Dawn Patrol

86

Boone stands with one foot on the railing and looks out at the ocean.

Might as well be out in the open. There's no real danger now-Tide's crew has the pier covered. Red Eddie would never try to go through them, and he wouldn't let Dan Silver do it, either.

Johnny B. has gone to try to find a judge in the middle of the night- good luck with that-but has called a black-and-white, which is parked at the end of the pier. Maybe Johnny was right, Boone thinks. Maybe I am becoming an asshole. Just look at what I thought about Tide, that he sold me out to Red Eddie.

A total asshole thing to think.

Johnny was right about something else: Tammy Roddick is a dead woman if she testifies. If they can't kill her to prevent it, they'll kill her to avenge it. And I should have thought of that. Would have thought of it if I wasn't so busy proving to Pete what a hotshot PI I am.

Asshole.

He stares out at the ocean, the whitecaps barely visible in the fog and faint moonlight. The ocean is ripping, getting itself geared up for the big party.

Petra comes up behind him.

“Am I intruding?” she asks. “I mean, any more than usual?”

“No, no more than usual.”

She stands next to him. “Is your swell coming in?”

“Yup.”

“You'll be able to catch it now.”

“Yup.”

“I thought that would make you happy,” she says.

“I thought it would, too,” Boone replies. “You know what the best thing is about a wave?”

“No.”

“A wave,” Boone says, “puts you in your exact place in the universe. Say you're just all full of yourself, you think you're the king of the world, and you go out, and then this wave just slams you-picks you up, throws you down, rolls you, scrapes you along the bottom, and holds you there for a while. Like it's God saying, ‘Listen, speck, when I let you back up, take a gulp of air, and step away from yourself a little bit.’ Or say you're really low; you go out and you're feeling like crap, like's there's not a place for you in the world. You go out there, and the ocean gives you this sweet ride, like it's all just for you, you know? And that's God saying, ‘Welcome, son, it's for you and it's all good.’ Awave always gives you what you need.”

It's cold out. She leans into him. He doesn't move away. A few seconds later, he puts his arm around her shoulders and pulls her tighter.

“I've been thinking about it,” she says.

“About what?”

“About what your detective friend said,” Petra says, “about not being able to protect Tammy. We should let her go, help her disappear, and God bless.”

Boone's shocked. This isn't the ambitious, career-oriented, ruthless lawyer talking.

“What about your case?” he asks. “Making partner?”

“It's not worth another life,” Petra says. “Not hers, not yours. Let it go.”

He loves her for saying it, thinks a whole lot more of her that she made the offer. A totally cool, compassionate thing to do. But he says, “I can't.”

“Why not?”

“It's too late,” Boone says. “A woman's been killed, and someone has to do something about that. And…”

“What?”

“There's something else,” Boone says. “Something that's not making sense. Something's really wrong here and I can't figure it out. I just know I can't let it go until I do.”

“Boone-”

“Let it go, Pete,” he says. “We have to ride this wave out.”

“Do we?”

“Yeah.”

Boone leans down and kisses her. Her lips are a surprise, soft and fluttering under his. Nice, more passionate than he would have thought.

He breaks off the kiss.

“What?” she asks.

“I have to go see someone.”

“Now?”

“Yeah,” Boone says. “Right now. You'll be safe. Tide's guys are all over it and there's a cop over there. Just lie low and I'll be back.”

He starts to go, then comes back and says, “Uh, Pete. I liked the kiss.”

So did I, she thinks as Boone disappears into the mist. Actually, I wanted more. But whom could he be going to see at this time of night?