by Mike Sherer
black! slacks! and! windbreakers,! as! the! driver! and! bodyguard!
who! had! accompanied! Baines! earlier.! The! driver! opened! an!
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umbrella! and! held! it! up,! but! Baines! ignored! him! and! walked!
straight!to!the!waiting!SUV.!The!driver!hurried!to!catch!up!and!
open! the! passenger! door.! While! he! rounded! the! front! of! the!
vehicle,!the!other!man!stood!by!the!open!back!door!and!turned!
a!full!circle,!scanning!the!area!before!getting!in.!!
!
Langford!watched!for!several!minutes!after!the!SUV!drove!
off,! but! no! one! else! emerged.! Lights! brightened! two! more!
ground! floor! windows,! and! Langford! saw! shadows! pass! in!
front!of!them!several!times.!Thirty!minutes!later,!two!different!
men!emerged!from!the!house,!both!in!black!fatigues.!Hunching!
their! shoulders! and! leaning! into! the! wind,! they! jogged! across!
the!open!space!to!the!office!building.!The!exterior!lights!on!the!
house! blinked! off.! One! by! one,! the! lights! inside! were!
extinguished,! too,! leaving! it! dark.! Moments! later,! a! lone!
upstairs!window!glowed.!!
!
Water! trickled! off! Langford’s! hair! down! the! back! of! his!
neck!sending!a!shiver!down!his!spine.!The!light!rain!had!even!
penetrated!the!shelter!of!the!trees,!soaking!leaves,!needles!and!
branches! until! they! dripped! as! steadily! as! the! gray! clouds!
scudding! across! the! night! sky.! He! checked! the! rest! of! the!
compound! for! activity,! slowly! scanning! the! grounds,! then!
returned!his!attention!to!the!house.!!
!
Nearly! an! hour! later,! the! upstairs! window! finally! went!
dark.! Langford! cupped! a! hand! around! his! watch! and! briefly!
illuminated! the! dial.! About! forty! minutes! until! a! patrol! if! the!
security!team!was!on!time.!He!still!didn’t!know!for!sure!if!the!
Wilsons!were!being!held!in!the!house.!Which!meant!he!had!to!
risk! getting! inside! to! find! out.! After! all! those! years! in! prison!
and!coming!this!close,!he!wasn’t!about!to!quit!now.!At!least!by!
the! time! another! patrol! made! the! rounds,! whoever! was! still!
inside!should!be!asleep.!He!considered!returning!to!the!empty!
rental! behind! him! to! dry! out,! but! couldn’t! chance! someone!
seeing! him.! Instead,! he! squatted! and! took! the! thermos! out! of!
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the! backpack,! drank! what! was! left! of! the! coffee! and! leaned!
back!against!a!tree!trunk!to!wait.!!
!
Before!the!guard!on!the!next!patrol!had!even!entered!the!
office! building! after! his! rounds! Langford! was! on! his! feet! and!
running! across! the! dark! field,! backpack! snugged! tight.! The!
open! space! worried! him,! but! he! crouched! low! and! hoped! the!
rain!and!darkness!would!provide!enough!cover.!He!thought!it!
through!one!more!time!even!as!his!eyes!darted!from!one!side!
of! the! compound! to! the! other! searching! for! movement,! ears!
alert!to!the!sounds!of!alarm.!
!
He’d!seen!no!one!else!enter!or!leave!the!Victorian!house,!
which!made!him!believe!Keely!was!the!only!person!remaining,!
asleep!upstairs.!Since!no!lights!had!been!on!earlier,!he!had!to!
assume! the! Wilsons,! if! they! were! on! the! premises,! were!
confined!in!a!basement!or!subfloor.!Despite!the!firepower!he’d!
brought,! he! didn’t! intend! any! heroics.! All! he! had! to! do! was!
confirm!that!the!Wilsons!were!there.!He!didn’t!need!to!rescue!
them.! Indeed,! the! idiots! deserved! whatever! lay! in! store! for!
them.!He!just!needed!to!get!in!long!enough!to!find!them,!then!
make!the!call.!!
!
He! moved! to! his! left,! keeping! the! dark! house! between!
himself! and! the! office! building.! He! sprinted! the! last! hundred!
yards,! pulling! up! against! the! side! of! the! house,! breathing!
heavily.! When! he! could! hear! over! the! pounding! of! his!
heartbeat,! he! listened! carefully! for! sounds! other! than! the!
steady!patter!of!the!rain!or!the!wind’s!loud!conversation!with!
the!few!nearby!trees.!He!heard!nothing!that!wasn’t!imaginary,!
and! ignored! everything! that! was.! Quickly,! he! made! his! way!
from! window! to! window,! applying! pressure! to! each,! looking!
for!something!unlocked,!an!easy!way!in.!
!
He!poked!his!head!around!the!corner!of!the!house,!quickly!
taking!stock!before!ducking!back!out!of!sight.!The!parking!area!
and! front! porch! remained! dark! and! deserted.! Retracing! his!
steps,! he! followed! the! wall! to! the! back! of! the! house,! and!
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repeated!the!maneuver.!It,!too,!was!dark!and!devoid!of!life,!but!
within! sight! of! the! office! building.! Steps! led! up! to! a! screened!
porch.! Pressing! himself! into! the! shadows,! he! slipped! around!
the! corner! and! up! the! stairs,! crouching! low.! At! the! top,! he!
eased! the! screen! door! open! and! silently! stole! through! the!
narrow!crack.!The!inner!door!was!locked,!no!surprise.!But!the!
top!half!was!mullioned!glass.!
!
Hastily,!he!removed!his!backpack!and!stripped!off!the!wet!
windbreaker.! He! wrapped! it! around! his! arm,! braced! his!
padded! elbow! against! the! pane! nearest! the! doorknob,! and!
made! a! fist.! With! his! other! hand! he! delivered! a! swift! open6
handed! blow! to! the! back! of! his! clenched! fingers.! His! elbow!
shattered!the!glass!with!a!muffled!crack!and!a!tinkle!as!shards!
hit! the! wood! floor! inside.! Langford! sucked! in! a! breath! and!
waited,! listening! intently.! When! no! warnings! sounded,! he!
carefully! reached! in! and! turned! the! knob.! Only! when! he!
stepped!inside!and!turned!to!shut!the!door!behind!him!did!he!
notice! the! blinking! red! light! above! the! screen! door! on! the!
porch.!!
!
As!soon!as!he!saw!it!he!realized!he’d!just!made!the!second!
biggest!mistake!of!his!life.! !
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!
!
Chapter&49&
!
!
“Damn!it!!I! knew!it!”!I!slammed!the!steering!wheel.!“Son!of!
a!bitch!was!waiting!for!us!”!!
!
Reyna!slumped!in!her!seat!as!if!shrinking!from!my!anger.!I!
glanced! at! the! flashing! lights! in! the! mirror.! For! a! moment,! I!
considered!pressing!my!foot!to!the!floor.!
!
As! if! reading! my! mind! she! said,! “No! way! you! can! outrun!
him.”!
!
She! twisted! and! peered! between! the! seats! out! the! back!
window.! Facing! front! again,! she! drew! her! HK! semi6automatic!
and!checked!the!slide.!
!
“Where’s!the!rheostat?”!she!said.!!
!
“The!what?”!
!
“The!dimmer!for!the!dashboard!lights!!Come!on,!civvy,!find!
it!!Turn!it!off.”!
!
I!
scanned! the! dash! again,! found! the! little! wheel! and!
thumbed!it!down!until!it!clicked.!
!
“Good,! now! put! on! your! blinker.! Let! him! know! you! see!
him,!but!don’t!pull!over!yet.!If!he!approaches!this!as!a!high6risk!
stop!he’ll!draw!his!weapon!and!order!you!out!of!the!car.”!
!
“A!high6risk!stop?!What’s—”!
!
“Are!you!listening!to!me?!If!he!treats!it!as!a!routine!traffic!
stop!just!keep!your!hands!on!the!wheel,”!she!said.!“Either!way,!
do!what!he!says,!but!when!I!tell!you,!drive!like!hell.”!
!
“What!are!you—”!
!
“Blake!!Just!do!what!I!tell!you,!okay?”!!
!
The!worry!in!her!tone!didn’t!mollify!me,!but!I!angled!the!
hood! of! the! car! toward! the! shoulder,! letting! the! car! roll! to! a!
stop.! The! cop! followed! and! stopped! thirty! feet! behind! me,!
aimed!a!hundred!sixty!thousand!candlepower!searchlight!into!
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the! back! of! the! car,! and! sat! there.! Reyna! slumped! lower,!
making!herself!even!smaller!than!the!petite!size!she!wore.!
!
“He’s!running!the!plates,”!Reyna!murmured.!“Keep!an!eye!
on!the!rearview!mirror.!If!he!approaches!the!car,!let!me!know!
when!he!steps!into!your!blind!spot.”!
!
I!gripped!the!wheel!to!counteract!an!impulse!to!wipe!my!
sweaty!palms!on!my!pants.!
!
“Here!he!comes.”!
!
“Okay,!don’t!look!at!me.”!Her!voice!was!barely!audible!over!
the!ratamacues!of!rain!on!the!roof.!“I!don’t!want!him!to!know!
someone’s! in! the! car! with! you.! Whatever! happens,! keep!
watching!him.!Don’t!take!your!eyes!off!him.!Where!is!he?”!
!
“Fifteen!feet,!closing!fast,”!I!whispered.!“In!my!blind!spot!in!
three,!two,!one,!now!”!
!
A!muffled!click!accompanied!a!huff!of!cool!air!through!the!
car!and!a!momentary!increase!in!volume!of!the!sounds!of!the!
building!storm.!I!shifted!my!gaze!to!the!side!view!mirror!and!
watched! the! cop’s! measured! approach! alongside! the! car.! Just!
as! he! reached! my! door,! three! loud! fast! explosions— blam!*
blam!*blam! —jerked!the!cop’s!head!up!and!nearly!jolted!me!out!
of!my!skin.!My!head!automatically!turned!toward!the!sounds.!
Watch*him!*Focus! !
!
I!yanked!my!gaze!back!to!the!cop,!saw!his!hand!at!eye6level!
grasp! the! butt! of! his! pistol! and! draw! it! out! of! his! holster! in!
slow6motion.!Instinct!screamed!at!me!to!stop!him,!prevent!his!
hand! from! drawing! the! weapon! out! any! further.! A! barrier! of!
glass!and!steel!stood!between!us.!Without!thinking,!I!pulled!the!
door!handle!and!threw!my!weight!at!the!door.!It!slammed!into!
the!cop,!knocking!him!backward.!He!staggered!and!fell.!
!
“Go!”!Reyna!screamed.!“Drive!”!
!
I!pulled!myself!back!up!behind!the!wheel!and!yanked!the!
gearshift! into! Drive.! Reyna! dove! into! the! passenger! seat! and!
slammed!the!door.!Wheels!spitting!gravel,!the!little!car!spurted!
ahead.!I!steered!it!onto!pavement!where!the!tires!got!a!better!
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purchase,! launching! us! down! the! road! as! if! flung! out! of! a!
slingshot.!The!rear!window!suddenly!crazed!with!a!small!pop,!
the! louder! crack! of! a! gun! registering! an! instant! later.! With! a!
kneejerk! reaction,! I! jogged! the! wheel! savagely.! Two! more!
cracks!sounded,!more!distant!this!time.!
!
“Shit!!Reyna?”!
!
“I’m! not! shooting! back,”! she! yelled.! “Just! keep! your! head!
down!and!your!foot!to!the!floor.”!
!
“What!the!hell!did!you!do?”!!
!
“Shot! out! his! tires! and! put! one! in! his! radiator! for! good!
measure.”!
!
I!groaned.!“We!are!in! so!much!trouble.”!
!
“We!have!to!dump!this!car!fast.!He’ll!be!on!the!air!quick!as!
he! can.! You! can! bet! he’s! pissed! enough! to! call! out! every! law!
enforcement!vehicle!this!side!of!the!pond.”!
!
“Where!are!we!going!to!get! another!car?!We!just!got!this!
one.”!
!
I! glanced! over! and! caught! her! demented! grin! in! the!
reflection!of!the!headlights.!
!
“Steal!one?!Of!course.!Why!not?!We’re!already!going!to!jail!
for! life.! What’s! another! felony?! Do! you! even! know! how! to!
hotwire!a!car?!I!don’t.”!
!
“Just!drive,!civvy.!Fast!”!
!
“Where?”!
!
“Head!for!the!ferry.!Be!quiet!and!let!me!think.”!
!
I!drove!in!silence,!pushing!the!car!as!fast!as!I!dared!on!the!
rain6slicked! road.! Thoughts! popped! up! in! my! head! and!
vanished!as!quickly!as!telephone!poles!in!the!headlights.!!
!
“Isn’t!the!ferry!the!first!place!they’ll!look?”!
!
“Yes.!Now!shut!up.”!!
!
Her! face! was! scrunched! up! in! concentration.! She! felt! me!
looking!at!her!and!glanced!over.!
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!
“The!ferry!is!so!damned!obvious!that!of!course!they’ll!post!
someone! there.! But! it’s! too! obvious.! They’ll! figure! we’re!
smarter!than!that,!so!they’ll!direct!the!search!the!other!way.”!
!
I!turned!my!attention!back!to!the!black!ribbon!of!asphalt!
unspooling! in! the! headlights.! The! jumble! in! my! head! defied!
orderly! filing,! snippets! and! threads! so! tangled! they’d! become!
Gordian.!!
!
Eons!of!silence!later,!she!said,!“You!did!good!back!there.”!
!
Good!seemed!a!relative!term,!but!after!weighing!the!cop’s!
bruised! hip! and! ego! against! the! possibility! of! a! bullet! in! the!
head,!I!acknowledged!the!comment!with!a!grunt.!
!
“How!far!now?”!
!
“A!couple!of!miles,”!I!said.!
!
Any! second! I! expected! to! see! a! parade! of! flashing! lights!
bearing! down! on! us! at! high! speed,! the! wail! of! sirens! like!
banshees!heralding!our!fate.!But!even!if!the!cop!had!been!able!
to! mobilize! the! Navy! police! in! Bremerton! immediately,! they!
were!at!least!fifteen!minutes!out!with!lights!and!sirens.!If!he’d!
roused! the! locals! in! Port! Orchard,! we! still! had! a! few! minutes!
head!start.!!
!
A!public!school!hulking!in!the!dark!signaled!the!outskirts!
of! town.! I! let! the! car! coast,! slowing! closer! to! the! speed! limit.!
Reyna!sat!up!and!peered!ahead.!!
!
“There.”! She! pointed! toward! a! large! structure! coming! up!
on!the!right.!“Pull!in!there.”!
!
A!church!steeple!loomed!out!of!the!rain.!I!nodded.!
&nb
sp; !
“No,!no,”!she!said.!“Here!”!!
!
She! indicated! the! entrance! to! a! park6and6ride! lot! several!
hundred!feet!from!the!church.!
!
“Stay!with!me,!Blake.”!
!
I!tapped!the!brakes!hard,!turned!in!and!headed!toward!the!
back!of!the!lot.!Despite!the!late!hour,!cars!filled!a!quarter!of!the!
spaces.!I!backed!the!Prius!into!a!slot!between!two!other!cars!to!
make!the!bullet!hole!in!the!rear!window!less!noticeable.!
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!
Reyna! unclipped! her! holster! and! put! the! gun! in! the! bag!
with! her! laptop.! Leaning! over! the! back! of! the! seat,! she!
rummaged! through! her! duffel! bag,! retrieved! a! spare! clip! and!
stowed! that! with! the! gun.! Then! she! pulled! out! a! brand! new!
hooded!sweatshirt!imprinted!with!a!UW!Huskies!logo,!ripped!
the!tags!off!and!slipped!it!on!over!her!head.!
!
“Got! it! for! my! nephew,”! she! said,! “but! I! can! buy! him!
another.”!
!
She!twisted!and!leaned!over!the!seat!once!more,!this!time!
retrieving!a!plain!black!ball!cap.!
!
“It’s! wet! out! there,”! she! said,! twisting! her! hair! up! into! a!
knot!and!tugging!the!cap!over!it.!“You!ought!to!find!a!jacket!or!
something.”!
!
“Gee,!guess!I!should!plan!my!out6of6town!trips!better.”!
!
She!didn’t!bite.!I!sighed!and!turned!to!look!in!the!back!seat,!
noticing!for!the!first!time!that!Clayt!and!Connie!used!the!same!
housekeeping!techniques!in!the!car!as!they!did!in!their!house.!
The! rear! was! littered! with! an! assortment! of! trash! and!
treasures! that! had! probably! accumulated! daily! since! the! car!
had! been! purchased.! Books,! papers,! two! boxes! of! tissues,! an!
unfurled! umbrella,! a! pair! of! rain! boots,! an! old! clock! radio,! a!
rumpled! lady’s! trench! coat,! a! bag! of! potting! soil,! a! cardboard!
box! on! the! floor! marked! “Donations,”! dry! cleaning! still! in! a!
plastic!bag,!and!a!paper!fast!food!bag!overflowing!with!trash.!
!
I!popped!the!hatch,!got!out!of!the!car!and!walked!through!
the!raindrops!to!the!rear!to!see!what!the!cargo!compartment!
held,! half6expecting! to! find! a! decomposing! body.! More! mess,!
but!nothing!rotten.!I!pawed!through!the!piles!and!found!an!old!
poncho!that!probably!dated!back!to!Clayt’s!hippie!days.!I!threw!
it!on,!and!leaned!in!to!grab!my!bag!off!the!back!seat.!The!nice!
slacks! I’d! bought! in! Palo! Alto! that! morning! were! trashed!