Long After Midnight (4 page)

“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

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 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?”

Kate stiffened, her gaze flying to Michael.

He almost imperceptibly shook his head. No, he’d accepted her decree to go slow. It was probably one of Benny’s impulses to ask Joshua.

“Sure.” Joshua glanced at Kate. “You coming too?”

Kate shook her head. “I have work to do. I’d better go on home. You run along.”

Joshua frowned uncertainly. “You sure it’s okay?”

She squeezed his shoulder. “It’s okay.” She glanced at Michael. “Have him home by nine. It’s a school night.”

“Right.” He looked over Joshua’s head at Kate. “Thanks. Come on, slugger.” He started across the grass toward the open field designated as the parking lot.

Benny smiled and waved at Kate before falling into step with Joshua.

Kate watched them go. Get used to it. Make it easy for Joshua. This is what divorce is all about. Someone usually gets left alone.

Joshua was looking back over his shoulder.

She smiled with an effort and waved at him.

He didn’t wave back. He stopped in his tracks.

He said something to Benny and came running back to her.

“Did you forget something?”

“I’m not going.” He jammed his hands in his baseball jacket. “I’m going home with you.”

“Why?”

He scowled. “I’m just going home with you. I’m tired of pizza.”

He was never tired of pizza. “Benny and your dad will be disappointed.”

“Maybe we’ll all go next time. Come on, let’s go home.”

Benny and Michael were looking back at her. Michael shrugged philosophically, took Benny’s elbow, and turned away.

Evidently she hadn’t handled this right. Joshua must have sensed her loneliness, and it had triggered that fiercely protective streak. She started toward the parking lot. “You’ll be bored. Why don’t you try to catch up? Benny was looking forward to seeing you tonight. You know you like her.”

Joshua fell into step with her. “Sure I like her. She’s funny.” He looked straight ahead as they left the ballpark. “Dad likes her too, doesn’t he?”

“Very much,” Kate said. “And that’s good. Your dad’s been lonely.”

“You don’t mind her—” He stopped.

“I’d be pretty selfish if I minded your dad being happy.” She stopped at the Honda and got out her keys. “And so would you. So why don’t you go to Chuck E. Cheese’s and have a great time.” She glanced over at Michael, who had settled Benny in the passenger seat of the Chevrolet on the far side of the parking lot. He slammed the door and ran around to the driver’s seat. “You still have time.”

He shook his head. “I’ll stay with you.”

God, she was tired of being noble. Why couldn’t Michael fight his own battles? One more try. “It’s really okay with me if—”

She was knocked against the Honda with bone-cracking force.

“Mom!”

“I’m okay.” She reached out blindly to steady herself against the hood, then turned around toward Joshua, who was picking himself up off the ground. “Are you hurt? I don’t know what happ—”

The door of Michael’s car was lying on the grass only a few feet from where they stood. The car itself was a mass of flames.

“Michael?” she whispered.

Joshua was looking at the flaming wreckage in bewilderment. “But where’s Dad . . .”

And then Joshua screamed.

“How you doing?”

Kate looked up to see Alan Eblund climbing the bleacher steps. She drew Joshua closer and wrapped the blanket tighter around both of them. Cold. She couldn’t seem to get warm, but the blanket helped. Someone had given the blanket to them, she remembered dully. That’s right, Rory’s mother. She had gotten it out of her trunk. Kind. Everyone had been kind.

Alan sat down beside her and said heavily, “You know how I feel, Kate.”

Yes, Alan would feel as if he’d lost a brother. “Joshua needs to go home. The police wouldn’t let us leave.”

“I know.”

“He needs to go home.”

“I brought Betty, she’s waiting in the car. We’ll take him home with us.”

Her arm tightened around Joshua. “No.”

“Listen, Kate, you’re almost in shock and so is Joshua. You can’t take care of him.” He paused. “And he shouldn’t be there when you tell Phyliss.”

Phyliss. Oh God, she had to go home and tell Phyliss her son was dead.

Michael was dead. Fresh pain washed over her, raw and piercing through the shock.

Alan turned to Joshua. “I know you want to be with your mom, but she needs to be alone with your grandmother for a while. Betty’s waiting outside the gate. Will you let her take you to my house?”

“No.” Joshua’s arms tightened around her. “I’ve got to stay with Mom.”

Alan looked at Kate.

She wanted to keep on holding Joshua, to try to make everything all right. But how did you go about making the sight of your father being blown to pieces go away? Joshua would need her more when the numbness wore off. She nodded. “I’ll be okay, Joshua. Please go. I’ll pick you up in a few hours.”

“But what if—” He reluctantly released her, stood up, and started down the steps. He stopped and whirled on Alan. He said fiercely, “You take care of her.”

“You bet,” Alan said gravely.

They both watched him as he descended the stairs.

“He saw it?” Alan asked.

She nodded. “We were both in the parking lot.”

“He’s taking it well.”

“The hell he is. He couldn’t stop shaking for an hour.” She shivered. “And neither could I. What happened, Alan?”

“We think it was a car bomb wired to the ignition.” He put his arm around her. “He started the car and . . . boom.”

“A car bomb,” she repeated. “Who?”

“Michael was a narcotics detective. You know the risks. We were closing in on a big operation. The Bochak combine had made threats to both of us.” He shrugged wearily. “Or maybe it was someone he fingered in the past. I’ll look into both possibilities. I hope we’ll know more when the lab boys get through going over the car.”

She felt sick as she remembered that blazing funeral pyre. “I don’t see how there could be anything left to go over.”

“You’d be surprised. Michael came to these games every Tuesday?”

She nodded. “And Saturday.”

“So, he had a routine going? Someone watching him would know he was going to be here?”

“I guess so.” She shook her head dazedly. “It seems impossible. At a Little League game? It shouldn’t have happened here. How did they plant the bomb? There were people coming and going all the time.”

“Except during the last innings of the game. No proud parent is going to walk out on his kid. The parking lot would have had to be deserted for only a short time. It doesn’t take long for an expert to rig a bomb.”

“But there were other cars around . . . kids in that parking lot. For God’s sake, Joshua almost went with them in the car.” She had to stop to steady her voice as that horror overwhelmed her. “It’s a wonder someone else wasn’t hurt. Whoever did this must be some kind of monster.”

“No doubt about it.” He looked away from her and the next words came awkwardly. “According to the witnesses, there was a woman in the car.”

“Benny. Benita Chavez. She worked at GeneChem.”

“Did she have family here?”

That’s right, Benny’s family had to be notified. Poor Benny. Kate felt a flare of guilt that she wasn’t as devastated by Benny’s death as she was by Michael’s. Benny had been young and full of life. She had a right to be mourned.

“Miss Chavez’s family,” Alan prompted.

She tried to remember. “No, she had an apartment of her own here, but she mentioned that her mother lived in Tucson. I don’t know the address.”

“We’ll find out from GeneChem.” He stood up. “Come on. I’ll take you home.”

Home to face Phyliss. She got to her feet, her gaze going to the parking lot that was ablaze with blinking lights from the police cars and coroner’s van. She didn’t want to see that coroner’s van at closer range and she didn’t want to see the hideous wreckage of Michael’s car again. “Where are you parked?”

Alan instantly understood. “You won’t have to go back out there. After we checked out your car, I hot-wired your Honda and pulled it around to the other side of the ballpark. I’ll have a squad car follow us.”

“Thanks.” She squeezed his arm. “Thanks for everything, Alan.”

“No problem.” He hesitated. “The reporters got here the same time I did. I’d advise you not to take any calls. They might upset you.”

“More than I am already? I doubt it. But I’ve no desire to talk to the press.”

“There may be innuendos. . . .” He sounded uneasy. “You know, divorced wife . . . new girlfriend.”

She stared at him, shocked. “You said Michael’s death was drug related—”

“Sure,” he interrupted. “But you know how reporters are always digging, looking for an angle. I’ll handle them for you. Just don’t answer the phone.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t. I’ll turn off the ringer,” she said grimly. “That’s all Joshua would need.”

“We’ll watch over Joshua.” His hand on her elbow was firm but gentle as he helped her down the bleacher steps. “You just take care of yourself and Phyliss.”

Kate stared at the front door.

She didn’t want to go in. If she went in the house, she’d have to see Phyliss and tell her—

Alan opened the passenger door. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

She nodded. She had to get out. She had to go in the house. Someone had to tell Phyliss. Someone who loved her and had loved Michael.

Michael . . .

Oh God, don’t fall apart now. “Thanks, Alan.” She got out of the car and walked toward the house.

Michael laughing, Michael passionate, Michael angry.

Michael proud and tender at the hospital when Joshua was born.

Michael alive.

She could feel the tears running down her face as she opened the front door.

Phyliss was watching TV. “Good game?” she asked without turning around.

“Phyliss.”

Phyliss’s head jerked around. “Kate?” She saw Kate’s face and jumped to her feet. “What’s wrong? Joshua?”

“No.” Hold on tight. Don’t break down. She had to get the words out. She moved across the room and took the other woman in her arms. “Not Joshua, Phyliss.”