The Midnight Effect

by Pamela Fryer

  “Me too. I’ll back in a little while.” She didn’t need to ask if Annie wanted the light left on. She wasn’t just afraid of the dark, she was terrified.

  “Aunt Lily?”

  “Yes, sweetie?” Lily pulled the covers up and sat on the edge of the bed.

  “What’s that sound?”

  “What sound?” Worry stabbed the pit of her stomach. Was this another example of the child’s odd intuitiveness?

  Annie turned her head toward the window. “That one.”

  Relief washed over Lily like a tidal wave. After what she’d been through today, there wasn’t much more she could withstand. “Those are crickets. They’re pretty bugs who sing in the night.”

  “Why?”

  “To help little girls fall asleep, that’s why.” Lily managed a smile and tweaked Annie’s nose. “Try to get some rest, okay?”

  Annie giggled. “’kay.”

  Lily took the shirt Miles gave her and went into the bathroom. She removed her ruined blouse and slipped into the fuzzy flannel. His scent wrapped around her like a warm blanket, reassuring and masculine. The simple traces made her feel safe, protected. Lily frowned at her pathetic reflection in the mirror. Nothing could be further from the truth.

  After washing out her blouse in the sink, she walked softly through the bedroom and eased the door closed. Her hands shook as she crossed the cabin’s small living room. She wondered how best to present her wretched tale without coming off like a nutcase.

  Miles sat at the table watching her with a scrutinizing gaze. “Local boys are all over what’s left of my station. Your friend’s long gone. My guess is he’s waiting for me to turn you over to the police.”

  She sat across from him and folded her hands together on the table.

  “I’m taking you to Seattle tomorrow. My sergeant is the right man to help, if your story checks out.”

  His statement was a warning, ringing loud and clear. If your story checks out.

  “You might as well tell me first. You’ll need someone in your corner.”

  She glanced up. Was he that person? She wasn’t certain. Miles’ eyes were hard and his expression severe.

  Tragedy had etched deep lines around vibrant blue eyes, but his thick, dark hair didn’t possess a hint of gray. He had the rugged good looks of a man who preferred the mountains to the city.

  “You should go to the police here in town, tell them I robbed you and stole your truck.”

  He scowled. “Not only would that make me a laughing stock, nobody would believe it. I have a black belt in judo.”

  And the physique to go with it, she thought. “It doesn’t matter what they believe. Colton Reilly needs to think you had no part in my escape.” Wrong word. Lily bit her lip.

  “Too late.”

  He was right, of course, but her guilt was insurmountable. Lily lowered her voice. “The man’s a killer. Until he’s certain you won’t serve as a lead to me, your life won’t be worth two cents to him.”

  His frown deepened. “I’m no rookie.”

  “I know.” She swallowed. “But I didn’t understand how ruthless he was until two days ago. Now, because of me, you’re in danger. That’s hard to live with.”

  She met his gaze. His was icy, condemning. It said, get to the point.

  “I might as well start with the worst part.” Her stomach flip-flopped and she took a deep breath. The stew she’d eaten was threatening to make a second appearance. “The social worker who transferred Annie’s custody to me was murdered in our hotel. In my room.”

  He didn’t even flinch. He’d been a good cop, she could tell. A hard one.

  “Her name was Roberta Barker. After we signed the papers we went up to our rooms together. We switched because hers had double beds. I guess she called room service because when the porter came up he caught a man running out of her room. In fifteen minutes police were swarming the hotel.”

  He nodded. Lily knew he was committing the story to memory and would check every word that came out of her mouth. Until he did, she was a suspect. She took another deep breath. That was fair enough.

  “Annie knew something bad was happening.” She glanced at the bedroom door where the angelic child was sleeping. “She’s…special.”

  A muscle in his jaw ticked, and something in his eyes changed.

  “She woke me up and told me we had to leave. I didn’t understand what was happening, and I panicked.” She shrugged. “Actually, I still don’t understand now.”

  His gaze fell to the table for only a second and then it was piercing hers again without mercy. She sighed and glanced around the room, not sure how to go on.

  “Start by telling me your last name,” he offered.

  He truly was a good cop. At least he created the illusion he was making this easier for her.

  “Brent. Lily Brent. My sister’s name was Cassandra.” And that seemed the best place to start. “When she was seventeen, she was struck by lightning.”

  Miles surprised her with a wry half-smile. He was strikingly handsome even through the severe lines he wore like a badge. She would bet when he smiled, really smiled, he was drop-dead gorgeous.

  “And you’re telling me this why?”

  “She was convinced it gave her psychic powers.” There, it was out. It made her sister sound crazy. Hell, it made her sound crazy.

  “She was sitting under a pine tree with her boyfriend during a thunderstorm. He was killed. After that, Cassie changed. She withdrew from us and her friends. At first my mother and I believed she was reacting to her boyfriend’s death, but then she tried to make us believe she could pick up other people’s thoughts. She became obsessed with psychic phenomenon.”

  “What does this have to do with IntelliGenysis?”

  She resisted another glance at the bedroom door. “My sister worked in the Telekinetic division.”

  His expression didn’t change, but there was a barely perceptible raise of his brows. “I thought they did medical studies using gene therapy.”

  “They do. Cassie claimed IntelliGenysis was on the brink of developing a genetically superior future for mankind, building stronger, healthier, more intelligent babies through gene splicing. By identifying and isolating the genes which promote superior health, they also believe they have the potential to awaken undiscovered powers of the mind.”

  Lily read the disbelief in his face. “I know. It was hard for me to swallow too, especially considering Cassie’s past behavior. Before she left for college, before she’d ever heard of Colton Reilly or IntelliGenysis, she was aggressively outspoken about the reality of psychic capabilities. She was almost obnoxious about it. But after she went to work there she changed. She was calm and professional and everything she said was described in scientific detail. It sounded plausible, if not frightening. I thought she’d found her niche. IntelliGenysis was a respected research facility intent on proving what she’d always believed in. She seemed happy, so I didn’t question her.”

  “When was the last time you saw her?”

  Lily stopped, thinking about the last nine years. For the first time since learning about her sister’s death, tight sobs wound in the pit of her stomach. She took a deep breath, tamping them down. Crying would only look like a pitiful act to gain this suspicious man’s sympathy.

  “I’d only seen her twice since she left home. Cassie called me out of the blue about seven years ago. She needed a kidney transplant. I didn’t think twice about it. She was my sister. Of course I would do it. She said she’d had a severe infection that damaged her kidneys. She was on dialysis and would die without a transplant. The procedure was done in the surgical center at IntelliGenysis.”

  His attention perked. “So you’ve been there, inside the compound?”

  “After the surgery Colton Reilly tried to get me to take a job. I was offered more money than I’d ever dreamed of.”

  “You’ve met him personally?”

  She nodded. “He’s…calculating.” It was the first
word to come to mind that didn’t sound nasty. Colton Reilly was arrogant and condescending. Beneath the golden-boy good looks most women found attractive, the man was oily, manipulative.

  “I’m guessing you didn’t take the job.”

  “It was suspicious from the start.” And it only got worse, but Lily kept the rest to herself. If she told him what she thought Colton really wanted her for, he would think she was crazy.

  “I’m a graphic artist. I have no skills that would benefit them. The money and the chance to be closer to a family member would appeal to most people, but I built my company from the ground up. I’m sure you understand what it’s like to own your own business. It’s more than just a job. It’s a part of me.”

  He shifted on his chair and leaned his elbows on the table, relaxing his defensive posture for the first time. He tipped his head. “Not the gas station,” he admitted with another fleeting half-smile. “I used to feel that way about police work.”

  His grin vanished and his brows drew together, and like a wall, the harsh front was erected again.

  Lily sighed. She wondered if he would let her see more of the real Miles before he handed her over to the Seattle PD. She experienced a momentary flicker of disappointment. This man was obviously nursing his own wounds, so wrapped up in his sorrow he didn’t have time for her. But Lily was feeling lost and alone, and Miles Goodwin’s chiseled good looks were as delicious as a cup of hot chocolate on a cold morning.

  She glanced down at her hands on the table. Men who looked like Miles were out of her league. He thought she was a criminal. She could handle being looked at as plain and dull. She was used to that. But being a suspect was new to her, and Lily found it downright painful.

  “Cassandra came home for Christmas four years ago, when our mother was still alive.”

  “What about your father?”

  She shook her head. “He died a long time ago.”

  “Do you have any family left at all?” He made no effort to soften the coldness of his question.

  Lily laughed, but it was a pitiful, humorless sound. “I guess I don’t. Just Annie.” As she said it, a fierce welling of love surged inside her so powerfully it shook her. She would do anything for that little girl.

  “Annie would have been about two, but Cassie never said a word about her. Our mother was living near me in an assisted-living community at the time. After we walked her home, Cassie started in about my working for IntelliGenysis again. She was so persistent I shouted at her to stop and told her not to bring it up again. She annoyed me so badly I was glad when she left.”

  This time Lily couldn’t stop the tears burning her eyes. “That was the last time I saw her alive. Five days ago I got a call from the Spokane coroner’s office, asking me to come and identify her body.” She sat back, dropped her hands into her lap and stared at them.

  Miles took a long breath in and out. “It must have been very difficult for you.”

  Shame burned in her gut as she shook her head. “I was more disappointed than sad, and now I feel guilty. We could have tried harder, she and I. But we didn’t.”

  He didn’t offer any condolences, and she was glad. She understood why he’d told her not to offer any earlier.

  “And you learned about Annie then.”

  “Yes. Cassie’s lawyer and the social services agent, Miss Barker, met me at the medical examiner’s office and asked me to stay in town a day so we could take care of the paperwork right away. We checked in to the Country Home Suites at the same time. We signed papers that evening and were to process them at her office the next day.”

  “Why wasn’t Annie given to her father?” Miles wore his suspicious, disbelieving face again.

  “Colton Reilly wasn’t married to my sister and his name isn’t on the birth certificate. I’m not even certain he is Annie’s father.”

  “Still—”

  “My sister was run down in broad daylight while trying to escape from that man,” she shot back. “Before she died she begged the hospital to make a video testament because she knew I would never believe her story unless she could tell me herself. They told her she was going to be all right but she knew she was going to die. She begged them until someone from the depositions office came in with a camera. Her video was a plea, begging me to take Annie away and keep her safe. At birth she’d legally named me as Annie’s godparent, and if you saw the video you’d understand why the Department of Social Services didn’t think twice about handing her over to me.”

  She was trembling and sweating and Miles had lost his doubting expression. But just when she was beginning to think he believed her, he asked, “Where is the video now?”

  She sat back and crossed her arms over her chest, fighting to steady her shaking voice. “At your gas station.”

  ***

  Colton Reilly flipped open his cell phone when the ring identified Vince Luggo calling on the World Star satellite phone. “This better be good news.”

  “She got away from me.”

  Colton pinched the bridge of his nose. “How? She’s a frightened woman headed home. You know where home is.”

  “She’s using back roads. I caught up to her in Parkmont, but she tried to get away from me and crashed into a gas station.”

  “Dammit, I told you I didn’t want her hurt.”

  “You said you wanted her scared. Trust me, she’s scared.”

  “Where are you now?”

  “Looking at the charred remains. She burned the place to the ground and took off with the attendant in a four-by-four. Thing is, I don’t think he’s your ordinary pump jockey.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I don’t know. Something in the way he handled himself.”

  Colton bit back his irritation. “I don’t want any witnesses.”

  “I’ll take care of him.”

  “Be sure you tie up all loose ends, Vince. It’s what I’m paying you for.”

  Vince snorted. “Don’t worry, it’ll be my pleasure.”

  “I’ll have Quinlan track her by her cell phone. In the meantime, head to the police station. It’s the most likely place they’ll go.”

  Colton snapped the phone shut and buzzed his secretary. He handed her a slip of paper. “Tell Quinlan I have a job for him, and then find me whatever you can on the owner of this gas station and his employees.”

  She took the paper but remained in front of his desk. “Mr. Reilly, the Japanese are threatening to leave. They say if you don’t meet with them in person by tomorrow morning, they’re pulling out. They want their demonstration.”

  “Stall them another day.”

  “I’ve already stalled them two.”

  He took a calming breath. “I’ll see them at nine tomorrow morning, but remind them they won’t be able to see the demonstration until midnight. Have Dr. Shapiro prepare B2-8. We’ll pull a switch and they’ll never know the difference.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Get my information first.”

  He drummed his fingers as she strode back to her office. Even if Vince reclaimed A2-6 tonight, she wouldn’t be ready to perform by tomorrow. She’d always been a strong-willed subject. This situation would make her unpredictable. She’d been out of her controlled environment for five days. It could take months to get her back under control and performing at her peak.

  Three minutes later, Sandra buzzed his desk phone. “The sole proprietor is a Miles Goodwin, with no employees on record. He’s ex-military on leave from Seattle PD. He was promoted to Investigations, but quit suddenly when his wife and daughter were killed in a car accident.”

  This was not good news. Lily Brent was in the care of a bleeding heart with special training and nothing to lose.

  “Did they go to the local police?”

  “Not so far as I can tell, but maybe they just haven’t gotten there yet. He has a small house in Parkmont, a ski condo in Idaho and a beachfront cottage in Washington Bay. He must have invested well. He has almost no debt I can see.”r />
  Colton would bet money on the cottage. They were probably halfway to Seattle by now. It would be the most convenient place they could hole up near the cop’s old stomping grounds.

  “I’ll need you to stay late tonight and monitor the police reports. Vince couldn’t find his ass if his hands were cuffed behind his back.”

  Colton disconnected the call. Lily he could handle, but the cop was a problem.

  He shook away his irritation. One inconvenience at a time.

  As much as it goaded him to admit it, he needed the Japanese. IntelliGenysis was doing well without foreign investors, but he wanted to move outside the strict regulations of the American drug industry. Recent breakthroughs demanded a new, updated facility, and he wanted Uncle Sam to see he wouldn’t let the U.S. government take control. Opening a new facility in Canada would prove it. His groundbreaking achievements in genetics led the field. No other lab was even in the same race. Strategically placed spies kept him informed of that.

  A2-6 was more successful than he’d dreamed possible. And Lily Brent—what a surprise she’d turned out to be. Cassandra had described her sister as meek, but she’d resisted his offers for employment twice, offers that were not meant to be refused. Now she defied him by fleeing even though she believed he would exert lethal force to get the child back.

  Even more surprising was her courageous determination to protect a child she didn’t even know. She had no idea how thick her blood ties truly were, but still she put the child’s life first.

  He was right in suspecting Lily was the key to A2-6’s abilities.

  Chapter Four

  A strip of yellow light crossed the family room floor through the cracked bedroom door. After a few minutes of soft whispers, Lily and the child fell silent.

  Miles picked up the Tigger doll. It was foolish to keep it away from the little girl like some coveted shred of his daughter. He’d donated her clothes and toys to a charity that helped women fleeing abusive relationships. This toy was no different, but his heart had seized with pain when he saw one last tangible piece of Michelle he could hold in his hand.