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 didn’t quite know if she should laugh or be pissed. “I can’t just leave. Johnny and the kids will be back in an hour, and I need to—”

“No, they won’t.” Tully looked past her, into the cluttered living room. “There’s your suitcase.”

Kate spun around. “How—”

“Johnny packed it this morning. He’s 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? I’ll open that suitcase and find sexy lingerie, a toothbrush, and clothes I outgrew two years ago.”

Tully shook the blindfold. “Put it on or I’m 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.

“It’s 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.

“That’s my business, not yours.” Tully turned up the volume on Madonna singing “Papa Don’t 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 o’clock when Tully pulled into the driveway of their destination. “We’re here. The doorman is looking at you funny so you might want to remove the blindfold.”

Kate whipped it off just as the doorman welcomed her to the Salish Lodge and opened her door. As if from everywhere at once, they could hear the distant roaring of Snoqualmie Falls, but from here they couldn’t actually see it. The ground vibrated with the force of the falling water. The air was heavy and moist.

Tully led the way to the front desk, checked in, and followed the bellman to their room, which was a corner suite with two bedrooms, a fireplace in the sitting room, and view of the rushing, whitecapped Snoqualmie River as it moved toward the falls.