Authors: Mike Sherer
!
“What! are! you! doing! here?”! Chance! said.! “I! thought! you!
were!out!of!town.”!
!
“Got! in! after! ten.! Thought! I! might! as! well! work.! Sorry! I!
didn’t!call.”!
!
“Why!didn’t!you?”!
!
“I! didn’t! want! to! bug! you! at! the! club,! and! wanted! to! see!
you!anyway.!Hope!you!don’t!mind.”!
!
He!tilted!his!head.!“You!all!right,!doll?”!
!
I!sighed.!“Been!a!long!couple!of!days.!I!don’t!like!spending!
that!much!time!with!an!airplane!strapped!to!my!ass.”!
!
“Where’d!you!go?”!
!
“Home.”!
!
He! shook! his! head.! “Oh,! Blake,! honey,! don’t! you! know!
Dorothy!had!it!all!wrong?!There’s!no!going!back.”!
!
“I!wasn’t!trying!to!relive!my!glory!days.!I!was!just!trying!to!
get!a!line!on!a!guy.”!
!
“Switching!teams?”!The!corners!of!his!mouth!turned!up.!
Night&Tide
—Sherer&
166&
!
“You’ll!be!the!first!person!I!call!if!I!do.!No,!an!old!friend.”!
!
He! glanced! at! the! stacks! of! assembled! papers.! “So,! you!
don’t!need!me,!then?”!
!
“I!do,!actually.!I’m!running!on!fumes.!I!could!use!the!help,!if!
only!to!keep!me!awake.”!
!
Chance! stepped! up! to! the! table,! grabbed! an! armful! of!
papers!and!laid!them!on!the!cart.!I!followed!suit,!and!moments!
later! we! wheeled! the! cart! out! of! the! warehouse! into! the!
parking!lot.!
!
“My!car!or!yours?”!Chance!said.!!
!
“Yours,!if!you!don’t!mind.”!I!didn’t!tell!him!why.!
!
Still! buzzed! from! working! the! club,! he! kept! up! a! lively!
patter! about! the! show.! He’d! changed! it! some,! adding! more!
stand6up,!a!couple!of!new!songs,!and!it!seemed!to!be!working.!
Weekend! crowds! were! bigger,! Toji! was! selling! more! drinks,!
and!everyone!was!happy.!!
!
“I’m! surprised! anyone! in! the! club! knows! who! Carol!
Channing!is,”!I!said.!“Aren’t!they!all!a!little!young?”!
!
“You’ve! got! to! be! kidding,! doll.! A:! she! was! born! here! in!
Seattle.!And!two:!she’s!one!of!the!biggest!gay!rights!supporters!
out!there.!You!really!did!come!from!a!turnip!patch,!didn’t!you?”!
!
“Sorry.!I!didn’t!know.!Cole!was!never!into!show!tunes.!Just!
sports.”!
!
It!didn’t!make!any!difference!whether!Cole!had!been!a!fan!
of!Barbra!or!Beckham.!He!was!gone.!The!memory!clawed!at!the!
inside! of! my! chest.! Chance! threw! a! quick! glance! my! way! and!
motored! on,! chatting! about! nothing,! yet! everything! that! was!
important—friends,! small! triumphs,! compassionate! gestures,!
the! business! of! everyday! living.! I! was! glad! of! the! company.!
Chance! drove,! animatedly! gesturing! with! alternate! hands! as!
the! words! tumbled! out! of! his! mouth.! In! the! passenger! seat,! I!
folded! and! stuffed! newspapers! into! plastic! sleeves,! read!
recipients’! street! addresses! off! to! Chance,! and! tossed! papers!
out!the!window.!!
Night&Tide
—Sherer&
167&
!
The! work! went! quickly! with! two! people.! I! ticked! off! the!
addresses! on! the! list! until! soon! the! end! of! the! route! was! in!
sight.!I!couldn’t!avoid!it!any!longer.!
!
“You! and! Peter! okay?”! I! said! during! a! lull! in! Chance’s!
monologue.!
!
“Good.!Why?”!
!
I!saw!him!shrug.!“No!excitement!while!I!was!gone?”!
!
“The!usual.”!He!glanced!at!me.!“What!do!you!mean?”!
!
“No!one!came!looking!for!me?”!
!
His!head!tipped!and!his!eyes!rolled.!“Oh,!that.”!
!
My!shoulders!tensed.!
!
He! put! a! fist! in! his! mouth! to! stifle! a! yawn.! “I’m! sure! you!
find!it!exciting—about!time!you!got!laid—but!it’s!T.M.I.!as!far!
as! we’re! concerned,! Blake.! I’m! happy! for! you,! but! don’t! need!
the!details!of!your!love!life,!thanks.”!
!
“A!woman!named!Keely?”!
!
“That’s! the! one.! Wanted! us! to! be! sure! to! tell! you! she!
stopped!by.!Said!she!was!worried!about!you.!Something!about!
not!telling!her!where!you!were?!I!didn’t!tell!her!you!were!out!of!
town.”!
!
“She!gave!you!details?”!
!
He!shook!his!head.!“Didn’t!have!to.!If!she!hadn’t!seemed!so!
put! out,! she! would! have! positively! glowed.! Morning6after!
regret,!honey?”!
!
I! shook! my! head! then! stopped.! “I’m! not! sure.! She! seems!
nice!enough.”!
!
“But?”!!
!
I! could! have! offered! up! one! of! half! a! dozen! answers,! but!
didn’t! know! if! any! were! right.! Molly’s! face! popped! into! my!
head,!and!again!Reyna!Chase’s!crowded!it!out,!large!dark!eyes!
challenging!me,!full!lips!mouthing!a!soundless!question.!I!said!
nothing.!
Night&Tide
—Sherer&
168&
!
“Maybe!you’re!not!ready!yet,”!Chance!said.!“Or!maybe!you!
call! this! woman,! apologize! like! a! gentleman! and! see! where! it!
goes.”!
!
“Maybe.”!
!
We!finished!the!route!in!silence.!Chance!idled!at!the!curb!
after! I! tossed! the! last! paper! into! a! subscriber’s! yard.! He! sat!
hunched!over!the!wheel.!
!
“Where!to?”!he!said.!“Want!me!to!take!you!back!to!get!your!
car?”!
!
I!gazed!out!the!window!for!a!moment.!“Nah,!I’ll!cab!over!in!
the!morning.!Let’s!go!home.”!
!
“Sounds!good.”!He!leaned!back!and!gave!the!car!some!gas.!
!
After!a!moment!I!said,!“You!haven’t!noticed!anything!else!
going!on!around!the!house?”!!
!
“Like!what?”!
!
“Strange! cars! hanging! around! out! front.! People! lurking.!
Folks!asking!about!me.!Besides!the!woman.!Anything!out!of!the!
ordinary.”!
!
“Oh,!my!god,!Blake,!you’re!creeping!me!out.!You’re!not!in!
trouble!again!are!you?”!
!
“Just! answer! the! question.! Have! you! or! Peter! noticed!
anything!weird?!Anyone!watching!the!house?”!
!
“No.!Not!a!thing.!Other!than!your!new!girlfriend,!it’s!been!
quiet.!No!weirdos!pounding!on!your!door!or!anything!like!that.!
No!one!skulking!in!the!bushes!late!at!night.”!
!
“You’re!sure?!I!just!don’t!want!anything!to!happen!to!you!
guys!because!of!me.”!
!
“I’m!sure.!What’s!going!on,!Blake?”!
!
“I!don’t!know.”!!
!
“What!have!you!gotten!yourself!into?”!
!
“It’s! complicated.! It! may! have! something! to! do! with! the!
cop!who!got!shot!last!week.”!
!
“Your!friend!Charlie?”!He!glanced!at!me.!
!
I!nodded.!“And!she’s!not!my!girlfriend.”!
Night&Tide
—Sherer&
169&
!
He!rolled!his!eyes.!“Whatever!you!say,!doll.”!
!
I!sat!up!straighter!as!we!pulled!onto!the!street!leading!to!
the! house,! senses! on! alert,! watching! for! hulking! black! SUVs,!
silhouettes! in! car! windows,! early6morning! pedestrians.! The!
street! was! quiet,! too! late! for! clubbers! and! too! early! for! the!
nine6to6five!crowd.!A!pale!blue!sky!tinged!pink!on!the!eastern!
horizon! reflected! pre6dawn! light.! Almost! daybreak.! Chance!
found! an! empty! spot! at! the! curb! half! a! block! from! the! house!
and! parked.! I! got! out! and! stretched! while! he! retrieved!
costumes!and!a!make6up!kit!from!the!back!seat.!
!
“Thanks! for! taking! the! route! the! past! couple! nights.”! I!
yawned!hugely!and!followed!him!up!the!street.!
!
“Glad! to! help.! You! know! me;! I! can’t! sleep! after! a! show!
anyway.!Might!as!well!put!all!that!energy!to!good!use!making!a!
little!extra!instead!of!partying!all!night.”!
!
“Well,!money!or!not,!you’re!a!good!friend!to!fill!in.”!
!
Even! in! the! pale! light,! I! saw! him! blush.! In! the! shadows!
ahead,!sudden!movement!caught!my!eye!and!made!me!suck!in!
a! breath.! I! turned! to! look.!
There!
! A! dark! form! slipped! out! of!
sight! around! the! far! corner! of! the! house.! Headed! toward! my!
apartment!on!the!lower!level.!
!
I!put!a!hand!on!Chance’s!arm.!“Stay!here,”!I!said!quietly.!
!
Without!waiting!for!a!reply,!I!broke!into!a!trot!toward!the!
house!and!pulled!up!at!the!corner.!
I!poked!my!head!out!for!a!quick!glance!down!the!slope!toward!
the!back.!Nothing!there.!Cautiously,!I!slipped!around!the!corner!
and!down!the!hill.!A!dead!broken!tree!limb!lay!on!the!grass!by!
the! fence.! I! picked! it! up! and! held! it! over! my! shoulder! like! a!
tomahawk.!Hugging!the!side!of!the!house,!I!peaked!around!the!
end! toward! my! door.! No! one! there.! But! a! rustle! and! clatter!
came! from! the! other! side! of! the! detached! garage! thirty! feet!
away.!!
!
Pulling! back! out! of! sight,! I! opened! my! mouth! wide! and!
drew! in! a! slow! silent! breath.! Chance! tiptoed! down! the! slope.!
Night&Tide
—Sherer&
170&
Peeved,! I! waved! him! toward! the! side! of! the! house! and! put! a!
finger!to!my!lips.!The!soft!sound!of!footsteps!shuffling!on!grass!
floated! on! the! still! morning! air.! Grasping! the! branch! in! both!
hands,! I! tensed.! Now! the! sound! breathing! accompanied! the!
footsteps! as! the! figure! labored! up! the! slope.! I! sensed! him,!
smelled! him! before! the! dark! figure! rounded! the! corner,! and!
swung!the!heavy!limb.!
!
Night&Tide
—Sherer&
171&
!
&
Chapter&27&
!
!
A!shriek!rent!the!stillness!and!pierced!my!ears!as!Chance!
hit! me! from! behind! like! a! charging! rhino.! The! collision! felled!
me!like!a!Douglas!fir.!I!crashed!to!the!ground,!tangled!in!yards!
of!hand6me6down!high6fashion!fabric!and!the!slender!limbs!of!
my! cross6dressing! landlord.! We! rolled! once! down! the! slope!
and!came!to!rest!at!the!feet!of!someone!in!flip6flops!and!sweat!
pants.!I!spit!out!a!mouthful!of!grass!and!dirt!and!looked!up!at!
the!startled!face!of!my!other!landlord!Peter.!
!
“What! are! you! two! doing?”! Peter! hissed.! “You’ll! wake! up!
the!whole!neighborhood.”!
!
Chance!sat!up!and!unwound!the!dress!wrapped!around!his!
torso.!
!
“Are!you!okay?”!I!asked!him.!
!
He!nodded.!“You?”!
!
“No!harm,!no!foul.”!I!got!to!my!feet!and!gave!him!a!hand,!
feeling!a!flush!rise!up!my!neck!into!my!cheeks.!“Thanks.”!
!
“For!what?”!Peter!said,!gaze!turning!from!one!of!us!to!the!
other,!nose!wrinkling.!
!
“Nothing,”! Chance! said! airily.! His! eyes! narrowed.! “What!
are!you!doing!up!so!early?”!
!
Peter! sighed.! “Damn! heat.! House! never! cooled! off! last!
night.!I!couldn’t!sleep.”!!
!
“Time!to!spring!for!air!conditioning,!honey.!What!are!you!
doing!out!here?”!
!
“It’s!a!lot!cooler!out!than!in.!I’ve!been!sitting!on!the!porch!
waiting!for!you.!Figured!I!might!as!well!do!something!useful.!I!
was! just! taking! out! the! garbage.”! He! turned! to! me.! “You’re!
home.”!
Night&Tide
—Sherer&
172&
!
“Got!in!last!night—too!wired!to!sleep!and!too!tired!to!work!
the! route! by! myself.! Thanks! for! loaning! me! Chance! for! the!
weekend.”!
!
“I’m!sure!he!was!happy!to!help.”!
!
Chance! pursed! his! lips! and! threw! him! a! look.! “
We
! were!
happy!to!help.”!
!
“Yes,!well,!
we
!have!to!go!to!work!in!a!couple!of!hours.”!
!
“You’re!going!to!be!a!wreck!today,!aren’t!you,!poor!baby?”!
!
“I’ll!manage.”!
!
Chance!opened!his!mouth.!I!stepped!on!whatever!he!was!
about!to!say.!“Thank!you!again,!both!of!you.!I’m!turning!in.”!
!
Their!heads!turned!in!unison,!the!same!pleasant!smile!on!
both!faces.!
!
“Good!night,”!Chance!said!sweetly.!
!
“Good!morning,”!Peter!said,!his!smile!souring.!
!
I! rounded! the! corner! of! the! house! down! to! my! door!
wondering! when! I’d! grown! so! paranoid! I! could! nearly! take!
Peter’s!head!off!with!a!length!of!dead!wood.!
*!*!*!*!*!
!
Even! with! a! fan! doing! its! best! to! evaporate! the! glaze! of!
perspiration!coating!me,!the!heat!caused!sleep!to!come!in!fits!
and!starts,!mottled!by!unsettling!dreams.!The!sun’s!attempts!to!
beat! its! way! through! the! curtains! an! hour! after! I! lay! down!
pushed! up! the! mercury! in! the! thermometer! like! someone!
sucking!it!up!through!a!straw.!Shortly!after!midday,!I!gave!up,!
rinsed! off! in! the! shower! and! threw! on! cargo! shorts! and! a! T6
shirt.! I! cabbed! over! to! Ballard,! retrieved! my! car! and! headed!
north,!careful!to!check!for!a!tail.!I!threw!in!a!few!extra!turns!on!