quarter!
mile!up!the!road!he!took!a!right!at!the!intersection,!away!from!
Port!Orchard!where!responders!from!the!sheriff’s!office!would!
most!likely!come.!Checking!his!mirrors,!he!watched!his!speed,!
careful!now!to!appear!normal,!like!nothing!had!happened.!He!
tamped! down! the! anger! burning! inside! and! slowed! his! heart!
rate!with!deep,!even!breaths.!
!
Movement!up!ahead!caught!his!attention.!Off!to!his!right,!a!
small! SUV! was! hurtling! down! a! dirt! track! toward! the! road! in!
front! of! him,! a! small! cloud! of! dust! billowing! up! behind! it.!
Langford!kept!his!eye!on!it,!aware!that!at!his!present!speed,!it’d!
come! close! to! ramming! him! if! it! didn’t! slow! when! it! reached!
the! road.! He! let! up! on! the! accelerator! just! a! hair,! and! bore!
Night&Tide —Sherer&
49&
down.! The! SUV! didn’t! appear! to! slow! at! all! as! it! approached,!
but! at! the! last! minute,! the! driver! slammed! on! the! brakes,!
fishtailed,!then!yanked!the!wheel!and!accelerated!onto!the!road!
just!yards!in!front!of!Langford.!!
!
He! barely! caught! a! glimpse! of! the! two! people! in! the!
vehicle,!driver!bearded!and!grim,!a!female!passenger!clutching!
the!dash,!white6faced!with!fear.!It!was!enough.!He!pressed!the!
gas! pedal! to! stay! behind! the! fleeing! vehicle,! his! mind! hard! at!
work!formulating!a!new!plan.!
Night&Tide —Sherer&
50&
!
!
Chapter&10&
!
!
The! blades! of! a! medevac! chopper! whirled! gently! then!
slowly!gathered!speed!as!the!whine!of!twin!turbines!built!to!a!
deafening!roar.!The!downdraft!flattened!the!grass!into!a!crop!
circle! pattern.! Inside,! Charlie! raised! an! arm! off! the! stretcher!
and! waved! weakly! as! they! shut! the! wide! door.! The! fuselage!
lurched!and!rose!gently,!pulling!the!wheels!off!the!ground,!and!
the! fan6tail! rotor! swung! in! a! wide! arc! until! the! copter’s! nose!
pointed! east.! The! chopper! rose! swiftly,! nose! dipping! as! it!
cleared!the!treetops,!and!zoomed!out!of!sight,!a!giant!dragonfly!
in!search!of!prey.!!
!
A! Kitsap! County! sheriff’s! deputy! waved! me! over! to! the!
patio! table,! face! alternately! tinged! blue! and! red,! even! in! the!
bright! sunlight.! Strobes! flashed! atop! the! emergency! vehicles!
circled! haphazardly! on! the! grass! around! the! yard.! I! counted!
five—two! county! cruisers,! a! Port! Orchard! cop! car,! a! South!
Kitsap!Fire!&!Rescue!van!and!an!aid!unit.!Several!more!sat!in!
the!drive!in!front.!!
!
A!small!platoon!ranged!the!property,!an!overpowering!96
161!response!to!the!magical!words,!“shots!fired,!officer!down.”!
Patrol! deputies! festooned! the! stakes! they’d! pounded! in! the!
ground!with!crime!scene!tape,!delineating!a!perimeter!around!
the! truck! and! patio.! One! of! the! county’s! two! crime! scene!
deputies!directed!placement!of!numbered!markers!next!to!the!
shell!casings!and!snapped!photos.!Strewn!across!a!wide!swath!
of!slate!and!grass,!the!little!bits!of!brass!winked!in!the!sunlight,!
lending!the!macabre!circumstances!a!festive!air.!
!
A! paramedic! knelt! on! the! ground! by! the! man! next! to! the!
house,!zipped!a!black!body!bag!closed!around!him.!The!coroner!
hadn’t!arrived!yet,!but!he!wouldn’t!dispute!the!cause!of!death.!
Night&Tide —Sherer&
51&
Nine! rounds! were! missing! from! Charlie’s! back6up! piece.! Four!
flattened! slugs! had! embedded! themselves! in! the! Kevlar! vest!
under! the! man’s! black! fatigues.! One! round! had! hit! him! in! the!
pelvis,! another! in! the! shoulder;! two! missed! him! entirely.! The!
head! shots,! probably.! At! the! range,! they! taught! to! shoot!
mile!up!the!road!he!took!a!right!at!the!intersection,!away!from!
Port!Orchard!where!responders!from!the!sheriff’s!office!would!
most!likely!come.!Checking!his!mirrors,!he!watched!his!speed,!
careful!now!to!appear!normal,!like!nothing!had!happened.!He!
tamped! down! the! anger! burning! inside! and! slowed! his! heart!
rate!with!deep,!even!breaths.!
!
Movement!up!ahead!caught!his!attention.!Off!to!his!right,!a!
small! SUV! was! hurtling! down! a! dirt! track! toward! the! road! in!
front! of! him,! a! small! cloud! of! dust! billowing! up! behind! it.!
Langford!kept!his!eye!on!it,!aware!that!at!his!present!speed,!it’d!
come! close! to! ramming! him! if! it! didn’t! slow! when! it! reached!
the! road.! He! let! up! on! the! accelerator! just! a! hair,! and! bore!
Night&Tide —Sherer&
49&
down.! The! SUV! didn’t! appear! to! slow! at! all! as! it! approached,!
but! at! the! last! minute,! the! driver! slammed! on! the! brakes,!
fishtailed,!then!yanked!the!wheel!and!accelerated!onto!the!road!
just!yards!in!front!of!Langford.!!
!
He! barely! caught! a! glimpse! of! the! two! people! in! the!
vehicle,!driver!bearded!and!grim,!a!female!passenger!clutching!
the!dash,!white6faced!with!fear.!It!was!enough.!He!pressed!the!
gas! pedal! to! stay! behind! the! fleeing! vehicle,! his! mind! hard! at!
work!formulating!a!new!plan.!
Night&Tide —Sherer&
50&
!
!
Chapter&10&
!
!
The! blades! of! a! medevac! chopper! whirled! gently! then!
slowly!gathered!speed!as!the!whine!of!twin!turbines!built!to!a!
deafening!roar.!The!downdraft!flattened!the!grass!into!a!crop!
circle! pattern.! Inside,! Charlie! raised! an! arm! off! the! stretcher!
and! waved! weakly! as! they! shut! the! wide! door.! The! fuselage!
lurched!and!rose!gently,!pulling!the!wheels!off!the!ground,!and!
the! fan6tail! rotor! swung! in! a! wide! arc! until! the! copter’s! nose!
pointed! east.! The! chopper! rose! swiftly,! nose! dipping! as! it!
cleared!the!treetops,!and!zoomed!out!of!sight,!a!giant!dragonfly!
in!search!of!prey.!!
!
A! Kitsap! County! sheriff’s! deputy! waved! me! over! to! the!
patio! table,! face! alternately! tinged! blue! and! red,! even! in! the!
bright! sunlight.! Strobes! flashed! atop! the! emergency! vehicles!
circled! haphazardly! on! the! grass! around! the! yard.! I! counted!
five—two! county! cruisers,! a! Port! Orchard! cop! car,! a! South!
Kitsap!Fire!&!Rescue!van!and!an!aid!unit.!Several!more!sat!in!
the!drive!in!front.!!
!
A!small!platoon!ranged!the!property,!an!overpowering!96
161!response!to!the!magical!words,!“shots!fired,!officer!down.”!
Patrol! deputies! festooned! the! stakes! they’d! pounded! in! the!
ground!with!crime!scene!tape,!delineating!a!perimeter!around!
the! truck! and! patio.! One! of! the! county’s! two! crime! scene!
deputies!directed!placement!of!numbered!markers!next!to!the!
shell!casings!and!snapped!photos.!Strewn!across!a!wide!swath!
of!slate!and!grass,!the!little!bits!of!brass!winked!in!the!sunlight,!
lending!the!macabre!circumstances!a!festive!air.!
!
A! paramedic! knelt! on! the! ground! by! the! man! next! to! the!
house,!zipped!a!black!body!bag!closed!around!him.!The!coroner!
hadn’t!arrived!yet,!but!he!wouldn’t!dispute!the!cause!of!death.!
Night&Tide —Sherer&
51&
Nine! rounds! were! missing! from! Charlie’s! back6up! piece.! Four!
flattened! slugs! had! embedded! themselves! in! the! Kevlar! vest!
under! the! man’s! black! fatigues.! One! round! had! hit! him! in! the!
pelvis,! another! in! the! shoulder;! two! missed! him! entirely.! The!
head! shots,! probably.! At! the! range,! they! taught! to! shoot!
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