Night Tide (19 page)

hanging! out! with! the! ‘girls,’! ogling! all! the! pretty! boys! in! here!

tonight.”!

!

“Good!show?”!!

!

“Mah6velous,!darling.!I’m!doing!Carol!Channing!these!days.!

You!need!to!come!see!it.”!

!

“Sounds!like!fun.!Chance,!I!need!to!ask!a!huge!favor.”!

!

“You!want!me!to!take!your!route!tonight?”!

!

“A!couple!of!nights,!actually.!Something!came!up,!and!I’m!

going!out!of!town!for!the!weekend.!Would!you!mind?”!

!

“For!you,!doll,!anything.!Hope!you!got!a!hot!date.”!

!

“Something!like!that.!

!

“Come!by!when!you!get!back.!Peter!and!I!want!to!hear!all!

the!juicy!details.”!

!

“You’re!a!lifesaver,!Chance.”!I!meant!it!literally.!

!

Next!I!called!Jeri’s!office!number!at!the!support!group!and!

left! a! long! detailed! message! asking! her! if! she’d! help! find!

someone!to!fill!in!for!me!at!the!restaurant!for!the!remainder!of!

the!weekend.!Some!of!the!younger!volunteers!who!manned!the!

suicide! hotline! often! were! eager! to! pick! up! some! extra! cash,!

and!they!were!dependable.!As!I!spoke,!Keely!quietly!rose!from!

the!couch!and!disappeared!into!the!bedroom.!

!

I!called!the!restaurant!and!left!a!message!for!Javier!to!tell!

him! the! bad! men! had! come! back,! that! I! would! pay! for! the!

damages,!that!I!was!safe,!but!wouldn’t!be!at!work!for!the!next!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

126&

few! days! given! the! circumstances.! I! let! him! know! that! I’d!

arranged!for!a!sub!to!take!my!place,!and!to!call!Jeri!if!he!had!

any! concerns.! My! apologies! for! bringing! destruction! to! his!

doorstep! sounded! hollow,! but! then! I! didn’t! know! why! I! was!

being!targeted.!Throwing!a!table!through!Javier’s!front!window!

was!on!me,!but!I!hadn’t!invited!anyone!to!redecorate!the!place!

with!lead.!

!

I!made!one!last!quick!call!before!I!returned!to!the!sofa!and!

poured! another! finger! of! tequila! into! my! glass.! Keely’s! voice!

filtered! through! the! closed! bedroom! door,! loud,! angry,!

punctuated!by!pauses,!the!words!indistinct!save!for!a!snippet!

here!and!there.!!

!

“…!insane?!What!…!
hell
!…!thinking?!…!No!!…!you!better!…!I!

won’t!…”!

!

I! gave! up! trying! to! listen! in! and! sank! back,! exhaustion!

rolling! over! me! as! the! adrenaline! rush! faded! like! an! old!

memory.! A! few! minutes! later! Keely! emerged,! mouth! set! in! a!

grim!line.!

!

“Bad!news?”!I!inclined!my!head!toward!the!door!she’d!just!

come!through.!

!

She! sighed! and! flopped! onto! the! couch.! “A! little! problem!

with!work.”!

!

I!raised!my!wrist.!“Kind!of!late!to!be!calling!work.”!

!

“It’s!afternoon!in!Shanghai.”!!

!

“What!exactly!is!it!you!do?”!

!

“Consultant.”!!

!

That!could!cover!myriad!ills.!“Any!particular!field?”!

!

She! lifted! one! shoulder.! “Several.! It! doesn’t! really! matter.!

Boring! stuff,! mostly.! What! about! you?! Did! you! get! everything!

squared!away?”!

!

“I!think!so.!I!bought!a!little!breathing!room,!I!hope,!until!I!

sort!things!out.”!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

127&

!

She! reached! for! her! glass! and! took! a! sip,! musing.! “You!

know!the!first!time!I!saw!you,!you!looked!as!if!you!thought!you!

knew!me.”!

!

“You!reminded!me!of!someone.”!

!

Her!eyebrows!arched.!“Wife?!Lover?”!

!

Her! words! had! a! sharper! edge! than! a! blunt! poker! of!

curiosity,!suddenly!chafing!me!like!a!paper!cut.!

!

“Nothing!like!that.”!!

!

The!blond!hair!had!thrown!me!the!first!time!I’d!seen!her,!

the! shaggy! cut! that! had! reminded! me.! Her! features! looked!

nothing! like! Cole,! but! in! the! dim! light! she! suddenly! seemed!

familiar! in! a! way! I! couldn’t! define.! She! did! remind! me! of!

someone;!I!just!couldn’t!think!of!who.!

!

She!tucked!her!chin!in!and!leaned!back.!“Sorry.”!

!

Too! late.! Like! ice! cracking! on! a! pond,! the! paper! cut!

widened! and! rived! inward,! snaking! its! way! toward! the! deep!

chasm!already!carved!out!by!Cole’s!death.!The!reverberations!

set! off! an! avalanche! of! cascading! emotions! left! over! from! the!

storms!of!the!past!week’s!events.!The!temblor!rattled!me!from!

the! inside! out! shaking! me! uncontrollably! until! my! teeth!

chattered.!

!

Keely! frowned! and! tipped! her! head! sideways.! “What’s!

wrong?”!

!

“I! c6can’t! s6stop! shivering.”! I! grabbed! opposite! shoulders!

and!held!on!tight.!

!

She! pushed! herself! up! onto! her! feet! and! hurried! into! the!

bedroom,! returning! with! a! big! duvet.! She! wrapped! it! around!

my! shoulders! and! kneeled! next! to! me,! untied! my! shoes! and!

pulled!them!off.!Then!she!grasped!the!duvet!with!both!hands!

and!tugged!at!me.!

!

“Here,!come!sit!by!the!fire,”!she!said.!“It’ll!help.”!

!

I!slid!onto!the!carpet!and!shuffled!toward!the!flames!on!my!

knees.!She!guided!me!to!a!spot!a!few!feet!away!from!the!hearth,!

plumped!a!cushion!under!my!head!and!straightened!the!duvet!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

128&

so! it! covered! me,! barely.! My! limbs! trembled! and! my! body!

shook!with!a!palsy!that!left!me!breathless.!I!rolled!onto!my!side!

facing!the!warmth!of!the!fire!and!drew!my!knees!up,!clutching!

the! down! comforter! under! my! chin.! Keely! rubbed! my!

shoulders! through! its! thickness,! trying! to! stimulate! some!

circulation.!!

!

“Are!you!getting!warmer?”!

!

“J6just!can’t!stop!shaking.”!

!

“Are! you! on! something?! Are! these! some! kind! of!

withdrawal!symptoms?”!

!

“N6not!on!drugs,!d6damn!it.”!

!

“Okay.!Just!asking.!I!don’t!need!you!dying!on!me.”!

!

“I’ll! b6be! all! right.! T6too! much! all! at! once.! Don’t! l6l6like!

being!shot!at.”!

!

She!stood!over!me,!her!reflection!in!the!glass!doors!of!the!

fireplace!watching!me!quake!on!the!floor.!She!shrugged!out!of!

the! warm6up! jacket! and! tossed! it! on! the! couch.! I! turned! my!

head!to!look!up!at!her!over!my!shoulder.!She!grasped!the!tank!

top! by! the! hem! and! pulled! it! over! her! head,! exposing! a! flat!

stomach!and!small!breasts!with!rosy!nipples!that!hardened!in!

the!chill!air.!

!

“What!are!you!d6doing?”!

!

“Shut!up.”!!

!

She! pulled! the! pajama! bottoms! down! to! her! knees,! let!

them! fall! around! her! ankles! and! kicked! them! off! to! the! side,!

leaving! her! in! only! a! pink! cotton! thong.! Bending! and! lifting! a!

corner! of! the! duvet,! she! slid! in! behind! me! on! the! carpet,!

wrapping!the!comforter!around!both!of!us.!She!pressed!herself!

into! me! and! wrapped! her! arms! around! my! chest.! Her! fingers!

worked!at!the!buttons!on!my!shirt,!helping!me!shrug!out!of!the!

sleeves,! then! fluttered! down! the! skin! on! my! abdomen! until!

they!reached!the!waistband!of!my!jeans.!She!deftly!unfastened!

the!belt!and!unbuttoned!them.!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

129&

!

Straining!with!the!effort,!I!concentrated!on!controlling!the!

shakes!long!enough!to!raise!my!hips!off!the!floor!and!help!her!

push!my!pants!down!over!my!rump.!It!was!as!much!as!I!could!

manage!before!the!tremors!shook!me!so!badly!I!couldn’t!hold!

my! arms! and! hands! steady! enough! to! grip! the! fabric.! Keely!

worked! the! pants! down! my! legs! and! pulled! them! free,! then!

snuggled!into!me!and!held!me!so!tightly!it!was!hard!to!draw!a!

breath.!!

!

Gradually,!the!trembling!subsided,!leaving!me!drained!and!

limp.!Keely!lay!still,!silent,!but!I!became!increasingly!aware!of!

her,!of!the!heat!that!came!off!her!skin!in!waves,!radiating!with!

more! intensity! than! the! fire’s! glow! on! my! face.! Suddenly,! her!

touch! ignited! my! skin! as! if! I! was! soaked! in! kerosene,! and! I!

turned! wordlessly! into! her! arms,! into! lips! that! pressed!

themselves! hungrily! against! my! mouth,! the! tip! of! her! tongue!

flicking!against!mine!like!a!foil.!Her!fingers!slid!down!my!body!

and! grasped! me,! guiding! me! to! her! center,! already! hot! and!

slippery!with!ripeness,!the!filmy!patch!of!fabric!pushed!to!one!

side.!

!

We! consumed! each! other.! I! sopped! up! her! heat! and!

passion,! her! touch,! like! desert! sand.! Driven! by! hunger! unlike!

any!I’d!ever!known,!I!became!aware!of!every!movement,!every!

breath,! every! heartbeat.! She! filled! my! senses,! the! scent! and!

taste! and! feel! of! her! becoming! part! of! me,! her! body! and! its!

responses! indistinguishable! from! my! own,! until! I! heard! her!

tiny!staccato!cries!of!
oh!*oh!*oh!
!at!the!same!time!I!went!over!a!

cliff!into!a!freefall!of!pleasure.!

!

I!had!not!been!with!a!woman!since!my!divorce!from!Molly.!

As!Keely!and!I!lay!there,!spent!and!exhausted,!the!fire!quickly!

drying! the! sheen! of! perspiration! that! covered! us! both,! guilt!

poked!its!hooded!head!out!of!a!basket!and!fastened!beady!eyes!

on!me.!But!to!my!surprise,!it!wasn’t!Molly’s!face!I!saw!playing!

the!
pungi
,!it!was!Reyna’s.!Reyna,!the!naval!intelligence!officer!I!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

130&

never!expected!to!see!again.!Reyna,!who’d!saved!me!then!gone!

back!to!her!life!in!D.C.!My!mind!raced!in!confusion.!

!

Keely! was! fast! asleep! when! I! wriggled! out! of! her! loose!

embrace!more!than!an!hour!later!to!find!my!clothes.!Her!naked!

body! posed! languidly! half! on! and! half! under! the! tangled!

comforter,!a!fistful!clasped!to!her!breast.!I!dressed!quietly!in!a!

corner!of!the!living!room,!retrieved!my!jacket!from!the!chair!in!

the!kitchen,!and!tiptoed!out!the!apartment!door,!easing!it!shut!

behind!me.!

!

Gray! light! on! the! street! in! front! of! the! building! and! the!

sound! of! birds! signaled! the! approaching! dawn.! I! zipped! the!

jacket,! hunched! my! shoulders! against! the! early! morning! chill!

and!waited.!!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

131&

!

!
Chapter(21(

!! A!cab!glided!quietly!to!the!curb,!one!of!the!newer!hybrids,!

tires! softly! crepitating! on! the! sand! and! grit! collected! in! the!

gutter.!The!driver!rolled!down!the!passenger!window,!leaned!

across!the!seat!and!asked!the!great!existential!question—was!I!

Sanders?!Nodding,!I!climbed!in!back!and!told!him!to!take!me!to!

the!airport.!I!craned!my!neck!for!a!glance!up!at!the!dim!glow!

coming!from!Keely’s!apartment!window,!then!turned!my!face!

and!thoughts!firmly!forward.!

!

Ninety!minutes!later!I!waited!at!a!gate!for!a!6:10!a.m.!flight!

out! of! Sea6Tac,! a! new! overnight! bag! on! the! floor! next! to! me!

packed! with! shirt,! slacks,! socks,! briefs! and! toiletries! freshly!

purchased! from! airport! stores! at! even! bigger! mark6ups! than!

traditional! retail.! The! thought! of! all! the! times! a! time! a! sales!

clerk!had!run!my!card!depleting!my!savings,!made!me!wince,!

but!this!qualified!as!an!emergency.!

!

I’d! simplified! my! life! since! Molly! and! I! had! split,!

discovering! I! could! actually! live! on! what! I! earned! delivering!

papers! and! washing! dishes! as! long! as! I! bought! clothes! at!

Goodwill! and! augmented! my! food! budget! with! meals! at! the!

restaurant.!Some!of!my!asceticism!had!been!necessary;!Molly’d!

gotten!everything!in!the!divorce,!and!I’d!lost!my!well6paid!job!

as! a! public! affairs! consultant! in! a! scandal.! The! rest! was! my!

choice,!a!conscious!effort!to!make!a!smaller!footprint!and!keep!

out!of!the!world’s!way!in!general.!Recently,!I’d!added!a!cushion!

of! financial! safety! to! my! bank! account,! thanks! to! Midge!

Babcock’s!largesse!and!a!grateful!government.!I!still!chose!the!

relative! anonymity! and! quiet! of! the! graveyard! shift.! Trouble!

was,!I!could!run,!but!it!seemed!I!couldn’t!hide!behind!the!black!

cloak!of!night.!!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

132&

!

Colorful! flotsam! ebbed! and! flowed! through! the! terminal,!

swirling!in!eddies!and!currents!as!travelers!made!their!way!to!

and! from! flights.! The! kaleidoscopic! scene! melded! individuals!

until!they!became!faceless,!indistinguishable,!something!more!

amorphous.! That! elderly! overweight! couple! at! the! ticket!

counter! appeared! the! same! as! the! one! sitting! in! front! of! the!

windows!overlooking!the!tarmac!down!to!the!Hawaiian!shirts!

on! the! gentlemen! and! the! poodle6cut! blue! hair! on! the! ladies.!

The! young! brunette! with! the! stroller! by! the! trashcan!