by Mike Sherer
gun!out!in!front!of!her!with!both!hands.!
!
“Baines!”! she! shouted.! “Get! away! from! the! car!! Now!! On!
the!ground!”!
!
Baines!still!struggled!to!climb!into!the!back!of!the!SUV.!At!
the!sound!of!Reyna’s!voice,!he!looked!over!his!shoulder.!With!
renewed! urgency,! he! yanked! a! leg! free! from! Keely’s! grip! and!
kicked! her! in! the! head,! knocking! her! to! the! ground.! He!
scrabbled!into!the!back!seat.!
!
Wink!ducked!around!the!other!side!of!his!tree!and!trotted!
toward! the! SUV! behind! Reyna.! I! was! slower! to! move,! and!
suddenly! saw! movement! low! to! the! ground! between! the! big!
vehicle’s!wheels.!A!black!wraith!stole!around!the!front!bumper,!
extending!the!barrel!of!an!assault!rifle!past!the!wheel!well.!!
!
“Reyna!”!I!bellowed.!“Get!down!”!!
!
I! sprinted! across! the! asphalt,! arms! and! legs! pumping,!
screaming! like! a! banshee! to! distract! him,! hoping! to! get! close!
enough!for!a!shot!that!might!not!miss.!The!rifle!muzzle!spurted!
flames! with! a! popHpopHpop! before! the! man’s! surprised! face!
swiveled! toward! the! sound! and! sight! of! me! bearing! down! on!
him.!He!swung!the!barrel!in!my!direction.!I!cut!the!same!way,!
desperate! to! stay! out! of! its! field! of! fire,! leading! him! as! the!
muzzle! flashed! again.! I! heard! both! Reyna! and! Wink! shouting.!
The!shooter!looked!even!more!confused.!In!a!panic,!he!swung!
the!rifle!back!the!other!way.!Keely!staggered!to!her!feet!just!as!
he! fired,! catching! the! burst! meant! for! Reyna.! She! spun! and!
dropped.!!
!
Screeching! to! a! stop,! I! took! three! deep! breaths! while! I!
peered! down! the! sight,! held! the! last! one,! and! remembered!
Charlie’s! instructions:! “Slow* and* easy,* like* your* first* kiss.” ! The!
Night&Tide—Sherer&
393&
discharge!when!it!came— bang! !recoil—was!almost!surprising,!
the!way!it’s!supposed!to!be.!The!shooter!grunted!and!sagged!to!
one! side,! a! hand! instinctively! going! to! the! wound! in! his! leg.!
With!the!other!hand,!he!raised!the!rifle.! Breathe!*In,*out,*in,*out,*
hold,*and*squeeze! !The!hammer!felt!on!an!empty!chamber!with!
a! click.! I! pulled! the! trigger! again.! Click. ! The! rifle! barrel! arced!
toward!me.!
!
“Drop!it!!Put!it!down!!Now!! Do!it!”!!
!
Wink! stepped! into! my! narrowed! range! of! vision! and!
advanced! toward! the! wounded! man,! gun! pointed! at! his! head.!
The!rifle!clattered!to!the!pavement.!Wink!kicked!it!out!of!reach,!
leaned! down! and! grabbed! a! fistful! of! fabric! near! the! man’s!
shoulder,!and!roughly!forced!him!face!down!on!the!ground.!He!
patted!him!down,!removing!a!pistol!from!a!holster!on!his!belt!
and!another!in!a!pocket!of!his!fatigues.!!
!
“Put! the! guns! on! the! ground,”! a! voice! said.! “Very! slowly.!
Gently.”!
!
Wink! and! I! turned! toward! the! sound.! Baines! stood! near!
the! rear! of! the! SUV,! forearm! locked! tightly! around! Reyna’s!
neck,! holding! a! gun! to! her! head.! I! tensed,! felt! my! heart! leap.!
Her! jaw! was! clenched,! but! her! eyes! were! narrowed! in! anger,!
not! wide! with! fear.! I! stooped! and! set! the! empty,! useless! gun!
down.!From!the!corner!of!my!eye,!I!saw!Wink!slowly!step!away!
from! the! wounded! man! and! lay! down! all! the! guns! he’d!
collected.!!
!
Baines!waggled!his!pistol!to!one!side.!“Move!away.!That’s!
it.!Far!enough.”!
!
Keeping! his! eyes! on! us,! he! walked! Reyna! up! to! the! open!
driver’s!door.!
!
“Don’t,”!Wink!said.!“Take!me!instead.”!
!
Baines!stopped.!“Why!would!I!do!that?”!
!
“I!lied,”!Wink!said.!“I!still!have!the!notebook.!You!want!it.!I!
can!take!you!to!it.”!
!
“You!said!you!destroyed!it.”!
Night&Tide—Sherer&
394&
!
“Hard! to! prove! your! motive! for! killing! Kwan! without!
evidence.!Without!the!notes,!Kwan’s!a!scientific!footnote,!a!guy!
whose!research!once!showed!promise!in!a!new!field.”!
!
“History’s! forgotten! lots! of! people! like! that,”! Baines! said.!
“Tesla! and! Edison.! Tesla! was! the! genius,! but! Edison! secured!
the!patents!and!made!the!money.”!
!
“I! waited! a! long! time! to! find! the! people! who! sent! me! to!
jail,”!Wink!said.!“Do!you!really!think!I’d!trash!the!only!evidence!
linking!you!and!the!Wilsons!to!the!bombing?”! !
!
Baines! considered! it,! and! inclined! his! head! slightly.! “You!
drive.!Get!in.”!
!
I!put!a!hand!on!Wink’s!arm.!“You!sure!about!this?”!
!
He!faced!me!and!grinned.!“No!sweat.”!
!
Wink!walked!straight!to!the!SUV,!stepped!over!Pete’s!body!
and! climbed! into! the! driver’s! seat.! Baines! gave! Reyna! a! hard!
shove,! sending!her!stumbling! toward!me,!and! got!in!the!back!
seat! behind! Wink,! putting! the! pistol! to! his! head.! The! engine!
started!up.!Wink!slammed!his!door!and!shifted!gears.!The!SUV!
inched!forward,!then!stopped,!pavement!to!the!rear!lighting!up!
the!color!of!blood.!Wink!leaned!out!the!window.!
!
“Remember! that! Caddy! my! dad! used! to! work! on?”! he!
called.!“Too!bad!this!ain’t!no!Escalade.”!
!
Before!any!of!us!could!react,!Wink!put!the!SUV!in!motion!
again.! It! wheeled! in! a! wide! circle,! drove! out! of! the! lot! and!
headed!down!the!lane!to!the!main!road.!
!
I!turned!to!Reyna.!The!sight!of!her!face!unharmed,!framed!
in!raven’s!wings!blown!askew!by!the!storm,!turned!my!legs!to!
jelly.!Shaking,!I!gathered!her!into!my!arms!and!held!on!for!dear!
life.!
!
“Are!you!okay?”!I!managed!to!get!the!words!out!before!my!
throat! closed! up! and! my! eyes! filled.! I! blinked! and! swallowed!
hard.!
!
“Just!pissed,”!she!said.!“At!myself,!mostly.!I!let!myself!get!
distracted.!Baines!got!out!the!other!side,!circled!around!behind!
Night&Tide—Sherer&
395&
me!and!had!me!in!a!headlock!before!I!knew!he!was!there.!Took!
me!like!a!damn!plebe.”!
!
“Don’t!ever!scare!me!like!that!again.”!
!
She!wriggled!out!of!my!grasp!and!looked!up!at!me.!Her!lips!
parted,!but!whatever!she!saw!in!my!face!changed!her!mind.!She!
glanced!in!the!direction!of!the!vanished!taillights.!!
!
“What!did!he!mean!about!the!Cadillac?”!She!faced!me.!
!
I! frowned.! “I! don’t! know.! Some! memory! he! wanted! to!
share.”!
!
She!shook!her!head.!“It’s!a!message,!Blake.!Come!
on.! Think. !
What!was!he!talking!about?”!
!
“His!dad!had!a!big!shop.!Worked!on!all!kinds!of!stuff.!A!real!
MacGyver!type.!Wink,!too.!I!guess!that’s!where!he!gets!it.”!
!
She!put!her!hands!on!her!hips.!!
!
“Sorry.!His!dad!had!a!bunch!of!old!cars.!One!of!them!was!a!
’fifty6nine! Coupe! de! Ville! convertible.! He! used! to! take! us! for!
rides!in!the!summer!with!the!top!down.!We’d!sit!on!top!of!the!
back!of!the!rear!seat,!try!not!to!get!bugs!in!our!teeth.”!
!
“It’s!gotta!mean! some thing.”!
!
“‘Caddy.’!Golf!caddy?!Is!there!a!golf!course!around!here?”!
!
“No,!the!message!was!for!you,!Blake.!It!was!meaningless!to!
Baines.”!
!
“Caddy,”!I!muttered.!My!brain!was!fried,!crispy.!“Coupe!de!
Ville.!Escalade.!Ain’t!no…!Ain’t!nobody’s—”!
!
“Coupeville!”!Reyna!whooped.!“That’s!it!”!!
!
She! jumped! on! me,! wrapped! her! arms! around! my! neck,!
and!kissed!me!hard.!
!
“Excuse! me?”! The! wounded! man! sitting! on! the! pavement!
waved!an!arm!anemically.!“A!little!help?”!
!
“What’s!your!name?”!Reyna!said.!
!
“Does! it! matter?”! he! said! wearily.! He! grimaced.! “Johnson,!
okay?!Kurt!Johnson.”!
!
“How!the!hell!did!you!end!up!here,!Johnson?”!
!
Johnson!bit!back!the!pain.!“Fuck!you.”!
Night&Tide—Sherer&
396&
!
Reyna!shrugged.!“Bleed!out!if!you!want.!Your!choice.”!
!
He! grimaced! again,! took! a! deep! breath! and! let! it! out!
slowly.!“Not!a!lot!for!a!soldier!to!do!out!of!the!service.!Baines!
pays! well,! and! the! conditions! are! a! hell! of! a! sight! better! than!
some!mercenary!job!back!in!Baghdad.!Didn’t!think!it’d!come!to!
this.”!
!
Reyna! reached! down! and! pulled! a! combat! knife! from! a!
sheath!strapped!to!her!calf.!Johnson’s!eyes!widened!when!the!
knife! neared! him,! but! Reyna! sliced! open! a! gash! in! his! pants,!
exposing!the!bullet!wound.!!
!
“Who! the! fuck! are! you,! anyway?”! he! said,! watching! her!
work.!
!
“Navy,”!she!said!simply.!“He’s!civilian.”!
!
He!shook!his!head.!“All!this!for!an!ex6con?”!
!
Reyna!didn’t!reply.!With!a!few!more!quick!strokes,!she!cut!
away!the!rest!of!the!pant!leg!and!ripped!it!into!long!strips.!She!
tied!three!of!them!together!and!knotted!the!length!around!his!
leg!tightly.!While!she!broke!a!stick!off!a!dead!branch!that!had!
blown! down! in! the! storm! to! fashion! a! tourniquet,! I! went! and!
collected!guns.!!
!
“Twist! that! tight,”! she! told! Johnson.! “Hang! in! there.! We’ll!
get!help.”!!
!
She! stood! and! did! a! slow! pirouette,! scanning! the!
compound.! Across! the! flat! fields! beyond! the! assembly!
buildings,! the! horizon! had! lightened! to! dull! pewter.! Daylight!
was! approaching,! but! it! would! be! muted! and! dreary.! The! air!
was! calm,! and! the! humidity! after! the! week! of! drier! heat! was!
cloying!and!clammy!on!my!skin.!A!robin’s!song!somewhere!in!
the! dark! broke! the! silence.! Reyna! caught! me! staring! at! what!
were!once!two!living!beings!sprawled!on!the!hard!ground.!
!
“It!helps!sometimes!if!you!don’t!look,”!she!said.!
!
“You!think!they’re!both!dead?”!
Night&Tide—Sherer&
397&
!
Her!forehead!wrinkled.!She!stepped!over!to!Pete,!bent!and!
put! her! fingers! to! his! throat.! Shaking! her! head,! she! moved! a!
few!feet!to!Keely!and!checked!her!for!a!pulse.!!
!
“She’s! still! alive,”! Reyna! said.! She! sounded! surprised.!
“Barely.!Lucky!the!idiot!there!was!using!the!wrong!weapon!in!
close!quarters.”!
!
Same! mistake! they’d! made! when! they’d! shot! Charlie.!
Assault! rifles! are! imposing,! intimidating,! scary! as! all! get6out,!
but! their! small! bullets! launch! at! such! high! velocity! they! can!
pass!right!through!a!body!at!close!range!without!fragmenting.!
Slower,!bigger!handgun!bullets!can!do!a!lot!more!damage!close!
in.!!
!
Typical!of!my!thought!process,!a!question!sailed!in!out!of!
left!field.!!
!
“There!were!three,”!I!said.!“Pete!and!two!others.!Where’s,!
um,!whatshisname,!Rocco?”!
!
Reyna! straightened.! “Out! cold.! Caught! him! coming! out! of!
one!of!the!buildings.!How’d!you!think!I!got!another!gun?”!
!
Without! waiting! for! an! answer,! she! took! out! her! phone!
and!dialed.!!
!
“Deputy!Commander,!please.”!she!said.!There!was!a!pause.!
“I! don’t! care! how! busy! he! is.! Tell! him! it’s! Lieutenant!
Commander!Reyna!Chase.!I’m!in!the!middle!of!a!situation!here!
that! he! needs! to! know! about.! Immediately…! No,! he! needs! to!
hear!it!now.!I’m!two!miles!from!Coupeville!Nolf,!and!all!hell!has!
broken!loose!here…!Ross!Industries…!Yes…”!
!
There!was!a!longer!pause!this!time.!
!
“Sir…!Yes,!sir,!I!know!that…!You!can!arrest!me!later…!Sir…!
Sir! !Shut!up!and!listen!!You!and!the!section!chief!gave!me!a!job,!
and! I’m! doing! it.! I’ve! got! at! least! three! dead! and! multiple!
wounded!here!that!need!medical!attention!now!!…!No,!sir,!just!
listen!! Tucker! Baines! was! responsible! for! the! bombing! at!
Southern!Illinois,!along!with!the!death!of!his!daughter!and!the!
murder!of!Kwan!Ji…!Yes,!I!know!what!I’m!saying.!He!as!much!
Night&Tide—Sherer&
398&
as!admitted!it!in!front!of!witnesses,!sir.!He!just!blew!up!one!of!
his!own!damn!facilities!trying!to!get!rid!of!us!all…!He!left.!Took!
a!hostage…!We!think!we!know!where!he!went…!No,!Sanders…!
And! sir?! The! research! notes! still! exist.! There’s! definitely! a!
connection!to!the!back6chatter…!Yes,!sir…!Thank!you,!sir.”!
!
She!closed!the!phone!and!walked!back!to!face!me.! !
!
“What’s!Coupeville?”!I!said.!!
!
“Coupeville! Nolf—naval! outlying! airfield.! It’s! an! airstrip!
about! a! mile! or! so! east! of! here.! An! auxiliary! field,! part! of!
Whidbey!Naval!Air!Station.”!
!
“You!think!that’s!where!Wink!took!Baines?”!My!brows!knit!
in!concentration,!pain!building!behind!my!eyes.!!
!
“Why! not?! He! was! trying! to! tell! you! something.! It! seems!
logical.”!
!
I!tried!to!make!sense!of!it.!“Maybe.”!
!
“We!need!to!move!or!we’ll!never!catch!him.�
��!
!
“What!about!the!others?”!
!
“The!naval!hospital!up!at!the!air!station!will!send!medics,!
and! some! MAs! to! guard! the! bad! guys.”! She! looked! around!
again.!“We!need!to!get!the!car.”!
!
A! flash! of! light! out! by! the! road! caught! my! attention.! I!
watched!a!pair!of!headlights!arc!toward!us!as!a!vehicle!turned!
off! the! road! and! headed! down! the! long! drive.! I! glanced! at!
Reyna.!She!was!frowning.!
!
“Not!one!of!ours,”!she!said.!“Couldn’t!get!here!that!quickly.”!
!
“Someone!heard!the!shooting!and!called!in!cops?”!
!
“Possibly.”!
!
The! twin! beams! of! light! swung! back! and! forth! on! the!
gently!meandering!drive,!catching!us!twice!in!its!path.!Enough,!
apparently,! to! attract! the! driver’s! attention.! A! small,! black!
coupe!turned!into!the!parking!lot!and!drove!straight!toward!us,!
coming!to!a!stop!at!the!last!minute!with!a!chirp!of!rubber!on!
pavement.! Two! men! got! out! of! the! car! with! weapons! drawn,!
their!faces!hidden!behind!the!glare!of!the!headlights.!
Night&Tide—Sherer&
399&
!
“Hands! on! your! heads!”! one! of! them! called.! “Get! ’em! up!
where!we!can!see!’em.”!
!
Reyna! and! I! both! did! as! he! said.! They! advanced! slowly,!
flanking!us!on!either!side.!!
!
“Where’s!Langford?”!one!of!them!said.!!
!
The!voice!sounded!familiar.!I!cupped!a!hand!over!my!brow!
to! shield! my! eyes.! Light! reflected! off! bright! four6inch! high!
yellow!letters!on!their!dark!jackets—FBI.!White!teeth!stood!out!
against!coffee!skin!hidden!in!shadows.!!
!
“Special!Agent!Drucker?”!I!said.!“Is!that!you?”!
!
“Don’t!fucking!move,!Sanders!!We!asked!you!a!question.”!
!
“Lower!your!damn!guns!”!Reyna!said.!“We’re!on!the!same!
side.”!
!
Drucker!moved!into!the!light!and!sneered!at!her.!“You!sure!
about!that,!sweetheart?!Now!where’s!Langford?”!
!
“Why?”!I!said.!“You!want!him!back!in!jail?”!
!
Taylor!stopped!a!few!feet!in!front!of!me.!“He!called!us.!Told!
us! he! had! a! situation! here.! That! wouldn’t! be! you! two,! would!
it?”!
!
“We’re! wasting! time,”! Reyna! said.! “Baines! is! who! we’re!
after.!Langford’s!his!hostage.”!!
!
“Tucker!Baines?”!Drucker!sounded!skeptical.!
!
Johnson!groaned!softly!behind!us,!bringing!their!heads!up!