by Mike Sherer
him.! I! swallowed! hard,! trying! to! clear! my! heart! out! of! my!
throat.!Dead!ahead!lay!nothing!but!salt!marsh!where!the!road!
took!a!sharp!right!turn!down!to!the!dock.!An!attractive!wood!
building! sat! on! pilings! a! hundred! yards! catty6corner! across! a!
pond.!An!interpretive!center,!according!to!signs.!I!slammed!on!
the!brakes!when!I!got!close,!slid!around!the!corner!and!opened!
the!throttle!again!the!last!three!hundred!yards.!!
!
The!road!ended!in!a!cleared!area!the!size!of!a!football!field,!
a!staging!area!for!sailboat!trailers.!The!dock!extended!from!the!
far!corner!of!the!big!lot.!I!angled!for!the!dock,!sped!across!and!
skidded!to!a!stop.!I!scrambled!out!and!raced!to!the!dock,!eyes!
searching!the!road!across!the!mud!flats!for!signs!of!pursuit.!I!
craned! my! neck,! twisting! halfway! around! before! spotting! the!
gray!sedan!as!it!approached!the!turn!at!the!interpretive!center.!
The!sight!spurred!me!on!faster.!Eyes!ahead,!I!raced!down!the!
dock!to!the!T!at!the!end!where!the!floatplane!sat,!propeller!a!
lazy!pinwheel!spinning!in!the!sun.!!
!
Toby!had!positioned!the!plane!on!one!end!of!the!T,!leaving!
the! passenger! door! open.! I! sprinted! to! the! end,! grabbed! the!
line! off! the! dock! cleat! and! unclipped! the! carabiner! that!
fastened! the! other! end! to! the! pontoon.! The! engine! growled,!
changing!pitch!as!I!threw!the!rope!in!the!back,!grabbed!hold!of!
the! strut! and! shoved! with! all! my! strength.! I! dove! into! the!
passenger!seat!as!the!plane!quickly!pulled!away!from!the!dock.!
Grabbing! the! door! handle,! I! slammed! it! closed,! and! saw! two!
men! in! suits! step! out! of! the! gray! sedan! into! the! dust! cloud!
swirling! around! its! wheels.! The! one! on! the! passenger! side!
steadied! a! pistol! on! top! of! the! doorframe.! The! muzzle! spit!
flame.! Half! a! second! later! I! heard! a! distant! crack,! muffled! by!
the!roar!of!the!plane’s!engine.!!
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!
Instinctively,! I! cringed,! pressing! myself! down! in! the! seat.!
Toby! swung! the! plane! around! and! headed! out! to! sea,! putting!
our!backs!to!the!dock.!Twisting!in!my!seat,!my!last!sight!of!the!
pair!behind!us!showed!the!gunman!holding!his!weapon!muzzle!
down! with! an! expression! of! disgust,! his! partner! looking!
resigned.!I!swung!around!and!stared!out!at!the!sparkling!deep!
blue!water!of!San!Francisco!Bay,!heart!pounding,!mouth!dry!as!
a!desert!and!drenched!in!sweat.!
!
“Nice!wheels,”!Toby!shouted!over!the!sound!of!the!engine.!
“Is!that!a!rental?”!
!
He!pulled!back!on!the!yoke!and!the!plane!leapt!into!the!air.!
*!*!*!*!*!
!
Keely! sat! hunched! over,! arms! clasping! her! knees,! head!
resting!on!her!forearms.!Two!men,!faceless!in!the!dark,!stood!
on! either! side! pointing! carbines! at! her,! small! steel! snouts!
snuffling! at! her! short,! shaggy! hair.! Guarding! her.! Not! from!
harm.!Preventing!her!from!escape.!She!slowly!raised!her!head,!
eyes! baleful,! accusatory,! teeth! bared! vengefully.! The! gun!
barrels!prodded!her!to!her!feet,!her!captors!intending!to!lead!
her!to!her!fate.!!
!
I!watched!with!curious!detachment,!uncertain!whether!to!
feel! concern! or! elation.! That! depended! on! the! identity! of! the!
men! in! shadow.! But! as! she! stood,! shadows! played! across! her!
face,! changing! her! features,! filling! them! out,! turning! soft! into!
hard,!delicate!to!rugged,!feminine!to!masculine.!With!growing!
horror,!I!realized!that!it!was!Cole,!not!Keely,!and!his!expression!
beseeched! instead! of! belittled.! I! couldn’t! let! them! take! him.! I!
knew! the! outcome! if! they! did—he! would! die.! I! couldn’t! go!
through!that!again.!I!lurched!toward!him,!but!someone!held!me!
back.!Someone!put!a!hand!on!my!shoulder,!preventing!me!from!
running!to!his!aid,!and!the!two!men!led!him!away!into!the!dark.!
!
“Blake,!time!to!go.”!
!
Reyna! stood! over! me,! a! hand! on! my! shoulder.! I! blinked!
and!turned!my!head,!trying!to!see!where!they’d!taken!my!son.!
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The!hard!edges!of!reality!came!into!focus!as!the!dream!faded,!
the!vaguely!familiar!furnishings!and!dimensions!of!the!cottage!
replacing!the!shadows.!I!wet!my!lips!and!swallowed.!My!shirt!
clung!to!me!in!spots,!the!turquoise!fabric!stained!navy.!
!
“What!time!is!it?”!
!
Daylight! filled! the! room,! but! no! direct! sunshine.! I! sat! up,!
rubbed! my! eyes! and! looked! out! the! window.! The! shadows! in!
the!yard!had!lengthened,!but!the!sun!still!blasted!the!roof!with!
heat,!turning!the!cottage!into!an!oven.!!
!
“It’s!getting!late,”!she!said.!“Come!on,!we!need!to!move.”!
!
“Why?! What’s! happened?”! I! swiveled! my! head.! “Where’s!
Toby?”!
!
“Already!gone,”!she!said.!She!handed!me!a!mug!of!coffee.!
!
I! took! a! sip,! nearly! scalding! my! tongue,! and! got! my!
bearings.!!
!
Toby! had! set! the! floatplane! down! in! Puget! Sound! late!
afternoon.! Needing! sleep! as! badly! as! I! did,! he! beached! the!
plane! and! we! both! crashed! in! the! empty! cottage,! me! on! the!
couch! and! Toby! in! the! bedroom.! I’d! fallen! into! such! a! deep!
sleep!I!hadn’t!heard!the!plane!take!off!again.!I!stifled!a!yawn.!A!
couple!of!hours!of!shut6eye!were!better!than!nothing.!!
!
Reyna!moved!to!the!table!and!closed!her!laptop.!She!was!
dressed!in!a!service!uniform!of!khaki!blouse!replete!with!Navy!
insignia! and! black! trousers.! Her! bearing! was! stiff,! martial.! I’d!
never!seen!her!in!full!regalia!before.!More!awake!now,!I!sensed!
a! canyon! between! us! far! wider! than! the! few! feet! from! the!
couch!to!the!table.!Dregs!of!panic!and!fear!brought!on!by!the!
dream!lingered.!
!
“I!thought!this!place!was!safe.”!
!
“Not!any!more.”!She!glanced!over.!“What!the!hell!did!you!
do!down!there?”!
!
“What!did!I…?!I!did!what!I!said!I’d!do.!I!talked!to!Pepper!
Baines.!Found!out!I!was!right.!Colin!Wilson!is!Keely’s!biological!
father.”!
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!
She!stared!at!me.!“And?”!
!
“And! nothing.! For! my! trouble,! Keely! apparently! sicked! a!
Ross! Industries! security! team! on! me.! They! chased! me.! I! got!
away.!Why?”!
!
“You! ruffled! somebody’s! feathers! but! good.! I! went! up! to!
the!sub!base!at!Bangor!today!to!do!my! job!and!see!if!I!could!nail!
down! what! the! Chinese! are! after.! It! wasn’t! even! lunchtime!
before! two! Masters6at6Arms! showed! up! looking! for! me.! I!
&
nbsp; overheard! the! MAs! when! they! came! in.! Lucky! for! me,! the!
NAVCOMTELSTA! folks! know! me.! The! petty! officer! on! duty!
stalled!them!so!I!could!slip!out.”!
!
“Damn!”! The! thought! of! Keely! had! brought! back! the!
memory!of!Cole’s!face!in!my!dream.!
!
Reyna’s!eyes!widened.!“What?!What!is!it?”!
!
“I! forgot! Cole’s! birthday!”! I! squeezed! my! eyes! shut! and!
rubbed!my!forehead.!“I!can’t!believe!I!did!that.”!
!
“What! the! hell! are! you! talking! about?! Have! you! heard!
anything!I’ve!said?”!
!
“Cole—my!son.!His!birthday!was!three!months!ago.!I!can’t!
believe!I!fucking!forgot.”!
“Blake!! Three! months?”! She! shook!
her!head.!“We’ve!got!more!important!issues!here.”!
!
I! promised! myself! I’d! keep! Cole’s! memory! alive—one! of!
the! reasons! I! still! volunteered! for! Jeri’s! suicide! prevention!
organization! and! attended! group! support! meetings! on!
occasion.! And! I! couldn’t! even! remember! his! damn! birthday.!
But! Reyna! was! right;! I! was! off6task,! a! signal! that! I’d! been! off!
meds! for! a! while.! Not! without! effort,! I! mentally! backtracked!
and!picked!up!the!trail!of!her!conversation.!!
!
“Why!would!base!police!want!you?”!!
!
“That’s! what! I! wondered.! I! got! the! hell! out! of! there! first,!
then!put!in!a!call!to!my!friend!who!owns!this!place.!Near!as!he!
can!tell,!the!Master!Chief!got!word!to!have!me!brought!to!the!
CO’s!office!because!some!big!mucky6muck!was!raising!holy!hell!
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about! a! civilian! terrorizing! his! family.! A! civilian! the! Navy! let!
loose,!he!said.!He!was!talking!about!you,!Blake.”!
!
“I! swear! I! didn’t.! The! woman! agreed! to! see! me.! I! didn’t!
have!to!threaten!her.!But!she!did!call!Keely!to!check!up!on!me.!
Keely’s! the! one! who! called! in! security.! Hell,! the! brother—
Tucker?—loaned! me! his! car! so! I! could! slip! past! the! security!
folks.!No!love!lost!there,!apparently,!between!Baines!Junior!and!
Senior.”!
!
“You!didn’t!cause!any!trouble?”!
!
I!thought!back!to!the!morning’s!whirlwind!of!events.!“Well,!
one!of!the!security!guys!may!have!a!few!bruises.”!
!
Reyna! looked! grim.! “You! know! what! this! means,! don’t!
you?! My! boss! didn’t! even! give! me! a! heads6up! first.! This! guy!
Baines!has!so!much!clout!he!can!go!all!the!way!to!the!top.!Or!
ONI!is!involved!somehow!in!all!this.!Either!way,!I’m!out!in!the!
cold.”!
!
“You’re!angry.”!
!
Reyna! stood! so! abruptly! she! knocked! the! chair! over!
backward.! She! paced! two! steps! one! way! and! reversed!
direction.!“Damn!straight,!I’m!angry.!I!knew!I!shouldn’t!let!this!
get!personal.!I!knew!I!shouldn’t!get!involved.”!
!
I!set!the!coffee!cup!down!before!my!trembling!hand!spilled!
it.! “Is! that! what! this! is! all! about?! Now! you’re! the! one! with!
morning6after!regret?”!
!
“Not!you,!damn!it.!That’s!not!what!I!meant.!I!meant!I!never!
should!have!let!you!go!off!on!a!whim!and!chase!down!stories!
about!who!slept!with!who!a!lifetime!ago.!I!never!should!have!
let!you!know!I!was!here.”!
!
“You! do!regret!it.!Or!is!it!because!I!slept!with!Keely?”!
!
“Blake,!stop!it!!This!isn’t!about!you!and!me.!This!is!about!
my!job,!about!my!mission.”!
!
“Fine.!Don’t!get!pissed!at!me.!I!didn’t!call!in!the!cavalry—
sorry,! the! Marines! or! whatever.! You! stepped! in! all! on! your!
own.! I’m! just! trying! to! keep! from! getting! killed.! And! maybe!
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help!Charlie’s!parents!out!of!a!bind.!If!we!ever!find!them!again.!
Besides,!that!hunch!paid!off.”!
!
She!stopped!and!put!her!fists!on!her!hips.!“How?”!
!
I! didn’t! answer! right! away,! hoping! we’d! both! cool! down!
some.!
!
“I’d!say!it’s!a!safe!bet!that!Keely’s!working!with!her!father.!
Which! puts! Ross! Industries! behind! the! attempts! to! snatch!
Charlie’s!parents.”!
!
She!pursed!her!lips.!“Go!on.”!
!
“Keely! said! she! wanted! the! Wilsons! because! she! thought!
they!were!behind!the!bombing.!Baines!might!want!them!for!the!
same!reason.!But!why!would!Ross!Industries!want!them?”!
!
I!watched!her!think!it!through.!
!
“The! battery! technology.”! She! frowned.! “If! the! Wilsons!
have! it.! Langford! said! he! didn’t! think! they! knew! what! they!
were!getting!into.”!!
!
I! barely! heard! her! answer.! My! mind! had! already! caught!
the!scent!of!something!else!and!was!bounding!down!a!different!
trail.!!
!
“Guy!at!SIU!told!me!Kwan!Ji!kept!a!notebook!for!stuff!that!
wasn’t!in!his!head,”!I!said.!“They!never!found!it.!Assumed!it!was!
destroyed!in!the!explosion.”!
!
She! waved! impatiently.! “We! think! it! was! stolen,! either!
from!the!lab!or!from!Kwan’s!home!before!he!was!killed!in!the!
fire.”!
!
“If!it!was!stolen,!why!hasn’t!anyone!capitalized!on!Kwan’s!
research?”!
!
“I!don’t!know.”!
!
“Makes!more!sense!that!it!was!destroyed.”!
!
“Then! what! is! everyone! after! now?! If! Ross! Industries! got!
wind! that! the! notes! still! exist,! it! would! explain! why! they’re!
after!the!Wilsons.!The!interest!from!the!Chinese,!too.”!
!
I!stiffened,!a!hound!on!point!as!my!mind!denned!a!critter!
of!some!sort.!“Fitch.!He!was!the!link,!the!go6between.!What!if!
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he!figured!out!at!the!last!minute!he!and!the!Wilsons!had!been!
set!up?!Sees!the!notebook!and!takes!it!for!insurance.”!
!
“Or! knows! all! along! that! Kwan! is! the! target! and! sees! an!
opportunity.”!
!
“Sure.!Either!way,!it’s!possible.”!!
!
I!pawed!at!the!idea,!trying!to!get!close!enough!to!see!it,!not!
just!smell!it.! Something*about*Fitch,*something*Collins*told*me.*
No,* Sarah.* Sarah* had* told* me* that* Uncle* Sebastian* had* gotten*
religion. !
!
I!swore!softly.!“I!know!where!it!is.!The!Wilsons!had!it!all!
the!time.!Probably!didn’t!even!know!it.!I’ve!gotta!call!Sarah.”!
!
I! stood,! fished! my! phone! out! of! my! pocket! and! retrieved!
her! number! from! my! contacts! list.! Reyna! went! into! the!
bedroom! and! with! no! self6
consciousness! stripped! down! to!
utilitarian! but! flattering! white! cotton! bra! and! thong.! I! dialed,!
pacing! a! short! path! in! front! of! the! doorway! while! watching!
Reyna!pull!on!jeans.!Sarah!answered!after!the!eighth!ring.!
!
“It’s!Blake.”!
!
“Blake,!I—”!
!
“Sarah,! don’t! talk,! just! listen.! I! don’t! have! a! lot! of! time.! I!
found!your!parents,!but!some!people!took!them!before!I!could!
get!to!them.!They’re!okay.!At!least!I!think!they!are.”!I!cringed!at!
my!own!lie,!remembering!how!Connie!had!gone!down.!“To!get!
them!back!we!need!a!couple!of!things!from!their!house.!Is!there!
a!way!to!get!in?”!
!
“I’ve!got!a!spare!key!in!my!purse.”!She!sounded!subdued.!
“I’m!at!the!hospital!with!Charlie!now.!You!could!stop!by.”!
!
“No,!I!can’t.!I’m!not!anywhere!near!you.!Is!there!a!neighbor!
with!a!key,!maybe?”!
!
“Yes,! yes! there! is.”! Her! voice! grew! more! animated.! “The!
people! next! to! them.! The! Reynolds.! Down! the! road,! on! the!
corner.!The!ones!with!the!horses.!I’m!sure!they!have!a!key.”!
!
“Okay,!good.!Thanks.”!
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!
“What’s! going! on,! Blake?! Who’s! ‘we’?! Where! did! you! find!
them?”!
!
Reyna!walked!in!carrying!a!tote!bag!and!rolled!her!hand!in!
a!circle,!urging!me!to!finish!up.!
!
“I!can’t!talk!now,!Sarah.!I’ll!explain!later.”!
!
“Tell!me!where!you!are,!at!least.”!
!
“I!can’t.”!
!
“Look,!if!it’s!about!what!I!said!at!the!coffeeshop,!I’m!sorry.”!
!
“It’s!not.”!
!
“I!really!didn’t!mean!all!those—”!!!
!
“Forget!it.!Sarah,!I!need!the!alarm!code.”!
!
“The!alarm?!I!don’t!remember!it.!Hold!on,!I’ll!ask!Charlie.”!
!
“Hurry,!please!”!
!
Muffled!sounds!came!through!the!phone!for!what!seemed!
an! eternity.! I! tapped! my! foot.! Finally! she! came! back! on! and!
rattled!off!the!number.!I!repeated!it!silently!several!times!like!a!
mantra,!imprinting!it!in!memory.!
!
“Thanks,!Sarah.!Gotta!go.”!
!
Reyna!glanced!at!her!watch!and!grabbed!the!laptop!off!the!
table.!“We!have!to!move.!You!know!they!have!our!cell!numbers.!
They! might! be! able! to! triangulate! our! position.! We! can’t! stay!