Night Tide (7 page)

head!and!pulled!my!torso!out!of!the!truck!as!a!short!staccato!

bratHatHat
!from!the!rifle!spit!lead!into!the!passenger!door!panel!

with! metallic!
thunks
.! The! sharp,! deep! boom! of! Charlie’s!

handgun!answered!the!burst!from!the!man’s!AR615.!The!man!

returned!fire,!and!now!the!sound!of!another!assault!rifle!joined!

in!from!a!different!direction.!I!raised!my!head!just!far!enough!

to! peek! through! the! rear! window! of! the! cab.! A! second! black6

clad! figure! advanced! slowly! from! around! the! other! corner! of!

the!house,!hugging!the!wall.!

!

For!an!instant,!a!memory!of!other!figures!in!black!froze!me!

with! indecision.!
This* is* different.
! The! crystalline! bubble! of!

memory! burst! and! disappeared,! replaced! by! something! else.!

The! suicide! survivors! support! group! therapist,! Jeri,! had!

warned! me:! the! rage! could! swell! like! magma! under! a! lava!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

43&

dome,! the! pressure! increasing! until! it! broke! through! and!

spewed,! hot! and! destructive.! It! churned! in! my! gut,! harsh! and!

acidic.!!

!

These!two!didn’t!belong!here.!!

!

“Under! the! seat!”! Charlie! said! over! the! din,! a! note! of!

desperation!in!his!voice.!“A!little!help!here,!Blake!”!

!

I!ducked!down!and!groped!under!the!seat,!fingers!closing!

around!the!cold,!hard!butt!of!one!of!Charlie’s!back6up!pistols.!I!

freed!it!from!its!hiding!place,!slid!it!out!of!its!holster,!and!took!

slow,!deep!breaths,!willing!my!heart!to!stop!trying!to!jump!out!

of!my!chest.!Poking!my!head!up!for!another!look,!I!racked!the!

slide! to! chamber! a! round,! mentally! ran! through! the! checklist!

Charlie! had! taught! me.! The! second! man! hesitated,! head!

swiveling.! He! hadn’t! seen! me,! didn’t! realize! who! Charlie! was!

yelling!at.!!

!

Hit*ratio.
!My!mind!paused!for!a!millisecond!to!consider!the!

notion.!I!was!spending!too!much!time!with!Charlie!at!the!range.!

Miami* cops,* 15.4%;* Baltimore,* 49%.
! My! heart! beat! faster,! and!

my!peripheral!vision!turned!dark!as!if!a!tunnel!closed!around!

me.!
Take* your* time.* Don’t* rush* it;* you* might* miss.* Teach* that*

bastard
!
some* manners
.! Muffled! shouts! came! from! inside! the!

house.! The! popping! sound! of! gunfire! outside! receded! as! my!

focus! retreated! inward.! Time! and! motion! slowed.!
Breathe.
!

Dirgha*pranayama
.!

!

Guns! belonged! in! children’s! games! of! cowboys! and!

Indians,!where!no!one!died!and! the!only!blood!spilled!welled!

from!skinned!knees.!
Camp*Menominee.*The*shooting*range.
!My!

mind! flashed! on! the! pleasure! of! hunkering! into! a! prone!

position,! butt! of! a! .22! rifle! snugged! up! tight! against! my!

shoulder,!blocking!everything!out!of!my!head!except!the!black!

concentric! rings! painting! a! sheet! of! paper! twenty6five! yards!

away,! focusing! on! slow,! even! breathing,! then! holding! it! and!

squeezing! the! trigger.!
Focus.* See* the* target* on* his* chest.
! More!

memory!clips!whipped!by—the!weight!of!a!target!pistol!in!my!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

44&

hand,! the! solid! pressure! of! recoil! traveling! up! my! arm! each!

time!it!fired;!the!glow!of!satisfaction!in!peppering!the!rings!of!

those!targets!in!ever!tighter!clusters;!and!pride!in!taking!home!

high! marksman! ribbons! at! the! end! of! the! summer.! The!

grudging! admiration! I’d! seen! on! Charlie’s! face! occasionally! at!

the!range.!

!

Don’t*think,*move!
!

!

I!stood!and!extended!the!semi6automatic!over!the!roof!of!

the!truck!cab!in!a!two6handed!grip,!the!hot!sheet!metal!searing!

the! tender! flesh! on! the! underside! of! my! forearms.! Sounds!

faded! until! the! only! thing! I! heard! was! my! own!
ujjayi
! breath.!

Cowboys*and*Indians.
!Shifting!slightly,!I!put!the!added!metal!of!

the! roof! pillar! between! me! and! the! gunmen.! Sensing! the!

motion,! the! second! man! turned,! eyes! widening! above! the!

neckerchief!that!covered!his!features.!
Now!
!I!sighted!down!the!

barrel! and! steadily! squeezed! off! one! shot,! then! another.!

Breathe.* In* and* out.
! I! squeezed! in! rapid! succession,! quickly!

losing!count,!watching!each!shot!slam!into!the!target,!its!energy!

rippling! outward,! twitching! the! man’s! torso! until! he! went!

down.!!

!

Dim! shouting! slowly! registered! on! my! consciousness!

again.! The! tunnel! constraining! my! vision! widened! and! grew!

lighter.!Three!sharp!whistle!blasts!pierced!the!air.!

!

A!voice!shouted!from!the!other!side!of!the!house.!“They’re!

not!here!”!!

!

“Fall!back!”!another!one!said.!“Pull!out!”!

!

“Shit!”!A!third!voice,!closer.!“Shit!!I’m!fucking!shot!”!

!

Charlie!! The! top! of! his! head! was! visible! over! the! edge! of!

the! patio,! rocking! back! and! forth.! Beyond,! the! other! gunman!

was! gone.! The! roar! of! an! engine! and! squeal! of! tires! on!

pavement!floated!over!the!roof!of!the!house,!and!quickly!faded!

away! in! the! distance.! Through! the! sudden! silence! I! heard! my!

ears!ring!from!the!repeated!concussions!of!gunshots.!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

45&

!

I!crossed!the!grass!at!a!run,!cut!the!corner!of!the!patio!and!

leaped!down!the!embankment,!landing!at!his!side.!He!sat!with!

one! leg! folded! under! him,! the! other! splayed! out,! both! hands!

clasped!tightly!against!a!spot!high!on!his!chest!just!below!the!

collarbone.!!

!

“Charlie?”!!

!

His! head! tilted! up,! eyes! slowly! traversing! the! ground!

between!us!until!they!met!mine.!

!

“Bastard! fucking! shot! me,”! he! said,! eyes! wide,! his!

breathing!raggedy.!“It!fucking!hurts!”!

!

Under!his!hands,!a!spreading!claret!stain!muddied!a!yellow!

parrot!on!his!shirt.!I!pried!his!fingers!away.!With!each!irregular!

breath,! bubbles! frothed! around! the! edges! of! a! dark! hole!

centered!in!the!stain.!!

!

My!heart!skipped!a!beat.!“Jesus,!Charlie!!That!doesn’t!look!

good.”!

!

“Nicked!the!lung,!I!guess,”!he!said,!“but!missed!the!heart.”!

!

“What,! you’re! a! doctor! now?”! I! pulled! my! shirt! over! my!

head,! folded! it,! quickly! placed! it! on! the! wound,! pressing! his!

hands!on!top!of!it.!!

!

He! winced.! “That’s! why! it’s! bubbling,! Sherlock,”! his! wry!

voice! raspy! now! as! blood! seeped! into! his! lung.! “And! why! I’m!

still!breathing.”!

!

“Shut!up!and!keep!pressure!on!it.”!!

!

I! frowned,! bent! over! him! and! looked! at! the! back! of! his!

shirt.!No!exit!wound.!I!didn’t!know!if!that!was!good!or!bad.!

!

“Okay,!okay,”!he!said.!“Now,!would!you!call!it!in?!Before!I!

die!would!be!nice.”!

!

!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

46&

!

!

Chapter&9
&

!

!

Langford!checked!his!mirrors!for!traffic.!Seeing!no!one!on!

the!road!behind!him,!he!slowed!as!he!drove!past!the!entrance!

to! the! property! looking! for! signs! of! life.! He’d! cased! the!

property!several!times!before,!and!this!was!his!second!pass!of!

the!day.!He!knew!he’d!have!to!go!in!on!foot!to!get!a!real!sense!

of! the! activity! within.! At! the! end! of! the! road! on! the! left,! just!

before!the!T!intersection,!stood!a!pasture!in!which!a!couple!of!

horses!grazed.!A!rutted!track!led!to!a!gate!in!the!fence!at!the!

corner!of!the!pasture.!He!turned!in!and!parked.!Anyone!passing!

by!would!likely!think!his!old!truck!belonged!there.!His!frayed!

jeans,!muddy!work!boots!and!oil6stained!Cargill!ball!cap!with!a!

creased!brim!added!to!the!effect.!

!

He! shut! off! the! engine! and! patted! the! dash.! The!

International! Harvester! Scout! had! been! up! on! blocks! in! the!

shed!by!the!cabin!when!he’d!first!arrived,!and!though!it!hadn’t!

been!driven!for!twenty6five!years!it!was!practically!brand!new.!

After! filling! it! with! oil,! inflating! the! tires! and! installing! a! new!

battery,!it’d!started!up!on!the!first!try.!!

!

He! got! out! and! locked! up.! Skirting! the! corner! of! the!

pasture!he!walked!along!the!fence!line!until!he!was!well!away!

from!the!road.!A!chestnut!mare!lifted!its!head,!ears!perking!and!

turning! toward! the! sound,! eyes! following! his! movements.! It!

broke! into! a! trot! toward! the! fence! and! nickered! softly.!

Langford! smiled! and! pulled! an! apple! from! the! pocket! of! his!

nylon!windbreaker.!He’d!come!prepared!this!time.!Holding!the!

apple!out!on!the!flat!of!his!palm,!he!let!the!mare!wrap!its!lips!

around!it!and!pull!it!away.!He!raised!his!hand!and!stroked!the!

patch!of!white!on!the!mare’s!forehead!as!it!crunched!the!fruit!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

47&

between!large!molars,!then!he!turned!and!disappeared!into!the!

woods.!!

!

Quickly! making! his! way! back! up! the! hill! toward! the!

property,!he!moved!among!the!trees,!avoiding!the!road,!taking!

pains!to!move!as!quietly!as!possible.!On!his!first!exploration!of!

the!woods!around!the!property!he’d!almost!run!into!one!of!the!

video! cameras! guarding! the! drive.! Working! his! way! carefully!

around! the! perimeter! of! the! grounds! that! fronted! the! road,!

he’d!spotted!the!infrared!sensors!and!remaining!cameras.!But!

he! didn’t! know! if! the! property! owners! had! wired! the!

surveillance!equipment!for!sound,!too,!so!he!took!no!chances.!

On! subsequent! trips! he’d! covered! almost! every! inch! of! the!

property,!using!the!county!parcel!viewer!as!a!guide.!The!extra!

work!had!been!worth!it.!He’d!made!a!discovery!that!he!bet!few!

people,!if!any,!knew!besides!the!owners.!!

!

Stealthily,!he!worked!his!way!from!tree!to!tree!toward!the!

house!set!back!from!the!road.!When!he!drew!close!enough,!he!

saw!an!unfamiliar!car!parked!next!to!the!Prius!in!front!of!the!

garage.!And!someone!had!parked!a!pick6up!truck!on!the!grass!

beyond!the!corner!of!the!house.!
Visitors
.!He!wasn’t!surprised.!It!

was!a!holiday,!he!reminded!himself,!something!they!didn’t!pay!

much!attention!to!in!stir.!One!day!was!pretty!much!the!same!as!

another! there.! Langford! nodded! to! himself! and! quietly! stole!

back! the! way! he’d! come.!
Patience
.! When! he! learned! their!

routine!better,!he’d!do!what!he’d!come!for,!not!before.!

!

When!he!reached!the!pasture,!the!other!horse!had!joined!

the!mare!at!the!fence!line!and!stood!with!its!muzzle!over!the!

top! strand! of! wire.! It! nickered! expectantly.! Langford! pulled!

another! apple! from! his! pocket,! offered! it! up! and! remained!

where! he! stood! for! a! moment! watching! the! horse! quickly!

masticate! the! crisp,! juicy! treat,! pink! froth! bubbling! from! one!

corner! of! its! mouth.!
Simple* pleasures
.! The! horse! stretched! its!

neck! and! nuzzled! him,! looking! for! another! sweet.! Langford!

smiled! and! patted! his! cheek! and! rubbed! his! muzzle.! With! no!

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48&

snacks!forthcoming,!the!horse!quickly!lost!interest!and!swung!

its!head!back!over!the!fence!and!down!to!the!ground!to!nibble!

some! grass.! Langford! wiped! his! hand! on! his! jeans! and! strode!

back!to!the!truck.!

!

The! interior! was! already! hot! from! being! closed! up! in! the!

sun.! He! stripped! off! his! windbreaker,! opened! both! doors! and!

rolled!the!windows!down,!letting!some!air!in!before!he!settled!

into!the!driver’s!seat.!He!backed!out!onto!the!road!and!slowly!

cruised!up!the!rise!toward!the!property!for!one!more!pass.!As!

he! drew! even! with! the! drive! he! heard! a! series! of! rapid!

explosions.!
Fireworks.
!A!
ratHtatHtat
!was!answered!with!a!
boom
,!

and!another!
boom
.
*Gunfire!
!Someone!didn’t!care!whether!there!

were! visitors! or! not.! But! maybe! the! unexpected! presence! of!

visitors! had! bought! the! occupants! some! time.! Somebody! was!

putting!up!a!fight.!

!

Fury!filled!him!like!molten!metal!poured!from!a!crucible.!

Damn*it!*Twenty*years*of*searching*and*planning,*and*someone*

else* was* about* to* fuck* it* all* up* and* take* it* away.* But* not* if* he*

could*help*it.*He*knew*something*they*probably*didn’t.
!

!

He! pressed! his! foot! to! the! accelerator,! putting! as! much!

distance! as! he! could! between! the! Scout! and! the! property!

entrance! before! the! shooters! barreled! out! of! there.! A! quarter!

mile!up!the!road!he!took!a!right!at!the!intersection,!away!from!