Night Tide (15 page)

what!happened!at!SIU?!Twenty!years!later,!I!might!add.”!

!

His!head!bobbed!on!his!shoulders,!and!his!face!tightened!

as! he! held! himself! together.! “I’m! just! saying,! leopards! don’t!

change! their! spots,! you! know?! People! complain! about! the!

weather!when!they!don’t!have!anything!else!to!complain!about.!

Some!activists!just!gotta!have!a!cause.”!

!

I!absorbed!what!he!was!telling!me.!“You!think!if!I!find!the!

people! this! guy! Fitch! ran! with! back! in! the! ’Sixties,! I’ll! find!

whoever’s!responsible!for!the!Southern!Illinois!bombing.”!

!

He! nodded! and! took! a! long! draft! from! his! glass,! Adam’s!

apple!bobbing!rhythmically.!He!motioned!to!the!bartender!for!

another.!!

!

“It’s!a!possibility,”!he!said.!!

!

He!was!probably!over!the!legal!limit,!and!Frank!had!never!

known! a! conspiracy! theory! he! hadn’t! liked.! But! he’d! always!

been! a! good! journalist,! digging! up! the! facts! before! writing! a!

story.!

!

“Are!you!still!plugged!in,!Frank?!Got!some!names!for!me?”!

!

“I’ve! been! thinking! about! that.! Some! are! dead.! A! few! got!

religion.! Most! got! respectable.”! He! paused.! “A! lot! of! kids! got!

mixed! up! in! the! protests.! Like! sheep.! First! time! away! from!

home!for!most!of!them.!First!taste!of!freedom.!First!chance!to!

‘express’! themselves.! The! real! activists! came! from! outside.!

Teachers,! grad! students,! transfers.! Even! guys! like! Fitch! who!

just! liked! the! action.! Lot! of! people! at! the! time! who’d! tell! you!

they! were! members! of! SDS! that! never! went! to! a! meeting! or!

demonstration.! A! few! hardcore! activists! who’d! never! let! on!

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now! that! they! were! with! Weathermen! or! some! other! group!

back!then.”!

!

“Names,!Frank.”!

!

He!shrugged.!“Too!many!possibilities,!and!too!much!water!

under!the!bridge.”!

!

I! gritted! my! teeth! and! sighed.! “Thanks! for! nothing.”! I!

stood.!“See!you!around.”!

!

He!put!a!bony!hand!on!my!arm.!“Lot!of!memories!better!off!

staying!buried.”!

!

“I! don’t! like! surprises.! I’d! rather! know! what’s! coming! at!

me.”!

!

“Cop! who! investigated! the! accident! that! killed! Fitch! is! a!

guy! named! Ned! Collins.! Retired! now.! Lives! up! in! Shoreline,! I!

think.”!He!took!his!hand!away.!!

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—Sherer&

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!

!
Chapter(17(

!! The!idling!engine!of!the!black!coupe!rumbled!softly!as!the!

car!rolled!slowly!down!an!incline!toward!the!water.!The!driver!

stopped!at!the!edge!of!the!pavement,!shut!it!off!and!stared!into!

the! inky! darkness.! His! eyes! slowly! adjusted,! allowing! him! to!

see!the!end!of!the!breakwater!against!the!water!of!the!sound.!

Beyond,!the!lights!of!a!freighter!danced!their!way!north!across!

the!water!out!to!sea.!In!the!distance,!lights!twinkled!in!houses!

on!the!far!shore,!the!dark!outline!of!the!Olympics!looming!on!

the!horizon!above!them.!

!

The! ghostly! outline! of! a! small! sport! cruiser! materialized!

off!the!end!of!the!breakwater,!running!lights!appearing!to!float!

in!mid6air.!The!driver!flashed!his!headlights!once!and!waited.!

Less!than!five!seconds!later,!the!boat’s!lights!blinked!off!and!on!

and! turned! toward! a! dock! that! jutted! out! from! the! headland!

twenty! yards! away.! The! driver! climbed! out! of! the! coupe! and!

made!a!slow!turn,!taking!in!his!surroundings.!The!park!to!the!

north! was! quiet! and! deserted,! even! the! late6night! revelers!

gone,!beach!bonfires!long!since!burned!out,!their!embers!now!

cold.!Music!that!earlier!had!drifted!over!from!the!marina!had!

gone! silent,! the! last! of! the! party6goers! having! gone! home.! An!

occasional!car!drifted!past!on!the!road!behind!him,!but!the!only!

people!out!at!this!time!of!night!would!be!locals!getting!home!or!

early!risers!going!to!work.!Confident!he!wasn’t!being!watched,!

he!strode!down!the!embankment!to!the!dock.!

!

The! cruiser! had! silently! drifted! alongside! the! end! of! the!

dock,! and! while! one! man! snugged! a! line! over! a! cleat! on! the!

dock,!mooring!the!boat,!another!black6clad!figure!lithely!leaped!

onto!the!dock!and!walked!toward!the!approaching!driver.!His!

jet6black! hair! shone! in! the! starlight,! pale! face! beneath! it!

wraithlike!in!the!night.!The!two!men!met!in!the!middle!of!the!

Night&Tide
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dock! and! turned! to! face! north.! They! stood! shoulder6to6

shoulder!looking!out!over!the!water!as!if!admiring!the!view!on!

a!late!evening!stroll.!!

!

“You’re!late,”!the!driver!said.!!

!

He!glanced!at!his!companion,!saw!the!flat!planes!of!his!face!

in! profile,! a! hardness! in! his! expression! that! suggested!

authority.!Up!close,!he!realized!the!man!was!much!older!than!

he’d!thought!from!the!way!he!moved.!

!

“You! know! the! risk! I’m! taking.”! The! man! from! the! boat!

spoke! impeccable! English,! but! couldn’t! completely! hide! an!

accent!that!placed!him!from!somewhere!in!Asia.!

!

“You!think!I’m!not?”!the!driver!said,!amused!and!annoyed!

at!the!same!time.!He!knew!exactly!where!the!Asian!was!from—

Beijing—and! how! much! trouble! he’d! be! in! if! caught! for!

entering! the! country! illegally.! But! he! had! his! own! problems.!

Lately,! he’d! begun! to! think! his! partner! suspected! him! of!

something.!He!was!sure!he’d!been!circumspect!enough!not!to!

let!on!what!he’d!been!up!to,!but!his!partner!had!seemed!more!

curious! recently! about! the! few! times! he’d! been! late! to! work!

and! the! time! he’d! been! spending! on6line! researching! this!

project! instead! of! the! cases! the! two! were! working.! They!

weren’t!that!dissimilar,!actually.!He!smiled!to!himself.!

!

The!Asian!interrupted!his!thoughts.!“So,!do!you!have!what!

we!want?”!!

!

The!driver!shook!his!head.!“Not!yet.”!

!

“Have!you!made!
any
!progress?”!

!

He! felt! anger! flare! up! inside! at! the! imperious! tone! in! the!

man’s!voice,!but!he!remained!motionless,!stonily!looking!out!at!

the!sound.!!

!

“Yes,! we’ve! made! progress.! We! located! the! people! we!

think! may! have! the! information.! Unfortunately,! they! gave! us!

the!slip.”!!

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!

“Then! what! am! I! doing! here?! We! could! have! covered! all!

this! safely! at! a! distance! using! the! usual! communication!

channels.”!

!

“You’re!here,”!the!driver!said!coldly,!“because!I!wanted!to!

see!how!serious!you!are.!I’m!not!about!to!betray!my!country!on!

a!whim.!If!you!want!the!technology!badly!enough,!you’ll!meet!

my!price,!on!my!terms.”!

!

“
If
!it!actually!exists,”!the!Asian!said.!“And!
if
!it!works.!The!

information!you!seek!to!sell!us!is!more!than!twenty!years!old.!

What! makes! you! think! someone! else! hasn’t! already! come! up!

with!it,!whatever!this!breakthrough!was!supposed!to!be?”!

!

“Trust! me.! Someone! else! wants! it,! too,! and! judging! from!

the!interest!they’ve!shown,!this!is!the!real!deal!all!right.”!!

!

“Then!next!time!we!meet,!have!it!with!you.”!

!

“Or!what?”!

!

The! Asian! shrugged! and! walked! away! before! he! had! a!

chance!to!react.!!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

102&

!

!
Chapter(18(

!! Collins!lived!in!a!bungalow!just!east!of!the!freeway.!Gray!

concrete!rose!into!an!uncertain!sky!at!the!end!of!the!block!like!

the!Berlin!Wall,!shutting!off!the!cul6de6sac!from!the!rest!of!the!

world.!Traffic!droned,!too!loud!to!be!confused!with!the!sound!

of!the!ocean!despite!the!sound!barrier.!The!incessant!roar!of!a!

two6stroke! engine! nearby! almost! drowned! it! out.! A! cinder!

block!on!legs!pushed!a!lawnmower!across!the!grass!in!front!of!

the! house! at! the! address! written! on! the! piece! of! paper! in! my!

hand.!The!only!curve!on!his!body!was!a!tonsured!scalp!fringed!

with!white!hair,!the!rest!all!flat!planes!and!chiseled!angles.!!

!

I!contorted!my!long!limbs!out!of!the!car,!stepped!onto!the!

walk!and!waved!to!get!his!attention.!He!pulled!up!short!and!cut!

the!engine,!curious.!!

!

“Mr.!Collins?”!

!

A! pleasant! smile! crossed! his! face,! but! it! didn’t! reach! his!

eyes.!“Depends!on!who’s!asking.”!

!

“Blake!Sanders.!Frank!Shriver!suggested!I!look!you!up.”!

!

“The!man’s!not!dead!yet?!What!can!I!do!for!you?”!

!

“Wondered! if! you! might! be! willing! to! talk! about! an! old!

case.!Sebastian!Fitch.”!

!

He! maintained! a! poker! face,! but! something! other! than!

surprise!flickered!in!his!eyes.!Wariness,!maybe,!like!a!lounging!

cat!that’s!gone!on!alert.!He!shifted!his!weight.!

!

“There’s!a!name!I!haven’t!heard!in!a!while.!Tell!you!what.!

I’ve!got!a!couple!more!passes!here.!Let!me!finish!up!and!I’ll!get!

us!some!iced!tea.!We’ll!take!it!out!back.”!

!

I!nodded.!He!bent!and!pulled!the!starter!cord!with!a!clean!

jerk.!The!mower!roared!to!life.!I!stifled!a!yawn!and!rubbed!the!

corner!of!an!eye!with!my!finger.!The!day!was!as!bright!as!it!had!

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promised! when! I’d! gone! to! bed! that! morning,! the! sky! a!

patchwork!quilt!of!blue!and!white.!

!

Five! minutes! later,! he! walked! me! through! the! house! into!

the! kitchen,! fetched! two! tall! glasses! from! a! cupboard! and! a!

pitcher! from! the! refrigerator,! and! led! me! out! the! back! onto! a!

deck! overlooking! a! small! yard.! A! hemlock! towered! over! one!

corner,! branches! shading! the! grass! beneath.! A! cloud! passed!

overhead,!sprinkling!us!with!a!few!drops!even!though!the!sun!

shone!brightly.!Collins!tipped!his!face!up.!

!

“Not!quite!the!weather!for!iced!tea!yet,”!he!said,!“but!I!keep!

thinking!summer!will!get!here!faster!if!I!drink!it.”!

!

I!took!a!sip.!It!had!a!hint!of!lemon!and!was!sweetened!with!

just!enough!sugar!to!take!the!bitter!edge!off!the!tea.!“It’s!good.!

Thanks.”!

!

“How! do! you! know! Frank?”! he! said! as! we! got! settled!

around!a!patio!table.!

!

“I!met!him!when!I!worked!at!UW.!Later,!I!tried!to!get!him!

to!write!stories!about!my!clients.”!

!

“Past!tense?”!

!

“I! don’t! work! in! that! business! anymore.”! I! waved.! “Old!

news.”!

!

He! emitted! something! close! to! a! grunt! and! waggled! a!

finger,! fat! as! a! sausage.! “I’ve! got! it! now.! I! couldn’t! place! it! at!

first,!but!I!recognized!your!name.!You’re!the!guy—”!

!

“Yeah,!I’m!the!guy.”!I!sighed,!hoping!he!wouldn’t!make!me!

relive! the! events! that! had! made! me! infamous! six! months!

earlier.!“Is!that!good!or!bad?”!

!

He!shrugged,!and!didn’t!bother!to!pursue!it.!“Too!bad!what!

happened!to!the!paper.”!

!

“The!newspaper?!At!least!they!kept!Frank!on!staff.”!

!

He!cocked!his!head.!“Sort!of!like!me!working!security.!It’s!

not!the!same!as!being!a!cop.”!

!

“Is!that!what!you!do!now?”!

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!

He!laughed.!“No,!I’m!retired.!Every!once!in!a!while!I’ll!work!

a!private!party!or!a!fundraiser!as!a!favor!if!people!ask!real!nice.!

Otherwise,!I’ve!got!plenty!to!do!around!the!house.!When!I!get!

caught! up,! I! go! fishing.! Read.! Talk! to! strangers! about! old!

cases…”!His!smile!faded.!“What’s!your!interest!in!Fitch?”!

!

I!launched!into!the!story.!Without!too!many!details,!I!gave!

him! reason! to! think! I! might! be! in! danger,! hoping! he’d! be!

sympathetic! enough! to! help.! When! I! finished,! he! looked!

skeptical.!

!

“So,!you’re!trying!to!find!this!guy?”!he!said.!“Your!friend?”!!

!

I!shook!my!head.!“I’m!just!trying!to!avoid!trouble!if!I!can.!If!

Langford!does!come!looking!for!me,!it’d!be!nice!to!know!what!

or!who!he’s!after.!Ditto!the!feds.!I!don’t!like!being!the!center!of!

attention,! not! when! people! are! carrying! guns.”! An! image! of!

black6clad!commandos!flashed!through!my!head.!

!

He!wrapped!his!fingers!around!his!glass!and!leaned!back!

in! his! chair,! his! gaze! settled! on! a! squirrel! foraging! for! food!

under!the!hemlock.!

!

“Couldn’t!hurt,!I!guess.”!He!took!a!sip!of!tea!and!wiped!the!

corners! of! his! mouth! with! his! thumb! and! forefinger.! “Seattle!

was! a! backwater! in! the! ’Sixties.! Still! is! in! a! lot! of! ways,! but!

Boeing! put! us! on! the! map! back! then.! Microsoft,! too,! later! on.!

The!point!is,!nothing!happens!here.!We!had!that!little!world’s!