Night Tide (10 page)

chin.!Tiny!pearls!of!dew!seeded!her!lashes.!Turning!her!head,!

she! blinked! them! away.! Looked! at! me! again! with! a! tentative!

smile!and!a!sniffle.!

!

“That!was!just!so!close,!you!know?”!!

!

I! reached! across! the! table! and! gave! her! hand! a! gentle!

squeeze.!“Take!a!lot!to!get!rid!of!Charlie.”!

!

The! corners! of! her! mouth! moved! higher.! “It! would,!

wouldn’t!it?”!She!grew!somber.!“Thank!you.!For!being!there.!I!

mean!being!there!for!Charlie.!Not!for!having!to!go!through!that.!

It!must!have!been!…!you!know!…”!

!

I!nodded.!!

!

“Are!you!really!okay?”!

!

“Hard!to!say.”!I!shrugged.!“I!think!so.!Doesn’t!feel!like!I!had!

much!of!a!choice.”!

!

She!sucked!in!her!lower!lip.!“It’s!all!so!bizarre,!so!unreal.!

What!are!we!going!to!do?”!Baleful!eyes!glinted!with!tears!again.!

!

My! lips! pursed.! “What! do! you! know! about! your! parents,!

Sarah?”!

!

She!straightened,!blinked.!“What!do!you!mean?”!

!

“I! mean! how! well! do! you! know! them?! You! call! them! by!

their!first!names.!What!about!their!friends?!Where’d!they!grow!

up?!What!were!their!parents!like?”!

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!

“What’s!that!got!to!do!with!anything?”!

!

“Those! weren’t! duck! hunters,! damn! it.! If! you! and! Charlie!

don’t! know! what! those! men! were! after,! then! you’re! going! to!

have! to! dig! deeper! to! figure! out! what! your! folks! did! to! piss!

them!off.”!

!

She!worried!the!plastic!straw!some!more.!

!

“Were! your! folks! dopers! in! college?! They! still! smoke! a!

little!weed!every!so!often?”!

!

Her! eyes! flashed.! “They! went! to! school! in! the! ’Sixties.!

Didn’t!everyone!smoke!pot!back!then?!What’s!your!point?”!

!

“They! could! be! running! drugs.! Help! a! little! with! their!

retirement.”!

!

Her! ponytail! whipped! side! to! side,! the! same! expression,!

same!vigorous!denial!her!brother!had!displayed.!

!

“What!makes!you!so!sure?”!

!

She!froze,!listened!to!some!inaudible!voice.!“I’m!not!totally!

naïve.!I!used!to!hear!them!giggling!sometimes!late!at!night.!And!

Connie’s!vanilla!sand!candles!never!quite!masked!the!smell!of!

something!else,!like!incense!at!church.”!

!

“Church?!Your!folks!don’t!strike!me!as!holy!rollers.”!

!

“God! forbid.! Secularists! to! the! bone.! Agnostic,! I! guess!

they’d!say.!No,!church!was!my!idea.!A!phase!I!went!through!in!

middle! school.! Weekly! masses! at! Christ! the! King.! Just! to! see!

why! kids! I! knew! couldn’t! eat! meat! on! Fridays.! I! liked! the!

rituals.!Found!them!comforting!at!the!time.”!

!

The! hair! streaming! down! her! back! switched! again,!

brushing!unseen!flies!away.!She!chewed!on!her!nail,!inspected!

it.!Absently!twirled!the!straw!again.!

!

“What!about!some!developer?”!she!said.!“The!organization!

Mom! works! with! is! always! making! someone! mad.! If! not!

developers,! enviro6friendly! types! who! say! they! aren’t! doing!

enough!to!save!habitat?!Or!politicians!who!don’t!want!to!pay!to!

keep!the!environment!clean?”!

!

“Developers!who!carry!assault!rifles?”!

Night&Tide
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65&

!

She!bent!the!straw!in!half,!fingers!curling!into!a!fist!around!

it.! “I! don’t! know!! I! just! …! It! doesn’t! make! sense.! They’re! not!

violent.!They’re!not!criminals.!They’re!…”!Her!mouth!worked.!

Nothing!came!out.!She!closed!it.!

!

“So,! let’s! try! this,”! I! said! gently.! “Tell! me! everything! you!

can! think! of! about! them.! Maybe! it’ll! shake! something! loose.!

Give!you!an!idea!of!what!sort!of!trouble!they’re!in.!Let’s!start!

with!where!they’re!from.”!

!

“Canada,!some!place.”!

!

“Some!place?”!

!

She! looked! away.! Turned! rosy! under! the! light! coating! of!

make6up.!“They!didn’t!talk!about!it!much.”!

!

“Grandparents?”!

!

“Never!met!them.!Clayt’s!are!deceased.!Died!when!he!was!

younger.! His! mom,! a! cancer! victim! when! he! was! in! his! teens.!

His!dad!a!few!years!later!from!a!heart!attack.!Broken!heart,!he!

says.! Connie! says! she! didn’t! get! along! with! her! parents.! Left!

home!as!soon!as!she!was!old!enough!and!never!spoke!to!them!

again.!Doesn’t!know!if!they’re!alive!or!dead.”!

!

“Sad.!Normal!childhood?”!

!

She! rolled! her! eyes! and! made! a! show! of! looking! around!

her!chair.!“Where’s!the!couch?”!

!

I!smiled.!“Joke!all!you!want.!Doesn’t!sound!too!normal!so!

far.”!

!

“There’s! no! ‘dis’! in! your! functional! family?! Give! me! a!

break.”!

!

“I!didn’t!mean!anything!by!it.!Come!on,!Sarah.!Help!me!out!

here.! You! want! to! find! your! parents,! you! gotta! give! me!

something!to!work!with.”!

!

“You!knew!them.”!Her!stare!was!churlish.!

!

“A!few!holiday!dinners.!Get6togethers!when!everyone!tries!

to!put!a!good!face!forward.!I!didn’t!live!with!them.”!

!

She! sighed.! “Great! childhood.! Fun.! Crazy.! Spontaneous.!

Informative.! Clayt! and! Connie—well,! you! know! them—they!

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were! probably! pretty! lousy! parents.! We! didn’t! have! a! lot! of!

rules! growing! up.! But! they! were! incredible! teachers,! good!

mentors,!the!best!friends!you!could!hope!to!have.!I!just!wish!…”!

!

“What?”!

!

“Nothing.”!

!

She! stared! into! her! cup! for! a! moment.! Chuckled! at! some!

recollection.!

!

I! interrupted! her! reverie.! “I! still! can’t! believe! you! don’t!

know!where!they’re!from.!When!did!they!move!here?”!

!

“Right!before!I!was!born.”!

!

“Charlie!would!have!been!about!three?”!!

!

A!nod!and!a!smile.!

!

“So! Charlie! was! Canadian?! When! did! he! become! a! U.S.!

citizen?!Eighteen?”!

!

The!smile!turned!upside!down.!“As!far!as!I!know!Charlie’s!

always!been!a!U.S.!citizen.”!

!

“Then!he!was!born!here,!too.”!

!

“I! think! so.! Clayt! and! Connie! fell! in! love! when! they! were!

students.! The! story! I! remember! is! that! Mom! was! here! in! the!

States!on!a!student!visa!when!she!had!Charlie.”!

!

“That!must!have!been!a!relief.!Can!you!imagine!him!having!

to!take!a!citizenship!test!before!joining!the!service?”!

!

“He!wouldn’t!have!taken!it!well.”!The!smile!reappeared.!

!

“You!think!this!might!have!something!to!do!with!Connie’s!

job?!Has!she!ever!been!threatened!before?”!

!

“No,!not!that!I!remember.”!

!

“And!she’s!been!there!how!long?”!

!

“A!long!time.!Twelve,!fifteen!years.”!

!

“Never!had!a!problem?!Any!trouble!like!this?”!

!

Slow!headshake.!

!

“And!before!that?”!

!

“A!bunch!of!different!jobs.”!

!

I!waited!her!out.!

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!

She! laced! her! fingers! around! her! cup,! studied! it! for! a!

moment.!“When!I!was!little!she!went!back!to!school.!Dropped!

me!off!at!daycare—pre6school!later—and!took!classes!half!the!

day.!Worked!part!time!as!a!waitress.!Clayt!was!a!teacher,!so!he!

was!home!early!enough!to!keep!an!eye!on!Charlie!and!me!while!

he! graded! papers,! worked! on! lesson! plans.! As! soon! as! she!

could,! Mom! got! a! job! as! a! paralegal.! Worked! for! several!

lawyers!who!shared!space.!Earned!enough!money!to!take!night!

classes!and!get!her!law!degree.”!

!

“Then!what?”!

!

“Same!thing.!Worked!for!more!small!firms.”!

!

“Nothing!that!stands!out?!No!cases!that!might!have!made!

her!an!enemy!or!two?”!

!

Her! head! wagged.! “I! don’t! remember! her! being! all! that!

enthusiastic! about! legal! work! until! she! took! the! job! with! the!

environmental! group.! Her! dream! job.! It’s! what! she! always!

talked!about,!what!she!always!wanted.!She!never!talked!about!

the!cases!she!worked!on!before!that.!It!was!just!about!a!decent!

paycheck.”!She!raised!her!eyes.!“She!and!Clayt!worked!hard!to!

provide!for!us.!Made!sacrifices.!They’re!good!people.”!

!

I!weighed!that.!“Has!she!said!anything!recently!that!makes!

you! think! someone’s! got! a! grudge?! Against! her! or! the!

organization?”!

!

She! shifted! in! her! chair.! “Well,! no.! But! I’m! not! around!

anymore,!Blake.!We!don’t!talk!all!that!much.!I’m!busy!with!the!

kids,! and! she! and! Clayt! have! their! life.! You! know,! retirement!

and!all.!Well,!Clayt!anyway.!I!don’t!know!when!Mom’s!going!to!

retire.”!

!

“And!Clayt?”!

!

“Enemies?! I! doubt! it.! He’s! opinionated;! you! know! that.!

Probably! rubs! some! people! the! wrong! way.! A! lot! of! people,!

maybe.!But!he’s!a!teddy!bear.”!

!

“No! causes! that! went! sour?! I! thought! I! remembered! him!

being!as!vocal!about!environmental!causes!as!your!mom.”!

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!

“Well,! yeah.! But! not! like! he! forced! his! viewpoint! on!

anyone.! He’s! passionate! about! things! he! believes! in.! Enough!

that! he! volunteers! for! stuff.! Writes! letters! to! legislators! in!

Olympia!and!the!other!Washington.!Joins!a!protest!or!walks!a!

picket!line!now!and!then,!and!marches!around!carrying!a!sign.”!

!

“Charlie! told! me! he! came! close! to! arresting! Clayt! at! the!

‘Battle!of!Seattle.’”!

!

“The!WTO!protests?!Sure,!he!was!there.!In!the!wrong!place!

at! the! wrong! time,! that’s! all.! He! didn’t! break! the! law! or! get!

violent.!He!just!got!caught!up!in!the!crowd.”!

!

“Anything! else! he! got! caught! up! in! that! might’ve! put!

someone’s! nose! out! of! joint?! Teachers! union?! One! of! the!

environmental!groups!Connie’s!organization!worked!with?”!

!

She! pressed! her! lips! together! tightly! and! swung! the!

ponytail!again.!!

!

“Nothing?! You’ve! got! to! admit,! Sarah,! your! parents! are! a!

little! out! there! compared! to! most! of! middle! America.! Maybe!

not!radicals,!but!pretty!left6wing.”!

!

She! leaned! forward.! “But! they! didn’t! push! it! on! anyone.!

Not!even!Charlie!and!me.!Sure,!they!believe!in!environmental!

causes.! They! recycled! long! before! Seattle! put! a! program! in!

place.!And!they!wrote!a!lot!of!letters!to!encourage!city!council!

to!start!one.!But!they!didn’t!wag!their!fingers!in!your!face!and!

make! you! feel! guilty! if! you! threw! out! a! soup! can! by! mistake.!

They! both! became! vegetarians! to! show! solidarity! with! the!

animal! rights! folks.! But! also! because! their! cholesterol! was! so!

high!their!doctors!told!them!to!give!up!red!meat.!And!they’re!

not!strict!about!it.!They!let!us!eat!whatever!we!felt!like!growing!

up—burgers! and! fries! if! we! wanted—and! they! both! still! eat!

seafood,! cheese,! even! eggs! now! and! then.! They! aren’t! tree6

huggers.”!

!

“Not!militants,!you!mean.”!

!

“Well,!yeah.!No,!I!mean.”!She!heaved!a!sigh.!“I!don’t!know!

what! I! mean.! I! just! can’t! imagine! them! mixed! up! in! anything!

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69&

like!this.!Bad!enough!Charlie!got!shot.!You!get!kind!of!resigned!

to!the!possibility!with!a!cop!in!the!family.!But!people!with!guns!

coming!after!Clayt!and!Connie?!I!just!don’t!get!it.”!

!

“Then!we’re!right!back!where!we!started.”!

!

Worry!creased!her!forehead.!“Drugs?”!!

!

“It’s!the!only!explanation!that!makes!sense.”!

!

She! looked! for! another! one! at! the! bottom! of! her! empty!

cup.!

!

“What! if! those! men! had! the! wrong! place?! What! if! they!

were!looking!for!someone!else?”!Her!brown!eyes!pleaded.!

!

“Then! why! did! your! parents! run?! I’m! sorry,! Sarah,! the!

shooters! came! for! them.! They! pulled! back! as! soon! as! they!

realized! your! folks! had! bolted.! I! heard! them.! They! said,!

‘They’re!not!here.’”!!

!

Her! shoulders! sagged.! She! slumped! in! her! seat.! “Now!

what?”!

!

I! leaned! back! and! crossed! my! ankles,! stroked! my! chin.! “I!

can!ask!questions,!look!around!some,!but!the!cops!are!all!over!

this,! Sarah.! This! is! one! of! their! own! we’re! talking! about.! SPD!

will! ride! herd! on! the! sheriff’s! office! over! on! the! peninsula.!

They’ll!turn!over!every!rock!they!can!find.!See!what!crawls!out.!

Not!much!else!we!can!do!except!wait.!Be!patient.”!

!

“They’re! not! your! parents.”! She! pushed! away! from! the!

table!and!stood,!hands!pressed!so!hard!on!the!laminate!top!her!