Long After Midnight by Iris Johansen Read Free Book Online

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
----

    D id 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