat!pirouetting!on!its!stern.!Chuck!came!around,!
too,!and!idled!toward!Wink.!
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!
“Are!you!out!of!your!freaking!mind?”!Chuck!shouted.!“You!
nearly!fucking!got!us!killed!”!
!
“You!nearly!killed!Legs,”!Wink!said.!!
!
“Not! even! close,”! Chuck! said,! shaking! his! head.! “Just!
wanted!to!scare!him.”!
!
“You!ran!right!over!him!”!Wink!said.!
!
“Must’ve! missed.”! Chuck! jerked! his! head! in! my! direction.!
“He’s!still!got!his!head!above!water.”!
!
“C’mon,!let’s!take!him!”!Ray!said.!“Kick!his!skinny!ass.”!
!
The! two! goons! standing! in! the! stern! crowded! forward,!
nodding! and! salivating! like! pit! bulls.! Wink! and! I! should! have!
had!a!spotter!in!the!boat!for!skiing.!An!ally!would!have!evened!
the! odds! a! little,! maybe! given! Chuck! and! the! boys! pause,!
though! I! wouldn’t! have! been! much! help! from! where! I! sat!
treading! water.! But! we! didn’t! have! a! third! man.! Wink! rarely!
followed!the!rules.!And!I!usually!followed!Wink.!
!
Wink! raised! a! flare! gun! and! leveled! it! at! Chuck’s! boat.!
“Don’t!even!think!about!it.”!!
!
“You!wouldn’t!dare,”!Ray!said.!
!
“Try!me,”!Wink!said.!
!
Chuck!elbowed!Ray!in!the!ribs.!“Shut!the!fuck!up,!asshole.!
He!could!blow!us!up!with!that.”!
!
“He’s! bullshitting! you,! man,”! Ray! said,! his! voice! now! a!
whine.!
!
“Langford’s!crazy!enough!to!do!it,!you!moron.”!
!
“He6e6re’s!Johnny,”!Wink!said,!face!splitting!into!a!grin.!
!
He!squeezed!the!trigger.!With!a!loud!pop,!a!streak!of!light!
flew! over! the! other! boat,! causing! all! four! to! duck! and! cover.!
The! flare! streamed! out! over! the! lake! leaving! a! trail! of! blue6
white!smoke!and!landed!in!the!water!with!a!hiss.!Wink!quickly!
snapped!open!the!breech,!loaded!another!shell!and!raised!the!
gun! again.! With! his! free! hand,! he! spun! the! wheel! and!
maneuvered!closer!to!me,!holding!the!gun!steady.!
!
“Get!in,”!he!said.!
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!
I! didn’t! need! to! be! told! twice.! Once! in! the! boat! I! leaned!
over!the!gunwale!and!fished!the!orange!jacket!out!of!the!lake!
as!it!bobbed!by.!
!
“I’d! leave! it! alone,! boys,! if! I! were! you,”! Wink! said.! “Wet’s!
better!than!dead!any!day.”!
!
He! goosed! the! throttle,! spun! the! wheel! and! got! us! out! of!
there.!I!reeled!in!the!towrope!and!joined!him!at!the!wheel.!
!
“Thanks,”!I!said!loudly!over!the!engine!noise.!!
!
He!shrugged.!
!
“What!about!the!ski?”!
!
His!grin!widened.!“We’ll!come!back!later!and!look!for!it.!If!
they!take!it,!no!big!deal—I’ll!get!another.”!
!
Skiing! done! for! the! day,! we! motored! back! to! the! boat!
launch.!
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!
! Chapter(22(
!! I!stood!on!the!sidewalk!in!downtown!Centralia,!the!weight!
of!the!afternoon!sun!shortening!me!by!an!inch!or!two.!As!the!
reverie!faded,!a!big!plate!glass!window!loomed!in!front!of!me!
painted! with! the! word! “Antiques”! in! large! gilt6edged! green!
letters.! Next! door! a! clothing! boutique! sported! headless!
mannequins!in!the!front!window!dressed!in!fashions!designed!
to!appeal!to!matronly!Midwestern!women.!A!glass!door!stood!
between!the!two!storefronts,!a!row!of!buzzers!on!the!wall!next!
to! it.! The! street! number! stenciled! on! the! glass! matched! the!
address! I’d! written! down.! A! nameplate! next! to! one! of! the!
buzzers! confirmed! it! was! correct.! I! pushed! the! button.! A!
moment!later!the!door!buzzed.!
!
Stairs!led!to!a!second6floor!hallway.!I!guessed!and!turned!
left.! Halfway! down! the! hall! a! solid! wooden! door! with! brass!
numbers!beckoned.!I!turned!the!knob!and!pushed!through!it!to!
find!myself!in!a!small!vestibule!dominated!by!a!reception!desk!
and! two! chairs! flanking! a! small! side! table! papered! with!
magazines— Field* &* Stream,! Sports* Illustrated,! Illinois* Game* &*
Fish,! Newsweek.!!
!
A! woman! with! a! pinched! face! and! jet6black! hair! in! a!
shoulder6length! flip! eyed! me! over! the! top! of! half6frame!
cheaters! from! behind! the! desk.! A! colorful! rope! of! beads!
dangled! from! the! earpieces! and! looped! around! her! neck.!
Fingers!with!brightly!painted!nails!hovered!over!a!keyboard!on!
the! desk.! The! pink! cardigan! draped! over! her! shoulders! made!
me!conscious!suddenly!of!the!air6conditioned!chill.!!
!
“Help!you?”!she!said.!
!
“Is!James!Holden!in?”!
!
A! shuffle! of! papers! sounded! through! an! open! door! over!
her!left!shoulder.!
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!
She!tucked!in!her!chin!and!frowned.!“No,!he’s!not.”!
!
I!shifted!my!weight.!“Do!you!expect!him?”!
!
She!pulled!the!glasses!off!her!nose!and!let!them!dangle!on!
her!ample!bosom.!“May!I!ask!what!this!is!in!reference!to?”!
!
A!deep!voice!rumbled!unseen!from!the!office!behind!her.!
“I’ll!handle!this,!Margaret.”!!
!
I!smiled!politely!and!trained!my!eyes!on!the!open!door.!A!
small!mountain!hove!into!view.!The!man’s!girth!was!so!large!it!
pushed! his! arms! out! to! the! sides,! making! him! resemble! a!
pyramid!on!stout!pins.!A!couple!yards!of!red!suspenders!over!a!
starched! white! shirt! held! up! voluminous! pleated! gray! suit!
pants! creased! sharply! enough! to! cut! paper.! A! large! head!
capped! with! short6cropped! salt6and6pepper! hair! sloped! from!
little! round! ears! down! to! the! shoulders,! sagging! jowls! giving!
him! the! sad! visage! of! a! bloodhound.! The! man! twisted! to! one!
side!and!eased!through!the!doorway.!
!
“James! Holden! is! my! father,”! he! said,! extending! a! hand.!
“Been! retired! for! some! time.! I’m! Jeffrey! Holden.! And! you! are!
…?”!He!peered!up!at!me!and!his!eyes!widened.!“I’ll!be!damned.!
Blake?!Blake!Sanders.”!
!
His! recognition! stirred! old! memories.! A! familiar! face!
slowly! emerged! through! the! corpulence.! Jigglin’! Jeff,! butt! of!
schoolyard!jokes!and!the!one!guy!who!could!lift!your!spirits!if!
you! ever! got! to! feeling! sorry! for! yourself.! I! expected! a! soft,!
doughy!handshake,!but!his!grip!was!steely,!unyielding.!I’m!big!
enough!to!comfortably!palm!a!basketball,!but!it!felt!like!trying!
to!wrap!my!fingers!around!a!catcher’!mitt.!
!
“What’s! it! been,! twenty! years?”! Still! firmly! grasping! my!
hand,!he!clapped!me!on!the!shoulder!and!pivoted!a!half6turn,!
pulling!me!toward!his!office.!“Come!on!back.”!
!
He! indicated! a! chair! on! the! way! in.! “Have! a! seat.! Tell! me!
why! you’re! here.! No,! wait.! Let! me! guess.! Wink! Langford.”! He!
leaned! over! the! open! newspaper! on! his! desk! and! cocked! his!
head.!
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!
“How’d!you!know?”!I!said.!
!
He! lowered! his! bulk! into! a! chair.! “How’s! your! mom?! Oh,!
right,!you!haven’t!been!to!visit,!and!she!wouldn’t!recognize!you!
if!you!did.!And!how!about!what’s6her6name?!The!cutie!you!had!
a! crush! on! junior! year.! Ellen.! Wait! a! minute.! She! married! a!
college! professor.! Lives! down! in! Carbondale! now.! Has! three!
kids.! Oldest! just! graduated.! Going! to! Michigan! State,! I! heard.!
Me?!I’m!doing!fine,!thanks!for!asking.!Took!over!the!firm—”!He!
leaned! to! his! left,! looked! past! me! and! raised! his! voice.! “How!
long!ago!did!Dad!retire,!Margaret?”!
!
Margaret’s! boredom! floated! in! on! her! answer.! “Six! years!
next!month.”!
!
“Six! years! ago,”! he! said! to! me.! “Business! is! booming.!
Bankruptcies,! foreclosures,! wills,! DUIs! …! Signs! of! the! times,! I!
suppose.”!
!
I!looked!around!the!dark!wood6paneled!office,!two!three6
pound! bass! and! a! big! trout! mounted! on! the! walls! along! with!
framed! degrees! from! a! couple! different! universities,! the! big!
oak! desk! with! a! brass! lamp,! leaded! glass6fronted! bookshelf!
holding!a!leather6bound!set!of!law!books,!an!expensive!putter!
leaning! against! the! windowsill,! a! half6dozen! shiny! white! golf!
balls!on!the!thick!Persian!carpet!next!to!it.!
!
He!sighed!and!peered!at!me.!“You!still!with!me?!What!did!
you! use! to! call! it?! ‘Daydream! dues?’”! His! voice! shifted! to! a!
falsetto.!“‘Pay!attention,!Sanders.’”!
!
“You!remember!all!that!stuff?!I!can’t!remember!what!I!had!
for!breakfast!yesterday.”!
!
He!smiled.!“The!point!is!I!can’t!think!of!one!damn!reason!
for!you!to!come!back!here!after!all!this!time!except!Wink.”!
!
“Wink!always!managed!to!get!me!to!do!what!he!wanted.”!
!
“He!told!you!to!come?”!
!
I!shook!my!head.!“I!need!to!know!where!he!is,!Jeff.”!
!
His! eyes! narrowed.! “Why! should! I! tell! you! something! I!
won’t!even!tell!agents!of!the!federal!government?”!
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!
“Because!I’m! not!one!of!them.”!
!
“I! could! hide! behind! attorney6client! privilege,! but! I! don’t!
need!to!resort!to!legalities.!I!don’t!know!where!he!is.”!
!
“If!you!had!to!guess!where!he!might!be…?”!
!
He!picked!up!a!pen!with!both!hands!and!rolled!it!between!
his!fingers,!then!lifted!it!to!his!nose!and!sniffed.!“I’d!kill!for!a!
good!cigar.!Doctor!says!a!good!cigar!will!kill!me.”!He!held!the!
pen! up.! “This! just! isn’t! the! same.! Dad! once! told! me! an!
interesting! story! about! that! night.! He! said! Langford! told! him!
someone! else! was! with! him,! someone! who! might! have! been!
able! to! corroborate! his! story.! Someone! who! might! have! seen!
the!men!responsible.”!
!
He!spoke!as!if!the!bombing!had!happened!the!week!before,!
his!words!stripping!away!the!intervening!years!like!some!trick!
of! quantum! mechanics.! Bend! the! fabric! of! the! space6time!
continuum! like! this,! and— voila! —you’re! nineteen! again.!
Holden’s! face! was! impassive,! but! his! eyes! glinted,! ice! chips!
reflecting!winter!light.!
!
“That! someone! must! have! had! good! reasons! for! not!
coming!forward,”!I!said,!shrugging.!“If!someone!really! was!with!
Wink!that!night,!maybe!he!didn’t!actually!see!what!happened.”!
!
“People! drift! apart! after! high! school,! lose! touch.! You!
surprised!me.”!
!
“Why?! Because! I! found! it! easier! to! stay! away! than! come!
home!once!I!was!gone?”!
!
“People!here!looked!up!to!you.”!
!
“I!was!flavor!of!the!month!on!the!latest!Orphans!roundball!
team! to! go! to! state.! How! many! teams! have! gone! since?!
Remember! any! of! the! kids! on! those! teams?! I’m! a! name! on! a!
plaque! on! a! wall! at! the! high! school,! that’s! all.! Don’t! make! me!
out!like!I!was!some!big!hero,!Jeff.!People!didn’t!look!up!to!me;!I!
was!just!lucky!enough!to!be!on!a!winning!team.”!
!
He! stared! at! me! and! tapped! the! pen! on! his! desk! blotter.!
“Why!the!sudden!interest?”!!
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!
“Why!do!you!think?”!!
!
He! turned! to! look! out! the! window.! “You! remember! the!
raven’s! egg! Wink! hatched?! What! was! that,! eighth! grade?!
Freshman!year?”!
!
Early! spring! one! year,! Wink! had! found! an! egg! on! the!
ground! in! the! woods.! Could! have! been! bird,! reptile! or! alien,!
Wink!didn’t!care.!Took!it!home!and!tucked!it!in!his!sock!drawer!
with!a!desk!lamp!and!thermometer!and!hatched!the!darn!thing.!
Ground!up!birdseed,!mixed!it!with!water!and!fed!the!hatchling!
through!an!eyedropper.!When!the!bird!was!old!enough!to!fly,!
Wink!brought!it!to!the!park.!Tossed!it!in!the!air,!watched!it!flap!
its! wings! on! the! way! down! and! land! with! a! thump.! Finally! it!
grew! stronger,! so! that! as! it! neared! the! ground,! it! built! up!
enough!air!pressure!under!those!madly!flapping!wings!to!stay!
aloft.! Zooming! along! in! the! ground! effect! one! day,! the! poor!
raven!wandered!into!the!path!of!an!impromptu!ball!game,!and!
flew! right! over! home! plate.! The! bird! made! too! tempting! a!
target.!The!kid!at!bat!took!a!swing!at!it.!Killed!it!instantly.!
!
Holden! swiveled! toward! me.! “Toby! Schneider.! Dumb!
schmuck.! Langford! waited! three,! four! years! to! get! even.!
Remember?!And!he!was!careful
!not!to!do!anything!that!could!
cause! him! real! trouble! if! he! got! caught.! Didn’t! poison!
Schneider’s!dog,!or!set!his!house!on!fire.!Didn’t!beat!him!up,!or!
have!him!killed.!That!might!have!been!my!personal!choice!if!I!
thought!I!could!get!away!with!it.”!
!
I! frowned,! wondered! if! my! memory! was! that! faulty,! that!
full!of!holes.!“What!happened?”!
!
Hairy! black! caterpillars! over! his! eyes! marched! toward!
each!other.!“Maybe!it!was!longer!than!I!thought.!You!might!not!
have!been!here.”!He!tugged!at!an!ear.!“First!hard!freeze!of!the!
winter,! Langford! went! over! to! Toby’s! late! at! night! and! hosed!
down!his!car.”!
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!
I! raised! a! finger.! “I! did! hear! about! this.! Not! from! Wink,!
though.! He! never! said! a! word.! Someone! must! have! told! me!
when!I!was!back!on!break.!Stick,!maybe,!or!Bud.”!
!
Jeff!nodded,!chin!disappearing!into!the!roll!of!fat!below!it!
each!time!his!head!bobbed.!“Froze!the!car!solid.!Encased!it!in!a!
block!of!ice.!Coated!it!with!enough!ice!the!first!time!to!make!it!
impossible! to! open! the! doors.! Went! back! a! few! more! times!
after!that.!Toby!couldn’t!drive!it!until!spring.”!
!
I!rested!my!cheek!on!the!back!of!my!knuckles,!stared!at!the!
carpet!for!a!moment.!“Wink’s!got!a!long!memory!is!what!you’re!
saying.”!
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!
! Chapter(23(
!! “Take!it!however!you!want,”!Holden!said.!“I’m!just!reliving!
some!old!times,!chatting!about!a!mutual!acquaintance.”!
!
I! knew! better.! Wink! was! eidetic,! his! recall! nearly!
photographic.!!
!
“I!really!need!to!find!him,!Jeff.”!
!
“What!for?”!
!
“Just!talk.!See!what!he!knows.”!
!
“About!the!bombing?!He’s!had!twenty!years!to!think!about!
it.!Research!it.!File!requests!with!the!DOJ!under!the!Freedom!of!
Information!Act.!I’d!say!he’s!pretty!much!an!authority!on!it!by!
now.! Probably! knows! more! than! anyone.! Including! the!
investigative!team.”!He!paused.!“So!what!happened?!You!get!a!
visit!from!the!FBI?”!
!
I!nodded.!“They!think!I!know!where!he!is.”!
!
His! jowls! rose! as! he! smiled.! “I’m! surprised.! You! sort! of!
slammed! that! door! shut! tight,! didn’t! you?! Don’t! suppose! you!
ever!looked!back!until!now.!But!I!guess!they!had!to!at!least!try,!