by Mike Sherer
alone.! She! knew! she! wasn’t;! the! compound! had! round6the6
clock!security.!And,!of!course,!the!couple!was!still!downstairs.!
But!they!didn’t!count.!They!weren’t!exactly!guests.!A!couple!of!
former! radicals! who’d! never! actually! been! all! that!
insurrectionary! or! nihilistic.! By! now! she! fully! believed! them!
when!they!said!they’d!never!blown!up!anything!before!the!lab!
in! the! Midwest.! And! even! that! had! been! the! work! of! others.!
They’d! only! been! peripherally! involved.! That! despite! all! their!
talk!back!in!the!day—of!revolution,!and!“offing!the!pigs,”!about!
an!egalitarian!and!just!society—they!never!did!anything!except!
grow! comfortable! off! the! capitalistic! society! they’d! railed!
against.!She’d!heard!that!story!before—it!was!almost!a!running!
joke!about!Baby!Boomers!who’d!been!activists!in!the!’Sixties.!
!
She!shuddered!at!the!incredible!naïveté!and!ignorance!of!
the! pair.! The! wife! was! in! bad! shape;! she’d! lost! a! lot! of! blood,!
and! her! wound! was! likely! infected.! And! in! the! past! thirty6six!
hours! the! husband! had! gone! downhill! fast.! Of! course,! the!
interrogation!techniques!her!father!had!ordered!had!a!lot!to!do!
with! it.! Wilson’s! face! was! practically! unrecognizable! through!
the!bruises!and!swelling.!One!eye!had!swollen!completely!shut,!
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and!the!left!side!of!his!face!was!the!size!and!color!of!a!melon!
blackened!with!rot!from!a!broken!jaw!and!four!missing!teeth.!
!
They!didn’t!know!anything.!Of!that!she!was!sure,!but!her!
father!wanted!to!be!certain.!He’d!be!back!in!the!morning.!She!
wondered!if!the!Wilsons!could!hold!out!that!long,!wondered!if!
they!knew!it!didn’t!matter!one!way!or!the!other.!They!were!as!
good! as! dead.! The! knowledge! didn’t! give! her! the! sense! of!
satisfaction!she!once!imagined!it!would.!
!
She! was! here! because! of! them.! Here,! not! home! in!
California.!Here,!not!warm!and!comfortable!in!a!hotel!like!the!
self6important! Tucker! Prescott! Baines.! Here,! because! she’d!
wanted! answers! for! more! than! twenty! years,! and! because!
she’d! become! desperate! for! something! from! him,! some! small!
sign! that! she! now! realized! would! never! come.! A! realization!
that!had!slowly!soured!the!affection!and!admiration!she’d!once!
felt!for!her!big!sister!until!now!all!she!felt!was!a!soul6shriveling!
hate,! black! and! acidic.! For! what?! What! had! been! the! point?!
Neither! she! nor! her! father! had! gotten! what! they! wanted!
beyond! a! small! measure! of! revenge—no,! justice—on! some! of!
those! responsible! for! Jill’s! death.! The! real! story,! perhaps,! lay!
buried!too!deep!in!the!past!to!unearth.!But!it!was!too!late!to!go!
back,!and!now!she!had!blood!on!her!hands.!
!
She! stiffened! suddenly! at! the! sound! of! a! muffled! creak!
from! somewhere! downstairs.! Someone! was! in! the! house.! A*
security* guard* on* rounds?* Her* father? ! She! shuddered.! She!
recalled! the! sound! that! had! roused! her,! swung! her! legs! out!
from!under!the!covers!and!pulled!on!a!pair!of!jeans!as!quietly!
as!she!could.!She!didn’t!see!how!anyone!could!get!past!all!the!
security,!let!alone!break!in,!but!the!odd!noises!had!set!her!on!
edge.!She!looked!around!the!room!for!a!weapon!of!some!sort,!
then!shook!her!head!ruefully!at!her!own!foolishness.!
!
She! sat! on! the! edge! of! the! bed! for! a! moment,! unmoving.!
The! only! sounds! now! were! the! wind! whistling! through! the!
eaves! and! the! syncopated! drip! of! rainwater! in! a! nearby!
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downspout.! She! stood! and! silently! padded! across! the! floor! to!
the!dresser,!rummaged!in!a!drawer!for!a!sweatshirt!in!the!dim!
light! from! the! window! and! pulled! it! over! her! head.! Resolved,!
she!took!a!deep!breath!and!stole!out!of!her!room.!
*!*!*!*!*!
!
The!truck!inched!ahead.!From!the!other!side!of!the!truck!
box!came!the!voice!of!the!man!I’d!goaded!into!a!rage.!
!
“I!can’t!believe!you!pulled!me!over,!not!him.”!
!
“Sir,!you!need!to!calm!down,”!a!cop!said.!
!
“I!swear,!officer,!them!kids!was!messin’!with!my!truck.!Guy!
told!me!he! saw!’em!screwing!around.”!
!
“What!guy?”!
!
“Big! guy.! Like! ballplayer! big.! Tall.! You! know! them! kids,!
blasting!that!trash!they!call!music…”!
!
The!voice!faded!as!the!truck!passed!by,!picking!up!speed.!
For!a!moment!I!felt!bad!for!the!guy.!The!cops!would!likely!let!
him!get!on!the!next!ferry!with!a!warning,!but!if!they!believed!
his! story! and! compared! notes,! they! might! put! someone! on!
board!the!ferry!to!look!for!me.!I!wasn’t!out!of!the!woods!yet.!
!
Five! minutes! later,! the! vibration! of! the! truck! bed! had!
changed! from! the! buzz! of! the! truck’s! three! hundred! fifty!
horsepower! diesel! V68! to! the! low! rumble! of! the! ferry’s! five!
thousand! horses.! Car! doors! opened! and! shut! as! drivers! and!
passengers! emerged! and! made! their! way! to! the! passenger!
deck.! After! a! minute! or! so,! I! heard! the! truck! door! open! and!
close,! too.! I! slowly! counted! to! thirty! before! easing! out! of! my!
hiding!place!and!peering!over!the!tailgate.!The!truck!was!next!
to!last!on!the!ferry,!the!car!behind!it!empty.!
!
I! stripped! off! the! poncho! and! stuffed! it! in! the! bag! of!
clippings.! I! repositioned! Charlie’s! gun! from! waistband! to! a!
deep!pocket!in!the!cargo!pants,!and!checked!once!more!to!see!if!
anyone!was!watching.!I!climbed!over!the!tailgate!and!hopped!
down.!The!car!deck!was!deserted.!I!walked!a!few!yards!to!the!
stern,!pulled!out!my!phone!and!powered!it!on.!Six!missed!calls!
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and!two!messages.!All!but!one!from!Chance.!The!other!an!old!
one!from!Molly.!I!frowned!and!dialed!Chance’s!mobile.!
!
“Where! in! God’s! name! have! you! been,! doll?! You! had! us!
worried!sick.!Are!you!okay?”!
!
“I’m! all! right,! Chance.! I’m! sorry! I! forgot! to! call.! I’ve! been!
distracted.!You!okay!with!taking!the!route!again?”!
!
“Yeah,!sure,!it’s!fine.!I’ve!got!it!covered.!Where!are!you?”!
!
“Southworth!ferry.!Chance,!I!need!a!favor.”!
!
“Whatever!you!want,!honey.”!
!
“We!need!a!car.!Can!you!borrow!Peter’s!or!Toji’s!for!me?”!
!
“‘We?’!What’s!going!on,!Blake?”!
!
“I’ll!tell!you!when!I!see!you.!Can!you!do!it?!We!have!to!get!
up! to! Whidbey! tonight.! Fast.! I! wouldn’t! ask,! Chance,! but! it’s!
truly!a!matter!of!life!and!death.”!
!
at!Fauntleroy!in!forty!minutes.”!
!
“Whenever!you!get!there!is!fine.!Don’t!get!a!ticket!on!your!
way.!And!thanks,!Chance.”!
!
I!stayed!put,!hunched!over!the!rail,!and!watched!the!black!
water!glide!by.!The!storm!front!had!kicked!up!some!waves,!and!
the! ferry! rocked! gently! in! the! swells.! The! lights! of! Vashon!
Island! drifted! into! view! then! slowly! slid! past! until! they!
retreated!behind!the!vessel,!growing!smaller!in!the!distance!as!
the!lights!of!West!Seattle!grew!bigger.!Already!cool,!the!breeze!
over! the! sound! picked! up! the! water’s! chill,! making! my! teeth!
chatter.!I!crossed!my!arms!for!warmth!and!wished!for!the!first!
time!that!the!heat!wave!hadn’t!ended.!
!
When! the! ferry! was! five! minutes! from! landing,! I! texted!
Reyna! and! told! her! to! meet! me! at! the! bus! stop! by! the! ferry!
entrance.! Before! too! many! people! returned! to! their! cars,! I!
headed!toward!the!bow!so!I’d!be!one!of!the!first!passengers!off.!
Two!deck!hands!manned!the!bow!and!two!others!stood!in!front!
of! the! lead! cars! ready! to! direct! traffic! off! the! boat.! The! ferry!
glided!in!the!last!several!hundred!yards!without!power.!At!the!
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last! minute! the! pilot! reversed! thrust,! and! the! deck! rumbled!
underfoot! from! the! power! of! the! engine.! The! bow! kissed! the!
end!of!the!dock!without!a!bump,!and!the!deck!hands!made!the!
boat!fast.!In!less!than!a!minute,!they!lowered!the!ramp,!pulled!
aside! the! cargo6net! gate! and! waved! the! pedestrians! off.!
Slouching,!I!disembarked!with!the!first!ones!off,!staying!in!the!
middle! of! the! small! group,! doing! my! best! to! remain!
inconspicuous.!!
!
Reyna!caught!up!to!me!halfway!up!the!dock!and!squeezed!
my!arm.!“You!made!it.”!
!
“Barely.! Navy! cops! showed! up! and! looked! like! they! were!
going!to!check!foot!passengers,!so!I!had!to!create!a!diversion.”!
!
“You! did! that?! I! wondered! what! was! going! on.! Quick!
thinking.”!!
!
“More!like!desperation.”!!
!
“So,!I!figured!we!could!call!a!cab,!have!him!take!us!to!get!
another!rental.”!
!
“Already!took!care!of!it.!A!friend!is!bringing!us!a!ride.”!
!
“You’re!kidding.”!
!
I!shook!my!head.!“Should!be!here!soon.”!
!
By! the! time! we! got! to! the! street,! however,! Chance! was!
already! waiting! in! the! small! parking! lot! next! to! the! ferry!
entrance.!He!stood!beside!the!open!door!of!a!white!convertible!
dressed!in!four6inch!stiletto!heels,!a!short,!tight!cocktail!dress!
and!a!sequined!black!shrug,!and!waved!to!us.!I!steered!Reyna!
toward!the!familiar!car,!frowning.!
!
“Chance?”!I!said!as!we!drew!closer.!“What!did!you!do?”!
!
His! heavily! made6up! face! split! into! a! wide! grin,! the! brief!
illusion!of!femininity!gone.!
!
“You!said!you!needed!to!get!to!Whidbey!fast.”!
!
“Is!this!what!I!think!it!is?”!
!
“What!do!you!think!this!is?”!Reyna!said.!
!
I!faced!her.!“My!ex6wife’s!car.”!Her!pride!and!joy,!a!BMW!
M5.!“I!can’t!believe!you!asked!Molly!for!her!car,!Chance.”!
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!
“I!knew!she’d!let!me!borrow!it.!So,!what’s!the!big!deal?!And!
who’s!the!dish,!doll?”!
!
“Sorry.! Reyna,! this! is! my! friend! Chance! Reno,! one! of! my!
landlords.!Chance,!meet!Lieutenant!Commander!Reyna!Chase.”!
!
Chance’s! penciled! eyebrows! practically! disappeared! into!
his! platinum! wig.! “The! Reyna! Chase?”! Chance! knew! all! about!
the! last! time! Reyna! had! been! in! town,! six! months! earlier.! He!
straightened!and!gave!her!a!mock!salute.!
!
Reyna!laughed.!“No!need!to!be!formal.”!
!
I! looked! around,! suddenly! nervous.! “I! hate! to! push,! but! I!
think!we!ought!to!get!out!of!here.”!
!
Chance! handed! me! the! keys! to! Molly’s! car.! “Top! secret!
mission,!I!suppose.!You!get!to!have!all!the!fun,!doll.!Good!luck.!
Don’t!go!getting!yourself!killed!like!you!almost!did!at!Javier’s.”!
!
“Oh,!hell,!I!forgot!to!call!him,!too.”!
!
Chance! waved! airily.! “He’s! fine.! Restaurant’s! fine.!
Window’s! all! fixed.! He! forgives! you.! Says! the! notoriety! has!
actually!helped!business.!Don’t!worry!about!it.”!!
!
He!turned!to!go.!
!
“Do!you!need!a!ride?”!Reyna!said.!
!
Chance! thumbed! over! his! shoulder.! “Toji! drove! down! in!
his!car.!He’ll!give!me!a!ride!back!to!the!warehouse.”!
!
“You’re!not!working!the!paper!route!dressed!like!that,!are!
you?”!I!swallowed!hard.!
!
Chance!laughed.!“And!ruin!these!fuck6me!pumps?!Hell!no,!
doll.”!
!
He! spun! around! and! sashayed! across! the! lot! to! a! waiting!
car.! Toji! waved! through! the! windshield.! Chance! rounded! the!
front! of! the! car! and! climbed! in! next! to! him,! rolled! down! his!
window!and!leaned!out!as!they!drove!past.!!
!
“Whatever!you!do,”!he!called,!“don’t!wreck!that!cute!little!
car.!Molly!would!have!a!fit.”!
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!
They! roared! off.! As! they! vanished! in! the! line! of! cars!
heading! up! the! hill,! a! parade! of! unmarked! black! SUVs! with!
flashing!lights!swept!down!toward!the!ferry!entrance.!!
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!
!
Chapter&51&
!
!
Langford!moved!quickly!from!room!to!room!on!silent!feet,!
committing!the!layout!to!memory!as!he!searched!for!a!way!to!
the!basement.!The!high6ceilinged!rooms!in!the!old!farmhouse!
were! capacious! and! airy.! While! they! all! retained! original!
moldings!and!dimensions,!even!in!the!dark!he!could!see!they’d!
been!updated!with!recessed!lighting!on!dimmers,!a!high6speed!
LAN! connection! to! the! Internet,! and! a! multi6line!
telecommunications!system.!The!living!room!and!front!parlor!
had! been! converted! to! conference! rooms! with! multi6media!
projection! capability.! The! dining! room! remained! as! originally!
intended,!restored!to!a!level!of!elegance!likely!not!seen!outside!
of! Seattle! when! the! home! had! been! built.! The! kitchen! had!
undergone!a!complete!remodel!with!top6line!commercial!food!
equipment,!the!gleaming!stainless!reflecting!the!warm!tones!of!
rich!cherry!cabinetry!even!in!the!faint!li
ght!from!outside.!
!
Time!worked!against!him!now,!and!he!increased!his!pace.!
He!spotted!the!door!to!the!basement!stairs!in!the!kitchen.!As!he!
crossed!the!room!his!weight!caused!a!spot!on!the!bamboo!floor!
to!creak.!He!froze,!barely!breathing,!and!listened!to!the!sounds!
in!the!house.!A!refrigerator!compressor!hummed!quietly.!A!pirr!
of! air! whispered! to! him! from! the! heating! vents! in! the! room.!
Water! dripped! outside! the! kitchen! window.! Faintly,! he! heard!
the!wind’s!colloquy!with!the!trees!outside.!Nothing!else!in!the!
house!stirred.!Cautiously,!he!took!a!step.!Still!hearing!nothing!
out!of!the!ordinary!he!hurried!to!the!door!and!down!the!stairs.!
!
At!the!bottom,!he!pressed!a!wall!switch,!bathing!the!room!
in!light.!The!basement!also!had!been!extensively!remodeled.!He!
stepped! into! a! carpeted! game! room! dominated! by! a! billiards!
table! in! the! center,! a! couple! of! pinball! machines! on! one! wall,!
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and! seating! areas! on! another.! He! didn’t! pause,! crossing! the!
room!to!a!door!on!the!far!side.!Pushing!through!it,!he!turned!on!
the!lights!and!found!himself!in!a!large!media!room!with!more!
than! a! dozen! plush! movie! theater! style! chairs! facing! a! blank!
wall!framed!by!heavy!drapes.!Beyond!that!he!found!a!door!into!
a! mechanical! room! housing! furnace,! water! heater! and! air!
filtration! system! and! a! storeroom.! There! was! no! sign! of! the!
Wilsons,!and!he!was!running!out!of!time.!
!
Quickly!returning!to!the!game!room,!he!scanned!it!again!to!
see! where! he! might! have! gone! wrong.! There! were! two! other!
doors! in! the! room.! One! was! clearly! marked! with! a! restroom!
sign.!He!opened!it!and!glanced!inside.!The!only!other!door!was!
narrower.! He! tried! it! anyway! and! discovered! a! small! closet.!
Frustrated!now,!he!went!back!into!the!media!room.!To!the!left,!
behind!the!rows!of!chairs!was!a!door!to!a!projection!room.!The!
glass!pane!between!the!rooms,!he!noted,!was!blacked!out.!!
!
With! a! growing! sense! of! exigency,! he! strode! to! the! door!
and! put! his! hand! on! the! knob.! Locked. ! He! hesitated! before!
bashing!it!in,!worried!about!the!noise!it!would!make.!He!took!a!
step! back! and! removed! his! backpack.! Quietly,! he! reached! in!
one! of! the! pockets! and! grasped! the! butt! of! the! J.P.! Sauer.! He!
aimed! it! at! the! door! while! he! slowly! summoned! his!
concentration.! With! as! much! power! as! he! could! muster,! he!