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sharply.!They!peered!into!the!gloom.!
!
“You’ve!got!bodies!back!there?”!Drucker!said.!
!
“Brilliant!deduction,!Agent,”!Reyna!said.!“What’d!you!think,!
we’re!having!a!early6morning!picnic!up!here?!We’re!going!after!
Baines.!Medics!will!be!here!soon!to!take!care!of!the!wounded.”!!
!
“I! want! the! Wilsons!”! Drucker! roared.! “Where! are! they?!
I’ve!been!looking!for!them!for!forty!years.”!
!
I!jerked!my!thumb!toward!the!lab.!“Over!there.!They’re!not!
going!anywhere.!They’re!hurt!pretty!bad.”!!
!
“Yeah,! well! I’m! sitting! on! them,”! he! said.! “They’re! not!
getting!away!this!time.”!
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!
“Suit! yourself.! MAs! are! on! their! way! to! take! them! into!
custody.”!Reyna!grabbed!my!sleeve.!“Come!on.”!
!
Giving!the!two!feds!a!last!look,!I!turned!away.!Reyna!bent!
over,! scanning! the! pile! of! guns! I’d! collected,! and! picked! out! a!
semi6automatic!pistol.!
!
“Ah,!here!it!is,”!she!said!holding!it!up.!“That’s!the!last!time!I!
let!someone!take!my!weapon!away!from!me.”!
!
I! pawed! through! the! pile! until! I! found! what! looked! like!
Charlie’s!SIG6Sauer.!!
!
“Where!are!you!going?”!Taylor!said.!!
!
“After!Baines.”!I!motioned!toward!Reyna.!“Like!she!said.”!
!
Drucker! sighed.! “Okay,! okay.! You’re! right.! We’re! on! the!
same!side.!A!little!cooperation!might!be!nice.”!
!
Reyna!cleared!her!pistol,!held!the!magazine!up!to!the!light,!
and! traded! it! for! a! new! one.! She! inserted! it! and! smacked! it!
home! with! the! heel! of! her! hand.! Deftly,! she! racked! the! slide,!
clicked!the!safety!and!holstered!the!pistol.!
!
“You’re! a! little! late! to! the! party.”! She! glared! at! him.! “We!
broke!this!open.!You!wouldn’t!even!be!here!if!Langford!hadn’t!
called!you!in.”!
!
“Fine.!You!run!point.”!
!
Reyna!nodded!and!told!them!about!Wink’s!coded!message!
and!the!nearby!airstrip.!Drucker!grunted!and!waved!us!toward!
the!car.!
!
“Come! on,”! he! said.! “Where’s! your! car?! We’ll! take! you!
there.”!
!
I!wedged!myself!into!the!back!seat,!bending!nearly!double!
to! do! it,! leaving! Reyna! a! little! space! to! squeeze! in! beside! me.!
They!drove!us!out!to!the!road,!and!Reyna!directed!them!to!the!
spot!where!we’d!hidden!the!BMW.!We!got!out!and!I!tossed!the!
keys!to!Reyna.!!
!
“You!drive,”!I!said.!“I!need!to!check!something.”!
!
I!climbed!into!the!passenger!seat!and!pushed!it!all!the!way!
back,!reached!into!the!back!and!retrieved!Reyna’s!laptop.!She!
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started! the! car! and! reached! for! the! shifter.! I! put! my! hand! on!
hers!and!stopped!her.!!
!
“Wait,”!I!said.!
!
“They!won’t!just!sit!there,”!she!said.!The!black!coupe!idled!
behind!us.!“They’ll!take!off!and!assume!point.”!
!
I!shook!my!head.!“Doesn’t!matter.!Listen,!why!would!Wink!
pick!an!airfield?”!
!
“Coupeville!is!hardly!used.!There’s!no!one!there.”!
!
“Okay,!but!still.!Did!he!fly!in?!How’d!he!get!here?!Why!hide!
something!at!a!naval!airfield?!Just!seems!too!risky.”!
!
The! screen! on! the! laptop! glowed! brightly,! lighting! the!
interior!of!the!car.!I!tapped!the!keys!to!pull!up!a!map!and!aerial!
photo!of!Whidbey!Island.!Locating!a!label!for!Coupeville!Nolf,!I!
zoomed! in! a! little! tighter,! and! noticed! a! label! for! the! town! of!
Coupeville!a!few!miles!northwest!of!the!airstrip.!I!zoomed!in!on!
the! town,! each! click! magnifying! the! photo! and! bringing!
features—roads,! trees,! buildings,! cars,! even! tiny! people—into!
sharper!relief.!A!long!wharf!stuck!out!into!the!water!from!the!
center!of!town.!I!stabbed!the!screen!with!a!finger.!
!
“There!!Bet!he’s!got!a!boat!tied!up!at!the!wharf.”!
!
“A!boat?!Come!on,!Blake.!Why!the!hell!didn’t!he!drive?!It’s!
faster.”! Reyna! swung! her! gaze! toward! me! and! froze,! eyes! on!
the!mirror.!“Oh,!shit!”!
!
She!swiveled!her!head!and!looked!out!the!rear!window.!I!
craned!my!neck!and!saw!Drucker!and!Taylor!pull!away.!Again,!
Reyna!reached!for!the!shifter.!I!squeezed!her!hand!over!it!and!
pushed!it!forward!so!she!couldn’t!put!it!in!gear.!
!
“Damn!it,!Blake!!They’re!leaving!”!
!
“Reyna,!listen!!Please.!Remember!at!the!cabin?!Wink!was!
out!back!when!we!got!there.!He!was!leading!Clayt!and!Connie!
away!from!the!cabin.!Toward!the!water.”!
!
She!bit!her!lower!lip,!eyes!searching!the!darkness!outside!
the!windshield!for!the!memory.!
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!
“He!had!a!boat!stashed,”!I!said.!“A!family!boat.!For!cruising!
the!sound,!weekend!trips!up!to!the!San!Juans.!I’m!sure!of!it.”!
!
Instinctively,!I!knew!his!family!must!have!had!a!boat!at!a!
property!like!that.!I!just!felt!it.!
!
Reyna!swallowed!and!nodded!once.!I!took!my!hand!away.!
She!backed!the!car!out!from!under!the!trees,!goosed!it!forward!
to!the!edge!of!the!road!and!turned!toward!town.!!
!
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!
!
Chapter&55&
!
!
Reyna!and!I!spotted!the!black!SUV!at!the!same!time!parked!
on!the!street!two!blocks!from!the!wharf.!
!
“Nice!going,!civvy,”!she!said.!“Smart!guess.”!
!
She! found! an! empty! space! at! the! curb! down! on! the!
waterfront,!jockeyed!the!car!into!it!smoothly!and!shut!off!the!
engine.!We!got!out,!quietly!shut!the!doors,!and!started!walking.!
The!street!topped!a!steep!bluff!about!twenty!feet!high.!Several!
buildings! were! built! into! the! bluff! along! the! waterfront—a!
tavern,!restaurant,!gift!shop,!small!inn!and!the!like,!all!dark!and!
closed!up!tight!for!the!night.!!
!
Between!two!of!the!buildings,!water!the!texture!and!color!
of!slate!stretched!across!a!large!cove!under!a!bleak,!fuliginous!
sky.!The!wharf!waded!more!than!four!hundred!feet!from!shore!
into! deeper! water! on! sturdy! pilings! as! thick! as! my! waist.! A!
large!structure!sat!at!the!end,!the!word!“CAFÉ”!painted!in!white!
letters! on! one! red! wall! illuminated! in! a! circle! of! light! from! a!
spot.! Lampposts! shaped! like! shepherds! crooks! stood! at!
intervals!along!the!right6hand!railing!of!the!pier.!
Old6fashioned!
metal!warehouse!shades!reflected!cones!of!yellow!light!down!
on!the!wooden!planks.!Shadow!hid!the!left!side!of!the!pier.!!
!
To! one! side! of! the! restaurant,! a! ramp! led! down! to! a!
floating!pier!that!paralleled!the!shore.!The!pier!itself!extended!
two!hundred!feet!from!the!wharf.!Tied!to!the!dock,!six!or!seven!
boats!bobbled!in!the!rippling!water.!Two!had!the!tall!masts!and!
rigging! of! sailboats,! looking! like! a! sloop! and! a! ketch! from! a!
distance.! The! others! all! were! powerboats,! three! of! them! too!
small! for! a! cabin! sizable! enough! to! accommodate! overnight!
sleepers.!At!least!two!appeared!likely!candidates.!
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!
“What’s! your! plan?”! I! murmured! as! we! strode! onto! the!
dock.!
!
“Find!the!boat.!Board!it!forward!and!aft,!and!surround!the!
son!of!a!bitch.”!Her!expression!was!grim.!“Be!nice!if!we!could!
get!him!to!surrender,!but!I’ll!shoot!him!if!I!have!to.!You!okay?”!
!
I! simply! nodded,! knowing! she’d! hear! the! lie! in! my! voice.!
We! stayed! in! the! shadows,! treading! lightly,! footsteps! muffled!
by!the!soft!soles!of!our!shoes.!At!the!end!of!the!pier,!we!skirted!
around!the!side!of!the!café!and!cautiously!made!our!way!down!
the! gangplank! to! the! dock.! Rigging! on! the! two! sailboats!
creaked! as! they! yawed! gently! at! their! moorings.! A! shackle!
swaying! on! a! loose! line! softly! tapped! on! an! aluminum! mast,!
sounding!a!hollow!plink.!Pennants!rustled!in!a!listless!breath!of!
air,!and!quieted.!The!sounds!masked!our!approach.!
!
I! stopped! Reyna! halfway! down! and! whispered,! “What! if!
Baines!is!already!gone?”!
!
“He’s!finished.!We’ll!get!him!eventually.”!
!
“Should!we!wait?”!
!
“For!those!two?!They!didn’t!wait!for!us.!Screw!them.”!
!
From! our! vantage! point,! I! scrutinized! the! powerboats!
moored!to!the!dock!more!closely.!Two!felt!far!too!big,!another!
one!too!new,!and!several!too!small!to!fit!the!image!in!my!head.!
An!older!wooden!trawler!a!little!over!forty!feet!suited!better.!
Blackout! shades! covered! the! windshields,! but! side! window!
coverings! in! the! main! saloon! glowed! a! dim! yellow.! Someone!
was! home.! I! pointed! it! out! to! Reyna.! She! nodded,! pulled! her!
weapon! and! crept! toward! it.! I! followed,! looking! for! access!
points!other!than!the!sliding!door!to!the!main!saloon.!
!
Judging! from! the! boat’s! shape,! I! guessed! two! staterooms,!
one!with!a!V6shaped!bunk!in!the!bow!and!probably!the!master!
in!the!stern.!Both!sat!more!than!halfway!below!deck.!There!was!
a! hatch! on! the! foredeck.! Reyna! stopped! by! the! bow! and!
motioned! me! on.! I! crept! alongside! until! I! had! a! good! view! of!
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the!stern.!On!the!back!of!the!rear!cabin!was!a!sliding!hatch!over!
shutter6style!doors!about!three!feet!high.!!
!
I! nodded! to! Reyna.! She! grasped! the! rail,! bent! her! knees!
and! vaulted! up! onto! the! bow,! landing! lightly! as! a! cat.! She!
crouched!in!front!of!the!hatch,!got!her!fingers!under!the!edge!
and! lifted.! It! opened! soundlessly,! and! she! gently! lowered! it!
until!it!rested!on!the!deck.!She!sat!on!the!lip!and!lowered!her!
feet!into!the!cabin!below.!!
!
I!took!that!as!my!cue!and!stepped!over!the!rail!at!the!stern,!
getting! my! foot! as! far! onto! the! boat! as! I! could! before! quickly!
transferring!my!weight!from!dock!to!boat.!It!rocked!gently,!and!
I! froze,! listening! for! a! reaction.! I! heard! the! low! murmur! of! a!
voice,!but!no!one!came!out!on!deck.!I!tiptoed!to!the!rear!hatch!
and!gave!it!a!gentle!shove.!Wink!apparently!trusted!the!boating!
crowd;! it! wasn’t! locked,! and! it! glided! forward! on! well6
lubricated! tracks.! I! reached! inside! and! eased! the! door! bolt!
open! and! swung! the! little! doors! out.! Tension! squeezed! my!
chest.!With!a!hand!on!either!side!of!the!hatch,!I!stepped!onto!
the! ladder! tread! inside! and! slowly! lowered! myself! into! the!
cabin.!
!
Light!spilled!from!the!main!saloon!into!the!dark!stateroom.!
Varnished! teak! everywhere! added! a! sepia! tint! to! the! yellow!
lamplight.! I! ducked! under! the! ceiling’s! low! headroom! and!
started! forward! on! the! carpeted! floor,! making! no! sound.! The!
four6step!gangway!up!to!the!saloon!was!set!slightly!off6center.!I!
leaned! left! and! peered! into! the! saloon.! From! the! tight! angle! I!
saw! Wink! standing! with! his! back! to! the! helm,! hands! behind!
him.! Duct! tape! bound! his! ankles,! and! a! strip! of! it! sealed! his!
mouth! shut.! Baines! wasn’t! in! view,! but! I! suddenly! heard! him!
speak!softly.!I!couldn’t!make!out!the!words,!but!his!voice!gave!
away!his!position.!!
!
Directly! across! the! saloon! another! gangway! led! down! to!
the!stateroom!in!the!bow.!It,!too,!was!dark,!but!dimly!lit!by!the!
lamps! in! the! main! cabin.! Motion! in! the! shadows! drew! my!
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attention.! Reyna! stepped! down! from! the! V6shaped! bunk! onto!
the!floor!and!cautiously!eased!toward!the!gangway.!I!pointed!
to!my!right!to!let!her!know!where!Baines’!voice!had!come!from,!
but! she! didn’t! look! my! direction.! Instead,! she! leaned! to! one!
side!to!get!a!better!view!of!the!cabin,!as!I!had.!Too!short,!she!
stepped!closer!and!started!up!the!gangway.!The!tread!creaked,!
and!she!froze.!I!sucked!in!a!breath.!!
!
Wink’s! eyes! widened! in! surprise! or! fear,! or! both.! He!
pressed!himself!against!the!wheel,!flinching!from!whatever!he!
saw.! I! had! no! time! to! wonder.! A! gun! fired! with! a! bang! that!
nearly! blew! out! my! eardrums! in! the! enclosed! space.! ! Reyna!
tumbled! back! into! the! forward! cabin! and! disappeared! from!
view.! The! suddenness,! the! shock,! numbed! my! brain,! already!
overloaded! with! sensory! stimuli! and! racing! thoughts.! But! the!
sudden!noise!of!the!shot!touched!off!my!temper!like!a!match!on!
gasoline.!Red6hot!anger!flared!and!spread!through!me,!flooding!
muscles! with! fat! and! glucose! and! accelerating! my! breathing!
and!heart!rate!to!NASCAR!speeds.!
!
I! didn’t! think.! I! moved! impulsively,! bounding! up! the!
gangway!in!two!steps!and!throwing!myself!to!the!right,!where!
the! voice! and! the! shot! had! originated.! Baines! perched! on! a!
banquette! behind! a! chart! table,! pistol! in! his! hand.! He! shrank!
into!the!corner!when!he!saw!me!hurl!myself!toward!him!and!
swung!the!gun!in!an!arc.!I!grabbed!his!wrist!as!I!crashed!half!on!
and! half! off! the! table,! practically! ending! up! in! his! lap.! He!
pounded! my! head! with! his! fist,! bouncing! it! off! the! table! and!
> rattling!my!teeth.!
!
His! strength! surprised! me.! He! swung! with! his! free! hand!
again.!I!managed!to!block!it,!but!he!forced!his!gun!hand!at!my!
face.!I!pushed!back!hard,!straining!with!the!effort,!then!yanked!
his!arm!toward!me,!using!his!own!strength!to!pull!him!upright!
so!he!faced!me.!I!butted!him!in!the!nose!like!I!used!to!head!a!
soccer!ball!for!Cole.! Pay*attention! !His!head!snapped!back,!nose!
spewing! blood,! eyes! glazing.! He! recovered! quickly,! and!
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punched!me!in!the!face.!I!turned!at!the!last!second!and!caught!
his! fist! on! my! cheekbone.! Along! with! a! few! stars,! I! saw! more!
red,! fueling! the! flash! flood! of! adrenaline! surging! through! my!
veins.!!
!
I! squeezed! his! wrist! with! a! hand! that! once! had! easily!
palmed! basketballs! and! heard! a! bone! crack,! felt! it! grind.! His!
face! went! white! with! pain,! but! his! fingers! remained! curled!
around! the! butt! of! the! gun! like! talons.! I! pulled! him! close! and!
head6butted! him! again,! mashing! his! broken! nose,! ripping! a!
scream!from!his!throat.!Getting!my!feet!under!me,!I!grabbed!his!
other! wrist! and! stood,! pulling! him! up! with! me.! Tipping! my!
head! under! the! low! ceiling,! I! spread! his! arms! and! pinned! his!
wrists! to! the! ceiling,! hanging! him! on! an! imaginary! cross.! He!
dangled!there!dazed,!and!I!kneed!him!in!the!groin.!
!
Wink! hopped! and! skittered! on! the! floor! in! front! of! the!
helm,! grunting,! woofing! sounds! coming! from! behind! the! duct!
tape.!I!glanced!at!him,!saw!him!roll!his!eyes!from!one!side!of!
the!cabin!to!the!other.!Suddenly,!the!companionway!doors!on!
both!sides!of!the!saloon!slid!open!to!what!was!left!of!the!night.!
Men!with!guns!burst!through!wearing!navy!blue!windbreakers!
imprinted! with! those! big! yellow! letters,! “FBI.”! Taylor! on! one!
side,!Drucker!on!the!other.!The!good!guys.!
!
“Drop! your! weapon!”! Drucker! shouted.! He! aimed! at!
Baines.!
!
Taylor!stood!silently,!his!face!grim.!Something!was!wrong.!
He! brought! up! the! gun! he’d! been! holding! down! by! his! thigh.!
The!barrel!was!too!long.!He!eased!into!firing!stance!and!sighted!
down!the!long!gun,!his! movements!slow!and!deliberate.!With!
muffled! pops,! the! gun! fired! twice.! Baines! went! limp! in! my!
grasp,!two!vinous!flowers!blooming!on!his!jacket.!His!literally!
dead!weight!became!too!much!to!hold,!and!he!slipped!from!my!