Long After Midnight

by Iris Johansen

  “Let’s call it intuition.”

  He could be bluffing. Noah had kept close rein on every aspect of the testing, never letting one department have more than one portion of the whole. Ogden’s call could be a reconnaissance ploy to see if Noah would confirm his suspicions. “Just what do you think RU2 is, Ogden?”

  “Don’t play with me. Will you sell or not?”

  “Let me think about it.”

  “You’re stalling,” Ogden said softly. “I’m not going to sit and let you ruin me, Noah. Sell me RU2.”

  Ogden wasn’t bluffing, Noah realized. He knew exactly the threat RU2 posed to him. “And what would you do with it?”

  “What do you think? Make a potload of money.”

  “I don’t think so. I think you’d bury it.”

  “So? You’d still have the millions I’d give you for it.”

  “True. And what will you do if I don’t sell it to you?”

  “Destroy you,” Ogden said casually. “And your friend Lynski and your little cohort in Oklahoma. I won’t hesitate to wipe all of you out of my path.”

  Oklahoma? Shock rippled through Noah as he realized Ogden was talking about Kate Denby. How the hell had he found out about—

  “I want an answer, Noah.”

  “Give me time to think.”

  “I can’t oblige you. You’ve been moving too fast lately. You’ve made me feel most insecure.” He paused. “I think you’re trying to buy time and play me for a fool. I was afraid you’d take that path. In fact, I expected it. I’ve always known that beneath that bad-boy persona, you were something of an idealist. Are you at your desk?”

  “Yes.”

  “Look out the window.” Ogden hung up the phone.

  Noah slowly returned the receiver to the hook and stood up.

  He was knocked to the floor.

  Glass shards from the broken window pelted his back.

  An explosion. Some kind of explosion . . .

  He crawled toward the window. He could hear screams.

  He pulled himself up by the windowsill.

  “My God,” he whispered.

  The east wing of the plant was engulfed in flames. People were running from the ruins. His people . . .

  He had to get down there. His plant . . . his people . . . He had to help. . . .

  The floor was heaving beneath his feet.

  Another explosion. He hadn’t heard it.

  Damn you, Ogden.

  Searing heat.

  Pain.

  Darkness.

  Dandridge, Oklahoma

  4:10 P.M.

  “Hi, Kate.” Alan Eblund got out of the Chevrolet, a smile illuminating his dark brown face as he watched Kate coming down the steps. “Good to see you again.” His gaze went to the crowd cordoned off several yards from the GeneChem building. “What you doing stirring up all these nice folks?”

  “Those ‘nice folks’ were trying to take my scalp.” Her gaze went beyond him to Michael sitting in the driver’s seat. He was frowning. Not good. “I’m sorry Michael thought it necessary to inconvenience you, Alan.”

  “No problem. What’s a partner for?” Alan opened the passenger door for Kate. “Much nicer work than that drug buy we staked out yesterday.”

  “Thanks . . . I think.” Alan had been Michael’s partner for the last six years, and she had always liked him. “How are Betty and the kids?”

  “Great. Betty’s always talking about calling you and asking you to meet her for lunch.”

  But the call would never come. Her friendship with Betty Eblund had been one of the casualties of the divorce. Betty was a policeman’s wife, and her loyalty was with her husband’s partner. “That would be nice.” She handed Alan her car keys. “Third row back. You’ll recognize it. It’s the same gray Honda I’ve been driving for five years.”

  “Right. I’ll see you at the house.” He loped away from the car.

  “Are you trying to make me look bad?” Michael asked moodily once Kate had settled herself in the passenger seat. “I send you child support every month, and you return the checks. You could have gotten a new car.”

  She sighed. “I didn’t want child support and I don’t need a new car. The Honda runs fine. And I had no intention of making Alan think you weren’t a good provider.”

  “Just because we’re divorced is no sign that I intend to evade my responsibilities. Nothing will change that.”

  “I know that’s the last thing you’d do.” Michael had always been arrow straight and almost fanatically conscious of his duty. He had been very upset when Kate had refused child support. “I just didn’t need it. Can we go?” She nodded at the crowd. “I’m tired of looking at those vultures.”

  “Then you should get a job where they don’t target you.” Michael started the engine and backed out of the parking space. “And they must not pay you much if you can’t afford a new car.”

  He seemed fixated on that blasted car. “They pay me enough. The fringe benefits are worth it.”

  “You mean they let you work yourself into a stupor,” he said sarcastically. “Joshua says you work every weekend at home now.”

  Bristling, she said, “I don’t neglect Joshua. You know I always put him first. It’s just like you to—” She broke off as she realized she hadn’t been in the car five minutes and already he had put her on the defensive. “Stop it, Michael. I’m not going to let you upset me just because you feel guilty.” She gave him a weary glance. “Particularly when there’s no reason for you to feel you’ve done anything wrong. You’re free to form new relationships. For God’s sake, we’ve been divorced for two years.”

  “I don’t feel guilty. The one has nothing to do with—” A reluctant smile curved his lips. “Smart. You always did see right through me.” He paused. “I didn’t mean it to be like this. I wish it had been anyone else. I know Benny’s a friend of yours.”

  “These things happen.” She looked away from him. “Is it serious?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe. I like her and it’s been a long time for me. She makes me feel good, Kate. She makes me feel ten feet tall.”

  She forced a smile. “I’d say that’s a great start.”

  “Yeah.” His hands tightened on the steering wheel. “If I’d thought there was a chance for us, I would never—It’s really over, isn’t it, Kate?”

  “You knew that.”

  “With my mind, maybe.” He shook his head. “I did love you, Kate. I just wish you weren’t so damn smart. Did you know that you intimidated the hell out of me?”

  “What?”

  “You scared me. In college you were some kind of whiz kid and I just plodded along.”

  “You didn’t act scared.” She added dryly, “As I recall, you tried to lure me into the sack on our first date.”

  He grinned. “Well, I’m never that intimidated. You were little and cuddly and sexy, and we had great chemistry.”

  “Cuddly?” she repeated indignantly. “Teddy bears are cuddly. I am not cuddly.”

  “Sorry, but you are. I wanted to snatch you up and take care of you.”

  Which only showed how faulty Michael’s image of her had been, she thought sadly.

  He said, “Hell, we had some great times together.”

  “But I never made you feel ten feet tall.”

  “Only in bed.” His smile faded. “But then it was over and you went your way. I was never important enough to you.”

  “You were important. I just couldn’t make you the lodestar of my existence, and you wouldn’t accept that. I wasn’t the wife you wanted.” She turned to him. “We made a mistake. Don’t make another one because you think Benny’s my opposite. Make sure this time.”

  “We’ve not gotten that far along.” He paused. “But she’s crazy about Joshua. I wonder if you’d mind if she came along with us to his game tomorrow afternoon.”

  She felt a flare of anger. It was all very well for her to give up Michael to Benny, but she’d be darned if she’d give her Jo
shua. “Let’s take it slow. You take Benny to the game instead of me. We’ll sit together in the bleachers to show Joshua that her being there with you has my stamp of approval and then I’ll drive Joshua home after the game.”

  “If that’s the way you want it.” He drew up to the curb in front of her house. “I want to make it as easy as possible for you.” He turned to face her and said haltingly, “You know I want the best for you, Kate.”

  The exasperation she felt with him faded as she gazed at him. With his sandy hair rumpled and his brown eyes slightly squinted, he looked like Joshua in one of his more earnest moments. It was hard to hold on to anger when Michael didn’t even realize he had been clumsy and tactless. In many ways he was like a big kid, and the boyishness that had first drawn her to him softened her now. “I know you do. I want the best for you too, Michael. You deserve it.” She opened the car door and got out as Alan pulled into the driveway. “The coach will be driving the team from school to the field so they can get in some batting practice before the game. You can pick up Benny from work. I’ll see you there.”

  Michael was frowning. “You’re sure it’s okay?”

  “It’s okay.” She turned away and walked quickly toward Alan, who was coming down the driveway. It wasn’t okay. A door had closed and she felt sad and alone and a little inadequate.

  Was that how Michael had felt when he was married to her? What a ridiculous notion. He had always been confident in his professional abilities and totally stubborn in his belief about where men and women belonged. She had always known she was more clever than most people in abstract studies, but her father had made sure she realized that there were all sorts of intelligence in the world. The mechanic in the garage she frequented was a genius at what he did. Michael was a wonderful police detective. She had assumed Michael knew she respected him and thought of him as an equal.

  Benny would have told him. Benny made him feel ten feet tall. Perhaps it was Kate’s fault that she had been impatient about—No, she wouldn’t blame herself. Michael’s insecurities were his own, just as Kate’s were her burden. Still, that knowledge didn’t make her feel less sad . . . or uneasy. Things would be different now. If Michael didn’t marry Benny, he’d probably form another relationship. If he married again, he’d have a more stable life and want Joshua more often.

  “Okay?” Alan was looking at her in concern.

  She nodded and took the keys. Alan probably knew about Benny and Michael. Partners usually were aware of everything that went on with each other. “I’m fine.”

  She continued up the driveway. Joshua should be home by now. She’d ask him if he wanted to go out in the yard and have her throw a few balls. She’d look at him and see him smile and maybe find a reason to hug him. She would have to be careful; Joshua was sharp and mustn’t suspect anything.

  Joshua was still her own. She needed Joshua now.

  Phyliss met her at the door, her gaze going to the car at the curb. “Isn’t Michael coming in?”

  “He’s in a hurry. Where’s Joshua?”

  “I sent him out to play. I didn’t want him watching TV. I thought the explosion might upset him.”

  “Explosion?”

  “You didn’t hear?” Phyliss closed the door. “I’ve been watching the story on CNN. Noah Smith is dead.”

  “What?” Shock riveted her in place. “How?”

  “There was an explosion at his pharmaceutical plant.” Phyliss went over to the TV and turned on the set. “Actually, several explosions.”

  “What happened?”

  Phyliss shrugged. “They don’t know. There are all kinds of combustible chemicals at pharmaceutical plants, aren’t there?”

  “Yes.” Kate walked slowly across the room and sank down on the couch, staring at the horrible images on the screen. A woman weeping, huddled in a corner. Firemen, gurneys racing with the casualties to the ambulances, buildings in flame. “My God.”

  “They don’t have any idea how many are dead. They think it may climb to over a hundred,” Phyliss said.

  “And they’re sure Smith is one of them?”

  “They haven’t found his body yet, but he was in his office at the time of the explosion.” She nodded at the center wing of the plant that was being devoured by flame. “The firemen haven’t been able to get in there to check for survivors.”

  Kate felt sick. No one could survive in that inferno. “It’s terrible.” She felt sorry for those poor people who worked in the plant, but she had just spoken to Smith two days ago. He had called her this morning.

  And now he was gone.

  Noah Smith’s face suddenly flashed on the screen before her.

  CNN had chosen a picture of him on board his yacht, Cadro. He was laughing, his light brown hair wind tossed, dark eyes gleaming with vitality and intelligence. He looked strong and bold and unconquerable.

  CNN cut to the burning building.

  She couldn’t take any more. “Turn it off.”

  Phyliss pressed the remote button and the screen went dark. “Sorry, I didn’t think you’d be this upset. You didn’t seem to like him much.”

  “I didn’t know him well enough to like or dislike him.” But she had felt as if she knew him. She hadn’t realized that a bond of intimacy had been formed by those calls she had found so exasperating. She had grown to recognize his voice, to picture him as they talked. “He was a brilliant man.”

  “I’d never seen a picture of him. He looks so . . . alive.”

  “I’m sure that’s what CNN was aiming for.” She rose jerkily to her feet. “I think I’ll go find Joshua.”

  “He’s in the backyard.”

  Kate moved down the hall toward the kitchen. Only moments before, she had wanted to see Joshua to reassure herself that she wasn’t alone. Now that reason seemed petty and selfish. But she still wanted to see her son. Those scenes of death and destruction had shaken her.

  She needed to celebrate life.

  * * *

  THREE

  * * *

  Did you hear about Noah Smith?” Charlie Dodd asked as soon as she sat down at her desk the next morning.

  “I would have had to be lost at sea not to have heard about it. There’s been nothing else on the radio or television since it happened. Tragic.”

  “The death count has risen to ninety-two.”

  She stared blindly down at the report in front of her. “What about Smith? Have they found his body?”

  “No, but they’re looking damn hard through the ruins. They need to rule him out on the bombing.”

  Her head lifted swiftly. “Bombing?”

  “You didn’t read this morning’s paper?” He nodded at the newspaper on his desk. “There were four bombs set at the plant. That’s what caused the explosions.”

  “But why?” Kate asked, stunned.

  “Who knows?” Charlie grimaced. “Who knows why we have forty raving lunatics camped outside? But GeneChem’s upping security now. Good thing you didn’t take that job, huh? Hell, what am I talking about? It’s a good thing I didn’t steal it away from you.”

  She nodded absently, her mind on those horrific scenes of devastation on CNN. “J. and S. wasn’t involved in any government research?”

  “You’re thinking terrorists? Not as far as anyone can find out.” He sat down at his desk. “They’re looking closer to home.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Insurance. J. and S. was reportedly in financial straits the past year. That’s why they’re combing for Smith’s body. They think they may find some kind of igniting device by—”

  “They’re assuming he blew up his plant and himself? That’s crazy.”

  Charlie threw up his hands in mock defense at the harshness of her tone. “Look, I don’t know what happened. I only know what I read in the paper.”

  “Sorry.” She didn’t know why her reaction had been so violent. But suicide was a surrender, and the Noah Smith she had come to know would not have surrendered. “It’s just unfair
and the man’s dead and can’t defend himself.”

  “Did you hear about Noah Smith?” Benny had appeared at Kate’s desk.

  “We’ve already gone through that scenario,” Charlie drawled and gave a melodramatic shudder. “Watch it.”

  “Oh? Well, I really don’t want to talk about it anyway. Those poor people . . .” Benny lowered her voice to a tone inaudible to Charlie. “Michael called me last night. You’re sure my coming to the game this afternoon is all right with you?”

  “I’m sure.”

  “You know how crazy I am about Joshua, Kate.”

  “I know.” Kate wished she’d just go away. She didn’t want to think about Michael or Benny right now. She felt shaken and outraged and she didn’t know how much of it was for Noah Smith and how much was for herself. “I’ll see you at the game, Benny.”

  “Right.” Benny smiled and turned away. “I’ll be there rooting up a storm.”

  “I was good, wasn’t I?” Joshua asked, elated. “Did you see that last double?”

  “I saw it.” Kate knelt to help him on with his Braves baseball jacket. “Stand still. It’s getting chilly now that the sun has set. I saw everything. You were the hero of the game.”

  He grimaced. “No, I wasn’t. We lost. You can’t be the MVP if your team loses.”

  “My mistake. You looked like an ace to me.”

  “That’s because you’re my mom.” But he still looked pleased. “Did Dad say anything?”

  “Why not ask him yourself?” She stood up and watched Michael and Benny make their way through the crowd of parents gathered in the center of the ball field. “I’d say he looks pretty proud.”

  “Great game, champ.” Michael was grinning broadly as he clapped Joshua on the shoulder. “If you’d had a little help, you’d have slaughtered them.”

  “Shh.” Joshua glanced worriedly at a dejected group next to the wire batting cage. “Rory did the best he could.”

  “Sorry.” Michael lowered his voice. “But you outclassed them, kid.”

  Benny nodded. “I jumped up and nearly knocked your mom off the bleachers when you hit that double. Pow!” She smiled at him. “Your dad and I are going to Chuck E. Cheese’s for a pizza. How about coming along?”