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with!it?”!
!
“You!son!of!a!bitch!!I’ll!kill!you!myself!”!
!
Baines!marched!over!to!Tweedledum!and!tried!to!wrestle!
his!gun!away,!but!the!big!man!pushed!him!away!and!held!him!
off! with! a! huge! arm! across! his! chest.! Baines! strained! to! push!
past.!
!
“You!realized!what!had!happened,”!I!told!him,!“went!back!
in,!and!shot!her.!Only!problem!was!Wink.!You!hadn’t!counted!
on! anyone! else! being! there.! He! got! caught.! The! Wilsons! went!
free.!You’ve!been!looking!for!them!ever!since.!Oh,!and!Kwan’s!
notes! were! missing.! The! one! thing! you! hoped! to! profit! from.!
Besides!revenge.”!
!
Keely!stared!at!me!with!a!growing!look!of!horror.!!
!
“How!do!you!know!this?”!she!whispered.!!
!
“I! was! there.”! I! watched! my! revelation! home! in! on! her!
heart!like!a!heat6seeking!missile.!
!
Baines!stopped!struggling.!“Not!possible.”!
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!
“I!saw!your!whole!team!come!out!of!the!building,”!I!said.!
“You!waited!for!the!blast.!When!the!girl!started!screaming,!you!
went! back! in.! Less! than! a! minute! later! I! heard! the! gunshots,!
and! you! came! back! out.! I! was! there,! Baines.! I! saw! your! face,!
clear!as!day.”!
!
“Daddy?”!!
!
Baines! turned! slowly! as! if! pushing! against! an! enormous!
weight.!!
!
“You! killed! her?! Daddy?! All! this! time! I! tried! to! make! you!
love!me!as!much!as!her.!I!helped!you!find!the!people! you!told!
me!were!responsible.!And!you! killed!her?”!Keely’s!voice!rose!to!
a!shriek.!“‘ My!daughter,! my!daughter’…! I’m!your!daughter,!too,!
you!bastard!”!
!
“No,”!he!said!coldly,!“you’re!not.!You!are!the!product!of!a!
generation!that!squandered!its!potential!on!recreational!drugs!
and! illicit! sex,! on! making! itself! feel! good! without! taking!
responsibility.!Facts!of!life,!little!girl:!The!Vietnam!War!was!a!
tragedy,! but! thousands! of! good! men! died! for! their! country! in!
that!war!while!hippie!faggots!like!Wilson!stayed!home,!smoked!
dope! and! fucked! whomever! they! felt! like,! including! your!
mother.”!
!
Spittle!foamed!at!the!corner!of!his!mouth!as!he!spewed!the!
words! like! cobra! venom.! “While! I! was! off! trying! to! prevent!
some! of! those! soldiers! from! dying,! the! bitch! went! up! to! San!
Francisco!to!see!how!the!other!half!lived.!Like!a!trip!to!the!zoo!
to! see! all! the! exotic! animals.! Smelling! the! sex! on! them! and!
reverting! to! her! basest! instincts,! an! animal! just! like! them.! I!
never!touched!her!after!that.!Your! father?!Take!a!look!at!him,!
Keely.! Right! over! there.! Sucking! a! comfortable! living! out! the!
very! system! he! tried! to! subvert! and! destroy! back! then.! Big!
revolutionary.! That! pathetic! never6was! is! where! you! come!
from.!Not!me.”!
!
For! an! interminable! moment,! a! hush! as! solemn! as! a!
funeral!fell!over!the!room.!Portentous!as!the!eye!of!a!hurricane,!
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that!brief!calm!carried!tension!that!thrummed!like!high!voltage!
through! a! transmission! line! and! then! exploded! in! a! blur! of!
motion!and!rage.!
!
“You! were! there?”! Wink! roared! from! behind! me.! “All! this!
time!I!thought!you!bailed,!and!you!saw!the!whole!thing?”!
!
He! jumped! up! on! a! stool! and! launched! himself! over! the!
worktable! before! I! could! fully! turn! around.! At! the! same! time,!
Keely! flew! toward! Baines! with! outstretched! talons,! mouth!
contorted!in!a!snarl.!Wink!hit!me!full!force,!chest!high.!On!the!
way! down,! I! saw! the! twins! jerk! one! way! then! another! in!
confusion.! After! that,! all! I! saw! was! ceiling! as! Wink’s! weight!
bore!me!to!the!floor!and!he!swung!a!fist!into!my!ribs.!Between!
the!floor!and!his!blow,!most!of!the!air!in!my!lungs!was!expelled!
with!a! whuff.!Shouting!added!to!Keely’s!howls!filled!the!room!
with!dissonant!clamor.!Wink!put!me!in!a!clinch,!his!mouth!next!
to!my!ear.!
!
“Gun,!Legs,”!he!whispered.!!
!
I!struggled!to!break!free,!but!he!just!clamped!down!harder,!
not!even!my!height!and!weight!advantage!a!match!for!his!wiry!
strength.!
!
“I’ve!got!a!gun,!asshole!”!he!whispered!again.!“Behind!my!
back.!Take!it!!On!three.!One,!two,!three!”!
!
By! the! time! I! figured! out! what! the! hell! he! was! talking!
about,!he’d!thrown!himself!to!the!side,!taking!me!with!him.!As!I!
rolled!on!top,!I!got!an!arm!loose,!reached!around!behind!him!
and!felt!the!hard!lump!under!his!shirt.! Tweedledee’s*gun*from*
the* conference* center. ! I! got! a! grip! on! it! and! yanked! as! Wink!
rolled! us! again,! putting! me! underneath! him.! I! held! the! gun!
down!on!the!floor!close!to!my!thigh,!keeping!it!hidden.!
!
“Get!off!me,!butthead!”!I!said.!
!
“Fuck!you!”!Wink!yelled.!!
!
“Hey,!knock!it!off!”!someone!behind!me!bawled.!
!
Wink!stifled!a!laugh!and!threw!a!punch!at!my!face.!I!barely!
had! time! to! block! it.! For! a! moment,! the! years! were! stripped!
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away,! reverting! us! to! a! couple! of! kids! roughhousing! in! the!
backyard.!I!put!a!hand!on!his!chest!and!shoved!hard.!He!flew!
back!on!his!rump!and!slid!halfway!under!a!lab!table.!Instead!of!
charging! at! me,! he! leaned! forward! and! dug! a! hand! under! his!
pant! leg.! He! came! up! on! one! knee! with! a! small! pistol! in! his!
hand.!
!
“Now!”!he!shouted.!!
!
He!aimed!over!my!shoulder!and!squeezed!off!three!shots!
that!sounded!like!firecrackers.!I!pointed!my!gun!past!his!head,!
targeting! on! Tweedledum.! The! big! man! had! his! hands! full!
prying!Keely!off!her!father.!I!fired!twice,!the!echoing!boom!of!
the!bigger!pistol!ringing!my!ears!like!a!clapper!tolling!a!church!
bell.!Events!happened!so!fast!and!adrenaline!pumped!through!
me!in!such!quantity!that!I!jerked!the!trigger.!My!first!shot!went!
high.!The!second!flew!wide.!!
!
Focus,*damn*it!*What*did*Charlie*tell*you? !
!
I!sighted!again!as!Wink!scrabbled!past!me!out!of!the!aisle,!
and! squeezed! the! trigger! smoothly! this! time.! The! bullet!
slammed!into!Tweedledum’s!shoulder,!forcing!a!loud!grunt!out!
of!him!and!grabbing!his!attention.!Moving!faster!than!I!would!
have!thought!possible,!he!pushed!away!from!Baines!and!Keely!
and! dove! to! the! floor! out! of! sight.! I! levered! myself! up! on! my!
feet! and! peeked! over! the! top! of! the! shel
f! above! the! lab! table.!
With!a!loud! pow,! pow,! powHpowHpow,!equipment!and!shelving!
exploded!around!my!head!in!a!shower!of!fragments.!
!
I! yanked! my! head! back! and! folded! to! the! floor! like! a!
punctured! balloon.! Heart! racing! on! hummingbird! setting,! I!
tried!to!consider!the!options.! Think! !My!breathed!rasped!in!my!
throat,! loud! and! fast.! Breathe! ! My! brain! and! body! wouldn’t!
cooperate.!Part!of!me!knew!I!had!to!pull!it!together!and!work!it!
through!quickly.!But!full6blown!panic!had!set!in,!taking!control,!
choking! off! rational! thought.! Do* some thing! ! Gunshots!
reverberated! in! the! enclosed! space,! jolting! me! out! of! the!
trance.!!
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!
Among! the! stream! of! disjointed! images! filling! my! head!
flashed! a! picture! of! a! high! school! ball! player.! A! big! power!
forward! at! one! of! Centralia’s! rivals.! Like! Jack’s! beanstalk,! I’d!
shot!up!in!those!years,!but!nature!had!taken!its!own!sweet!time!
in!adding!weight!to!my!tall!frame.!Every!time!we’d!played!that!
team,!Coach!had!assigned!me!the!big!guy.!After!a!lot!of!bruises!
and!a!chipped!tooth,!I’d!finally!experienced!some!success!when!
I’d!stuck!out!my!elbows!and!ignored!him,!went!into!that!zone!
where!nothing!else!existed!except!ball!and!basket.!Everything!
on!the!periphery!had!been!an!obstacle!to!avoid!or!bull!through,!
including! him.! Fueled! by! the! memory,! I! shoved! aside! the!
molten!fear!churning!in!my!gut!and!focused.!
!
Ball,*basket.*Get*the*ball.*Go*to*the*hoop. !
!
I! spun! in! a! crouch! and! darted! in! the! direction! Wink! had!
disappeared,!rounded!the!end!of!the!aisle!and!sprang!up!onto!
the!last!long!lab!table.!Running!down!its!length,!I!held!the!gun!
in!front!of!me!and!halfway!down!started!firing,!aiming!for!the!
end!of!the!table!and!what!I!suspected!lay!beyond!it.!Just!before!
I!got!there,!I!changed!direction!and!leaped!over!the!shelf,!firing!
in!mid6air!down!toward!the!floor.!!
!
Tweedledum! lay! on! his! back! clutching! an! assault! rifle! to!
his!chest,!legs!churning!like!pistons!as!his!heels!scrabbled!for!
traction! on! the! tile! floor,! trying! to! push! himself! away! from!
where! bullets! had! been! ripping! through! the! lab! table.! His!
mouth!opened!to!scream!and!his!eyes!widened!at!the!sight!of!
me! looming! above! him.! No! sound! emerged! as! a! hail! of! slugs!
slammed! into! his! chest,! letting! the! air! escape! from! his! lungs!
before! it! could! pass! through! his! voice! box.! My! momentum!
carried!me!into!the!wall,!and!I!crashed!onto!an!equipment!cart!
in!a!heap.!!
!
“Legs,!you!okay?”!Wink!called.!His!voice!sounded!tinny!and!
distant!over!the!drone!in!my!ears!from!the!gunfire.!
!
“I!think!so.!You?”!
!
“Never!better.”!!
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!
Disentangling!myself,!I!stood!up!and!looked!for!him,!doing!
my!best!to!ignore!the!bloody!corpse!at!my!feet.!The!immediacy!
of!death!was!messier,!uglier,!more!personal!and!disturbing!up!
close!than!at!a!distance.!!
!
Across!the!room,!Wink’s!head!popped!up!above!a!lab!table.!
Quiet! settled! over! us! like! the! smoke! from! all! the! gunshots.!
Connie!lay!unmoving!along!the!wall.!Easing!around!the!end!of!
the!worktable,!I!peered!down!the!aisle.!Clayt!had!slipped!off!his!
stool!and!lay!curled!up!under!the!table.!Baines!and!Keely!were!
gone.!Reyna,!too.!!
!
“You’re!an!asshole,!you!know,”!Wink!said.!!
!
I! nodded.! “I! should! have! told! you.! I! should! have! come!
forward!at!the!trial.”!
!
“You!thought!I!did!it.”!
!
“No!one!would!have!believed!me,!Wink.!Mysterious!men!in!
black?!Hell,!they!didn’t!believe! you.!I!was!scared.!I!would!have!
lost!my!scholarship,!and!you!still!would!have!gone!to!jail.”!
!
“Maybe.”! He! shrugged.! “I! figured! you! split! before! it!
happened.!I!was!never!mad!at!you.!I!would!have!done!the!same!
thing.”!
!
The!admission!barely!registered.!My!train!of!thought!had!
already!switched!down!another!siding.!
!
“Wink?!We!have!to!get!out!of!here.!Baines…”!
!
Just! like! the! old! days,! he! immediately! tracked! the! weird!
way!my!mind!shifted!direction.!!
!
“Can!you!carry!the!Wilson!woman?”!he!said.!
!
I!was!halfway!to!the!desk!where!she!lay.!“Already!on!it.”!
!
I!scooped!Connie!up!in!my!arms.!Pale!and!pasty,!she’d!lost!
a!lot!of!blood,!but!she!hadn’t!lost!much!weight.!Middle!age!and!
years!of!comfortable!living!under!an!alias!had!plumped!her!up!
like!a!holiday!turkey,!and!I!staggered!under!the!load.!I!heaved!
her!torso!over!my!shoulder!like!a!sack!of!cement!and!headed!
for!the!door.!!
!
“Wink!!Let’s!go!!He’s!going!to!blow!this!place.”!
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!
“Shit!!I’m!coming.!I!can’t!convince!this!dickhead!to!move!”!
!
I! paused! in! the! doorway! and! checked! on! his! progress.!
Wink!dragged!Clayt!across!the!floor!by!his!ankles.!Stepping!out!
into!the!hallway,!I!waited!for!him!to!catch!up.!Clayt!struggled!
feebly!as!he!slid!along!on!his!back.!
!
“Stop,”!he!moaned.!“What!are!you!doing?!Let!me!go.”!
!
Wink! turned! around! and! backed! up! between! Clayt’s! legs,!
hitching!himself!to!Clayt’s!wagon.!With!a!leg!tucked!under!each!
arm,!he!leaned!forward!and!pulled.!We!shambled!down!the!hall!
as!fast!as!we!could,!a!couple!of!draft!horses!pulling!their!loads.!
The!building’s!front!door!beckoned,!the!potential!threat!behind!
us!propelling!us!forward.!!
!
“Can’t!you!drag!his!ass!any!faster?”!I!said.!“Let’s!move!”!
!
“I’m!going!slow!so!you!can!keep!up.!You!out!of!shape?”!
!
I! straightened! and! slowed! my! labored! breathing.! “Candy6
ass.”!
!
“Pussy.”!
!
I! put! my! head! down! and! broke! into! a! trot,! feet! thudding!
heavily!under!the!load.!Wink!leaned!farther!forward!and!raced!
me!to!the!door.!I!won,!banging!into!the!door!with!my!shoulder!
and! bulled! it! open.! Outside! the! entry! I! waited! while! Wink!
hauled!Clayt!into!a!fireman’s!carry.!
!
The!two!of!us!stumbled!onto!a!patch!of!grass!out!front!just!
as!the!roar!of!an!explosion!blew!a!truck6sized!hole!in!the!side!
of! the! building.! The! concussion! shattered! the! glass! doors!
behind! us.! The! building! exhaled! a! thick! cloud! of! smoke! and!
dust!through!both!openings.!I!fell!to!my!knees!and!laid!Connie!
&
nbsp; on!the!ground.!Sitting!back!on!my!haunches,!I!tipped!my!head!
up!to!the!sky!and!let!the!soft!rain!pelt!my!skin.!!
!
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!
!
Chapter&54&
!
!
Wink!stood!over!me!and!extended!a!hand.!
!
“We’re!not!done!yet,”!he!said.!“They!must!still!be!close!by.!
They!couldn’t!have!triggered!the!explosive!otherwise.”!
!
I!grasped!his!wrist!and!let!him!haul!me!to!my!feet.!“Don’t!
you!think!they’re!on!their!way!out!of!here!by!now?”!!
!
Shots! rang! out! behind! me,! proving! me! wrong.! Wink!
motioned!to!the!left,!so!I!spun!and!ran!in!a!low!crouch!behind!a!
tree! at! the! edge! of! the! large! parking! lot! in! front! of! the! main!
building.!Wink!leaned!a!shoulder!against!another!tree!fifty!feet!
away.!We!both!peered!around!them!to!see!where!the!shots!had!
come! from.! Across! the! lot,! Baines! was! trying! to! get! into! the!
SUV.!Keely!had!her!arms!around!one!of!his!legs!and!was!pulling!
him!back!out.!The!man!Baines!had!called!Pete!stood!behind!the!
open!driver’s!door.!He!squeezed!off!a!shot!at!someone!off!to!his!
left.!!
!
Three! other! cars! were! scattered! around! the! empty! lot.!
With!a!boom,!the!blackness!lit!up!in!an!orange!flash!behind!one!
of!them.!Pete!returned!fire,!three!shots!in!quick!succession!that!
ka6 thunked! into! metal.! I! looked! over! at! Wink! to! see! if! he! had!
any! brilliant! ideas,! but! he! was! braced! against! the! thick! tree!
trunk,!cheek!tucked!near!his!shoulder,!gun!in!his!outstretched!
hands! pointed! at! the! SUV.! He! squeezed! off! a! round,! paused,!
squeezed!off!another.!Paused!and!did!it!again.!
!
Charlie! once! told! me! that! big! city! police! forces! like! SPD!
don’t! require! officers! to! target! shoot! from! more! than! about!
twenty6five! yards! anymore.! Too! many! cops! are! killed! inside!
seven! feet! to! warrant! the! extra! training.! Wink’s! dad! had!
started! Wink! out! at! fifty! yards,! just! like! old6style! competition!
shooting.!His!first!shot!punched!a!hole!in!the!driver’s!door.!The!
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second!punched!another!hole!six!inches!above!that.!The!third!
one! shattered! the! window! and! drilled! a! hole! in! Pete.! He!
dropped!with!a!grunt.!
!
Reyna’s! head! popped! up! from! the! other! side! of! the! car!
Pete!had!been!shooting!at.!She!ran!toward!the!SUV,!holding!a!