Night Tide
Page 21
No!one!skulking!in!the!bushes!late!at!night.”!
!
“You’re!sure?!I!just!don’t!want!anything!to!happen!to!you!
guys!because!of!me.”!
!
“I’m!sure.!What’s!going!on,!Blake?”!
!
“I!don’t!know.”!!
!
“What!have!you!gotten!yourself!into?”!
!
“It’s! complicated.! It! may! have! something! to! do! with! the!
cop!who!got!shot!last!week.”!
!
“Your!friend!Charlie?”!He!glanced!at!me.!
!
I!nodded.!“And!she’s!not!my!girlfriend.”!
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!
He!rolled!his!eyes.!“Whatever!you!say,!doll.”!
!
I!sat!up!straighter!as!we!pulled!onto!the!street!leading!to!
the! house,! senses! on! alert,! watching! for! hulking! black! SUVs,!
silhouettes! in! car! windows,! early6morning! pedestrians.! The!
street! was! quiet,! too! late! for! clubbers! and! too! early! for! the!
nine6to6five!crowd.!A!pale!blue!sky!tinged!pink!on!the!eastern!
horizon! reflected! pre6dawn! light.! Almost! daybreak.! Chance!
found! an! empty! spot! at! the! curb! half! a! block! from! the! house!
and! parked.! I! got! out! and! stretched! while! he! retrieved!
costumes!and!a!make6up!kit!from!the!back!seat.!
!
“Thanks! for! taking! the! route! the! past! couple! nights.”! I!
yawned!hugely!and!followed!him!up!the!street.!
!
“Glad! to! help.! You! know! me;! I! can’t! sleep! after! a! show!
anyway.!Might!as!well!put!all!that!energy!to!good!use!making!a!
little!extra!instead!of!partying!all!night.”!
!
“Well,!money!or!not,!you’re!a!good!friend!to!fill!in.”!
!
Even! in! the! pale! light,! I! saw! him! blush.! In! the! shadows!
ahead,!sudden!movement!caught!my!eye!and!made!me!suck!in!
a! breath.! I! turned! to! look.! There! ! A! dark! form! slipped! out! of!
sight! around! the! far! corner! of! the! house.! Headed! toward! my!
apartment!on!the!lower!level.!
!
I!put!a!hand!on!Chance’s!arm.!“Stay!here,”!I!said!quietly.!
!
Without!waiting!for!a!reply,!I!broke!into!a!trot!toward!the!
house!and!pulled!up!at!the!corner.!
I!poked!my!head!out!for!a!quick!glance!down!the!slope!toward!
the!back.!Nothing!there.!Cautiously,!I!slipped!around!the!corner!
and!down!the!hill.!A!dead!broken!tree!limb!lay!on!the!grass!by!
the! fence.! I! picked! it! up! and! held! it! over! my! shoulder! like! a!
tomahawk.!Hugging!the!side!of!the!house,!I!peaked!around!the!
end! toward! my! door.! No! one! there.! But! a! rustle! and! clatter!
came! from! the! other! side! of! the! detached! garage! thirty! feet!
away.!!
!
Pulling! back! out! of! sight,! I! opened! my! mouth! wide! and!
drew! in! a! slow! silent! breath.! Chance! tiptoed! down! the! slope.!
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Peeved,! I! waved! him! toward! the! side! of! the! house! and! put! a!
finger!to!my!lips.!The!soft!sound!of!footsteps!shuffling!on!grass!
floated! on! the! still! morning! air.! Grasping! the! branch! in! both!
hands,! I! tensed.! Now! the! sound! breathing! accompanied! the!
footsteps! as! the! figure! labored! up! the! slope.! I! sensed! him,!
smelled! him! before! the! dark! figure! rounded! the! corner,! and!
swung!the!heavy!limb.!
!
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!
&
Chapter&27&
!
!
A!shriek!rent!the!stillness!and!pierced!my!ears!as!Chance!
hit! me! from! behind! like! a! charging! rhino.! The! collision! felled!
me!like!a!Douglas!fir.!I!crashed!to!the!ground,!tangled!in!yards!
of!hand6me6down!high6fashion!fabric!and!the!slender!limbs!of!
my! cross6dressing! landlord.! We! rolled! once! down! the! slope!
and!came!to!rest!at!the!feet!of!someone!in!flip6flops!and!sweat!
pants.!I!spit!out!a!mouthful!of!grass!and!dirt!and!looked!up!at!
the!startled!face!of!my!other!landlord!Peter.!
!
“What! are! you! two! doing?”! Peter! hissed.! “You’ll! wake! up!
the!whole!neighborhood.”!
!
Chance!sat!up!and!unwound!the!dress!wrapped!around!his!
torso.!
!
“Are!you!okay?”!I!asked!him.!
!
He!nodded.!“You?”!
!
“No!harm,!no!foul.”!I!got!to!my!feet!and!gave!him!a!hand,!
feeling!a!flush!rise!up!my!neck!into!my!cheeks.!“Thanks.”!
!
“For!what?”!Peter!said,!gaze!turning!from!one!of!us!to!the!
other,!nose!wrinkling.!
!
“Nothing,”! Chance! said! airily.! His! eyes! narrowed.! “What!
are!you!doing!up!so!early?”!
!
Peter! sighed.! “Damn! heat.! House! never! cooled! off! last!
night.!I!couldn’t!sleep.”!!
!
“Time!to!spring!for!air!conditioning,!honey.!What!are!you!
doing!out!here?”!
!
“It’s!a!lot!cooler!out!than!in.!I’ve!been!sitting!on!the!porch!
waiting!for!you.!Figured!I!might!as!well!do!something!useful.!I!
was! just! taking! out! the! garbage.”! He! turned! to! me.! “You’re!
home.”!
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!
“Got!in!last!night—too!wired!to!sleep!and!too!tired!to!work!
the! route! by! myself.! Thanks! for! loaning! me! Chance! for! the!
weekend.”!
!
“I’m!sure!he!was!happy!to!help.”!
!
Chance! pursed! his! lips! and! threw! him! a! look.! “We! were!
happy!to!help.”!
!
“Yes,!well,! we!have!to!go!to!work!in!a!couple!of!hours.”!
!
“You’re!going!to!be!a!wreck!today,!aren’t!you,!poor!baby?”!
!
“I’ll!manage.”!
!
Chance!opened!his!mouth.!I!stepped!on!whatever!he!was!
about!to!say.!“Thank!you!again,!both!of!you.!I’m!turning!in.”!
!
Their!heads!turned!in!unison,!the!same!pleasant!smile!on!
both!faces.!
!
“Good!night,”!Chance!said!sweetly.!
!
“Good!morning,”!Peter!said,!his!smile!souring.!
!
I! rounded! the! corner! of! the! house! down! to! my! door!
wondering! when! I’d! grown! so! paranoid! I! could! nearly! take!
Peter’s!head!off!with!a!length!of!dead!wood.!
*!*!*!*!*!
!
Even! with! a! fan! doing! its! best! to! evaporate! the! glaze! of!
perspiration!coating!me,!the!heat!caused!sleep!to!come!in!fits!
and!starts,!mottled!by!unsettling!dreams.!The!sun’s!attempts!to!
beat! its! way! through! the! curtains! an! hour! after! I! lay! down!
pushed! up! the! mercury! in! the! thermometer! like! someone!
sucking!it!up!through!a!straw.!Shortly!after!midday,!I!gave!up,!
rinsed! off! in! the! shower! and! threw! on! cargo! shorts! and! a! T6
shirt.! I!
cabbed! over! to! Ballard,! retrieved! my! car! and! headed!
north,!careful!to!check!for!a!tail.!I!threw!in!a!few!extra!turns!on!
the!way!just!to!be!sure.!!
!
The!front!door!of!the!small!house!in!Shoreline!was!open,!
car! in! the! drive.! I! walked! up! the! steps! to! the! porch,! peered!
through! the! screen! door! into! the! dim! interior! and! knocked!
loudly.!Voices!drifted!faintly!from!the!back!of!the!house.! !
!
“Anyone!home?”!I!called.!
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!
No! answer.! I! knocked! again! and! waited! a! few! moments.!
When! no! one! responded! I! opened! the! screen! and! stepped!
inside.!!
!
“Hello?”! I! walked! toward! the! sound! of! voices.! “Anybody!
here?”!
!
The! back! door! off! the! kitchen! was! open,! too.! The! voices,!
louder! now,! came! from! the! deck.! I! pushed! the! screen! door!
open!and!leaned!through!the!doorway.!A!small!portable!TV!sat!
on! the! patio! table! in! the! shade,! images! of! a! baseball! game!
flickering!across!its!screen,!announcer!calling!the!play.!A!glass!
pitcher!of!lemonade!beaded!with!moisture!rested!across!from!
the!TV,!half6empty!glass!beside!it.!
!
“Don’t! move!”! a! voice! said! behind! me.! “Unless! you’re!
itching! to! get! shot! you’ll! want! to! raise! your! hands! easy! and!
place!them!on!top!of!your!head.”! !
!
I!did!as!I!was!told.!
!
“Now!turn!around!slow.”!
!
I! did! the! turn.! The! cinder! block! on! legs! decocked! the!
hammer! of! a! semiautomatic! handgun! dwarfed! like! a! toy!
popgun!in!his!ham!hock!of!a!hand.!
!
“Thought!it!was!you!from!the!size!of!you,”!Ned!Collins!said,!
tucking!the!gun!in!his!waistband!at!the!small!of!his!back.!“You!
shouldn’t!walk!through!a!man’s!house!unannounced.!Especially!
an!ex6cop’s!house.!Could!get!yourself!killed.”!
!
“I!knocked.!And!announced!myself.”!
!
“Guess! I! didn’t! hear! you.! I! was! kind! of! busy.! Put! your!
hands!down.”!
!
I! lowered! them! and! self6consciously! stuck! them! in! my!
pockets.!!
!
“Sorry! to! barge! in.! I! wondered! if! you! might! have! a! few!
minutes!to!talk.”!
!
He! motioned! toward! the! window.! “You! can! see! how!
frickin’!busy!I!am.”!He!sighed.!“I!suppose!I!could!spare!a!minute!
or!two.”!
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!
He! walked! to! the! counter! next! to! the! sink,! opened! a!
cupboard!and!pulled!down!a!clean!glass,!then!pushed!past!me!
out!onto!the!deck.!I!followed!him!to!the!table!and!sat,!gratefully!
accepting!the!glass!of!lemonade!he!handed!me.!
!
He!picked!up!a!napkin!and!ran!it!over!his!bald!head,!then!
held!his!glass!to!the!side!of!his!face.!“Can’t!remember!the!last!
time! it! was! this! hot! in! June,”! he! muttered.! “Everyone! knows!
summer!don’t!start!here!until!after!the!Fourth!of!July.”!
!
“Lemonade!hits!the!spot.!Thanks.”!
!
He! lowered! his! glass! and! peered! at! me.! “Didn’t! expect! to!
see!you!again.!At!least!not!so!soon.”!
!
“Had!some!more!questions,!if!you!don’t!mind.”!
!
He!tipped!his!head.!“I’ll!help!if!I!can.”!
!
I! told! him! about! my! trip! back! to! Illinois.! About! my!
conversation! with! Waldron! and! the! information! I’d! gleaned!
from!the!library!on!campus.!
!
“Something!bothers!you,”!he!said!when!I!finished.!
!
“Fitch!bothers!me.!From!what!you!told!me,!he!didn’t!have!
the! smarts! to! pull! off! that! bombing.! Where’d! he! get! C64?!
Where’d!he!learn!how!to!use!it?!And!he’s!got!no!motive!that!I!
can!figure.!Why’d!he!do!it?”!
!
He! leaned! back! and! scratched! a! spot! over! his! right! ear,!
then!combed!the!fringe!of!hair!back!in!place!with!his!fingers.!
!
“I! can’t! answer! any! of! those! questions,”! he! said.! “Maybe!
that! puts! your! buddy! back! in! the! hot! seat.! What! about! him?!
Could!he!get!his!hands!on!military!explosives?”!
!
Harold! Langford,! Wink’s! dad,! had! been! a! tinkerer,! a!
MacGyver! type! who! loved! putting! things! together! out! of!
nothing.! An! inventor,! with! a! couple! of! patents,! one! of! which!
had!made!him!fairly!wealthy.!Before!that,!though,!he’d!worked!
for!an!arms!manufacturer!outside!St.!Louis.!His!workshop!had!
been!full!of!stuff!he’d!worked!on!at!the!factory.!Wink!had!been!
playing!with!black!powder!and!other!explosives!since!he!could!
walk.! Could! he! have! put! his! hands! on! stuff! restricted! to! the!
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military?!Wink!had!never!been!one!to!let!little!things!like!rules!
get!in!the!way!of!science!or!a!good!practical!joke.!!
!
“Yeah,!it’s!possible,”!I!said.!“Probable,!even.!But!I!still!don’t!
think! he! did! it.! What! about! the! gang! Fitch! used! to! ride! with?!
Not! exactly! peaceable! folk,! I! imagine.! Could! they! have! helped!
him!put!his!hands!on!explosives?!Did!he!keep!in!contact?”!
!
“Now! there’s! a! thought.”! He! paused! and! looked! out! into!
the! yard.! After! a! moment! he! pushed! back! from! table.! “Come!
with!me.”!
!
Collins! led! me! back! into! the! kitchen! and! through! a! side!
door! into! the! garage.! He! stopped! just! inside! the! door! and! I!
almost! bumped! into! him! before! my! eyes! adjusted! to! the!
dimness.!He!snapped!on!an!overhead!fluorescent!fixture!from!a!
wall!switch.!A!workbench!on!one!wall!was!littered!with!fishing!
reels,! line,! lures,! fly! tying! equipment,! several! pairs! of! needle!
nose! pliers! and! assorted! flotsam! and! jetsam.! Fishing! poles,!
creels,!nets!and!other!gear!were!arrayed!in!stands!next!to!the!
bench.! A! row! of! mismatched! file! cabinets! lined! the! opposite!
wall.!Stacked!boxes!obscured!the!wall!at!the!end!of!the!garage.!
A!small!runabout!on!a!trailer!took!up!the!remaining!floor!space!
in!the!middle!of!the!garage.!
!
Collins!made!his!way!over!to!the!bank!of!file!cabinets!and!
pawed! through! a! drawer! until! he! found! what! he! wanted.! He!
pulled!it!out!and!motioned!me!over.!
!
“Grab!us!a!couple!of!beers!out!of!that!fridge!on!your!way!
over,”!he!said,!pointing.!!
!
A! refrigerator! stood! to! my! left! not! far! from! the! door.! I!
opened!it,!took!out!two!cold!bottles!and!walked!them!over!to!
the!boat.!Collins!legged!it!up!over!the!side!and!spread!the!file!
out!on!one!of!the!bench!seats.!
!
“Climb! aboard,�
��! he! said.! “A! little! cooler! here! then! on! the!
patio.”!
!
I!swung!a!leg!over!the!gunwale,!handed!him!the!beer!and!
climbed!all!the!way!in.!I!scanned!the!file!drawers,!taking!a!sip.!
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!
“These!all!your!old!cases?”!
!
He!nodded.!“I’m!a!pack!rat.!What!can!I!say?!Let’s!see!what!
we’ve!got!here.”!
!
As!he!flipped!through!copies!of!arrest!reports!and!notes,!a!
photo! print! slipped! halfway! out! of! the! file.! A! sheet! of! Fitch’s!
mug!shots.!
!
I! leaned! over! a! pinched! the! edge! between! thumb! and!
forefinger.!“May!I?”!
!
“Go!ahead.”!
!
I!slid!the!photo!out!from!under!the!pages!he!was!reading!
and!held!the!photos!at!an!angle!to!eliminate!the!reflective!glare!
from! the! fluorescent! bulbs.! Fitch! had! a! broad! face! with! small!
eyes!set!close!to!a!nose!made!crooked!in!a!fight.!A!scruffy!beard!
nearly! hid! thin! lips! pulled! tight! in! a! menacing! grimace.!
Something!in!his!eyes,!though,!suggested!he!didn’t!take!himself!
too!seriously.!The!same!look!on!fellows!who!didn’t!give!a!shit!
would!have!made!me!leery!enough!to!steer!clear!if!I!ever!saw!
them!in!person.!Fitch’s!eyes!had!life!in!them,!almost!a!St.!Nick!
twinkle,!not!the!empty!blackness!of!your!average!psychopath.!
!
And! he! looked! nothing! like! the! face! in! my! memory! from!
that!night!twenty6some!years!ago.!
!
Though! cooler,! the! air! in! the! garage! was! still! and! heavy.!
The!roof!absorbed!the!sun’s!heat!and!radiated!downward.!I!felt!
its! weight! on! my! head,! beads! of! sweat! breaking! out! on! my!
forehead.! The! sound! of! shuffling! papers! was! loud! in! the!
stillness.!
!
“Got! nothing! in! here! that! suggests! Fitch! stayed! in! touch!
with!anyone!in!his!old!gang,”!Collins!said.!“Doesn’t!surprise!me.!
He!pretty!much!left!that!life!behind!back!in!Madison.”!
!
“But!he!could!have!reached!out.”!
!
He! shrugged.! “Sure.! Don’t! know! why! he! would! have,!
though.!Most!of!his!arrests!were!D6and6Ds,!and!after!the!riots!
in!the!early!’Seventies,!he!pretty!much!kept!his!nose!clean.!Got!
busted!in!a!couple!of!drunken!bar!fights!in!the!mid6’Seventies!
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and! slept! it! off! in! the! tank.! Nothing! after! that! until! the!
accident.”!!
!
“A!year!after!his!prints!were!maybe!found!at!the!scene!of!