Authors: Mike Sherer
the! size! of! a! fifty6cent! piece.! More! bruised! than! scraped,! the!
wound! showed! minimal! bleeding.! I! worked! a! couple! of! tiny!
pebbles!out!from!under!the!skin!with!a!thumbnail!and!wiped!
my!hand!on!my!jeans.!The!left!leg!had!a!tear!at!the!knee,!but!
the!bleeding!there!had!stopped,!too,!leaving!only!a!short!snail’s!
trail!of!cracked!and!sticky!residue.!
!
I! sat! up! and! ran! my! fingers! through! my! hair.! Something!
dribbled! between! them,! bounced! off! my! shoulders! and! fell! to!
the! seat.! Bits! of! glass! glinting! in! the! stroboscopic! light.! The!
cabbie’s! gaze! darted! from! the! road! to! the! mirror! and! back.! I!
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brushed! the! glass! to! the! floor,! returning! the! cabbie’s! glances!
with! an! expressionless! mask,! and! turned! my! face! to! the!
window.! Broken! glass! and! bloodstained! pants! were! real!
enough.!!
!
Ten! minutes! later,! the! cab! dropped! me! in! front! of! a!
modern! tan! concrete! and! glass! building! at! the! base! of! Queen!
Anne.!Staggered!balconies!protruded!from!the!upper!floors!like!
giant!steps.!A!few!lighted!windows!stood!out!like!yellow!teeth!
in! a! gap6toothed! smile.! A! banner! outside! the! front! door!
proclaimed!furnished!and!unfurnished!apartments!for!rent,!but!
the! street! number! on! the! scrap! of! paper! matched! another!
entrance!several!yards!away.!!
!
Bright!light!from!the!lobby!spilled!through!double!sets!of!
glass! doors.! Inside,! a! man! in! a! blazer! sat! in! profile! behind! a!
curved!reception!desk,!the!marble!counter!in!front!high!enough!
to! obscure! all! but! his! head! and! shoulders.! Light! flickered!
across!his!face!from!an!unseen!television!screen.!I!opened!the!
outer! door! and! stepped! into! the! airlock.! The! motion! brought!
the!man’s!head!up.!He!glanced!in!my!direction,!his!face!masked!
with!boredom,!and!turned!back!to!the!screen.!
!
A! telephone! handset! hung! on! one! tiled! wall! alongside! a!
panel!of!numbered!buttons.!I!picked!it!up!and!stabbed!a!button!
with!my!finger,!then!stood!and!listened!to!the!phone!ring,!once,!
twice…!After!five!rings,!I!started!to!hang!up,!knowing!it!was!far!
too!late!to!be!making!social!calls,!when!the!handset!clicked.!
!
“Hello?”!I!said.!
!
!No! one! answered.! Instead,! the! inner! door! latch! clicked!
open! with! a! loud! buzz.! Overcoming! surprise,! I! grabbed! the!
handle!and!pulled!before!the!buzzing!stopped!and!leaned!back!
to!hang!up.!The!night!concierge!again!acknowledged!me!with!
only! a! glance! before! turning! back! to! whatever! show! had!
captured!his!attention.!I!gave!a!short!wave!on!my!way!past!to!
the!elevators.!!
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!
The!elevator!let!me!off!on!the!sixth!floor.!I!skirted!around!
an!open6air!atrium!and!found!the!apartment.!I!hesitated!in!the!
hallway! outside,! wondering! if! this! was! a! smart! move.! I! didn’t!
seem! to! have! a! lot! of! options.! I! rapped! softly! on! the! door,!
wishing!it!was!Molly’s.!!
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!
!
Chapter(19(
!! Keely!Radcliffe!opened!the!door!a!few!inches,!held!it!to!her!
chest!and!peered!through!the!opening.!
!
“I’m!sorry,”!I!said.!“It’s!late.!I!didn’t!know!where!else!to!go.”!
!
She! stood! barefoot! in! a! pair! of! long! navy! straight6legged!
flannel! pajama! bottoms! and! a! nylon! warm6up! jacket! over! a!
plain!white!cotton!tank!top.!Her!short!blond!hair!was!mussed,!
tangled!spikes!sticking!up!randomly.!
!
She! looked! me! up! and! down,! her! brows! mingling! in!
concern.!“Why?!What’s!happened?!Are!you!okay?”!
!
“Yeah,!sure.!I!don’t!know.!I!…!I!shouldn’t!have!woken!you.”!
!
“I!was!still!up.!No!big!deal.!Come!in,!please.”!
!
She!swung!the!door!open!to!a!small!apartment!furnished!
in! comfortable! modern,! the! straight6lined! couch! and! easy!
chairs! overstuffed! to! soften! their! angular! planes,! a! smoked6
glass! coffee! table! atop! a! wrought! iron! base! less! harsh! and!
industrial6looking! than! a! chrome! and! clear! version.! Sliding!
glass!doors!leading!to!the!balcony!overlooked!the!dark!expanse!
of! Puget! Sound! and! the! flickering! lights! of! houses! and!
communities!on!the!far!shore,!the!black!outline!of!the!Olympics!
visible!against!the!night!sky!beyond.!
!
Gas! flames! shimmered! behind! glass! in! a! corner! fireplace.!
The! only! other! light! came! from! a! shaded! table! lamp! by! the!
couch! and! lambent! images! playing! across! a! flat6panel!
television!on!the!opposite!wall.!An!open!book!lay!face!down!on!
the! coffee! table,! an! indented! throw! pillow! leaned! against! the!
arm!of!the!couch.!A!pair!of!half6frame!reading!glasses!sat!next!
to! the! book,! a! truer! indication! of! her! age! than! her! girlish!
appearance.!!
!
She! followed! my! gaze.! “I! have! a! little! trouble! sleeping.!
Reading!relaxes!me.”!
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!
I!put!my!hand!up.!“I!shouldn’t!be!here.”!
!
She! reached! out! and! gently! grasped! my! wrist,! eyeing! my!
palm.!“You’re!hurt.”!
!
I!pulled!my!hand!away.!“It’s!nothing.”!
!
“You! need! to! clean! it.! I’ve! got! some! peroxide.! Go! rinse! it!
under!the!faucet!in!the!kitchen!and!I’ll!be!right!back.”!
!
She! spun! on! her! heel! and! disappeared! through! a! door!
before! I! could! object.! I! draped! my! jacket! over! the! back! of! a!
chair!and!did!as!I!was!told.!She!emerged!a!minute!later!with!a!
bottle!of!peroxide,!cotton!balls!and!a!box!of!bandages.!Leaning!
over! the! sink,! she! held! my! hand! between! hers! under! the!
running! water! and! gently! washed! it! with! soap.! She! stood! so!
close!I!felt!the!warmth!of!her!body,!sensed!the!lithe!strength!of!
it!under!the!soft!curves!half6hidden!by!the!loose6fitting!clothes.!
I! watched! her! long! slender! fingers! work! the! lather! carefully!
around!the!abrasion.!She!held!my!hand!steady!under!the!warm!
stream! of! water,! rinsing! away! the! suds,! then! wrapped! it! in! a!
paper!towel!and!patted!it!dry.!!
!
“You!ready?”!She!unscrewed!the!top!of!the!brown!bottle.!
!
I!clenched!my!teeth!and!nodded.!
!
She! poured! the! peroxide! over! my! palm.! It! bubbled! and!
fizzed,! its! bark! worse! than! its! bite,! the! sting! no! more!
unpleasant!than!the!ache!in!the!knee!or!the!scrape!itself.!!
!
“Aren’t! you! the! brave! soldier?! Doesn’t! even! look! like! it!
needs!a!bandage.”!
!
“Wouldn’t! stay! on! anyway.! And! it’s! nothing! a! stiff! drink!
won’t!fix.!Got!anything?”!
!
“As! a! matter! of! fact…”! She! circled! behind! me,! opened! a!
cupboard!and!pulled!down!a!bottle!of!
añejo
!tequila.!“Will!this!
do?”!
!
“Perfect.”!
!
I!shook!the!excess!peroxide!off!my!hand!and!dried!it!with!
the! paper! towel,! then! used! it! to! daub! the! blood! off! my! knee!
while! she! retrieved! two! glasses! and! carried! them! into! the!
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living!room.!She!handed!me!a!glass!with!a!healthy!splash!in!it!
when!I!joined!her!a!moment!later,!lifting!hers!in!salute.!I!took!a!
sip.!My!hand!trembled!as!I!raised!the!glass!to!my!lips.!I!lowered!
myself!onto!the!other!end!of!the!couch.!The!tequila!glowed!in!
my!stomach!like!an!ember,!warming!me!from!inside!out.!
!
“What!happened?”!she!said.!
!
“Somebody!tried!to!kill!me.”!
!
“Your!friend!Perry?”!
!
I!shook!my!head.!“Unless!he!hired!a!paramilitary!group!to!
get!the!job!done.”!
!
I! still! didn’t! know! why! I’d! come,! why! I! thought! I! could!
confide! in! a! woman! I! didn’t! know.! Maybe! because! Wink!
Langford! had! irrevocably! linked! us! through! our! past.! Maybe!
because!I!was!miffed!at!Molly.!
!
I!told!her!everything,!starting!with!the!picnic!out!at!Clayt!
and! Connie’s! house—the! home! invasion,! Charlie! getting! shot,!
the! lack! of! ID! on! the! dead! man—and! ending! with! the!
serpentine! escape! from! Capitol! Hill! after! evading! a! posse! of!
heavily! armed! men! by! breaking! into! the! restaurant! I’d! just!
locked!up.!
!
She! listened! silently,! feet! tucked! up! under! her.! No! wide!
eyes!or!gasps!of!surprise!or!fear.!As!if!pitched!gun!battles!were!
an!everyday!occurrence.!Her!calm!demeanor!gradually!leached!
the!tension!out!of!me.!
!
“Sounds!like!a!drive6by,”!she!said.!“Street!punks.”!
!
An!image!of!the!street!racer!shooting!at!me!on!the!freeway!
flashed!through!my!head.!I!briefly!considered!the!possibility.!
!
I!shook!my!head!slowly.!“I!don’t!think!so.”!
!
“Could! have! been! some! gang! mistook! you! for! someone!
else,”!she!said.!
!
I!wrinkled!my!nose,!a!corner!of!my!mouth!curling.!“Hard!to!
mistake!me!in!a!crowd.!They!weren’t!players!or!drug!dealers.”!
!
“How!do!you!know?”!
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!
I! thought! back,! recalled! the! details.! “The! SUV—it! wasn’t!
some! pimped! out! gangbanger’s! ride.! More! like! government!
issue.! Black,! nondescript,! like! a! hundred! others.! The! shooters!
were! dressed! in! black,! faces! masked.! Just! like! the! commando!
types!at!Charlie’s!parents’!place.”!
!
She!turned!and!stared!at!the!flames!in!the!fireplace.!“You!
think!they’re!the!same!men?”!
!
“Could!be.”!I!raised!a!finger!to!my!lips!and!waggled!it!in!the!
air.!“That’s!another!thing.!Their!weapons—that!was!automatic!
fire.!
Brrrt,* brrrt
,! in! bursts.! Not!
popHpopHpopHpop
! like! semi6
automatics.! That’s! military! hardware.! Very! hard! to! get.!
Gangbangers! don’t! use! assault! rifles! anyway.! Too! big.! Too!
conspicuous.”!
!
“Say!you’re!right;!why!would!they!want!to!kill!you?”!
!
“If!they!placed!me!at!Charlie’s,!maybe!they!want!to!get!rid!
of!witnesses.”!
!
“But!you!said!you!didn’t!see!anything.!Men!in!masks.”!
!
I!threw!my!hands!up.!“I!don’t!know.!Just!being!thorough?”!
A!shiver!ran!through!me.!“If!so,!Charlie’s!in!trouble.!They!could!
try!to!get!to!him!in!the!hospital.”!
!
She!frowned.!“He’s!a!cop.!Aren’t!his!buddies!in!and!out!of!
there!at!all!times!of!day!and!night?”!
!
Not!the!same!as!a!guard!on!the!door!of!his!room,!but!I!saw!
her!point.!!
!
An! unrelated! thought! found! its! way! out! of! my! mouth.!
“Javier’s!place!got!really!trashed.!I!need!to!let!him!know.!I!don’t!
have!his!home!phone,!don’t!even!know!where!he!lives.”!Ironic.!
!
Her!eyebrows!rose.!“The!restaurant?!The!alarm!company!
probably!already!called!him.!The!police,!too,!maybe.”!
!
“I! have! to! make! it! up! to! him,! make! it! right.! Pay! for! the!
damage.”!
!
She! watched! me! think! it! through,! then! expressed! what!
Cole! used! to! call! a! purple! thought! of! her! own.! “What! did! you!
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say! those! men! wanted! with—Charlie,! is! it?—Charlie’s!
parents?”!
!
She!gripped!her!drink!in!her!lap!with!two!hands.!It!wasn’t!
an!affectionate!squeeze.!
!
“We! don’t! know.”! I! shrugged.! “Could! have! been! drug6
related.!Hard!to!say.”!
!
She!looked!at!her!hands!and!set!her!glass!on!the!table.!“It!
must!have!been!a!frightening!experience.”!
!
“Twice! in! one! week?! I’m! having! trouble! with! bladder!
control.”!
!
A!smile!flashed!across!her!face!like!sun!poking!through!an!
overcast!sky.!Her!eyes!met!mine,!then!slid!past,!shiny!corneas!
reflecting! the! fluttering! orange! and! yellow! flames! in! the!
fireplace.!!
!
“I’m!not!sure!what!to!do,”!I!said!after!a!moment.!“I!can’t!go!
home,!can’t!go!to!work.”!
!
Her!silence!offered!little!help!in!weighing!my!diminishing!
options.! A! steer! eyeing! the! chute! into! the! packing! plant,! I!
considered!a!radical!alternative.!
!
I! stood.! “I! need! to! make! some! calls.! Would! you! excuse!
me?”!
!
She!looked!up!and!nodded.!!
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!
!
Chapter(21(
!! I!stepped!into!the!kitchen!and!pulled!out!my!cell!phone.!
!
Chance!answered!with!a!cheery,!“Hi,!doll,”!after!the!third!
ring.!His!voice!almost!got!lost!in!a!background!babble!of!voices!
and!loud!music.!
!
“You’re!at!the!club.!Are!you!working?”!
!
“We! finished! the! second! show! a! while! ago.! Now! I’m! just!