Midnight Before Christmas by William Bernhardt Read Free Book Online Page A

heavyset man in his early thirties, inching forward. He knew he had to move quickly or he would encounter some serious resistance. “This isn’t over, Bonnie. Not by a long shot.” He turned quickly and fled out the front door.
    Megan tried to stop Carl as he rushed past, but he knocked her out of the way without even breaking his stride. She pushed herself back to her feet, but by the time she had raced outside, Carl was speeding away in his red pickup. She did manage to get the license-plate number, though: XAU-208. She scribbled it down on a scrap of paper, then ran back inside the restaurant.
    “Did someone call the—” She stopped. Bonnie was cradling her son in her arms, pressing him against her chest.
    “Oh, God,” she kept murmuring under her breath. “Oh, thank you, God.”
    A nod from the woman behind the counter told Megan the police were on their way. She plopped herself into the nearest chair, suddenly exhausted. She leaned forward and laid her head on the table.
    She would have to pull herself together before the police arrived. Someone had to bring them up-to-date, and she could hardly expect Bonnie to do it. The police had to understand what was happening. Even if Carl was an ex-cop, they had to try to find the man. Before he returned.
    She was glad they’d found Tommy before it was too late. But her elation hadn’t made her forget what Carl had said before he bolted out the door.
    This isn’t over, Bonnie, he said.
    And as Megan stared into the man’s steely eyes, she knew he meant it. She knew this wasn’t over.
    She knew he’d be back.

10
    M EGAN ASSURED BONNIE THEY were perfectly safe in her office. Security guards controlled the access to the elevators, and security cameras were everywhere. But it didn’t seem to matter. No matter what she said, Bonnie continued to cling tightly to her son.
    “I’m just so relieved,” she kept murmuring, over and over again. “So grateful.”
    Megan couldn’t help but smile. She was relieved, too. The whole time they had scoured the parking lots, she had known in her heart they were chasing a long shot of the tallest order. She did it mostly just to calm Bonnie, to make her feel as if they were trying. She had never in a million years expected it to bear fruit. When they finally did manage to track down Tommy, and just in the nick of time, it seemed like a miracle of the highest order.
    Miracle. Now that was a funny thought. Especially from someone who didn’t seem to believe in much of anything these days.
    Speaking of miracles, Jasper had finally settled down in the corner of her office. When she had first come in with Bonnie and Tommy, he had gone into attack mode. What exactly he thought he was going to do to them wasn’t clear—drool them to death, maybe. At any rate, Megan had fed him, calmed him, and hooked his leash around her desk lamp. For the moment, he seemed content. When the occasional inevitable expulsions of gas were released, Bonnie simply pretended she hadn’t heard. And Tommy … well, it was nice to finally see the boy crack a smile.
    “I’ve talked to the police,” Megan explained. Bonnie and Tommy were sharing a chair on the opposite side of the desk in her small office. “They’ve taken the food from the Chinese restaurant. They’re going to run tests to see if”—she glanced quickly at Tommy—“well, you know.”
    Bonnie nodded. “I already know. I could see it the moment I looked into Carl’s eyes.”
    “Well, after the tests, we’ll know for sure. I also gave them Carl’s license-plate number, and they, promised to broadcast it to all the patrol cars in the area.”
    “Then they should pick him up soon,” Bonnie said. “Lock him away. Make sure he doesn’t try anything again.”
    “We can hope.” Megan wasn’t sure how to play it. She didn’t want to destroy the tiny bit of hope in Bonnie’s eyes. At the same time, it could be disastrous to lull her into a false sense of security. “The fact is,