by Mike Sherer
the!SIU!bombing.”!
!
He!frowned!and!looked!down!at!the!file,!thumbing!through!
the!pages.!
!
“That!was!when?!August,!’Eighty6nine?!Fitch!was!killed!in!
October.!Six!weeks!after!the!bombing,!not!a!year.”!
!
The! skin! between! my! eyebrows! wrinkled! and! my! pulse!
pounded!a!spike!behind!my!left!eyeball.!I!pinched!the!bridge!of!
my! nose! between! thumb! and! forefinger! and! rubbed.! Maybe!
Frank!got!the!timeframe!mixed!up.!Did!it!matter?!
!
“You’re! thinking! if! Fitch! was! involved! in! the! bombing,!
maybe!somebody!cleaned!up!a!loose!end,”!Collins!said!slowly.!
!
“I! don’t! know! what! I’m! thinking.”! Trying! to! pin! down! a!
single! thought! was! like! shooting! a! fly! out! of! a! swarm! with! a!
blow! dart.! I! took! a! few! slow! breaths! and! silently! recited! a!
mantra.!“So!this!guy!Fitch!was!clean!for,!what,!fifteen!years?”!
!
“Looks!like.”!
!
“A!born!troublemaker.!Hell’s!Angel!type.!With!a!history!of!
arrests.!He!get!religion?”!
!
“Maybe! just! grew! up.! Like! a! lot! of! kids! back! then.! How!
many!angry!anti6war!demonstrators!ended!up!with!a!wife!and!
kids! in! the! suburbs! a! few! years! later?! Sure,! the! hardcore,! the!
radicals,!kept!at!it!for!a!while.!Some!were!caught!and!went!to!
jail.! Others! went! underground.! But! most! of! those! eventually!
ended! up! fat,! happy! and! middle6class.! Hypocritical! assholes,!
most!of!them.”!
!
“So,!what?!He!grew!up!and!became!a!doctor?!A!fireman?”!
!
Collins! glanced! down! briefly! but! didn’t! consult! the! file.!
“Nah,!nothing!like!that.!Just!got!a!steady!job!and!stayed!out!of!
trouble.!Your!average!working!Joe.!He!worked!as!a!janitor!for!
the!school!district.!That!much!time!in,!probably!partially!vested!
in!a!pension,!too,!before!he!died.”!
Night&Tide—Sherer&
178&
!
“In!Seattle?”!
!
This!time!he!did!check!a!page!in!the!folder.!“Yeah,!mostly!
at!Ingraham!High!School.”!
!
One!of!the!blow!darts!pinned!a!fly!to!the!inside!of!my!skull!
right! behind! my! forehead.! Messy.! Now! I! just! had! to! learn! to!
read!entrails!to!figure!out!what!it!meant.!
!
“Care!to!share!with!the!rest!of!the!class?”!he!said.!
!
“What?”!I!looked!at!him!and!shook!my!head.!“It’s!nothing.!
A!wild!notion.!Random.”!
!
He!looked!doubtful,!but!left!it!alone.!
!
“Why!aren’t!you!out!fishing?”!I!said.!
!
“Too!damn!hot.”!
!
“Golfing!with!your!buddies?”!!
!
The!look!on!his!face!told!me!that!wasn’t!likely.!
!
“Right,”!I!said.!“Too!damn!hot.”!
!
“Most!of!the!guys!on!the!force!with!me!married!young,!had!
families,!raised!their!kids!together.!The!ones!still!married!see!
each! other! occasionally,! socialize,! travel! together! even.! The!
ones!that!aren’t!pretend!they’re!twenty6five!and!looking!to!get!
married.!I’ve!always!been!a!fifth!wheel,!either!way.”!
!
It!struck!me!he!wasn’t!so!much!interested!in!helping!me!as!
he! was! in! having! a! little! company,! someone! to! share! his!
memories!with.!I!asked!him!about!his!other!cases,!and!his!face!
grew! animated! as! he! related! some! war! stories! from! North!
Precinct,! the! house! where! he! spent! most! of! his! career.! When!
both!our!bottles!were!empty,!I!clambered!out!of!the!boat.!
!
“You!fish?”!he!said.!
!
“Some.”!
!
“You!should!come!along!sometime.”!
!
I! reached! in! my! pockets! and! pulled! out! a! scrap! of! paper!
and!a!pencil!stub,!and!wrote!down!my!number.!
!
“I’ll!bring!the!beer,”!I!said.!“Thanks!for!the!help.”!
Night&Tide—Sherer&
179&
!
!
Chapter&28&
!
!
He! knew! he! was! taking! a! big! chance.! Too! many! things!
could!go!wrong.!For!one,!the!couple!could!get!away,!though!he!
didn’t! know! how.! He’d! left! them! comfortable! enough,! for!
prisoners,! one! in! each! of! the! two! small! bedrooms! upstairs! in!
the!cabin.!He’d!removed!all!the!furniture!in!both!rooms!excepts!
the!beds,!but!he’d!provided!both!of!them!with!plenty!of!reading!
material—books,!magazines—bottles!of!water!and!a!chamber!
pot.!And!he’d!left!each!shackled!by!a!chain!to!a!heavy!iron!ring!
bolted!into!the!log!wall.!!
!
They!might!talk!to!each!other!through!the!wall,!and!even!
yell!their!heads!off!trying!to!attract!attention.!But!his!nearest!
neighbor! was! more! than! half! a! mile! away! where! the! road!
surface! changed! from! pavement! to! dirt,! and! his! was! the! last!
property!on!the!road.!The!road!did!curve!in!front!of!the!cabin!
back!up!into!the!woods!another!quarter!mile!where!there!was!
an! old! shed! his! father! had! converted! into! a! workshop! with! a!
tiny! bedroom! loft.! When! Harold! had! gotten! into! one! of! his!
tinkering!moods,!he’d!often!slept!at!odd!hours,!sometimes!not!
for! days! at! a! time.! Langford’s! mother! Mavis! had! been! just! as!
happy! to! see! him! out! of! the! cabin! when! he’d! been! like! that.!
“We’re!supposed!to!be!on!vacation,”!she’d!say.!!
!
The! road! ended! in! a! large! field! a! hundred! yards! farther!
where! Langford! remembered! his! dad! happily! blowing! things!
up!or!testing!a!new!invention.!No!one!ever!made!it!as!far!as!the!
cabin! let! alone! the! end! of! the! road.! He! was! pretty! sure! he’d!
taken! enough! precautions! that! he! needn’t! worry! about! the!
couple.!
!
But! exposing! himself! in! public! probably! wasn’t! wise,!
either.!The!thought!made!him!grin.!He’d!done!that,!too,!junior!
Night&Tide—Sherer&
180&
year.!Streaked!bare6assed!naked!through!a!school!assembly!in!
the! gym! on! a! dare.! He’d! made! a! hundred! bucks! off! Chuck!
Hanson! on! that! one.! Get* serious. ! This! was! worth! it,! too,! he!
decided.! Good! thing,! since! he! was! already! in! the! city! heading!
south!on!I65.!!
!
Holden’s!call!had!worried!him.!If!the!FBI!had!gone!to!Blake!
Sanders! for! information! on! his! whereabouts! they! were!
desperate.!They!had!to!know!from!his!prison!correspondence!
that!he!and!Sanders!hadn’t!been!in!touch!since!the!night!he’d!
been! arrested.! That! meant! they! already! knew! he! was! in! the!
area,! or! had! reason! to! come! out! here! from! Illinois.! He! didn’t!
know! how! they! could! have! found! out! he! was! already! here.!
After!his!par
ents!had!died,!he’d!asked!Holden!to!sell!the!cabin.!
Only!he’d!set!up!a!trust!with!cash!from!the!estate,!and!had!the!
trust!buy!the!property!so!it!didn’t!appear!on!public!records!in!
his!name.!
!
That! left! the! other! option,! the! one! he’d! considered! when!
they! let! him! out—the! FBI! believed! someone! else! had! been!
involved!in!the!bombing!Langford!had!gone!to!prison!for.!Too!
bad! they! hadn’t! believed! him! twenty! years! ago.! They! knew!
about! his! research,! all! the! requests! for! information! from! the!
DOJ! and! the! FBI! under! the! Freedom! of! Information! Act.! He’d!
made!no!secret!of!the!fact!that!he!intended!to!find!the!people!
who’d! planned! the! bombing.! They! knew! that! the! first! thing!
he’d!do!when!he!got!out!was!track!down!the!people!who’d!set!
him!to!take!the!fall.!And!he’d!spotted!the!tail!almost!as!soon!as!
he! walked! out! the! prison! gates! in! Marion.! But! he! was! pretty!
sure! they! hadn’t! followed! him.! He’d! taken! a! very! circuitous!
route,! booking! and! buying! tickets! to! several! destinations! at!
once,! renting! cars! between! destinations,! driving! to! another!
nearby! city! and! doing! it! all! over! again.! His! first! stop! after!
leaving! Centralia,! in! fact,! had! been! Milwaukee,! where! he’d!
rented! a! car! and! driven! to! a! small! town! outside! Madison,!
Wisconsin.!
Night&Tide—Sherer&
181&
!
So,! that! meant! the! FBI! had! some! intel! the! people! he’d!
spent! so! long! trying! to! find! were! here! in! the! Northwest.! And!
they!had!sucked!Legs!into!the!whole!thing,!using!him!as!bait!to!
get!to!Langford.!He’d!hoped!he!wouldn’t!have!to!deal!with!Legs!
yet.! He’d! wanted! to! save! him! for! later.! But! Legs! had! found! a!
way!to!step!in!it,!forcing!his!hand.!And!something!else!was!in!
play! now.! He! frowned.! The! gun! battle! he’d! heard! out! at! the!
couple’s! house! was! no! FBI! raid.! Someone! else! wanted! them,!
too.!And!he!was!confident!he!knew!who!it!was.!He!shook!off!the!
thoughts,! letting! his! brow! ease,! checking! the! traffic! around!
him.!Finding!answers!is!why!he’d!decided!to!brave!a!trip!into!
the!city,!and!now!he!needed!to!be!alert!and!aware.!!
!
The! only! address! he! had! for! Sanders! had! come! out! of! an!
old! UW! alumni! directory,! listing! a! house! in! the! Ravenna!
neighborhood.!When!he!turned!off!the!freeway!and!found!the!
house! five! minutes! later,! he! reconnoitered! the! neighborhood!
carefully!before!parking!a!block!away!and!walking!back.!As!he!
drew!closer,!a!casually!dressed!man!in!his!thirties!walked!out!
the! front! door! and! got! into! a! car! in! the! driveway.! Langford!
watched!him!back!into!the!street!and!drive!off.!When!the!car!
was!out!of!sight,!he!walked!up!to!the!front!door!of!the!house!
and!rang!the!bell.!The!woman!who!answered!the!door!said!she!
didn’t!know!a!Blake!Sanders.!She!and!her!husband!had!bought!
the!house!about!a!year!earlier!from!a!woman!named!McHugh.!
Langford! thanked! her! and! turned! to! leave.! He! was! halfway!
down!the!walk!when!he!heard!her!voice!call!out!behind!him.!
!
“Mary!McHugh,!actually,”!she!said.!!
!
Langford!stopped!and!looked!back.!
!
“The! name! she! signed! on! the! documents! was! Mary!
Catherine!McHugh,”!the!woman!said.!
!
“Thanks.”!Langford!smiled.!
Night&Tide—Sherer&
182&
!
!
Chapter&29&
!
!
Charlie!was!reaming!a!nurse!for!some!minor!infraction!of!
his! notion! of! the! rules! when! I! walked! into! his! hospital! room.!
She! didn’t! cut! him! any! slack,! responding! in! a! calm! but! firm!
voice.! Her! fingertips! on! his! sternum! fueled! rather! than!
suppressed!his!anger,!spreading!a!claret!stain!up!his!neck!and!
cheeks.! Pale! spindly! legs! poked! out! beneath! the! hem! of! his!
pastel! blue! hospital! gown.! Dark! circles! rimmed! his! eyes.!
Whiskers,! as! many! gray! as! brown,! sprouted! from! his! cheeks!
like!plants!in!weak!soil!deprived!of!sunlight.!He!stooped,!mouth!
contorted! and! jaw! clenched! with! pain,! aging! in! front! of! me,!
turning! into! the! fusty,! crotchety! geezer! he’d! likely! become! in!
thirty!or!forty!years.!!
!
He!glared!at!me.!“What?”!
!
“How!do!you!ever!expect!to!get!out!of!here!if!you!don’t!do!
what!they!tell!you?”!!
!
“I! need! a! shower,”! he! growled.! “She! says! it’s! against! the!
rules.”!
!
“Sponge!bath’s!as!good!as!it!gets,!mister,”!the!nurse!said.!
!
“For!chrissakes,!at!least!let!me!do!that!myself,”!he!told!her.!
“My! luck,! you’ll! send! in! some! old! crone,! or! worse! some! huge!
hairy!guy!named!Bruno.”!
!
The!nurse!turned!away!to!hide!a!nascent!smile.!“I’ll!make!
sure!you!get!a!basin!and!a!sponge.”!
!
“Could!you!maybe!get!me!a!razor,!too?”!
!
“I’ll!see!what!I!can!do.”!She!walked!to!the!door,!glancing!at!
me! on! the! way! past,! and! jerked! a! thumb! over! her! shoulder.!
“Good!luck!with!that.”!!
!
Charlie! flopped! onto! the! bed,! wincing! as! he! bounced,!
jarring!the!arm!in!a!sling!at!his!side.!
Night&Tide—Sherer&
183&
!
“God,!I!hate!hospitals.”!He!sighed.!!
!
“The!sooner!you!heal!up,!the!sooner!you’re!out!of!here.”!
!
His! eyes! narrowed.! “I! should! be! out! of! here! already.! It’s!
been! almost! a! week.! You! sound! like! everyone! else! in! this!
fucking! place.! Pass! out! pom6poms! and! put! together! a! cheer!
squad.”!
!
“What!the!hell’s!eating!you?”!!
!
“Trade!places!and!tell!me!you!wouldn’t!bitch!about!being!
here.”! He! snatched! at! the! thin! blanket! bunched! at! the! foot! of!
the!bed!and!pulled!it!over!his!bare!legs.!
!
“You’re!right,!I’d!hate!it,”!I!said.!
!
He!picked!at!a!thread,!eyes!downcast.!“Babs!is!home,”!he!
said!quietly.!
!
“That’s!great!!When?”!
!
He!didn’t!share!my!enthusiasm.!“Friday!night.!She!came!by!
yesterday.”!He!raised!his!eyes!slowly,!the!pain!on!his!face!from!
something!other!than!his!shoulder.!“She!wants!a!divorce.”!
!
My!stomach!clenched!and!I!searched!for!something!to!say.!
“Charlie,!I’m!sorry.!Any!chance!she—”!!
!
“She!served!me!papers.!Delivered!them!in!person.!Told!me!
she! would’ve! waited! until! I! was! out! of! the! hospital,! but! the!
boys! had! already! missed! too! much! school.! She! said! if! I! need!
some! time! t
o! find! a! place! when! I! get! out,! I! can! stay! with! a!
buddy.!She!doesn’t!want!me!in!the!house.”!
!
“Ouch.”!
!
“Yeah,! ouch.! I! worked! my! ass! off! for! that! house.! I! can’t!
afford!my!own!place,!too.!Shit,!I’ll!have!to!pick!up!extra!shifts,!
get!a!second!job!just!to!make!ends!meet.”!
!
“I’m! sorry,”! I! said! again.! Then! more! hesitantly,! “You! can!
bunk!at!my!place.”!
!
His! laugh! was! short! and! derisive.! “You’re! the! last! person!
I’d!stay!with,!Sanders.!But!thanks!for!the!offer.”!
!
My!ears!burned.!“Why?!Not!good!enough!for!you?”!
Night&Tide—Sherer&
184&
!
“Think!about!it.!Your!place!is!a!shoebox.!One!of!us!farts!the!
other’ll!asphyxiate.!God,!what!a!nightmare.”!
!
“Suit!yourself.”!
!
He!looked!at!me!sharply.!“Get!over!it.”!
!
I!walked!to!the!window!and!stared!out!at!Smith!Tower!and!
a!ferry!plying!the!bright!blue!waters!of!Elliott!Bay!beyond.!!
!
“They!find!out!anything!more!about!the!guy!I!shot?”!I!said.!
!
“Yeah.! Fingerprints! came! back! to! a! former! Army! Ranger.!
Served! in! Iraq! when! I! was! there.! Got! drummed! out! of! the!
service!for!brawling!and!dropped!off!the!radar.!Sources!say!he!
went! mercenary,! fought! in! Kosovo! and! maybe! Chechnya.! No!
one!knows!when!he!got!back!to!the!States.”!
!
I!faced!him.!“They!don’t!know!who!he!worked!for?”!
!
“We’d! know! who! to! look! for! then,! wouldn’t! we?”! He!
plumped! the! pillow! with! his! good! arm! and! lay! back.! “PMCs!
aren’t!going!to!just!give!us!lists!of!their!personnel.!Where!were!
you,! anyway?! You! haven’t! been! around! for! a! few! days.! Sarah!
was!worried!about!you.”!
!
“Sarah.”!
!
“Well,!yeah.!So?”!
!
“I!was!trying!to!keep!from!getting!my!ass!shot!off.”!
!
His! face! went! blank,! like! I’d! spoken! Mandarin.! I! told! him!
everything! that! had! happened,! about! the! drive6by! with! the!
automatic!weapons,!the!narrow!escape!after!trashing!the!front!
window! of! Javier’s! restaurant.! He! listened! without!
interruption,! stifling! a! yawn! once! or! twice! and! pushing! away!
the! exhaustion! on! his! face.! I! told! him! about! the! flight! to! St.!
Louis!and!the!trip!back!to!the!place!I!grew!up.!
!
He! blinked.! “Wait! a! minute.! You! went! back! to! Illinois?!