Authors: Mike Sherer
following! the! route! mapped! out! by! the! GPS! unit.! The! house!
where!all!this!had!started!a!week!earlier!wasn’t!far!now.!!
!
Reyna!held!the!phone!away!from!her!ear.!“Did!Keely!give!
you!a!contact!number?”!
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—Sherer&
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!
I!dug!in!my!pocket,!pulled!out!the!wad!of!cash,!receipts!and!
scraps!of!paper,!and!handed!it!to!her.!!
!
“Should!be!in!there!somewhere.”!
!
She! shuffled! through! the! stack,! rattled! off! a! number,! and!
closed!the!phone!a!moment!later.!
!
“A!friend!of!mine!at!ONI,”!she!explained.!“Apparently,!not!
everyone’s! gotten! the! memo! that! I’m!
persona* non* grata
.! It’s!
time!we!turned!the!tables.!If!Keely!uses!her!phone,!he’ll!get!her!
location!for!me.”!
!
“You!think!they’re!okay?”!
!
“The! Wilsons?! Depends! on! how! badly! she! was! wounded,!
but! I! think! they’re! alive.! Unless! Baines! has! already! found! out!
where!the!notes!are.!Assuming!you’re!right!about!all!this,!that!
is.”!
!
“I!don’t!know!if!I’m!right!about!anything.!Keely!played!me!
pretty! good.! Could! be! I’m! wrong! about! a! lot! of! other! things,!
too.”!
!
“Don’t!be!so!hard!on!yourself.”!!
!
I!blinked!at!the!harshness!in!her!voice.!
!
More! gently,! she! said,! “For! an! amateur,! I! think! you’ve!
surprised!a!lot!of!people.”!
!
“What?! That! I! haven’t! gotten! myself! killed! yet?! Probably!
an!office!pool!on!that.!You!have!any!money!on!it?”!
!
“For!God’s!sake,!stop!trying!to!make!a!joke!out!of!it!!You!
think!I!jump!into!bed!with!every!man!I!meet?”!
!
“I!was!kidding.!I’m!not!exactly!used!to!people!trying!to!kill!
me.”!
!
“I!was!trying!to!pay!you!a!compliment.!Christ,!Blake,!get!a!
clue.!I!care!about!you.”!
!
Molly’s! face! suddenly! flashed! in! my! head,! the! image!
seemingly!so!random!my!chest!tightened!as!if!pressed!in!a!vise.!
Feeling! a! twinge! of! guilt! for! having! been! taken! in! by! Keely’s!
charms! I! could! understand,! but! the! sudden! image! of! Molly!
triggered!panic!that!I!fought!to!quell!with!deep!breaths.!I!felt!
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Reyna’s!eyes!on!me!and!glanced!at!her.!Her!features!registered!
disappointment,! shame,! embarrassment,! even! anger.! With! a!
sinking! heart,! I! realized! that! how! she! must! have! interpreted!
my! lack! of! response! and! sudden! gasping! like! a! fish! out! of!
water.!!
!
“Reyna,!I’m!sor—”!
!
“Forget!it!”!!
!
Silence! ballooned! inside! the! car,! squeezing! the! air! out,!
making!it!hard!to!breathe.!My!face!felt!flushed!and!hot.!One!of!
these! days! I! would! have! to! figure! out! who! the! hell! I! really!
wanted!to!be!with,!Molly!or!Reyna.!Unfortunately,!now!wasn’t!
the!time.!
!
I!clamped!my!jaw!and!drove.!
*!*!*!*!*!
!
Langford! finished! securing! the! boat! and! wheeled! the!
electric! scooter! across! a! gangplank! onto! the! dock.! The! only!
thing!that!saved!the!folding!bike!from!being!completely!dorky!
was! the! fact! that! the! tubular! aluminum! frame,! flared! fenders!
and! raked! seat! post! made! it! resemble! a! kids’! BMX! bike.! No!
banana! seat,! but! he’d! substituted! a! short6rise! BMX! handlebar!
for! the! flat! handlebar! it! came! with—as! a! practical! matter,! of!
course,! making! it! more! suitable! for! taller! adults—and! that!
added!to!its!curb!appeal.!It!was!no!Pinarello,!but!the!hub!motor!
propelled!it!at!a!steady!eighteen!mph!for!up!to!twenty!miles!on!
a!charge.!He!could!pedal!it!faster!in!a!short!sprint,!but!it!was!an!
effortless!way!to!get!around.!And!it!was!deadly!silent.!
!
He’d! paid! for! a! week’s! dock! rental! in! cash! at! the! office,!
letting! the! manager! know! in! casual! conversation! he! intended!
to! do! some! sightseeing! in! the! area.! Now! dressed! in! jeans,! an!
old!T6shirt!with!a!line!art!drawing!of!an!orca!on!the!front,!and!a!
Mariner’s! ball! cap,! he! waved! and! smiled! as! he! walked! the!
scooter!past!the!office.!!
!
Slipping!on!a!pair!of!sunglasses,!he!adjusted!the!straps!on!
his!backpack,!straddled!the!bike!and!pedaled!up!the!street.!He!
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knew! exactly! where! he! was! going.! Mindful! of! both! the!
vehicular! and! pedestrian! traffic! in! the! small! seaside! town,! he!
carefully! threaded! his! way! through! the! business! district.!
Tourist!season!had!barely!begun!since!many!families!still!had!
kids!in!school,!but!the!hot!weather!had!brought!out!travelers!
earlier!than!usual.!
!
In! the! backpack! he! carried! a! bottle! of! water,! a! couple! of!
protein! bars,! thermos! of! coffee,! flashlight,! binoculars,! light!
windbreaker!and!two!of!the!pistols!he’d!taken!from!his!father’s!
collection,! a! J.P.! Sauer! 38H! and! a! Beretta! M1935.! He! wasn’t!
expecting! trouble,! but! one! never! knew.! Made! near! the! end! of!
WW! II,! both! were! pristine,! .326caliber! semi6automatics.! He!
could! have! brought! more! firepower—like! the! beautiful,!
Belgian6made! Browning! Hi! Power! his! father! had! gotten! in!
1970!to!test!some!new!9mm!parabellum!ammunition.!But!the!
small6framed!guns!were!easier!to!conceal.!Getting!caught!with!
any!of!them,!of!course,!was!a!parole!violation!with!no!chance!of!
ever!using!a!“Get!Out!Of!Jail!Free”!card.!!
!
On!the!outskirts!of!town,!he!flipped!on!the!electric!motor!
and! sat! back,! enjoying! the! ride.! The! terrain! was! flat! prairie!
broken! occasionally! by! stands! of! conifers! or! a! tall! Pacific!
madrone,! easily! recognized! by! its! peculiar! reddish,! peeling!
bark.! Rows! of! varied! crops—potatoes,! squash,! lavender,!
strawberries66filled!several!fields!he!passed.!About!three!miles!
out! of! town! he! saw! the! long,! low! buildings! of! the! complex!
ahead.!They!stood!several!hundred!feet!from!the!road,!looking!
like!every!other!stable!or!poultry!barn!in!the!area.!!
!
The!property!wasn’t!fenced,!and!from!all!appearances!had!
no! security.! Incongruous,! really,! considering! what! they! made!
inside! those! buildings.! The! whole! idea! of! a! high6tech!
manufacturing! facility! plunked! down! in! the! middle! of! bucolic!
farmland!in!a!remote!location,!in!fact,!seemed!a!bit!ludicrous.!
But! with! a! navy! airfield! ten! miles! north! and! an! auxiliary!
airfield! less! than! a! mile! east,! the! location! made! more! sense.!
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Take! into! account! that! the! deepwater! port! of! Anacortes! lay!
only!thirty!miles!north!and!Seattle!about!60!miles!south,!and!it!
became!obvious!the!choice!had!been!strategic.!The!only!people!
in!the!area!were!navy!personnel,!farmers!and!local!townsfolk,!
making!strangers!readily!identifiable!for!the!most!part.!
!
Three!smaller!buildings!sat!adjacent!to!the!manufacturing!
shed! closest! to! the! long! drive! from! the! road.! One! actually!
resembled!a!Victorian!farmhouse!replete!with!octagonal!turret,!
gabled!roof!and!gingerbread!trim.!The!others!were!nondescript!
two6story!boxes:!one!windowless,!the!other!more!reflective!of!
an!office!building.!!
!
As!Langford!glided!past,!he!took!note!of!the!electric!eye!on!
low! posts! flanking! the! entrance! to! the! drive! and! the! camera!
mounted! discreetly! on! the! modest! sign! that! announced! the!
occupant! simply! as! “Ross! Industries.”! It! gave! no! indication! of!
what!the!company!made!or!what!might!be!inside!the!complex!
of!buildings.!Except!for!the!unusual!number!of!cars!parked!in!
the! spaces! around! the! three! smaller! buildings,! the! compound!
might! have! been! a! corporate6owned! farm.! Langford! was!
confident! that! the! cattle! guard! he! saw! stretched! across! the!
pavement! at! the! entrance! housed! sensors! and! cameras! to!
capture!weight!and!scans!of!the!bellies!of!vehicles!passing!over.!!
!
He! nonchalantly! swung! his! head! the! other! direction,!
playing! tourist! for! any! cameras! that! might! be! watching.! He!
looked!instead!for!a!possible!vantage!point!that!would!give!him!
a!decent!line!of!sight!and!provide!some!cover!at!the!same!time.!
From!this!side!of!the!property!he!could!see!nothing!but!open!
fields.!Half!a!mile!farther,!the!road!curved!into!a!patch!of!thick!
forest.!He!switched!off!the!motor!and!coasted!to!a!stop!on!the!
shoulder.! Setting! his! backpack! on! the! ground,! he! took! a! long!
drink!from!his!water!bottle!while!he!took!a!mental!look!at!the!
map!of!the!island!he’d!consulted!the!night!before.!
!
Though! roundabout,! he! traced! a! route! in! his! mind! that!
would! lead! him! to! the! back! of! the! hundred6acre! property.! He!
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pulled!out!some!aerial!photos!he’d!printed!off!the!computer!a!
few! days! earlier! and! compared! them! to! memory.! A! small!
subdivision!had!been!built!near!the!auxiliary!airfield,!probably!
to!provide!housing!for!service!personnel.!The!landing!strip!was!
little!used!these!days,!he!knew,!which!meant!that!some!of!the!
houses!were!likely!vacant!due!to!the!crappy!real!estate!market!
of!late.!Satisfied,!he!hoisted!the!pack!and!mounted!his!bike.!
!
Half!an!hour!later!he’d!found!the!perfect!spot.!Just!as!he’d!
thought,!real!estate!agents!had!staked!For!Sale!signs!in!front!of!
several! of! the! houses! in! the! neighborhood.! In! the! far! corner,!
separated! from! the! boundary! of! the! Ross! Industries! property!
by!a!copse!of!trees,!stood!a!house!“for!sale!or!rent”!with!no!car!
in! the! drive.! He! wandered! up! to! the! front! door! and! knocked,!
and!after!a!suitable!interval!knocked!again.!When!no!one!came!
to!the!door,!he!took!the!bike!around!back,!climbed!the!steps!to!
the! back! porch! and! peered! in! the! windows.! The! house! was!
empty.!He’d!noticed!a!Realtor’s!key!box!on!the!front!door,!and!
jiggled!the!handle!on!the!back!door.!Locked.!For!the!hell!of!it,!
he! stood! on! tiptoes! and! ran! his! fingers! over! the! top! of! the!
frame.!
Bingo!
!His!fingers!touched!cold!metal.!He!slid!the!single!
key! over! the! edge! of! the! doorframe! and! let! it! drop! into! his!
other!hand.!If!someone!asked,!he!could!always!say!he!found!the!
door! open! and! wanted! to! take! a! look! around.! Agents!
sometimes!got!sloppy!and!didn’t!lock!up!properly.!
!
He! let! himself! in! and! headed! for! the! facilities! to! relieve!
himself! first.! The! house! was! staged! with! a! bare! minimum! of!
furniture!to!give!the!rooms!scale,!and!several!were!completely!
empty.!The!owner!or!previous!tenant!had!left!a!patio!table!in!
the! backyard,! so! Langford! refilled! his! water! bottle! and! went!
out! to! sit! in! the! sun.! He! ate! one! of! the! protein! bars! slowly,!
knowing!he!might!have!to!make!the!other!one!last!quite!some!
time!before!he!had!a!decent!meal!again.!Finished,!he!carefully!
stowed! the! wrapper! in! a! side! pocket! of! the! backpack.!
Retrieving!the!field!glasses,!he!wandered!toward!the!trees!and!
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looked!for!an!easy!way!through.!Someone,!kids!probably,!had!
trodden! a! path! into! the! copse! from! a! spot! next! to! a! large!
storage!shed!behind!the!house.!!
!
Wending!his!way!cautiously,!he!followed!the!path!less!than!
a!hundred!feet!to!its!end!at!the!edge!of!a!large!pasture.!The!rear!
of!the!third!manufacturing!building!in!the!Ross!compound!was!
five!hundred!yards!away.!From!this!angle,!he!couldn’t!see!the!
entrance! to! the! windowless! building,! but! that! shouldn’t! be! a!
problem.!The!building!was!dedicated!to!lab!work,!and!he!still!
had! a! relatively! unobstructed! view! of! the! entrances! to! the!
other!buildings.!He!backtracked!to!the!yard,!wheeled!the!bike!
behind!the!storage!shed,!hid!it!in!some!bushes,!and!returned!to!
the! path’s! end.! Staying! back! in! the! trees,! he! trained! the!
binoculars! on! the! building,! brought! it! in! focus,! and! slowly!
scanned!the!property.!Other!than!a!car!pulling!into!the!parking!
area,!nothing!moved.!The!complex!was!quiet,!but!he!imagined!
the!interior!of!those!buildings!hummed!with!activity.!
!
When!he!felt!comfortable!with!the!layout,!he!lowered!the!
glasses! and! took! in! the! countryside! around! the! complex,!
watching,! waiting.! Occasionally,! he! lifted! the! binoculars! again!
to! get! a! closer! look! at! a! bird,! a! cloud! formation,! a! distant!
tractor! working! a! field,! or! some! movement! that! attracted! his!
attention.! Mostly,! he! was! content! to! let! the! day! settle! on! his!
shoulders!like!a!comfortable!cardigan.!!
!
The! space! of! the! flat! green! prairie! and! endless! blue! sky!