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Tully ended that call and immediately made another one, and then another.
By nine A. M. , she had everything set up. Packing quickly, she threw what she needed in her car and drove to a store on Capitol Hill for a few supplies, then continued to the ferry. The wait on shore and then the crossing seemed to take forever, but eventually she drove into Kates driveway.
The front yard had a wild, untended look about it, as if long ago a young mother had spent her spring months outside, planting bulbs and perennials, with her babies in blankets on the grass around her, and over the years, as those kids had grown up and chosen their own summer pursuits, the time for gardening had been lost. All those plants still thrived in the short, hot blast of a Northwest summer, though, returning year after year as reminders of an earlier time, growing up and out and into one another, just like the family that lived in the house. Now, in the midst of a cold, gray Novembers day, every plant looked leggy and brown. Leaves lay strewn everywhere, multicolored splashes hung on dying roses.
Tully parked her Mercedes in front of the garage and got out. As she picked her way through the bikes and skateboards and action figures strewn across the gravel path, she couldnt help admiring how homey this place was, even at this time of year. The shingled house, built in the twenties for a wealthy lumber barons weekends, wore a new, crisp coat of caramel-hued stain; bright glossy white trim outlined the mullioned windows, beneath which were flower boxes filled with the last blooming geraniums of the season.
On the front porch, she squeezed past a freestanding clown/punching bag and knocked on the door.
Kate answered, wearing a pair of worn black leggings and an oversized T-shirt. With her blond hair badly in need of both a cut and a color, she looked ragged. Worn out. "Oh," she said, tucking the hair behind her right ear. "What a nice surprise. "
"Im going to ask you once, nicely, to come with me. "
"What do you mean, come with you? Im right in the middle of something. The boys Little League team is having a quilting fundraiser. As soon as I finish—"
Tully pulled a bright yellow squirt gun out of her pocket and pointed it at Kate. "Dont make me shoot you. "
"Youre going to shoot me?"
"I am. "
"Look, I know how much you love drama, but I dont have time for it today. Ive got to quilt about fifty bits of fabric before—"
Tully pulled the trigger. A stream of cold water snaked through the air and hit Kate full in the chest. Moisture seeped through her cotton T-shirt, leaving a stain.
"What the—"
"This is a kidnapping. Dont make me aim for your face, although you appear to need a shower, frankly. "
"Are you trying to piss me off?"
She handed Kate a black blindfold. "I had to go into that creepy sex toys store on Capitol Hill for that, so I hope you appreciate it. "
Kate looked utterly confused, as if she didnt quite know if she should laugh or be pissed. "I cant just leave. Johnny and the kids will be back in an hour, and I need to—"
"No, they wont. " Tully looked past her, into the cluttered living room. "Theres your suitcase. "
Kate spun around. "How—"
"Johnny packed it this morning. Hes my accomplice. Or my alibi, if you give me trouble. Now get your suitcase. "
"You expect me to go somewhere with only the things my husband thinks I need? Ill open that suitcase and find sexy lingerie, a toothbrush, and clothes I outgrew two years ago. "
Tully shook the blindfold. "Put it on or Im going to shoot you again. " She started to squeeze the trigger.
Finally Kate threw up her hands. "Fine. You win. " She put on the blindfold, saying, "You know, of course, that intelligent criminals blindfold their victims before the crime. I think it has something to do with thwarting identification. "
Tully bit back a smile and went into the living room, where she grabbed the suitcase and then gently guided Kate to the car.
"Its not every kidnap victim that gets to ride in a Mercedes. "
Tully popped a CD into the stereo. Within minutes they were rocketing across the Agate Pass Bridge, and winding their way through the reservation land, where the local tribes boarded-up fireworks stands lined the highway.
"Where are we going?" Kate asked.
"Thats my business, not yours. " Tully turned up the volume on Madonna singing "Papa Dont Preach. " In no time at all they were singing along. They knew the words to one song after another, and every song took them back in time to when they were young. Madonna. Chicago. The Boss. The Eagles. Prince. Queen. "Bohemian Rhapsody" was their particular favorite sing-along. They tossed their heads in time with the music in a perfect imitation of Garth and Wayne.
It was just past two oclock when Tully pulled into the driveway of their destination. "Were here. The doorman is looking at you funny so you might want to remove the blindfold. "
