by Mike Sherer
already.!Turning!around,!I!sat!under!the!open!hatch,!stripped!
off!the!slacks!and!changed!into!the!cargo!pants!I’d!worn!before.!
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After! transferring! the! contents! of! my! pockets,! I! closed! the!
hatch!and!met!Reyna!at!the!front!of!the!car.!
!
She!looked!me!up!and!down!with!a!hint!of!a!smile.!“Very!
stylish.”!
!
“All!I!could!find.”!
!
She!nodded,!serious.!“It!hides!the!gun.!Color’s!not!too!loud;!
your! size! attracts! enough! attention! as! it! is.”! She! rubbed! the!
fabric!with!thumb!and!two!fingers.!“Wow,!wool.!The!real!thing,!
vaquero,!not!some!cheap!imitation.”!
!
“Means!it’ll!smell!when!it’s!wet.”!
!
“Only! if! it’s! dirty.! Tight! weave,! too.! Might! even! keep! you!
dry.”!
!
I!lengthened!my!stride!in!the!direction!of!a!bus!shelter,!not!
interested! in! finding! out.! The! route! schedule! posted! in! the!
small! shelter! indicated! that! shuttles! ran! from! the! lot! to! the!
ferry!only!during!rush!hours.!I!started!walking.!
!
Reyna!called!after!me.!“What?”!
!
“No!bus,”!I!said!loudly.!!
!
I! heard! running! footsteps.! She! came! abreast,! breathing!
hard,!and!fast6walked!to!keep!up.!!
!
“What’s!wrong?”!
!
“I!thought!you!were!going!to!steal!another!car,”!I!said.!
!
“Come!on,!Blake.!What’s!with!you?”!
!
“I’m!tired,!hungry—”!I!held!out!my!arms!“—and!wet.!You!
shot!a!cop!car,!Reyna.”!
!
She!took!several!steps!with!downcast!eyes.!“It!gets!worse.”!
!
“What!do!you!mean?”!
!
“The!cop!didn’t!see!me.!Only!you.”!
!
“He!knows! someone!was!with!me.!He!knows! I!didn’t!shoot!
up!his!car.”!
!
“But!he!only!saw!you.!You’re!the!one!they’ll!be!looking!for.”!
!
“Wait!!He!had!to!have!heard!your!voice!when!you!yelled!at!
me.!He!must!have!realized!he!heard!a!woman’s!voice.”!
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!
“Look,! forget! I! said! it.! It! probably! doesn’t! even! matter.!
They!might!not!even!have!their!act!together!yet.”!
!
But!by!the!time!we!walked!the!mile!down!the!sloped!curve!
of! the! road! to! the! ferry! terminal! the! cops! were! holding! dress!
rehearsal.! The! asphalt! sprawl! of! the! vehicle! staging! area!
stretched!out!to!our!right!as!we!came!down!the!hill.!Two!green!
county! sheriff’s! cruisers! flanked! the! ferry! tollbooths,! strobes!
flashing.! A! deputy! made! his! way! down! a! line! of! waiting! cars!
swinging!a!long!flashlight.!The!movement!of!a!second!flashlight!
beam!in!the!long,!narrow!parking!lot!next!to!the!ferry!waiting!
lanes!gave!away!the!location!of!the!other!sheriff’s!deputy.!!
!
“Looks!like!we’ll!have!to!split!up,”!Reyna!murmured.!
!
“They’re!checking!cars.”!
!
“And!when!they!don’t!find!the!one!they’re!looking!for?”!
!
“They’ll!wait!for!it.”!
!
“How! long! before! they! check! pedestrians,! you! think,!
Blake?!Use!your!head.”!
!
My!teeth!clenched!so!hard!my!jaw!ached.!
!
“Fine.!We!split!up.!Then!what?”!
!
“Regroup! on! the! other! side! if! we! both! make! it! on.! If! not,!
well…”!
!
“You!mean!if!one!of!us!gets!caught.”!
!
“You!know!where!you’re!going!if!I!don’t!make!it?”!
!
“You’ll! make! it,”! I! muttered.! I! saw! her! nose! wrinkle.! “I’ll!
figure!it!out.”!
!
She!grabbed!a!fistful!of!poncho!and!yanked!me!off!the!road!
under!some!trees.!“This!isn’t!going!exactly!the!way!I!planned,!
you!know.”!
!
“I!got!that!part.”!
!
Taking! the! front! of! the! poncho! in! both! hands,! she! pulled!
hard!until!she!bent!me!over,!and!kissed!me!firmly.!Before!the!
heat! rushing! through! me! had! time! to! register! she! let! go! and!
held!out!her!hand.!
!
“Give!me!your!phone.”!
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!
Still! feeling! the! brand! of! her! lips,! I! handed! it! to! her.! She!
turned!it!on!and!squinted!at!the!small!screen!in!the!dark.!!
!
“Don’t!you!ever!check!for!messages?”!she!said.!
!
“You!said!not!to!use!my!phone.”!
!
She!held!my!cell!next!to!hers,!keyed!a!number!into!it!and!
handed!it!back.!
!
“I’ll!look!for!you!on!board.!If!I!don’t!see!you,!text!me!if!you!
make!it!so!we!can!hook!up.”!
!
I!nodded.!“You!go!first.!You’ve!got!a!better!chance.”!!
!
Hesitating,!she!put!a!hand!on!my!arm.!“Be!careful.”!
!
She!pulled!the!sweatshirt!up!over!her!cap,!hiding!most!of!
her!face!and!turned!away.!I!watched!her!until!she!disappeared!
among! the! cars! in! the! big! lot! next! to! the! staging! lanes.!
Following!as!far!as!the!lot!entrance,!I!stood!behind!a!chain!link!
fence,! spotted! her! and! marked! her! progress.! She! walked!
purposefully,! but! unhurriedly! toward! the! little! terminal!
building!down!near!the!water.!It!held!a!few!vending!machines!
and!provided!shelter!from!the!rain,!but!little!else.!The!deputy!
checking! cars! in! the! lot! straightened! as! she! walked! past,!
turning! to! watch! her! for! a! moment.! Disinterested,! he! swung!
back!to!his!task.!!
!
Unaware!that!I’d!been!holding!my!breath,!I!expelled!it!with!
an!explosive!huff!audible!over!the!sound!of!the!wind.!I!didn’t!
want!to!take!the!same!path!down!to!the!terminal!while!the!cop!
was! conducting! his! search.! I! leaned! against! the! fence! and!
waited!instead.!Intermittent!drops!of!rain!slowly!plastered!my!
hair!to!my!skin.!
!
Three!staging!lanes!had!filled!with!waiting!vehicles,!an!odd!
assortment! of! late! reverse! commuters,! retirees! in! pickup!
trucks!with!camper!tops,!tourists,!a!few!empty!delivery!trucks,!
and!kids!out!for!a!joyride!to!the!big!city.!Wet!metal!and!glass!
glistened!under!the!streetlights!casting!their!cool!glow!over!the!
scene.!Almost!smack!dab!in!the!middle!of!the!pack!of!fifty!or!so,!
a! late! model! Caddy! with! blacked! out! windows! rocked! and!
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bounced! on! its! suspension,! unseen! occupants! moving! in! time!
to!the!loud!bass!beat!of!a!gangsta!rap!song.!They’d!turned!the!
volume! up! so! far! that! about! every! fourth! word! of! the! foul,!
miso
gynistic! lyrics! were! unambiguous! despite! normally!
incoherent!hip6hop!pronunciations!few!people!understood.!
!
Parked!immediately!in!front!of!the!Caddy!was!a!well6used!
pickup.!The!driver’s!head!appeared!over!the!roof!as!he!got!out,!
walked!back!to!the!Caddy!and!knocked!on!the!window.!Burly,!
dressed!in!jeans!and!an!unbuttoned!plaid!shirt!over!a!T6shirt,!
he!seemed!calm!until!an!arm!appeared!from!the!Caddy!driver’s!
window! and! extended! the! universal! fuck6you! gesture.! The!
burly! man! yelled! a! few! epithets! of! his! own! and! stormed! off!
toward! the! tollbooths.! An! orange6vested! WSDOT! employee!
soon!headed!for!the!Caddy!while!the!pickup!driver!stomped!up!
the! hill! toward! the! grocery! store! on! the! corner.! The! noise!
emanating!from!the!Caddy!went!down!a!few!notches!as!soon!as!
the!orange!vest!approached!the!car.!!
!
A! school! of! iridescent! thoughts! swam! by,! as! tempting! as!
chum.!My!attention!darted!after!a!brightly!colored!one!here,!a!
shiny! one! there— no* sign* of* Reyna* …* wonder* if* Tucker* got* his*
Beemer*back*…*what’s*that*idiot*in*the*ferry*lane*trying*to*do?*…*
damn,*it*got*chilly*in*a*hurry*…*this*thing*with*Reyna,*is*it*…*hope*
Molly* remembered* Cole’s* birthday;* still* can’t* believe* I* …* there*
goes* that* rap* music* again* …* I* knew* this* ratty* piece* of* cloth*
would* smell* when* it* got* wet* …* oh,* shit,* here* come*
reinforcements…!
!
With! effort,! I! reined! in! my! attention! as! it! gamboled! after!
one!last!brightly!hued!denizen!of!the!deep.!Taking!stock!of!the!
scene,!I!fished!in!a!pocket!for!meds,!found!two!pills!and!popped!
them!like!candy.!Off!to!the!left,!an!unmarked!SUV!with!flashing!
lights! pulled! up! next! to! one! of! the! county! cruisers! by! the!
tollbooth.! Another! vehicle! quickly! followed,! this! one! a! white!
sedan!with!the!same!markings!as!the!Navy!Region!Northwest!
cop!car!that!had!pulled!us!over!earlier.!The!uniform!climbing!
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out!of!the!SUV!donned!a!dark!campaign!hat!and!walked!over!to!
confer! with! the! sheriff’s! deputy.! State! patrol.! Two! uniforms!
from!the!Navy!cop!car!joined!him.!
!
The!second!county!cop!headed!back!from!the!parking!lot!
to!join!the!party.!Lights!out!on!the!water!drew!my!attention.!A!
few!hundred!yards!offshore,!a!ferry!as!brightly!lit!as!a!birthday!
cake! steamed! toward! the! dock,! less! than! five! minutes! from!
landing.!Now!seemed!as!good!a!time!as!any!to!figure!out!how!I!
was!going!to!get!aboard!unnoticed.!I!walked!around!the!end!of!
the!fence!into!the!largely!empty!parking!lot!and!surveyed!the!
scene!one!last!time.!
!
Pedestrian! passengers! boarded! first! and! last,! no! ticket!
needed! on! this! side! of! the! sound.! Ferry! workers! wouldn’t! let!
anyone!on!foot!board!while!vehicles!were!driving!on.!That!left!
me!with!two!choices:!board!with!the!first!group!of!passengers,!
which! might! attract! attention! to! Reyna;! or! hang! back! and!
board!after!all!the!vehicles!were!loaded,!which!would!make!me!
stand!out!like!a!sore!thumb!to!all!the!law!enforcement!officers!
waiting! on! shore.! Neither! choice! had! the! same! appeal! as! the!
spicy!Thai!red!curry!I!craved!right!about!then.!!
!
The! two! Navy! cops! broke! away! from! the! confab! around!
the! tollbooths! and! walked! alongside! the! far! lane! of! waiting!
vehicles,!their!billed!caps!visible!over!the!car!roofs.!They!didn’t!
bother! looking! at! the! cars,! which! meant! only! one! thing.! I!
glanced! down! the! long! lot! at! the! small! terminal! building.!
Beyond! it,! the! ferry! was! slowly! gliding! in! the! last! few! feet!
between! the! pilings! at! the! end! of! the! dock.! No! sign! of! Reyna.!
The!staging!area!came!alive!as!people!returned!to!their!parked!
vehicles! after! stretching! their! legs,! walking! dogs! or! getting!
coffee!or!something!to!eat.!
!
The! driver! of! the! pickup! truck! lumbered! down! the! hill!
from!the!store.!I!slipped!between!two!parked!cars,!vaulted!the!
low! fence! into! the! staging! lanes! and! swam! upstream! toward!
him,!an!impulsive,!half6formed!thought!taking!charge.!I!stepped!
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in! front! of! him! as! he! made! his! way! down! the! narrow! alley!
between!two!staging!lanes.!He!stopped!and!looked!up.!!
!
“Hey,”!I!said,!“that!your!truck!in!front!of!those!kids!in!the!
Caddy?”!
!
He!frowned.!“Yeah.!So?”!
!
“I’m! pretty! sure! I! saw! one! of! them! messing! with! your!
truck.!I!don’t!know!if!they!did!any!damage,!but!I!thought!you!
ought!to!know.”!
!
A!corner!of!his!lip!curled!up!briefly!in!a!sneer!of!disgust,!
and!his!hands!clenched!into!fists.!
!
“Thanks,!man.”! !
!
“Any!time,”!I!said,!stepping!out!of!his!way.!
!
A!line!of!headlights!snaked!up!the!dock!and!swept!abreast!
of!the!staging!lanes!as!the!ferry!disgorged!its!westbound!load!
of!vehicles.!I!slipped!over!a!lane!and!weaved!between!several!
cars.! Behind! me,! I! heard! a! shouting! voice! and! the! sound! of!
pounding.!!
!
“Get! out! of! the! car,! motherfucker!”! More! pounding.! “Get!
out!of!the!fucking!car!”!
!
The! commotion! stopped! the! Navy! cops! in! their! tracks.!
They! looked! at! each! other! and! said! a! few! words.! One!
backtracked,!waving!his!arm!at!the!three!officers!standing!up!
by!the!tollbooths.!The!other!angled!across!the!lanes,!zigzagging!
between!the!cars.!I!glanced!back!and!saw!the!burly!man!take!a!
tire! iron! out! of! the! bed! of! his! truck.! Both! county! deputies!
shifted!over!for!a!look!down!the!alley!between!the!lanes,!saw!
the!potential!threat!and!broke!into!a!run.!!
!
Burly! man! brandished! the! tire! iron! and! screamed! at! the!
Caddy,!“Did!you!mess!with!my!truck,!asshole!!Get!out!here!!I’ll!
teach!you!to!fuck!with!people!”!
!
The! state! trooper! sauntered! after! the! deputies.!
Reluctantly,! the! other! Navy! cop! cut! across! a! lane,! and! all! five!
officers! converged! on! the! man! before! he! could! smash! the!
Caddy’s!windshield!with!the!tire!iron.!
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!
Looking!around!quickly,!I!spotted!a!landscape!truck!sitting!
at!the!back!of!an!outside!lane.!Casually,!I!made!my!way!over!to!
the!open!lane!closest!to!the!fence!and!walked!back!to!the!end!
of!the!line.!People’s!attention!seemed!to!be!on!the!cops!talking!
the!crazy!man!down!from!his!rage.!
!
“Calm! down?”! he! shouted.! “You! want! me! to! fucking! calm!
down?!When!that!asshole!is!the!one!causing!trouble?”!
!
; The!driver!of!the!landscape!truck!climbed!down!from!the!
cab! and! watched! the! ruckus.! The! cops! spoke! in! low! voices! I!
couldn’t!hear.!I!sidled!along!the!side!of!the!landscape!truck.!
!
“Didn’t!you!hear!that!shit?”!burly6man!shouted.!“They!play!
that! crap! so! freakin’! loud! you! can’t! hear! yourself! think!”! He!
paused!and!turned!toward!one!of!the!deputies.!“Fine!!You!want!
me!to!put!it!down,!it’s!down.”!
!
He!turned!around!and!threw!the!tire!iron!into!the!back!of!
his!pickup.!It!landed!with!a!loud!clang.!Satisfied,!he!faced!the!
cops!again.!
!
“Look,! I! didn’t! do! anything! wrong.”! His! voice! was! loud!
enough!to!carry,!but!he!stopped!shouting.!“That’s!the!prick!you!
ought!to!arrest.!He!messed!with!my!truck!”!
!
I!eased!closer!to!the!back!of!the!truck.!!
!
“How!do!I!know?!Somebody! saw!him!do!it!!Guy!right!over!
there!”!!
!
The!burly!man!pointed!in!the!direction!he’d!last!seen!me.!
Heart!running!laps!around!my!chest,!I!ducked!around!the!back!
of! the! truck! out! of! sight.! Putting! a! foot! up! on! the! bumper,! I!
slowly!eased!my!weight!onto!it.!The!truck!was!big!enough!that!
the! suspension! didn’t! even! feel! me.! I! swung! a! leg! over! the!
tailgate,! kept! my! head! low,! and! squeezed! in! between! two! big!
push! lawn! mowers.! With! barely! space! to! sit,! I! managed! to!
crouch! under! the! handle! of! one! of! the! mowers! and! tugged! a!
half!full!canvas!bag!of!grass!clippings!close!enough!to!hide!me!
from!view.!
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!
Minutes! later,! car! engines! all! around! us! rumbled! to! life.!
The!truck!door!slammed,!and!the!bed!beneath!me!shuddered!
and!vibrated!as!the!driver!started!it!up.!In!a!moment!I!felt!the!
truck!moving.!
!
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!
!
Chapter&50&
!
!
The!noise!woke!her!from!an!uneasy!slumber.!She!thought!
about! the! sound! that! had! lifted! her! toward! consciousness,!
wondering!if!it!had!been!real!or!part!of!her!dream.!A!small!bell,!
perhaps.!Or!breaking!glass.!She!came!fully!awake,!shaking!off!
the! tendrils! of! shadowy! images! that! had! been! part! of! her!
dreamscape.! They! retreated,! wisps! of! fog! confronted! by! an!
advancing!sun.!She!rose!on!one!elbow!and!listened!intently.!!
!
She!didn’t!like!staying!out!in!the!middle!of!the!countryside!