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anyway.!They!find!us!here!my!friend!gets!implicated!for!aiding!
and!abetting.!Not!going!to!happen.”!!
!
I!looked!around.!I’d!already!stowed!my!things!in!the!car,!so!
I! checked! the! windows! and! put! away! the! few! things! in! the!
kitchen! we’d! taken! from! the! cupboard! or! pantry.! I! preceded!
her!out!and!waited!while!she!locked!up!and!put!the!key!back!in!
its!hidey6hole.!!
!
“We!need!a!new!car,”!she!said.!!
!
I!rubbed!my!forehead.!“Rental’s!not!good!enough!for!you?”!
!
She! wrinkled! her! perfect! nose.! “They’ll! be! looking! for!
ours.”!
!
“Oh.”!!
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!
Thoughts! spread! out! in! my! head! like! an! endless! patch! of!
lily!pads!on!the!virescent!water!of!a!pond.!I!leapfrogged!from!
one!to!another,!not!settling!long!enough!to!get!a!real!sense!of!
any!of!them!before!getting!distracted!by!the!dragonfly!on!the!
next!one,!or!the!water!lily!on!the!one!after!that.!My!ability!to!
concentrate!was!deteriorating.!I!closed!my!eyes!and!slowed!my!
breathing,!mentally!chanted!a!real!mantra,!uprooting!all!the!lily!
pads!and!picturing!the!flat,!empty!surface.! I!opened!my!eyes.!
!
“We’ll!take!your!car!as!far!as!Clayt!and!Connie’s!house,”!I!
said.!“I’ll!drive.!They’ll!be!looking!for!single!passengers!in!both!
cars,!a!female!driver!in!yours.!Be!right!there.”!
!
She! shrugged,! walked! around! the! rental! and! got! in.! I!
hurried!over!to!the!Toyota.!From!the!trunk!I!retrieved!the!gun!
and! extra! magazines,! filling! my! pockets.! I! got! in! and! dug! my!
extra! pills! out! of! the! glove! compartment,! swallowed! one! dry!
and!pocketed!the!rest.!I!started!the!engine!and!rolled!down!the!
window! as! I! pulled! up! next! to! Reyna’s! car.! She! opened! her!
window.!
!
“Follow!me!out!to!the!road,”!I!said.!“I’ll!find!spot!to!dump!
this.”!
!
She!nodded!and!climbed!over!the!console!as!I!pulled!away.!
!
Five!minutes!later!we!were!on!a!loop!road!out!to!the!main!
highway.! Up! ahead,! flashing! blue! lights! appeared! around! a!
curve.!!
!
Reyna!put!a!hand!on!my!arm!and!calmly!said,!“Easy!does!
it.”!
!
I! took! a! breath,! checked! my! speed! and! watched! the!
oncoming! car.! A! county! sheriff’s! car! flashed! past! silently!
without! slowing.! Reyna! craned! her! neck! and! watched! it! as! it!
vanished! behind! us! when! we! took! the! curve! in! the! opposite!
direction.!!
!
“You!think!he’s!looking!for!us?”!I!said.!
!
Reyna! straightened! and! stared! out! the! windshield.! “Oh,!
yeah.”!
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!
!
Chapter&46&
!
!
Sunlight! slanted! across! the! road,! frosting! the! tips! of! the!
tallest! Douglas! firs! with! a! golden! glow,! shadows! darkening!
lower! branches! to! hunter! green.! The! road! tunneled! through!
the!trees,!occasionally!breaking!into!a!clearing!of!pastures!or!a!
lone! house.! We’d! stayed! on! the! highway! for! the! first! twenty!
minutes! to! quickly! gain! some! distance! from! the! cottage,! but!
had!veered!onto!back!roads!once!Reyna!mapped!a!route!on!a!
GPS!device.!!
!
I!broke!the!silence.!“Do!you!have!a!plan?”!
!
I!glanced!at!her.!She!stared!straight!ahead,!thicket!of!hair!
across!her!cheek!hiding!her!expression.!!
!
“Plan?”! she! repeated! softly.! “No,! no! plan.! We! are! so! far!
from!the!plan!we’re!flying!blind.”!
!
For!a!moment!she!looked!out!the!passenger!window,!then!
faced!front!again.!
!
“How!about!you?!You!got!any!brilliant!ideas?”!
!
“Me?”!!
!
The!mindlessness!of!driving!and!the!meds!had!calmed!the!
maelstrom! in! my! head,! letting! me! consider! possibilities! in! a!
more!rational!manner.!But!I!hadn’t!figured!anything!out.!
!
“Look,! I! don’t! think! I! have! much! choice! here,”! I! said.!
“Charlie! and! Sarah! asked! me! to! look! into! what! happened! to!
their!parents.!I!told!them!I’d!try,!but!to!let!the!police!handle!it.!
Charlie,!of!all!people,!knows!that.!But!whoever!snatched!them!
keeps! trying! to! kill! me.! That! seems! to! be! Ross! Industries.! Or!
people!working!for!Tucker!Baines.!
!
“Keely!Radcliffe!shows!up!out!of!nowhere!and!asks!me!to!
help! find! my! old! pal! Wink! Langford! because! he! might! have!
spent!twenty6plus!years!in!jail!for!something!he!didn’t!do.!Only!
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I!find!out!Wink’s!after!Charlie’s!parents,!and,!oh6by6the6way,!so!
is!Keely.!And!Keely’s!probably!doing!it!to!help!out!her!father,!
Tucker!Baines.!The!guy!who!likely!hired!the!men!who’ve!been!
trying!to!kill!me.!And!who,!it!turns!out,!isn’t!Keely’s!father!after!
all.!That!would!be!Clayt!Jones,!or!Colin!Wilson,!or!whoever!he!
is,! the! guy! who! also! happens! to! be! Charlie’s! and! Sarah’s! dad.!
Who!I’ve!known!since!I!was!in!college.!Plus,!come!to!think!of!it,!
I’m!wanted!by!the!FBI.”!
!
I! glanced! at! her.! “I! think! I! got! all! that! right.! I! guess! my!
point!is!I!have!to!see!this!through!or!I’m!likely!to!end!up!dead.!
And!I’m!not!gonna!wait!for!them!to!come!to!me.”!
!
She!didn’t!speak,!letting!it!marinate.!Five!miles!farther,!she!
seemed!to!come!to!some!decision.!Wresting!the!GPS!unit!off!the!
dash,!she!fiddled!with!it!a!moment.!
!
“When! you! get! to! the! highway! up! ahead,! go! south,”! she!
said.!“Take!the!first!exit.”!
!
Curious,! I! followed! her! directions.! She! steered! me! to! a!
shopping! mall! somewhere! outside! Gig! Harbor,! and! we! pulled!
into!the!parking!lot!outside!a!big6box!discount!store.!I!waited!
in!the!car!while!she!went!in.!I!flipped!through!some!stations!on!
the! radio.! Though! out! of! touch! for! several! days,! the! news!
sounded!like!the!same!old!thing.!Smooth!jazz!and!soft!rock!had!
a! soporific! effect.! Classical! sounded! too! sad.! Alternative! rock!
set!my!teeth!on!edge.!A!minute!or!so!of!country!started!to!drive!
me! insane.! I! turned! it! off! and! drummed! my! own! tune! on! the!
wheel.!
!
Ten! minutes! later,! Reyna! slid! in! the! passenger! seat! and!
told! me! to! drive.! I! followed! orders! while! she! plugged! in! a!
disposable! cell! phone! she’d! bought! and! started! making! calls.!
Unable!to!grasp!the!one6sided!conversation,!I!concentrated!on!
following! the! route! mapped! out! by! the! GPS! unit.! The! house!
/> where!all!this!had!started!a!week!earlier!wasn’t!far!now.!!
!
Reyna!held!the!phone!away!from!her!ear.!“Did!Keely!give!
you!a!contact!number?”!
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!
I!dug!in!my!pocket,!pulled!out!the!wad!of!cash,!receipts!and!
scraps!of!paper,!and!handed!it!to!her.!!
!
“Should!be!in!there!somewhere.”!
!
She! shuffled! through! the! stack,! rattled! off! a! number,! and!
closed!the!phone!a!moment!later.!
!
“A!friend!of!mine!at!ONI,”!she!explained.!“Apparently,!not!
everyone’s! gotten! the! memo! that! I’m! persona* non* grata.! It’s!
time!we!turned!the!tables.!If!Keely!uses!her!phone,!he’ll!get!her!
location!for!me.”!
!
“You!think!they’re!okay?”!
!
“The! Wilsons?! Depends! on! how! badly! she! was! wounded,!
but! I! think! they’re! alive.! Unless! Baines! has! already! found! out!
where!the!notes!are.!Assuming!you’re!right!about!all!this,!that!
is.”!
!
“I!don’t!know!if!I’m!right!about!anything.!Keely!played!me!
pretty! good.! Could! be! I’m! wrong! about! a! lot! of! other! things,!
too.”!
!
“Don’t!be!so!hard!on!yourself.”!!
!
I!blinked!at!the!harshness!in!her!voice.!
!
More! gently,! she! said,! “For! an! amateur,! I! think! you’ve!
surprised!a!lot!of!people.”!
!
“What?! That! I! haven’t! gotten! myself! killed! yet?! Probably!
an!office!pool!on!that.!You!have!any!money!on!it?”!
!
“For!God’s!sake,!stop!trying!to!make!a!joke!out!of!it!!You!
think!I!jump!into!bed!with!every!man!I!meet?”!
!
“I!was!kidding.!I’m!not!exactly!used!to!people!trying!to!kill!
me.”!
!
“I!was!trying!to!pay!you!a!compliment.!Christ,!Blake,!get!a!
clue.!I!care!about!you.”!
!
Molly’s! face! suddenly! flashed! in! my! head,! the! image!
seemingly!so!random!my!chest!tightened!as!if!pressed!in!a!vise.!
Feeling! a! twinge! of! guilt! for! having! been! taken! in! by! Keely’s!
charms! I! could! understand,! but! the! sudden! image! of! Molly!
triggered!panic!that!I!fought!to!quell!with!deep!breaths.!I!felt!
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Reyna’s!eyes!on!me!and!glanced!at!her.!Her!features!registered!
disappointment,! shame,! embarrassment,! even! anger.! With! a!
sinking! heart,! I! realized! that! how! she! must! have! interpreted!
my! lack! of! response! and! sudden! gasping! like! a! fish! out! of!
water.!!
!
“Reyna,!I’m!sor—”!
!
“Forget!it!”!!
!
Silence! ballooned! inside! the! car,! squeezing! the! air! out,!
making!it!hard!to!breathe.!My!face!felt!flushed!and!hot.!One!of!
these! days! I! would! have! to! figure! out! who! the! hell! I! really!
wanted!to!be!with,!Molly!or!Reyna.!Unfortunately,!now!wasn’t!
the!time.!
!
I!clamped!my!jaw!and!drove.!
*!*!*!*!*!
!
Langford! finished! securing! the! boat! and! wheeled! the!
electric! scooter! across! a! gangplank! onto! the! dock.! The! only!
thing!that!saved!the!folding!bike!from!being!completely!dorky!
was! the! fact! that! the! tubular! aluminum! frame,! flared! fenders!
and! raked! seat! post! made! it! resemble! a! kids’! BMX! bike.! No!
banana! seat,! but! he’d! substituted! a! short6rise! BMX! handlebar!
for! the! flat! handlebar! it! came! with—as! a! practical! matter,! of!
course,! making! it! more! suitable! for! taller! adults—and! that!
added!to!its!curb!appeal.!It!was!no!Pinarello,!but!the!hub!motor!
propelled!it!at!a!steady!eighteen!mph!for!up!to!twenty!miles!on!
a!charge.!He!could!pedal!it!faster!in!a!short!sprint,!but!it!was!an!
effortless!way!to!get!around.!And!it!was!deadly!silent.!
!
He’d! paid! for! a! week’s! dock! rental! in! cash! at! the! office,!
letting! the! manager! know! in! casual! conversation! he! intended!
to! do! some! sightseeing! in! the! area.! Now! dressed! in! jeans,! an!
old!T6shirt!with!a!line!art!drawing!of!an!orca!on!the!front,!and!a!
Mariner’s! ball! cap,! he! waved! and! smiled! as! he! walked! the!
scooter!past!the!office.!!
!
Slipping!on!a!pair!of!sunglasses,!he!adjusted!the!straps!on!
his!backpack,!straddled!the!bike!and!pedaled!up!the!street.!He!
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knew! exactly! where! he! was! going.! Mindful! of! both! the!
vehicular! and! pedestrian! traffic! in! the! small! seaside! town,! he!
carefully! threaded! his! way! through! the! business! district.!
Tourist!season!had!barely!begun!since!many!families!still!had!
kids!in!school,!but!the!hot!weather!had!brought!out!travelers!
earlier!than!usual.!
!
In! the! backpack! he! carried! a! bottle! of! water,! a! couple! of!
protein! bars,! thermos! of! coffee,! flashlight,! binoculars,! light!
windbreaker!and!two!of!the!pistols!he’d!taken!from!his!father’s!
collection,! a! J.P.! Sauer! 38H! and! a! Beretta! M1935.! He! wasn’t!
expecting! trouble,! but! one! never! knew.! Made! near! the! end! of!
WW! II,! both! were! pristine,! .326caliber! semi6automatics.! He!
could! have! brought! more! firepower—like! the! beautiful,!
Belgian6made! Browning! Hi! Power! his! father! had! gotten! in!
1970!to!test!some!new!9mm!parabellum!ammunition.!But!the!
small6framed!guns!were!easier!to!conceal.!Getting!caught!with!
any!of!them,!of!course,!was!a!parole!violation!with!no!chance!of!
ever!using!a!“Get!Out!Of!Jail!Free”!card.!!
!
On!the!outskirts!of!town,!he!flipped!on!the!electric!motor!
and! sat! back,! enjoying! the! ride.! The! terrain! was! flat! prairie!
broken! occasionally! by! stands! of! conifers! or! a! tall! Pacific!
madrone,! easily! recognized! by! its! peculiar! reddish,! peeling!
bark.! Rows! of! varied! crops—potatoes,! squash,! lavender,!
strawberries66filled!several!fields!he!passed.!About!three!miles!
out! of! town! he! saw! the! long,! low! buildings! of! the! complex!
ahead.!They!stood!several!hundred!feet!from!the!road,!looking!
like!every!other!stable!or!poultry!barn!in!the!area.!!
!
The!property!wasn’t!fenced,!and!from!all!appearances!had!
no! security.! Incongruous,! really,! considering! what! they! made!
inside! those! buildings.! The! whole! idea! of! a! high6tech!
manufacturing! facility! plunked! down! in! the! middle! of! bucolic!
farmland!in!a!remote!location,!in!fact,!seemed!a!bit!ludicrous.!
But! with! a! navy! airfield! ten! miles! north! and! an! auxiliary!
airfield! less! than! a! mile! east,! the! location! made! more! sense.!
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Take! into! account! that! the! deepwater! port! of! Anacortes! lay!
only!thirty!m
iles!north!and!Seattle!about!60!miles!south,!and!it!
became!obvious!the!choice!had!been!strategic.!The!only!people!
in!the!area!were!navy!personnel,!farmers!and!local!townsfolk,!
making!strangers!readily!identifiable!for!the!most!part.!
!
Three!smaller!buildings!sat!adjacent!to!the!manufacturing!
shed! closest! to! the! long! drive! from! the! road.! One! actually!
resembled!a!Victorian!farmhouse!replete!with!octagonal!turret,!
gabled!roof!and!gingerbread!trim.!The!others!were!nondescript!
two6story!boxes:!one!windowless,!the!other!more!reflective!of!
an!office!building.!!
!
As!Langford!glided!past,!he!took!note!of!the!electric!eye!on!
low! posts! flanking! the! entrance! to! the! drive! and! the! camera!
mounted! discreetly! on! the! modest! sign! that! announced! the!
occupant! simply! as! “Ross! Industries.”! It! gave! no! indication! of!
what!the!company!made!or!what!might!be!inside!the!complex!
of!buildings.!Except!for!the!unusual!number!of!cars!parked!in!
the! spaces! around! the! three! smaller! buildings,! the! compound!
might! have! been! a! corporate6owned! farm.! Langford! was!
confident! that! the! cattle! guard! he! saw! stretched! across! the!
pavement! at! the! entrance! housed! sensors! and! cameras! to!
capture!weight!and!scans!of!the!bellies!of!vehicles!passing!over.!!
!
He! nonchalantly! swung! his! head! the! other! direction,!
playing! tourist! for! any! cameras! that! might! be! watching.! He!
looked!instead!for!a!possible!vantage!point!that!would!give!him!
a!decent!line!of!sight!and!provide!some!cover!at!the!same!time.!
From!this!side!of!the!property!he!could!see!nothing!but!open!
fields.!Half!a!mile!farther,!the!road!curved!into!a!patch!of!thick!
forest.!He!switched!off!the!motor!and!coasted!to!a!stop!on!the!
shoulder.! Setting! his! backpack! on! the! ground,! he! took! a! long!
drink!from!his!water!bottle!while!he!took!a!mental!look!at!the!
map!of!the!island!he’d!consulted!the!night!before.!
!
Though! roundabout,! he! traced! a! route! in! his! mind! that!
would! lead! him! to! the! back! of! the! hundred6acre! property.! He!
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pulled!out!some!aerial!photos!he’d!printed!off!the!computer!a!
few! days! earlier! and! compared! them! to! memory.! A! small!
subdivision!had!been!built!near!the!auxiliary!airfield,!probably!
to!provide!housing!for!service!personnel.!The!landing!strip!was!
little!used!these!days,!he!knew,!which!meant!that!some!of!the!
houses!were!likely!vacant!due!to!the!crappy!real!estate!market!