King and Maxwell

by David Baldacci

  the dad’s employer, DTI. You said you were going to do a web search on them.”

  “I did. They’re a government contractor.”

  “Every other company located here is a government contractor. What sector are they in?”

  “Providing translator services for the military.”

  “I hear that’s pretty lucrative.”

  “It certainly can be. But it only goes as far as our engagement over there. They specialize in the Middle East, so if the military pulls out they might be hurting.”

  “And was Wingo a salesman, like Tyler said?”

  “I never got a chance to actually ask a human being that question.” He drank some of his beer. “I think we’ve hit a dead end, Michelle.”

  She inserted her finger in the long neck of her beer and swung it back and forth over the table. “I don’t like to admit defeat.”

  “And you think I do?”

  “You’re a miracle worker, Sean. You know everybody. Are you telling me you can’t think of some other angle to hit this with?”

  “I’m actually trying to decide whether this is worth it or not.”

  “I thought we were past that analysis?”

  “Maybe you were.”

  “I might have an in through his friend Kathy Burnett. I laid the groundwork with her already.”

  “And you don’t feel bad involving an innocent young girl in all this?”

  “If I knew what ‘all this’ was, maybe I would feel bad. Chicken and the egg.”

  “I still don’t like it.”

  “I didn’t ask her to spy on Tyler, Sean. I just asked her to contact me if she thought she had any information that might help him.”

  “I’m not sure she’s in the best position to make that decision.”

  “Then I can tell her to stand down, if it’ll make you happy.”

  The two sat there staring stonily across at each other.

  Sean said, “Look, I’m not wussing out. I’m just not sure what we can accomplish.”

  “Well, considering we’ve accomplished nothing so far it wouldn’t take much to move the bar up.”

  “I can see we’re not going to reach common ground on this.”

  “I’m being as reasonable as I possibly can be.”

  “Really? Because I’m not seeing that.”

  She eyed him severely. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  He hunched forward. “You barely know this Wingo kid and it’s like he’s suddenly your little brother and all his problems are your problems. How is that reasonable?”

  Michelle set her beer down and pointed her gaze out the window.

  Sean said, “You want to tell me what’s really going on here, Michelle?”

  “You think it’s wrong of me to want to help this kid?”

  “I’m not saying it’s right or wrong. I’m just saying it’s… it’s a little off.”

  She turned to him. “I know what it’s like to be a kid and scared, Sean. Him running through that storm, I saw the terror in his eyes.” She looked off. “And the gun,” she added quietly. “That could have been me running with that gun.”

  “It wasn’t you running with that gun, Michelle,” he said firmly.

  She didn’t appear to have heard him. “The only thing is he couldn’t fire his. I did.”

  “That was a long, long time ago. And you were what, six?”

  “Six or sixteen, what does it matter? It happened.”

  “You know it’s not that simple,” said Sean.

  “It took a whole lot of shrink work and time in a psych hospital and going back to the old homestead to even remember it. And even then I can’t fully understand it. And because I can’t fully understand it, it scares the hell out of me.”

  “So you’re relating your experience as a kid to Tyler’s situation now?”

  “Maybe I am. Is that wrong?”

  “I don’t know if it is or not. But why put yourself through this? It’s too much.”

  “I wish I had an answer for you about that. I don’t. Life isn’t nearly as simple or perfect as we would like it to be.”

  “Okay.”

  Michelle shook her head, as though clearing away perilous thoughts. “Look, you’ve always been there for me. Always. I have no right to involve you in something you don’t want to be part of. It’s not fair.”

  “Actually, you have every right. Yeah, I’ve been there for you. But you’ve also been there for me. And saved my life more than a few times.”

  Sean finished his beer and drummed the table with his fingers. “I have one more contact who might be able to help us.”

  “But you said they’d close ranks on this.”

  “My contact doesn’t exactly conform to strict military protocols.”

  “Who is it?”

  Sean hesitated and then said, “My ex-wife.”

  Michelle gaped at him. “Your ex?”

  “You knew I was married before.”

  “Yeah, but you never talk about her.”

  “Well, I don’t like talking about her because there’s a very compelling reason she’s my ex-wife. And I’m not into self-flagellation.”

  “I didn’t know she was in the military.”

  “Dana’s not. Her current husband is. She got remarried about eight years ago. He’s a newly minted two-star stationed at the Pentagon. Major General Curtis Brown.”

  “I’ve heard that name.”

  “He’s a sometimes spokesperson for the Pentagon. He looks like a general. Tall, handsome, and ramrod-straight. Combat vet. Yet I’m very surprised he’s survived Dana. She’s a real piece of work.”

  “Did you go to the wedding?”

  “What do you think? The only reason I knew was because I could finally stop paying alimony.”

  “Did you ever meet General Brown?”

  Sean shook his head. “If I did I’d wish him luck. Dana’s not exactly low-maintenance.”

  “It doesn’t sound like she’s someone you can call up and ask a favor of.”

  “I can do anything if the motivation is right.”

  “Meaning what?”

  “Meaning that if you wanted me to, I would call up Dana and see what she could do for us. She might hang up on me. She might tell me to go to hell and then hang up on me. But it’s the only path I can see right now. So, you tell me. Is Tyler Wingo worth it?”

  “That’s not exactly fair, Sean. You’re putting me on the spot here.”

  “No, I’m just stating the reality of the situation.”

  Michelle sighed and gazed down at her empty beer bottle. “Maybe one phone call to her?”

  “Consider it done.”

  “So you know how to reach her?”

  “I have ways, yes. If not, I can always hire a good private investigator.”

  She gave him a playful smirk. “You know, you’ve met my brothers and my father, but I’ve never met your family.”

  “My sisters are in Ohio. They never come here and I haven’t come up with a good reason to go there. My parents are in Florida leading the good life in retirement.”

  “Do you talk to them much?”

  “Hardly ever. When I got drummed out of the Secret Service, well, let’s just say they didn’t really see a need to support me.”

  “Funny family.”

  “Look who’s talking!” he said sharply.

  She pursed her lips and said, “I’m sorry I’m so screwed up.”

  “It’s actually one of your most endearing qualities.”

  “Let’s never find out what it would be like not to have each other.”

  “I’m always on your six,” he said.

  “I know,” she said quietly.

  Sean gazed off, his mouth edging downward.

  “I didn’t die, Sean. I’m still here,” she said, obviously reading his look.

  “But you don’t realize how close you came to not being here,” he replied, turning his gaze to her.

  “I actually do know. I could se
e it in your face when I finally woke up. And don’t forget that I’ve stood over your hospital bed and wondered the very same thing.”

  He looked away again. “I guess it’s what we signed up for.”

  “Never doubted that for a second. Now let’s focus on Tyler Wingo.”

  “I’ll get my ex on it.”

  “I think I need to be doing something too.”

  “Michelle, we’ve been warned off. At least you have.”

  “We have a gun to return, Sean.”

  “So you want to go to their house?”

  “We don’t have to be that direct, do we?”

  He considered this. “No. You have an idea?”

  “I think I have an idea,” she replied. “But it’ll be better if I go alone.”

  CHAPTER

  13

  TYLER WINGO CUT THROUGH THE WATER as fast as he could. He was at swim practice at a local aquatic facility that his school used. The facility had multiple pools, but since this one was the largest the adult members also used it. Tyler touched the tile wall and came up for air. He slipped his goggles off, cleared them of condensation, and put them back on.

  In the lane next to him a female swimmer wearing a swim cap and goggles was just about ready to push off. Tyler grinned and timed it so he pushed off at the same time. He was feeling the need to rip through the water like a dolphin. And it didn’t hurt that the woman was tall and lean and attractive, at least the glimpse he had gotten of her. Despite all his troubles, he was sixteen with hormones about ready to explode and he suddenly felt the urge to show off.

  As he cut through the water he wondered how far ahead of her he would be at the end. He contemplated what he might do when she broke the surface of the water and saw him already there. Could he come up with something clever? In reality, he was terribly shy and would be unlikely to muster the courage to say anything. But still, she would at least see him.

  Then as he looked to his right the only thing visible were her long feet. Stunned, he redoubled his efforts, swimming as he never had before. He gave it every ounce of stamina he had—and still she was actually pulling away from him.

  When he touched the wall and stood, she was leaning on the lane divider rope. Her cap was off, her goggles on her forehead. And she was staring directly at him.

  “Wow. What a coincidence seeing you here,” said Michelle.

  “You’re not even breathing hard,” said Tyler, who was gasping. “I thought you said you didn’t swim?” he added in a hurt tone.

  “I said I preferred keeping above it and dry. I didn’t say I couldn’t swim.”

  “You’re really fast for your age.”

  “I’ll take that as a mixed compliment.”

  Tyler looked around. “Where’s your partner?”

  “He doesn’t like the water nearly as much as I do.”

  “I know it’s not a coincidence you’re here. What do you want? I’d thought we had, you know, finished stuff.”

  “I still have your dad’s Mauser.”

  “Oh, crap, that’s right.”

  “It’s in my bag. I can give it to you after I finish up here.”

  “Hey, Tyler!”

  They looked over to see Tyler’s coach, an older man in dungarees and a sweatshirt with a whistle around his neck, staring at them.

  “Yeah, Coach?”

  “Since this is swim practice do you think you can tear yourself away from the nice lady to actually practice your swimming?”

  Tyler turned red. “Okay, Coach. Sure.”

  “I’ll be waiting in the lobby,” said Michelle. “How do you get home usually?”

  “A friend.”

  “I’ll take you.”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  “I think it’s a great idea, Tyler. I think you need to think things through on your own. Not just do what people are telling you to do. I’ll be in the lobby. It’s up to you if you go with me or not. I’ll give you the Mauser either way. I put it in a canvas bag so no one can see it.”

  Michelle slipped her goggles back on, turned, and kicked off to do more laps.

  Admiring her athleticism, Tyler watched her cut through the pool lane. Then he dropped back into the water and started swimming to the other side, though his strokes weren’t nearly as clean.

  When he came out of the locker room about an hour later Michelle was waiting for him in the lobby, a canvas bag in one hand and a knapsack over her shoulder. She had on a knitted cap with her damp hair bundled under it, jeans, a North Face jacket, and a long muffler wrapped around her neck.

  Tyler’s hair was slicked back and his jeans hung low; his sneakers had no laces and he wore his high school hoodie. He crossed the lobby to her.

  She held up the canvas bag. “Here it is. You riding with me or taking your usual way home?”

  Tyler looked around at the other team members passing by. He nodded to some and knuckle-smacked one boy who lustily eyed Michelle and then grinned at Tyler and mouthed the word, Sweet.

  The boy said in a normal voice, “See you tomorrow, Ty.”

  After he passed by, Michelle said, “You go by Ty?”

  “Just to some of the guys,” Tyler said absently.

  “So what’s it going to be?”

  “Can we stop for some hot chocolate? The water was freezing.”

  She handed him the canvas bag with the Mauser.

  At a nearby Starbucks, Michelle bought Tyler a hot chocolate and herself a latte. They got back into her Land Cruiser. Tyler stared around at all the mess on the seat and the floorboard.

  Michelle scooped the junk off the seat and tossed it into the back.

  He peered into the backseat, where the piles of junk were even more pronounced.

  “Is that a shotgun back there?” he asked, his eyes wide.

  “Yeah, but it’s not loaded. I’ve been meaning to clean my truck out for like two years.”

  “It might take you that long,” muttered Tyler as he stared at the piles.

  “I get enough crap from my partner about my untidiness, thank you very much.”

  “So what do you want?” he asked.

  “I think you know.”

  “I don’t.”

  “A military policeman was waiting for me outside Panera after we met. He read me the riot act about trying to shake you down for money.”