by Mike Sherer
then,! why! would! someone! want! to! kill! them! after! all! these!
years?!It!doesn’t!make!sense.!You!must!be!mistaken.”!
!
“I!don’t!think!so.!If!you!and!Charlie!want!to!live!in!denial,!
okay!by!me.!Just!don’t!expect!me!to!be!much!help!if!you’re!not!
willing!to!admit!the!truth.”!
!
“The! truth?”! Her! eyes! glistened.! “Calling! my! parents!
terrorists,!that’s!your!idea!of!the!truth?”!
!
She!stood!so!quickly!her!chair!fell!over!onto!the!floor.!She!
glared!at!me!across!the!table,!shaking!with!anger.!
!
“Forget!it,!Blake.”!
!
“What,!you!ask!for!my!help,!but!don’t!want!it!because!you!
don’t!like!what!you’re!hearing?”!
!
“Just!forget!the!whole!thing!”!!
!
“Sarah!”!
!
“Stay!the!hell!away!from!me!!From!us!”!
!
She! stormed! out,! leaving! me! fuming,! insides! roiling! and!
building!up!pressure!like!a!volcano!about!to!explode!through!a!
rotten!lava!dome.!
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!
!
Chapter&32&
!
!
Langford!watched!his!old!friend!Legs!climb!out!of!the!car.!
There!was!no!mistaking!his!size—as!he!unfolded!his!long!limbs!
and!stood!upright,!the!vehicle!appeared!to!shrink!to!the!size!of!
a! circus! clown! car.! His! features! had! changed! little! over! the!
years,!face!maybe!a!little!fuller!and!more!mature.!
!
A!memory!of!Sanders!flashed!in!his!head,!two!feet!shorter,!
standing!stupidly!in!the!hall!at!school!as!Langford!had!rounded!
the! corner! at! a! dead! run,! two! jerks! hot! on! his! heels! trying! to!
catch! him! and! pay! him! back! for! a! practical! joke! he’d! pulled.!
Sanders,!his!usual!spastic!self,!had!unintentionally!gotten!in!the!
way,! taking! them! both! down! in! a! tangle! of! arms! and! legs,!
allowing!Langford!to!get!away.!
!
What! had! bonded! them?! Sanders! had! been! like! a! big!
puppy,! offering! unconditional! adoration! and! near! constant!
companionship.! Sanders! had! admired! him,! liked! him! for! who!
he! was.! That! was! it.! Langford! had! always! been! able! to! talk!
Sanders!into!going!along!with!whatever!crazy!scheme!he!came!
up!with.!Never!as!a!participant,!but!Sanders!hadn’t!hesitated!to!
be! an! observer.! Almost! like! an! official! witness! or! attestor,!
someone! who! could! chronicle! his! derring6do.! For! a! while—
years!in!fact—they! had!made!a!pretty!good!team.!
!
Now! he! wondered! if! Legs! was! still! a! friend.! He! extended!
his!arm,!pointed!his!index!finger,!sighted!over!his!raised!thumb!
and!quietly!said,!“Bang.”!It!would!be!that!easy!to!take!him!out.!
He! watched! Legs! stomp! toward! the! house! and! disappear!
around!the!side!down!an!incline!to!the!back.!
!
Movement! down! the! street! caught! his! eye.! A! gray! sedan!
pulled!into!an!open!space!at!the!curb!half!a!block!down!from!
the! house! Sanders! had! just! entered.! Langford! waited,! but! no!
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one!got!out.!Curious,!he!pulled!a!pair!of!binoculars!from!under!
the!seat!and!trained!them!on!the!windshield!of!the!sedan.!Two!
men! sat! in! the! front! seat,! one! white,! younger! than! Langford,!
broad6shouldered,! one! black,! older,! neatly! trimmed! graying!
mustache,! slight! stature.! Both! wore! suit! coats! and! ties! over!
white! shirts,! bored! expressions! on! their! faces.! They! may! as!
well! have! stenciled! “Property! of! U.S.! Government”! on! the! car!
doors!and!the!breast!pockets!of!their!suits.!
!
Langford!sucked!in!a!breath.!He!recognized!the!older!man,!
a!memory!immediately!coming!to!mind!that!placed!him!in!an!
interrogation! room! in! the! federal! building! in! Benton,! Illinois,!
where!the!trial!had!taken!place.!A!pair!of!sheriff’s!deputies!had!
driven! him! up! from! the! Jackson! County! jail! in! Murphysboro,!
had!led!him!into!the!federal!building!shackled!as!if!he!posed!a!
threat! the! likes! of! King! Kong.! The! black! guy! had! been! one! of!
four!FBI!special!agents!asking!questions!about!the!night!of!the!
bombing,!the!night!that!had!changed!his!world.! Drucker,*Fred*
Drucker,!the!name!as!easily!accessible!in!his!memory!banks!as!
the!pattern!of!the!blue!tie!the!FBI!agent!had!worn!that!day.!!
!
Langford!didn’t!know!the!younger!agent!behind!the!wheel,!
but!realized!the!man!probably!would!have!been!in!high!school,!
maybe!even!grade!school,!when!Langford!had!gone!to!prison.!
He! settled! back! in! his! seat! to! wait.! Things! were! beginning! to!
get!interesting.!
*!*!*!*!*!
!
I!made!one!stop!on!the!way!home!to!buy!several!boxes!of!
ammunition!and!a!few!spare!magazines!for!the!gun!I’d!gotten!
from!Babs.!Not!a!good!idea!given!the!mood!Sarah!and!Charlie!
had!left!me!in.!I!didn’t!like!where!the!past!week!had!taken!me.!I!
never!thought!I’d!have!a!gun!in!the!house.!Then!again,!I!never!
thought!I’d!need!one.!!!
!
Still!sour!and!vengeful!when!I!got!home,!I!stripped!down!
to! shorts! and! eased! into! a! series! of! yoga! sun! salutations,!
gradually! pushing! myself! until! my! muscles! were! warm! and!
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loose.! Then! I! switched! to! a! taekwondo! pumsae! and! moved!
through! a! half6dozen! forms! I! still! remembered! until! sweat!
dripped! off! my! nose! and! my! muscles! burned.! It! was! still! too!
bloody!hot!to!exert!that!much!effort,!but!some!of!the!anger!and!
frustration!evaporated!with!the!sweat.!I!drained!two!glasses!of!
ice! water! and! stepped! into! the! shower! to! rinse! off.! With! the!
water!on!cold,!the!spray!felt!like!little!icicles!needling!my!skin.!
!
When! I! started! to! shiver,! I! twisted! the! valve! closed! and!
toweled!off.!I!padded!out!and!sat!on!the!bed,!both!energy!and!
reason!sapped.!Exhausted,!I!tried!napping,!but!I!couldn’t!sleep.!
Snippets! of! conversations! kept! running! through! my! head!
reminding!me!of!all!the!times!I’d!let!my!mouth!flap!before!I’d!
had!a!chance!to!think!about!what!was!coming!out!of!it.!Instead,!
I! got! dressed,! went! into! the! kitchen! and! made! myself! a!
sandwich.!I!put!it!on!a!plate,!uncapped!a!beer!from!the!fridge!
and!took!them!to!the!table!in!my!small!living!area.!While!I!ate!I!
took!the!supplies!I!purchased!out!of!the!bag,!spread!them!out!
on!the!table!and!loaded!the!magazines.!
!
I!carried!the!empty!plate!back!to!the!kitchen,!washed!my!
hands!and!sat!back!down!in!front!of!the!table.!I!took!Charlie’s!
gun!out!of!its!case!and!spent!the!next!thirty!minutes!practicing,!
loading! and! unloading! magazines! until! I! could! do! it! with! my!
eyes!closed!in!just!a!few!seconds.!!
!
case!and!put!it!in!a!small!sports!duffel!along!with!an!extra!box!
of! ammunition.! I! looked! around! the! apartment! to! see! if! I’d!
forgotten!anything,!picked!up!the!bag!and!left,!locking!the!door!
behind!me.!
*!*!*!*!*!
!
Sanders!had!been!inside!the!house!for!more!than!an!hour!
when!Langford!noticed!a!car!pull!up!alongside!the!gray!sedan.!
The! younger! agent! opened! the! driver’s! side! window! and!
Drucker!leaned!over!to!say!something!to!the!new!arrivals.!After!
a!moment,!the!car!backed!up!several!feet,!giving!the!gray!sedan!
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room!to!jockey!in!the!tight!space!and!pull!away!from!the!curb.!
Langford! ducked! down! until! Drucker! and! his! partner! had!
passed.!When!he!raised!his!head,!the!other!car!was!parking!in!
the!spot!the!gray!sedan!had!just!left.! Changing*of*the*guard. !
!
Less! than! fifteen! minutes! later,! Sanders! rounded! the!
corner!of!the!house!and!walked!to!his!car,!a!blue!bag!slung!over!
his!shoulder.!Sanders!stopped!to!open!the!trunk!and!slung!the!
bag!inside.!He!slammed!the!lid!shut!and!folded!himself!behind!
the! wheel,! started! up! and! pulled! away.! A! moment! later,!
Drucker’s! replacements! pulled! out! and! followed.! Langford!
smiled! and! waited! a! moment! or! two! before! starting! up! the!
Scout!and!making!it!a!parade.!
!
Langford!was!careful!to!keep!a!several!cars!between!him!
and!the!tail!on!Sanders.!The!Scout!was!too!recognizable,!and!he!
chided! himself! for! using! it.! But! he! doubted! they’d! think! to!
check!for!someone!following!them.!Sanders!led!them!aimlessly,!
up!the!hill,!taking!random!turns.!Not!as!if!he!suspected!he!was!
being! followed,! but! as! if! preoccupied! and! unaware! of! his!
surroundings.! At! one! point,! he! swung! into! the! curb! and!
stopped,!engine!running.!His!tail!cruised!on!by!to!the!end!of!the!
block! and! turned! the! corner.! Langford! took! a! right! a! block!
behind! where! Legs! had! stopped.! He! pulled! up! in! front! of!
hydrant,! got! out! and! ran! back! to! the! corner! to! see! what!
Sanders!was!up!to.!The!block!looked!familiar.!He!scanned!the!
houses! and! realized! that! he’d! been! there! earlier! to! talk! to!
Sanders’s!ex.!!
!
Langford! shook! his! head.! How! Legs! had! let! that! one! get!
away! he’d! never! know.! He! guessed! it! hadn’t! been! without!
regret—Sanders! sat! parked! across! the! street! from! her! house,!
but!he!made!no!move!to!get!out!of!his!car.!After!five!minutes!or!
so,! Langford! saw! the! car’s! back6up! lights! flash! on.! He! hustled!
back!to!the!Scout!and!slowly!drove!around!the!block,!giving!the!
tail! time! to! fall! in! behind! Sanders! before! he! brought! up! the!
rear.!
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!
From! there,! Sanders! led! them! up! into! a! park! on! top! of!
Capitol! Hill.! The! sedan! that! followed! him! slowed! and! nosed!
into!the!entrance.!Langford!drove!on!past,!and!accelerated!up!
to! the! corner! of! the! park,! casting! glances! to! his! left,! trying! to!
get! a! glimpse! of! the! two! cars! in! the! park.! He! took! a! left! and!
followed! the! perimeter! of! the! park! for! another! block! or! two,!
but!could!see!little!from!the!street!through!the!trees.!He!caught!
a!glimpse!of!the!back!of!a!low!building!in!the!park,!but!couldn’t!
see! the! road! that! Sanders! had! taken! into! the! park.! He! cursed!
under!his!breath.!
!
At! the! next! corner,! he! noticed! a! pedestrian! entrance! into!
the! park! on! the! other! side! of! the! street! and! made! a! quick!
decision.!Swinging!into!the!curb,!he!parked,!darted!across!the!
street!and!jogged!deeper!into!the!park.!The!building!he’d!seen!
was! ahead! to! his! left,! and! as! he! drew! closer,! he! figured! it! for!
some!sort!of!museum.!He!slowed!to!a!walk—he!saw!plenty!of!
joggers!in!the!park,!but!he!wasn’t!exactly!dressed!for!the!part.!
The! last! thing! he! needed! was! someone! to! think! he! was! a!
mugger!or!rapist!running!from!the!scene!of!a!crime.!
!
Numerous! parking! spaces! had! been! striped! on! the!
pavement!in!front!of!the!museum.!He!scanned!the!cars!quickly!
and! spotted! Sanders’s! tucked! in! between! an! SUV! and! an! old!
Volvo! wagon.! He! stooped! to! one! knee! and! yanked! a! shoelace!
loose,! and! took! his! time! retying! it,! alert! for! signs! of! the! two!
men!tailing!Sanders.!He!finally!located!their!car,!parked!in!the!
farthest!space!away!from!him,!facing!the!museum.!The!driver!
had!remained!in!the!car.!Langford!caught!sight!of!his!partner!
on!the!sidewalk!in!front!of!the!museum,!feigning!interest!in!a!
sign,! but! turning! for! occasional! glimpses! across! the! road!
behind! him.! Langford! followed! his! gaze! and! saw! a! small!
reflecting!pool!across!the!road!and!down!a!short!slope!beyond!
that!a!larger!reservoir.!!
!
Park!benches!lined!the!sidewalk!overlooking!the!reservoir.!
Sanders!occupied!one!almost!directly!across!the!road!from!the!
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man!in!front!of!the!sign.!He!sat!facing!west,!arm!draped!over!
the!back!of!the!bench,!not!moving.!Langford!stood!and!casually!
sauntered! a! few! yards! toward! the! museum! entrance,!
pretending! to! admire! the! flowerbed! set! back! from! the!
sidewalk,!turning!every!so!often!to!keep!tabs!on!the!others.!He!
sidled!closer!and!suddenly!realized!Sanders!wasn’t!waiting!for!
anyone.! He! was! simply! taking! in! a! breathtaking! view! of! the!
Space! Needle! back6dropped! by! snow6capped! peaks! of! the!
Olympic! Mountains! across! the! sound! in! the! distance.! Bright!
and!hot,!the!sun!dropped!toward!the!horizon,!its!position!so!far!
north!surprising!Langford.!He!checked!his!watch—nearly!nine!
in!the!evening!and!still!a!half6hour!of!light!left.!!
!
Langford! wandered! off,! conscious! of! drawing! attention! if!
he! loitered! in! one! place! too! long.! A! few! hundred! yards! down!
the!road!a!park!bench!perched!at!the!end!of!a!grassy!field,!set!
back! in! an! alcove! of! shrubbery.! He! crossed! the! street! and!
walked! across! the! grass! toward! the! bench,! the! day’s! heat!
sapping!his!energy!and!lulling!him!to!lethargy.!He!sagged!onto!
the!bench,!abruptly!aware!of!how!tired!he!was!from!the!strain!
of!the!past!several!days—the!long!drive!on!the!trail!of!the!Jones!
couple! and! the! longer! drive! back! with! them! as! his! prisoners.!
Constantly! keeping! watch.! He! put! a! hand! to! his! mouth! and!
stifled!a!yawn.! Not*now. !He!couldn’t!afford!to!sleep!yet.!
!
Even! at! this! distance,! he! still! had! a! view! of! the! road! in!
front!of!the!museum.!If!Sanders!walked!back!to!his!car!or!the!
agents! tailing! him! moved! their! positions,! Langford! would!
<
br /> know.!Earlier,!he’d!considered!knocking!on!Sanders’s!door!and!
confronting! him! face6to6face.! The! FBI’s! presence! had! quickly!
changed! his! mind.! They! probably! hoped! Sanders! would! lead!
them! to! him.! He! should! have! left! already! for! the! cabin.! But!
Sanders! didn’t! seem! gung6ho! about! finding! him,! despite! the!
fact!that!Holden!had!told!Sanders!where!he!was.!It!made!him!
curious!enough!to!blow!off!a!little!time!relaxing!in!the!park.!
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!
Sanders!was!on!the!move.!Langford’s!senses!went!on!alert,!
but! his! body! showed! no! outward! appearance.! He! slouched!
casually! on! the! bench! as! Langford! walked! in! his! direction,!
glanced!over!his!shoulder!to!check!for!traffic!and!crossed!the!
road! to! the! opposite! side.! Even! as! he! drew! abreast,! Sanders!
was!a!good!sixty!yards!away,!his!gaze!on!the!ground!in!front!of!
him! as! if! in! thought.! A! minute! later,! the! suit! who’d! been!
standing! in! front! of! the! museum! sauntered! along! behind,! his!
attention!strictly!on!Sanders.!Langford!waited!until!they!were!
well!past!before!he!got!up!and!stretched.!He!stepped!out!of!the!
alcove! and! crossed! the! grass! to! the! sidewalk.! He! looked! for!
Sanders! and! the! suit! near! a! building! that! looked! like! a!
greenhouse!at!the!edge!of!the!park.!Instead,!they!followed!the!
curve!in!the!road!that!led!to!a!park!exit.!!
!
Langford! headed! for! the! botanic! gardens! and! watched!
from! there! as! Sanders! continued! on! toward! the! park! exit.!
Discreetly,!Langford!followed,!but!when!Sanders!crossed!over!
to! his! side! of! the! road,! Langford! hung! back.! He! sprinted! to! a!
copse!of!trees!on!the!opposite!side!of!the!street,!and!stayed!out!
of! sight! until! he! got! a! fix! on! where! Sanders! and! his! tail! were!
headed.!A!hundred!yards!down!the!road,!Sanders!stopped!and!
stood!on!the!outskirts!of!a!large!playground.!!
!
The!shouts!and!laughter!of!high!voices!drifting!toward!him!
froze!Langford!where!he!stood.!He!hadn’t!heard!those!sounds!
since!he!was!a!kid!himself.!They!churned!memories!of!carefree!
days! and! all! the! time! that! had! been! taken! away! from! him.!
Sanders! just! stood! there,! watching! the! children! play.! Was* he*
some*sort*of*perv?*A*pedophile?*Did*he*have*kids*of*his*own?*The*
house* the* exHwife* lived* in* was* large* enough* to* handle* a* whole*