Night Tide (4 page)

time! in! years.! In! prison,! he’d! learned! to! sleep! with! one! eye!

open.!In!prison,!he’d!learned!a!lot!of!things.!His!first!year!inside!

he’d! spent! in! a! SHU—single! housing! unit—in! “D”! unit! in! East!

Corridor.!Not!the!worst,!but!housing!reserved!for!really!violent!

offenders.! The! egregiously! brutal—the! hard6case! murderers!

and!those!with!revolutionary!tendencies—got!locked!down!in!

“H”! unit,! otherwise! known! as! “the! hole.”! The! solitude! had!

nearly! killed! him.! Twenty6two! hours! a! day! in! a! space! only!

twice!the!size!of!a!grave.!But!good!behavior!and!a!sympathetic!

warden! had! earned! him! a! cell! in! “C”! where! he’d! had! more!

freedom—a!communal!mess!hall,!more!recreation!time,!access!

to!the!prison!library!and!the!commissary.!

!

He’d! made! a! point! of! not! risking! a! return! to! the! SHUs,!

keeping!his!nose!clean,!working!hard!at!the!various!prison!jobs!

he’d!held!over!the!years.!He’d!found!ways!to!manage!prison!life!

without!succumbing!to!its!degradations.!But!he!knew!solitary!

confinement!would!have!slowly!driven!him!insane.!And!then!a!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

23&

few! years! earlier,! just! like! that,! the! entire! prison! had! been!

converted!to!a!medium6security!facility.!!

!

He!stretched,!grateful!to!the!old!man!who’d!taught!him!
tai*

chi
! in! the! exercise! yard! every! day.! Distance! learning,! he’d!

called! it,! watching! and! emulating! the! man’s! movement! from!

two!enclosures!away!in!silence,!since!talking!was!a!punishable!

infraction.!Demonstrating!or!practicing!martial!arts!had!been!a!

“high!severity!prohibited!act,”!but!the!old!man!had!convinced!

the!assistant!warden!that!it!was!a!form!of!meditation!integral!

to!his!Buddhist!religion.!Langford!had!recognized!it!for!what!it!

was—slow6motion! self6defense! skills.! Skills! that! had! warded!

off! the! few! attempts! others! had! made! to! turn! him! into! their!

bitch,!teach!him!respect!or!simply!put!him!at!the!bottom!of!the!

prison!pecking!order.!All!he’d!wanted!was!to!be!left!alone,!and!

it!hadn’t!been!long!before!most!of!the!cons!recognized!he!was!

no!threat!and!steered!clear.!Later,!with!the!Internet!privileges!

he’d! earned,! he’d! studied! the!
tae* kwon* do
! forms! he! now!

practiced.!

!

The! lack! of! fences! and! bars,! barbed! wire! and! guards! still!

seemed! otherworldly! to! him.! He! wasn’t! used! to! the! lack! of! a!

schedule,! and! he’d! automatically! been! waking! early,! keeping!

prisoner’s!hours.!He!didn’t!mind.!Mornings!here!on!the!outside!

were! glorious,! quiet! and! peaceful.! Sunrises,! which! happened!

early! this! time! of! year,! were! the! most! gorgeous! things! he’d!

seen!in!twenty!years.!He’d!spent!his!first!few!mornings!at!the!

cabin! sitting! on! the! shore! watching! the! sky! lighten! and! turn!

pink,! orange! and! finally! a! brilliant! turquoise! as! Earth!

inexorably!spun!on!its!axis!toward!the!sun.!!

!

He! put! thoughts! of! prison! out! of! his! mind.! No! sense!

dwelling! on! the! past.! Besides,! he! needed! his! head! clear! to!

accomplish!all!he’d!set!out!to.!There!was!more!work!to!do!on!

the!cabin!and!he!needed!supplies.!All!that!could!wait,!though.!

Breakfast! first.! After! his! workout,! his! stomach! growled!

ravenously.!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

24&

*!*!*!*!*!

!

A! second! boom! echoed! in! my! ears! as! Wink’s! smile! faded!

along!with!the!dream.!I!frowned!in!my!sleep!and!slowly!drifted!

up! to! consciousness,! the! noise! finally! registering! as! someone!

pounded!on!my!door.!

!

“Keep!your!damn!shirt!on,”!I!yelled.!“I’m!coming.”!

!

I!yanked!on!a!pair!of!blue!jeans,!ran!my!fingers!through!my!

hair! and! padded! barefoot! across! the! cold! wood! floor! to! the!

door.! A! man! in! a! suit! appeared! on! the! other! side! of! the!

peephole.! I! didn’t! recognize! him.! Sensing! my! presence,! he!

raised! a! badge! in! front! of! the! peephole.! The! sight! of! it! jump6

started! my! heart,! sending! a! surge! of! adrenaline! coursing!

through!my!veins!like!a!hit!of!cocaine.!

!

“FBI,”!the!badge!said.!“Open!up,!Mr.!Sanders.”!

!

My!palms!grew!damp!and!clammy.!“What!do!you!want?”!

!

“Don’t!make!us!kick!in!the!door,!Mr.!Sanders.”!

!

I!could!have!told!him!to!go!away,!but!he’d!probably!come!

back.!And!if!he!made!good!on!his!threat,!it!would!take!an!extra!

shift!at!the!restaurant!to!pay!for!the!damage!to!the!door.!The!

bright! aqua! numerals! glowing! on! the! microwave! in! the! small!

kitchen! dog6paddled! into! focus—11:22.! At! the! rate! my! pulse!

thrummed! in! my! ears,! going! back! to! sleep! was! out! of! the!

question.!With!a!sigh,!I!swung!the!door!open!and!padded!into!

the!kitchen!to!make!a!pot!of!coffee.!

!

The!first!suit!through!the!door!stood!in!the!middle!of!my!

small! apartment,! alert! but! relaxed,! eyes! following! my!

movements.! A! close6cropped! nap! of! tightly6curled,! steel6gray!

hair!framed!a!face!the!color!of!my!usual!morning!latte.!A!grill!

brush!in!matching!gray!covered!his!upper!lip.!He!wore!the!suit!

with! practiced! authority,! radiating! a! presence! larger! than! his!

slight!stature.!A!collar!pin!in!the!freshly6starched,!snowy!white!

shirt!pushed!the!knot!of!a!regimental!tie!into!the!room!like!a!

signal!flag.!!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

25&

!

“Mr.! Sanders,! I’m! Special! Agent! Drucker,”! he! said.! High!

cheekbones! and! crow’s! feet! around! his! eyes! suggested! he’d!

known!how!to!smile!once.!Maybe!he’d!forgotten.!

!

Drucker,* rhymes* with* “f___er.”
! Too! early! to! think! in! those!

terms,! but! mnemonics! and! forced! concentration! helped! me!

remember!names!a!little!better!at!least!some!of!the!time.!

!

“And! what! makes! you! special,! Agent?”! Chalk! it! up! to!

nerves;!I!heard!the!words!at!the!same!time!he!did.!

!

The! small! sigh! and! curled! lip! said! he’d! heard! it! before.!

“This!is!Special!Agent!Taylor.”!He!waved!a!hand!without!taking!

his!gaze!off!me.!

!

A!second!man!had!followed!the!first!inside,!much!younger!

and!not!as!comfortable!in!a!suit,!though!it!hung!well!on!a!body!

that! looked! chiseled! from! a! slab! of! granite.! His! bullet6shaped!

head! sprouted! without! benefit! of! a! neck! directly! from! broad!

shoulders! that! rippled! under! the! material! as! he! moved.! A!

shadowed! area,! like! the! stubble! against! his! dark! complexion,!

outlined!male!pattern!baldness.!
Mr.*Clean,*in*those*white*pants,*

like* sailors’* pants;* Taylor* rhymes* with* “sailor.”
! He! stepped! to!

one! side,! sizing! up! the! place! as! if! casing! it,! and! examined! the!

books! and! magazines! strewn! on! the! coffee! table.! He! hadn’t!

given!me!more!than!a!glance!since!he’d!entered.!

!

The!coffeemaker!burbled!behind!me.!I!took!a!step!toward!

Drucker,! arms! outstretched,! wrists! pressed! together.! His!

expression!went!from!curious!to!scornful.!

!

“What,! no! warrant?”! I! said.! “Guess! you! wouldn’t! have!

kicked! in! the! door! after! all.”! I! watched! Taylor! riffle! through!

some!papers!on!the!small!dining!table!that!doubled!as!a!desk.!

“Find!anything!interesting?”!!

!

His!attention!didn’t!even!flicker.!!

!

Again!my!mouth!moved!before!my!brain!had!a!chance!to!

edit.!“No!one!likes!The!Donald’s!comb6over,!but!I!don’t!get!how!

shaving!your!head!hides!the!fact!that!you’re!bald.”!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

26&

!

Drucker!tensed,!one!of!his!hands!balling!into!a!fist,!but!the!

corners!of!Taylor’s!mouth!turned!up,!and!he!looked!at!me!for!

the!first!time,!face!spreading!into!a!grin.!

!

“You! must! be! out! of! it,! man.! Shaved! heads! have! been! ‘in’!

ever! since! everybody! wanted! to! ‘be! like! Mike’—even! Bruce!

Willis.! Jordan! made! hairless! as! macho! as! hirsute,! if! not! the!

epitome!of!cool.”!

!

He! came! over! and! stuck! out! his! hand.! “Bob! Taylor.! I! saw!

you!play!once!when!I!was!a!kid.”!

!

Why! people! still! remembered! the! two! seasons! of! ball! I!

played! at! UW! always! managed! to! mystify! me.! I’d! been! good,!

not! great.! I’d! used! the! fact—and! the! few! resultant! sports!

connections—as! leverage,! when! necessary,! for! clients! of! the!

public!affairs!firm!I!once!worked!for.!But!I’d!spent!most!of!the!

intervening!years!trying!to!forget.!!

!

I!met!his!firm!grip,!trying!to!swallow!a!mouthful!of!foot.!

!

“You!got!sick!or!something,!came!down!with!some!weird–”!

!

“Osteomyelitis.”! The! word! sent! a! twinge! through! the!

muscles!around!my!artificial!hip.!I!clamped!my!jaw!shut.!

!

He!nodded.!“Yeah,!that.”!He!raised!an!eyebrow,!but!I!didn’t!

enlighten!him!further.!

!!!

Drucker’s!face!puckered!as!if!he’d!bitten!a!lemon.!“Can!we!

move!on?”! !

!

Taylor! shrugged! and! stepped! back! in! deference! to! his!

partner.!I!got!a!sudden!sense!of!who!was!who!if!they!decided!to!

play!good6cop6bad6cop.!!

!

“Perry!Langford,”!Drucker!said!to!me.!“Name!ring!a!bell?”!

!

They!noted!my!surprise.!A!little!voice!told!me!I’d!probably!

be! smart! not! to! let! them! know! why.! With! the! hundred! other!

thoughts! and! questions! rebounding! off! the! inside! of! my! skull!

like!pinballs!it!wouldn’t!be!tough.!

!

“Sure,”!I!said.!“We!were!friends!when!we!were!kids.”!They!

knew!that!or!they!wouldn’t!be!standing!in!my!apartment.!

!

“Have!you!seen!him?”!

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—Sherer&

27&

!

I!shook!my!head.!“Not!since!he!went!to!prison.”!

!

“Has!he!tried!to!contact!you!at!all?”!

!

“Why!would!he!do!that?”!!

!

“You!just!said!you!were!friends.”!

!

“A! long! time! ago,”! I! said.! “I! haven’t! seen! him! or! been! in!

touch!in!twenty!years.!Why!would!he!try!to!contact!me?”!

!

Drucker! considered! me.! Instead! of! answering! he! asked!

another! question.! “Why!
didn’t
! you! ever! visit,! if! you! were!

friends?”!

!

I!shrugged,!hoping!the!heat!I!felt!creeping!up!from!under!

my!collar!wasn’t!evident.!

!

“I!was!in!school!out!here,!a!couple!of!thousand!miles!away.!

Kind! of! hard! to! visit,! if! you! know! what! I! mean.! I! never! went!

back.!There!didn’t!seem!much!point!in!writing.”!

!

“You! knew! that! Langford! was! released! from! prison.”! It!

wasn’t!a!question.!

!

“No,”! I! said.! Not! really! a! lie.! A! few! hours! earlier! I! hadn’t!

known.!“When?”!

!

“Several!weeks!ago.”!

!

I!looked!from!Drucker!to!Taylor.!“What!does!this!have!to!

do!with!me?”!

!

Drucker!hesitated.!“He’s!disappeared.”!

!

“Free!country,!right?!He!did!his!time.”!

!

Drucker!frowned.!“He!was!released!early,!on!probation.”!

!

“I!still!don’t!see!what!this!has!to!do!with!me.”!

!

“We!have!reason!to!believe!he’s!in!the!area.!We!thought!he!

might!get!in!touch!since!you!two!were!buddies!once.”!

!

I!shrugged!again.!“Sorry!I!can’t!help.”!

!

“But!you’ll!let!us!know!if!he!
does
!contact!you?”!

!

“I!suppose.”!!

!

Drucker!cocked!his!head!half!an!inch.!

!

Taylor!shifted!his!weight!and!looked!at!Drucker!uneasily.!

“We!need!to!tell!him.”!

!

I!glanced!from!one!to!the!other.!“Tell!me!what?”!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

28&

!

Drucker! didn’t! acknowledge! him,! but! something! behind!

his! eyes! clicked! into! place.! He! loosed! a! soft! grunt.! “Langford!

might!make!an!attempt!on!your!life.”!

!

It!wasn’t!just!my!palms!sweating!now.!“Why?”!!

!

“Good! question.! What’s! he! got! against! you! after! all! these!

years?”!

!

I!could!have!sworn!I!saw!a!bright!yellow!feather!sticking!

out! of! the! corner! of! Drucker’s! mouth! before! he! turned! and!

walked!out.!!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

29&

!

!

Chapter&6&

!

!

It! had! started! out! as! a! joke.! A! stupid! college! prank.! But!

pranks!inevitably!lead!to!trouble.!I!just!came!along!for!the!ride,!

a!bad!idea!unless!you’re!willing!to!pay!for!the!gas.!

!

Wink!had!sketched!out!a!simple!plan:!get!in;!take!the!stuff;!

get!out.!!

!

Getting! in! was! easy.! The! building! always! remained! open.!

Before! Columbine,! before! 9/11! and! Virginia! Tech,! classroom!

buildings! had! no! security! cameras,! no! magnetic6stripe! key!