Night Tide (3 page)

where! I! lived,! lowered! head! resting! on! knees! hugged! tightly!

together,!face!obscured.!Gravity!pulled!the!straight!short!blond!

hair!down!toward!the!blue6jeaned!thighs!so!it!splayed!out!like!

a!dust!mop.!A!Raggedy!Andy!gargoyle!guarding!the!entrance.!I!

didn’t!believe!in!ghosts.!What!haunted!me!in!the!dead!of!night!

were! memories,! emotions! unexpressed,! thoughts! left! unsaid.!

Those! bitter! siblings,! regret! and! remorse,! whispering! in! my!

ear.!Ice!water!ran!down!my!spine!and!filled!the!hollow!space!in!

my!chest,!making!me!wonder!if!I!should!rethink!my!beliefs.!

!

“Cole?”!I!wasn’t!sure!I!actually!spoke!the!word!aloud.!

!

The! shaggy! head! rose.! A! delicate! hand! brushed! aside! the!

fringe,!revealing!the!face!of!an!attractive!doe6eyed!woman!with!

a! heart6shaped! mouth.! Ann,! not! Andy.! A! pixie! face,! like!

Twiggy’s! or! Hepburn’s—Audrey,! not! Kate—that! didn’t! come!

close! to! resembling! Cole’s.! A! burning! sensation! erupted! from!

the!raw,!red!scar!that!remained!where!he’d!been!ripped!out!of!

my!life.!

!

The! pain! turned! to! sudden! annoyance,! anger! directed! at!

the!elfin!lawn!jockey!perched!on!the!porch.!For!a!brief!moment!

she’d! made! me! think! Cole! had! pulled! off! a! trick! no! one’s!

managed!for!a!couple!thousand!years.!I!rubbed!the!back!of!my!

neck.!The!early!morning!blast!must!have!rattled!a!screw!loose!

to!make!me!see!ghosts!like!that.!The!woman’s!large!blue!eyes!

flitted! over! my! face! impassively,! perhaps! mirroring! the!

exhaustion! that! always! hit! me! around! that! time! of! day! like! a!

leg6whipped! roller! derby! queen.! Life! flickered! in! their!

Caribbean! depths! like! silvery! fish,! and! the! corners! of! her!

mouth!softened.!She!didn’t!smile,!but!she!looked!less!grim.!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

17&

!

“Blake!Sanders?”!Her!voice!didn’t!match!her!appearance.!It!

sounded!deeper!than!I!expected,!carrying!more!timbre.!

!

A!process!server,!maybe.!Who!else!would!camp!out!on!my!

doorstep! at! such! an! early! hour?! Some! customer! intended! to!

sue,! no! doubt,! because! I! hadn’t! placed! his! paper! in! the! right!

spot,! causing! him! emotional! distress.! I! looked! for! signs! of!

paper! near! her! hands.! They! were! empty,! devoid! of! even!

jewelry.! She! pressed! them! on! her! knees! and! rose! to! her! feet.!

Standing!on!the!second!step!gave!her!a!height!advantage!over!

me,!slight!but!reassuring,!her!stance!said.!

!

I!stopped!short.!“And!you!are!…?”!

!

“Keely! Radcliffe.”! She! said! it! with! the! kind! of! off6handed!

ease! of! someone! used! to! getting! what! she! wanted,! someone!

accustomed! to! directing! traffic—household! retainers,! maybe,!

or!office!staff.!!

!

“I’m! sorry.! Who?”! She! repeated! the! name.! It! meant! no!

more!to!me!the!second!time,!but!the!repetition!might!help!me!

remember!it.!“Whatever!you’re!selling,!I'm!not!buying.”!

!

“Please.!I!just!need!a!moment!of!your!time.”!

!

I!waved!her!off!and!cut!across!the!grass!toward!the!walk!

by! the! side! of! the! house.! Technically,! the! doorstep! and! the!

house! that! went! with! it! belonged! to! Peter! Stabler! and! his!

partner! Chance! Reno.! I! rented! the! in6law! apartment! below!

them,!the!entrance!around!the!back.!

!

“I!really!need!to!talk!to!you,”!the!woman!said,!louder!this!

time! and! with! a! hint! of! plaintiveness,! the! pitch! of! her! voice!

rising.!

!

“I! don’t! need! to! talk! to! you,”! I! said! over! my! shoulder.! “I!

need!sleep.”!!

!

The!concept!of!eight!hours!of!uninterrupted!sleep,!a!visit!

from!the!Sandman,!a!mid6winter’s!(or!mid6spring’s)!nap,!some!

shut6eye,!rest!and!repose,!a!little!Rip!Van!Winkle,!presented!a!

paradigm!about!as!real!as!life!in!a!Norman!Rockwell!painting.!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

18&

People! who! work! the! night! shift! would! give! eyeteeth—hell,!

their!first6born!children—for!a!decent!snooze.!!

!

“It’s! important,”! she! called.! She! stood! her! ground,! either!

not!desperate!enough!or!too!proud!to!follow!me.!Or!beg.!

!

“Can’t!be!more!important!than!my!date!with!a!pillow.”!

!

My! headache! threatened! to! morph! into! a! migraine,! and!

stiffness! had! settled! into! various! extremities! from! the! rough!

landing!in!the!bushes!earlier.!Through!the!ringing!in!my!ears!I!

heard!my!bed!calling!my!name.!

!

She! said! two! words! that! changed! everything.! “Perry!

Langford.”!

!

I! stopped! and! faced! her,! wondering! if! she! saw! the! palsy!

shaking!my!knees!as!if!they!were!made!of!Jell6O.!“What!about!

him?”!

!

“He’s!out.”!

!

I!braced!myself!as!the!words!torpedoed!the!concrete!wall!

repressing! all! those! memories,! waited! for! the! flood! I’d! never!

confronted.!Only!a!rivulet!of!muddy!guilt!trickled!through!the!

hole!cratered!by!her!bomb.!Too!much!water!over!that!dam!in!

twenty!years.!There!wasn’t!much!left!except!silty!recollections.!

!

“That’s!nice.”!I!started!to!turn!away.!

!

“I!don’t!think!he!did!it.”!!

!

I! cocked! my! head.! “Twenty6plus! years?! That! probably!

doesn’t!mean!a!whole!lot!to!him!now.”!I!shrugged.!“I’m!happy!

for!him.!I!hope!he!makes!a!life!for!himself.”!

!

She!stepped!off!the!porch!and!pushed!an!unruly!strand!of!

hair!out!of!her!face!with!the!same!gesture!she!used!earlier.!

!

“You’re!not!making!this!any!easier.”!She!tried!a!smile,!but!

the!accusation!was!clear.!!

!

I!frowned.!I!kept!telling!Jeri,!the!leader!of!a!support!group!I!

attended,!that!sleep,!not!anger,!was!really!the!issue!I!needed!to!

work! on.! Keely! Radcliffe! appeared! attractive! enough! that! in!

other! circumstances! the! thought! of! asking! her! out! for! coffee!

may!have!entered!my!stream!of!consciousness.!As!things!stood,!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

19&

neither!her!looks!nor!her!play!to!my!sense!of!guilt!had!worked!

for! her! so! far.! A! more! direct! route! seemed! in! order! so! she!

didn’t!string!this!out!all!morning.!

!

“What!do!you!want?”!!

!

She!recoiled!but!recovered!quickly.!“I’d!like!you!to!help!me!

find!him.”!

!

I! shook! my! pounding! head,! pain,! lack! of! sleep! and! the!

absurdity!of!her!proposal!clouding!my!thoughts.!“I!haven’t!seen!

or! spoken! to! Perry! Langford! since! he! went! to! prison.! I! don’t!

know! where! you! got! my! name,! but! you’re! barking! up! the!

wrong!tree.!I!don’t!have!a!clue!where!he!is,!and!don’t!know!that!

I!care!to.”!

!

“Please.”!She!took!a!faltering!step,!her!eyes!beseeching!me.!

“Hear!me!out.”!

!

“Keely,!was!it?!Where!you!come!from!maybe!it’s!perfectly!

acceptable!to!call!on!people!at!this!hour!of!the!morning.!But!in!

my! world! it’s! bedtime.! I! get! cranky! and! just! a! little! bit! testy!

when! I’m!up!past!my!bedtime.!A!holdover,!I’m!sure,!from!my!

childhood! and! no! doubt! one! of! my! many! failings.! Whatever,!

you’ll! just! have! to! excuse! me.! I! think! you’ve! mistaken! me! for!

someone!who!cares.!Good!luck!to!you,!whoever!you!are.”!

!

I!spun!on!my!heel!and!left!her!standing!there.!On!the!way!

down! to! my! apartment,! I! wondered! when! I’d! skewed! my!

priorities!so!far!off6kilter!that!I!preferred!a!down!pillow!to!the!

company!of!a!pretty!woman.!

!

Not!long!after,!I!dreamed!of!a!skinny!kid!with!dirty!blond!

hair,!a!nose!that!looked!as!if!had!been!flattened!by!the!smack!of!

a!nun’s!ruler!and!eyes!the!color!of!a!hazy!summer!day!in!L.A.!

flecked!with!yellow!smog.!His!wide!mouth!perpetually!turned!

up! at! the! corners! in! a! “He6e6re’s! Johnny”! smile,! the!

accompanying! glint! in! his! eye! either! mischief! or! madness.! I!

could!never!be!sure!which.!!

!

He! picked! up! a! two6foot! cylinder! of! polished! aluminum!

from!a!worktable!in!the!garage.!About!three!inches!in!diameter,!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

20&

it!gleamed!in!the!dim!light,!almost!as!if!lit!from!within.!Half!the!

six6bay!garage—formerly!a!small!barn!on!what!had!once!been!

the!outskirts!of!town—held!a!workshop,!the!other!half!an!odd!

collection!of!antique!cars.!A!treasure!trove!to!young!boys,!filled!

with! tools,! gadgets,! car! parts,! dingbats! and! widgets,! whozits!

and!whatchamacallits,!the!shiny!cylinder!just!one!more!toy!in!a!

fantasy!playground.!!

!

Grease6stained! canvas! tarps! hung! haphazardly! over! a!

Model! T! and! a! horseless! carriage! that! predated! the! Ford! by!

two!decades.!An!old!woody!wagon,!cherry!as!the!day!it!came!

off! the! assembly! line,! sat! in! one! corner,! hood! up.! Wires!

sprouted! out! of! the! engine! compartment,! curling! over! the!

fenders! like! vines.! A! big! lathe! and! drill! press! stood! in! one!

corner.! Wooden! worktables! and! benches! lined! the! walls,!

covered!in!wood!and!metal!shavings,!small!pyramids!of!gunk,!

oil!spots!and!hand!tools.!Dust!motes!floated!in!the!sunlight!that!

angled!inside!an!open!garage!bay!door.!A!puff!of!air!redolent!of!

oil,!solvents!and!newly!cut!grass!stirred!them!lazily.!

!

The! kid! tipped! the! cylinder! on! end,! resting! the! butt! on! a!

bench.! The! cylinder! sported! a! half6inch! hole! on! top,! a! dead6

center! black! bull’s6eye! ringed! with! silver.! He! picked! up! a!

dented!can!containing!black!powder!and!poured!some!into!the!

hole.! Using! a! metal! rod! tipped! with! a! square! of! stained! blue!

cloth,!he!tamped!the!powder!down!into!the!hole.!He!centered!a!

clean!circle!of!white!cotton!over!the!hole!and!shoved!it!inside!

with! the! rod.! From! another! can! on! a! shelf,! he! tipped! a! single!

stainless!steel!ball!into!the!palm!of!his!hand.!The!metal!marble!

gleamed!in!the!light,!heavy!in!his!hand,!but!so!shiny!it!appeared!

clear!and!weightless.!Grinning,!he!held!it!up!between!his!thumb!

and! forefinger! and! dropped! it! down! the! hole.! It! disappeared!

with! a! soft! rasping! sound.! He! tamped! another! cloth! round! in!

after!it.!!

!

He! set! the! cylinder! into! a! vise! bolted! to! one! end! of! a!

wooden!sawhorse,!and!gently!cranked!the!jaws!closed.!With!a!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

21&

wave!he!signaled!me!to!take!the!other!end!of!the!sawhorse,!and!

we!carried!it!outside!and!placed!it!in!the!driveway.!He!inched!

his! end! around! until! satisfied! with! where! it! sat,! and! ducked!

back! into! the! garage.! A! moment! later,! he! lugged! a! bag! of!

cement! back! out! into! the! hot! summer! sun! and! leaned! it! up!

against! a! leg! of! the! sawhorse,! then! went! back! inside! and! got!

another.!!

!

When! he! finished,! he! pulled! what! looked! like! a! piece! of!

string!from!one!pocket,!and!a!wooden!kitchen!match!from!the!

other,!a!gleam!of!triumph!in!his!eyes.!He!poked!the!string!down!

into! a! small! hole! in! the! side! of! the! cylinder! I! hadn’t! noticed!

before.!Slick!as!you!please,!he!bent!down!and!struck!the!match!

against! the! concrete! drive.! He! touched! it,! still! flaring,! to! the!

fuse.!We!watched!it!spark!and!burn!down!into!the!hole.!!

!

A!second!later,!the!cylinder!spat!fire!with!a!resonant!
boom
!

that!rattled!my!teeth!and!made!me!jump.!Fifty!yards!away,!the!

half6inch!steel!ball!ripped!a!chunk!the!size!of!a!melon!from!the!

trunk! of! a! big! oak! tree.! Despite! the! forty6pound! sacks! of!

concrete! mix,! the! sawhorse! flew! ten! feet! behind! us.! Blood!

trickled!down!one!of!my!shins!where!it!had!clipped!me!on!the!

way.!

!

“Per6
ry
!”! A! woman’s! voice! called! from! the! house.! “Perry6

winkle!Langford,!what!on!earth!are!you!up!to?”!

!

With! a! grin,! Wink! grabbed! one! end! of! the! sawhorse! and!

quickly!dragged!it!into!the!garage.!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

22&

!

!

Chapter&5&

!

!

Langford! pushed! himself,! finishing! his! last! taekwondo!

pumsae
! with! as! much! exertion! as! he! could! muster,! his! bare!

torso! glistening! with! sweat.! He! pulled! up! and! walked! around!

the! clearing! with! his! hands! on! his! hips,! breathing! heavily.! He!

took!in!the!woodsy!scents!of!fir,!spruce!and!cedar!and!the!salt!

air!coming!off!the!water!in!front!of!the!cabin.!The!flat!expanse!

of!water!reflected!the!light!blue!sky!of!early!morning.!An!eagle!

chattered! high! in! the! topmost! dead! branches! of! a! nearby!

Douglas!fir.!

!

“Good!morning!to!you,!too,”!he!said!with!a!small!smile.!

!

The! eagle’s! high6pitched! piping! cleared! the! last! of! the!

cobwebs! from! his! brain.! He’d! slept! like! the! dead! for! the! first!