by Mike Sherer
phone! from! her! pocket! and! stepped! outside.! A! twinge! of!
something—jealousy,! anger! or! fear—set! off! facial! tics! that!
jerked! at! my! eyelid! and! upper! lip.! She! still! didn’t! trust! me.! I!
shrugged!it!off!and!turned!to!the!screen.!
!
By!the!time!Reyna!returned,!I’d!pulled!up!most!of!what!I!
needed.! Petronella! “Pepper”! Baines,! née! Ross,! lived! with! her!
husband!up!in!the!hills!overlooking!Los!Altos,!a!few!miles!from!
Stanford! University! and! Ross! Industries! headquarters.! A!
satellite! view! of! the! property! showed! it! was! gated! from! the!
road.! Along! with! a! sprawling! main! house,! there! was! a! tennis!
court,! pool! and! cabana,! and! a! guesthouse! next! to! the! tennis!
court!on!the!big!lot.!Parallel!rows!of!plantings!stretched!south!
down!the!hillside!away!from!the!property,!running!into!a!large!
building! with! a! dormered! roof! and! what! looked! like! a! cupola!
on!one!end.!
!
Keely!may!have!gotten!her!high!society!do6goodism!from!
her!mother.!Pepper!sat!on!the!boards!of!a!handful!of!charitable!
organizations!in!the!area,!and!was!active!in!several!more.!She,!
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in! turn,! had! probably! inherited! the! gene! from! her! mother!
Elizabeth,! a! member! of! an! upper6crust! San! Francisco! family!
before! marrying! Ross! and! moving! south.! After! pages! of!
searches,!an!item!on!an!obscure!link!a!caught!my!eye.!Pepper!
served! as! deacon! at! a! small! Evangelical! Christian! church! not!
far!from!her!home.!It!could!be!helpful.!
!
I!also!learned!that!the!middle!sibling,!Tucker,!Jr.,!was!the!
black! sheep! of! the! family.! Shunning! the! family! business,! he!
spent! his! time! making,! and! drinking,! wine! at! a! small! local!
winery.!The!rows!of!green!visible!in!the!satellite!photo!must!be!
grape! vines.! He’d! invested! large! sums! of! money! in! the! little!
vineyard,! mostly! his! mother’s! since! he! had! none! of! his! own,!
and!Daddy!apparently!thought!Junior!and!his!dreams!of!being!a!
vintner! were! several! ounces! shy! of! a! full! glass.! The! spat! was!
public!enough!to!make!the!gossip!pages.!
!
“Any!luck?”!Reyna!said,!jutting!her!chin!toward!the!laptop.!
!
“Enough!to!go!on.”!
!
“You’re!sure!about!this?”!
!
“I’m!not!sure!of!anything.!I!don’t!know!the!good!guys!from!
the!bad!guys.”!
!
“The! bad! guys! are! the! ones! who! aim! at! you! instead! of!
away!from!you.”!
!
I!shook!my!head.!“I!wish!it!were!that!simple.”!
!
!
!
She! cocked! her! head! and! studied! me! for! a! long! moment.!
“You!slept!with!her.”!
!
I!started!to!deny!it.!My!mouth!worked!like!that!of!a!fish!out!
of! water! while! I! tried! to! come! up! with! some! version! of! the!
truth.!I!knew!that!anything!less!and!Reyna!would!walk.!
!
The!best!I!could!come!up!with!was,!“Not!in!any!way!that!
means!anything.”!
!
“You!don’t!inspire!a!lot!of!confidence!in!a!girl.”!She!smiled,!
but!it!didn’t!look!like!her!heart!was!in!it.!Her!stance!was!coiled,!
shoulders!bunched.!
!
“Reyna,!look,!I!didn’t!mean!to.!It!just!happened.”!
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!
She!shrugged.!“You!don’t!owe!me!anything,!civvy.!You!and!
I,!we’re!good.”!
!
I!frowned,!unable!to!find!words!that!might!be!adequate.!I!
wanted!more!than!just!good.!
!
“You’re!conflicted,”!she!said.!“About!her.”!
!
“Not!in!the!way!you!think.!It’s!just…!Something’s!not!right!
about! Keely.! That’s! why! I! have! to! find! out,! you! know,! about!
who!her!father!really!is.!I’ve!got!a!hunch,!but!I!don’t!know!what!
it!means!yet.”!
!
The!tension!drained!out!of!her,!her!face!smoothing!into!a!
neutral! expression.! “Well,! you’re! all! set.! I’ve! arranged!
transportation!down!to!the!Bay!area!for!you.”!
!
“A!guy!you!know…”!
!
“I!trust!him.”!
!
“That’s!it?”!
!
“What!else!is!there?!Look,!he’s!willing!to!drop!everything!
to!help!me.!Us.!Do!you!really!need!to!know!anything!else?”!She!
came!over!and!put!a!hand!on!my!shoulder.!“You!look!beat.!You!
should! catch! a! short! nap! if! you! can.! He’ll! be! here! in! a! few!
hours.”!
!
I’d! managed! only! a! couple! of! hours! of! sleep! in! the! past!
three! days,! none! in! the! last! forty6eight! hours.! A! nap! sounded!
appealing.!I!nodded!and!went!into!the!bedroom.!
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!
!
Chapter&42&
!
!
The!roar!of!a!loud!engine!brought!me!out!of!fitful!dream.!I!
didn’t! remember! falling! asleep.! I! struggled! for! a! moment! to!
remember!where!I!was.!The!window!in!the!small!bedroom!was!
indigo.!As!it!slowly!came!into!focus,!a!spattering!of!white!dots!
filled! the! upper! third.! Night! had! fallen.! I! padded! out! to! the!
living!room!in!bare!feet.!The!front!door!stood!open!and!Reyna!
was! gone.! The! engine’s! reverberation! settled! into! a! steady!
growl,! punctuated! occasionally! by! a! brief! increase! in! pitch.! I!
pulled!on!shoes!and!stepped!outside,!searching!for!the!source!
of!the!sound.!
!
White! and! red! lights! moved! across! the! water! off! shore,!
then!turned!and!headed!toward!the!beach,!a!green!light!visible!
now.! Running! lights,! but! too! wide6spaced! to! be! a! boat.! The!
beam!of!a!flashlight!led!from!the!beach!out!over!the!water!and!
quickly! played! across! it! twice,! giving! me! a! glimpse! of! wings!
and! spinning! propeller.! The! light! source! silhouetted! a! dark!
figure!on!shore.!Reyna.!The!pilot!snapped!on!a!bright!landing!
light! in! the! left! wing,! illuminating! the! beach,! then! throttled!
down,! and! the! engine! burbled! to! a! stop.! I! hustled! down! the!
slope!and!joined!Reyna!as!the!floatplane!silently!drifted!in.!She!
kept! her! eyes! directed! out! on! the! water,! not! bothering! to!
acknowledge!me.!
!
The! pilot! clambered! out! of! the! cockpit! onto! one! of! the!
floats! and! bent! down! to! attach! a! line.! He! straightened! and!
stood!motionless!as!the!plane!glided!toward!shore.!Twenty!feet!
out,! he! heaved! the! coil! of! rope! at! us.! It! snaked! through! the!
darkness.! I! caught! it! as! it! descended! and! pulled! steadily,!
walking!backward!up!the!gentle!slope!until!the!floats!slid!onto!
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the!sand!jerking!me!to!a!stop.!The!pilot!waved!an!arm!up!the!
&nbs
p; beach,!pointing.!
!
“Maybe!just!loop!it!over!that!driftwood!over!there!and!tie!
it! off,”! he! called.! “Won’t! be! here! long! enough! to! worry! about!
the!tide!taking!her!out.”!
!
A!short,!powerfully!built!man!with!unkempt!black!hair!and!
scraggly!beard,!he!stepped!off!the!float!and!wrapped!Reyna!up!
in!a!bear!hug.!
!
“How! you! been,! girl?! I! hear! you’re! gonna! make! admiral!
soon.”!
!
“Jesus,!Toby,!let!me!go.!You’re!going!to!squish!my!guts!out!
like!toothpaste.”!
!
He!dropped!her!gently!on!her!feet!in!the!sand!and!stepped!
back!to!look!at!her!in!the!bright!light!from!the!plane.!
!
“You!look!good,!kiddo.”!
!
“You,! too,! Toby.! Civilian! life! agrees! with! you.”! The! wide!
smile!on!her!face!shone!as!brightly!as!the!landing!light.!
!
“Can’t!complain,”!he!said.!“Life’s!good.”!
!
I! strolled! up! to! them! slowly,! reluctant! to! intrude.! Reyna!
dropped! her! gaze! to! her! feet,! her! smile! falling! with! it,! and!
looked!at!me!coolly.!
!
“Toby,!this!is!Blake!Sanders.!Blake,!Toby!Russell.!Toby’s!an!
old! buddy! from! the! Navy.! We! served! in! the! Persian! Gulf!
together.”!
!
Though! shadowed,! even! in! the! dark! the! flat! planes! and!
chiseled! bones! of! his! cheeks! and! nose! suggested! he! was!
Eskimo,! maybe! Inuit! or! Inupiat.! He! stuck! out! a! paw! and!
gripped! my! big! hand! with! such! force! I! was! sure! I! heard!
something!crack.!
!
His! face! split! into! a! smile.! “Big! fella,! huh?! May! have! to!
shove!you!through!the!cargo!door,!but!we’ll!make!you!fit.”!He!
turned! to! Reyna.! “Got! any! grub?! And! a! cold! beer! would! be!
nice.”!!
!
She!laughed.!“We’ll!find!something.”!
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!
“Give!me!a!minute!to!shut!her!down.”!
!
With!a!nimbleness!that!belied!his!size,!Toby!danced!down!
the!float,!threading!his!way!around!the!struts,!and!leaned!into!
the! cockpit.! The! landing! light! and! running! lights! blinked! off,!
leaving!us!in!sudden!darkness.!I!was!blind!for!a!moment!until!
my!eyes!adjusted!to!the!light!of!the!stars.!Toby!hopped!down!
on! the! sand,! draped! an! arm! around! Reyna’s! shoulders! and!
turned!her!toward!the!cottage.!I!followed!along!behind!like!an!
obedient!mutt.!
*!*!*!*!*!
!
We! took! off! a! little! after! midnight,! pontoons! slicing!
through!the!calm!water!with!hardly!a!splash.!The!wide!square6
tipped!wings!quickly!found!lift,!and!Toby!pulled!back!the!stick!
after! a! short! run,! lifting! the! nose! into! the! air.! With! the! floats!
free!of!the!water,!the!plane!gained!speed!and!altitude!fast,!and!
within! seconds,! the! scattered! lights! below! glittered! like! tiny!
jewels! on! black! velvet.! My! ears! popped! as! the! plane! climbed!
skyward,! its! propeller! clawing! a! path! toward! inky! blackness!
and!bright!stars!overhead.!The!little!plane’s!power,!combined!
with!the!short!take6off!surprised!me.!
!
I!yelled!over!the!engine!noise.!“What!is!this?”!
!
He!scrunched!his!broad!face!into!a!question!mark.!
!
I!twirled!a!finger!in!the!air.!“What!kind!of!plane?”!
!
He! handed! me! a! pair! of! headphones,! with! a! microphone!
boom!attached,!and!plugged!the!other!end!into!a!jack.!
!
His! voice! came! through! the! earpieces.! “Maule! M6seven6
four6twenty.!Turboprop.”!
!
“Big!wings,”!I!said.!“STOL?”!
!
He!nodded.!“I!can!take!off!and!land!on!a!pond!a!little!larger!
than!a!football!field.”!
!
“You!a!bush!pilot?”!
!
He! grinned.! “Smarter! than! you! look.! What! gave! it! away?!
My!WASP6ish!good!looks?”!
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!
My! face! lit! up! the! cabin! in! red.! “Something! like! that.!
Figured!you!must!be!from!Alaska.”!
!
He! nodded.! “My! mom’s! Inuit.! She! married! a! white! guy,! a!
wildcatter!from!Texas.!He!split!when!I!was!a!kid.”!
!
“Explains!your!name.”!
!
“Real! name! is! Taqukaq,! but! no! one! can! pronounce! it,! let!
alone!spell!it.!I!settled!on!Toby.”!
!
“What’s!it!mean?”!
!
“Grizzly!bear.”!
!
It!fit.!I!laughed.!!
!
“You!flew!down!from!Alaska!for!this?”!
!
“Yeah,!Ketchikan.”!
!
“To! ferry! a! complete! stranger! all! the! way! down! to!
California?”!
!
“Wasn’t!doing!anything!else.”!He!flashed!a!quick!smile.!
!
I!stared!at!him,!setting!his!beard!on!fire!and!boring!a!hole!
in!his!head.!!
!
He!finally!glanced!at!me.!“How!well!do!you!know!Reyna?”!
!
“Not!as!well!as!I’d!like,!but!I!hope!to!change!that.”!
!
Now!his!gaze!cut!into!me!like!a!laser.!He!tipped!his!head!
once,!as!if!making!up!his!mind.!
!
“She! saved! my! butt! a! couple! of! times! in! the! service.”! He!
didn’t!offer!an!explanation.!“It!wouldn’t!make!any!difference!if!
she!hadn’t.!If!you!knew!her,!you’d!know!why!I!came.”!
!
We!fell!into!silence!save!the!occasional!crackle!of!the!radio!
and!Toby’s!responses!to!air!traffic!controllers.!At!altitude,!the!
sky!was!awash!in!stars,!so!many!that!it!hardly!seemed!possible!
one! among! them! wasn’t! like! our! own! sun,! shining! on! a! blue6
marble!planet!like!ours.!A!black!curtain!covered!the!stars!in!the!
lower!quarter!of!the!western!sky,!a!sharp!line!demarcating!the!
front! that! hung! out! over! the! Pacific.! The! thick,! wide! band! of!
clouds!waited!patiently!for!a!ridge!of!high!pressure!over!us!to!
weaken,!biding!its!time!until!it!unleashed!rain!and!likely!some!
brisk!winds.!Relief!after!the!few!days!of!heat.!
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!
A! waning! crescent! moon! rose! over! the! eastern! horizon!
some!time!after!two!in!the!morning,!casting!a!blue!glow!over!
the!land!far!below!and!lighting!up!bodies!of!water!in!flashes!of!
silver! as! we! glided! by.! We! droned! on! through! the! night,! and!
though! pushed! all! the! way! back,! my! seat! grew! teeth! after!
another! hour.! I! was! glad! when! Toby! started! a! descent,! but!
confused!when!nothing!below!us!glowed!with!the!expanse!and!
brightness!of!a!major!city.!
!
I!thumbed!my!mic.!“What’s!up?”!
!
He!gla
nced!over.!“Pit!stop.”!
!
Soon! the! lights! of! a! small! city! on! the! coast! came! in! view,!
and! Toby! nosed! the! plane! down! ever! closer! until! the! black!
expanse!of!a!large!bay!rushed!up!to!meet!us.!The!plane!lightly!
kissed!the!surface!and!scudded!across!the!water!toward!a!long!
dock.!!
!
“Eureka,”!Toby!said.!
!
“Yeah,!nice!landing.”!
!
“No,!this!is!Eureka.!California.”!
!
We! skirted! the! big! industrial! dock,! and! I! saw! he! was!
aiming! for! a! marina! just! beyond! it.! He! busied! himself! with!
controls!as!we!came!in,!jockeyed!the!plane!in!close!and!cut!the!
engine! to! glide! in! the! last! thirty! yards! without! power.! He!
quickly! climbed! out! on! the! pontoon,! fastened! a! line,! hopped!
onto!the!dock!and!tied!the!other!end!to!a!cleat.!But!for!pools!of!
light! under! evenly! spaced! light! poles! the! dock! was! deserted!
and! dark.! The! air! was! still! and! almost! deathly! quiet! after! the!
loud!drone!of!the!engine!for!so!long.!Through!the!ringing!in!my!
ears! I! heard! the! soft! lapping! of! water,! the! creak! of! boat! hulls!
against!the!dock,!the!muffled!ding!of!a!line!hitting!a!metal!mast.!
!
I! unfolded! myself! and! climbed! out! while! Toby! went! to!
rouse!a!night!manager!to!unlock!the!gas!pumps.!I!stretched!and!
paced!the!dock!in!the!cool!salt!air!as!the!plane!was!gassed!up.!
When!Toby!returned!I!held!out!some!plastic!and!offered!to!pay!
for!the!fuel.!He!waved!it!away!and!said!he’d!just!bill!it!to!the!
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government.! He! looked! serious.! I! put! the! card! back! in! my!
wallet.! Toby! disappeared! with! the! manager,! showing! up! five!
minutes! later! with! two! huge! cups! of! steaming! coffee.! Five!
minutes! after! that! we! were! back! out! on! the! bay,! accelerating!
across! the! smooth! onyx! surface! until! we! were! airborne! once!
again.!
!
Soon,! the! eastern! horizon! gradually! lightened,! black!
turning! to! indigo! and! then! a! dusky! Union! blue! before! rapidly!
paling! to! the! fragile! color! of! a! robin’s! egg.! Soon! the! nuclear!
blast! furnace! of! the! sun! rose! above! the! Earth’s! rim,! changing!
from! rosy! pink! to! flaming! orange! on! the! way.! Not! too! much!
later!we!touched!down!again!on!the!south!end!of!San!Francisco!
Bay.!!
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!
!
Chapter&43&
!
!
She! called! the! familiar! number.! He! answered! on! the! first!