The Midnight Effect

by Pamela Fryer

  “I could have told you all that.”

  “Ms. Brent, we need to verify all the facts before we can take action.”

  “I can’t believe this. We’re talking about a kidnapping here. The man tried to kill us.”

  “We don’t have any proof Vince Luggo is affiliated with Colton Reilly or IntelliGenysis. The helicopter that picked him up bore no markings. Additionally, at this time, legal custody of the child hasn’t been established. You said Colton Reilly is her father, you hadn’t seen your sister in years. Before we can act we need legal proof Cassandra Brent had custody of the child she removed from Colton Reilly’s care. Ms. Brent, you said yourself you didn’t even know your sister had a child. Is it possible—”

  “No, it isn’t possible,” she interrupted. “You’re about to insinuate Cassie took a child she had no right to? Did you even watch her video? She died trying to protect Annie.”

  Miles placed a hand on her shoulder. “Lily, we saw it. No one is disputing she was desperate to save Annie.”

  She was grateful he was here with her, but the gesture was an insulting request to calm down. These men didn’t appear to feel the urgency. Obviously she wasn’t riled enough.

  A young black woman poked her head in the door. Billings waved her in.

  “I just got off the phone with Child Protective Services. The supervisor who would know more about Annie Brent’s case has already gone home for the day, but the girl in the office checked the computer. No paperwork has been filed regarding a transfer of custody.” She glanced at her notepad. “And no luck reaching the lawyer. I’ve left a message with the answering service for Ross and White. They assure me he’s good about answering urgent pages after hours.”

  Billings smiled at the young officer. “Thank you, Denise.”

  Lily’s heart sank. It was one roadblock after another. “You’re not going to do anything.”

  “There is nothing I can do. I’m limited by legal constraints. I can’t just storm into IntelliGenysis with guns blazing.” He smiled as if it was a joke that should make her laugh. Rationally, she knew he was right, but it didn’t make it any easier to accept.

  “I’m going to post a patrol car outside your home tonight. I would suggest hiring a lawyer, Ms. Brent. I would also suggest you take a trip to Spokane as soon as you’re able. You’re wanted for questioning. Roberta Barker’s death has been classified as murder.”

  She gasped, horrorstruck.

  He held up a hand. “You aren’t a suspect, but you were involved. The hotel staff verified you met with her in the hotel’s conference room the night of her death, and you two had switched rooms. In fact, they thought it was you they’d found until the police identified her by her driver’s license.”

  Lily chewed her lip. Things had gone from bad to worse.

  “It doesn’t sit well that you left before the on-duty could question you.”

  “An employee delivering room service saw her attacker run out of the room.” Lily was surprised she could speak. This was all going horribly wrong, and she worried it would conclude with her being photographed front and profile. “Will he be shown a picture of Vince Luggo?”

  “Yes, he will. But until we find something to link him with Reilly, it won’t give us probable cause to serve IntelliGenysis with a warrant.”

  “I don’t believe this.” She shoved back in her chair with an angry grumble.

  “Ms. Brent, I know this might sound indifferent, but you need to trust me on this—you don’t want us to risk doing anything rash. A mistake made by the police could hurt your case in the long run.”

  The man’s face softened but it did nothing to ease her angst.

  “I feel for you and the little girl, truly I do. I’m a father and a grandfather, and I can’t begin to imagine what you’re going through. I promise you I’ll do whatever I can to investigate this matter and try to find a solution to help Annie. And regardless of all else, rest assured we are going to do everything within our power to keep you safe.”

  “It’s not me you should be worried about. Annie hated being there. She was terrified of Colton Reilly. They were doing something bad to her.” She lifted her hands and clenched her fists in frustration. “What kind of a person would send a vicious brute to steal a child at gunpoint?”

  “You might be surprised.”

  She glanced at Miles. His face was a mask of granite. She was sure these men had seen horrors in their line of work, but right now she could conceive of no greater horror than what had happened to Annie.

  “Ms. Brent, if you have the funds, I suggest you hire the best lawyer available. My daughter is currently going through a divorce and suing for custody of her two kids. Her situation isn’t all that messy, but nevertheless it’s been a nightmare. You’re up against one of the wealthiest men in the state who obviously isn’t afraid to push the bar. You’re in for a battle, and you need to arm yourself appropriately.”

  Lily felt as rubbery as a deflated balloon. She and Miles sat in silence in the back seat of the squad car for the twenty-minute trip to her townhouse.

  Fat, lazy raindrops beat down steadily, trailing in rivulets over the car’s windows. The city lights were transformed into a blurry kaleidoscope of color, making Seattle look unfamiliar and strange. She turned to stare out her window, hiding the silent tears streaming down her cheeks.

  Miles grasped her hand and wove his fingers within hers. The gesture was so surprising she gasped. She wiped her cheeks with one hand while she held firmly on to him with the other.

  “I’m sorry.” Almost no sound came as he said it, but the words were still so vibrant they resounded in her head.

  She managed a shaky smile. “You shouldn’t be.” This poor man carried so much on his shoulders.

  “It’s going to be all right.”

  She sighed, defeated, but nodded. He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

  The rest of the ride finished in silence, but it was a few precious moments of tender peace she wished she could put in her pocket and relive at a better time, when all her worries were gone and Annie was safe.

  The officer pulled into Rose Crest and turned right and left where she indicated. He parked at the curb in front of her townhouse.

  The officer went inside while they waited in the entry. Miles shifted close and did a slow exploration of her face. The way his eyes roamed over her lips, chin and neck was like a sexual caress.

  “I need to call your alarm company and inform them of the situation,” the officer said from the living room. “Even though I’m here, they should treat any alarm with the utmost priority.”

  Lily led them to the kitchen. She dialed the cordless phone and cradled it against her shoulder while she started the coffee maker. When the alarm company came on the line she gave them her password and handed over the handset.

  Miles settled onto a bar stool at the kitchen island as the officer spoke. Lily took a bottle of water from the refrigerator and chased down two aspirin.

  The officer hung up the phone. “We’re set. Ms. Brent, I’d like you to keep the curtains closed and please don’t leave the house without telling me.”

  She raised her hands in surrender. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  The crisp sound of the heavy downpour disappeared behind the door. Lily punched the buttons on the keypad. Each beep rang shrilly loud in her overtired ears. Then there was nothing but the muffled patter of rain all around them.

  It struck her at that moment that she was about to have a man spend the night for the first time. She guessed the situation wasn’t unusual for most people, but for her it was. She was suddenly very aware of his raw masculinity, the deep intensity of those magical blue eyes, and his powerful sexual energy.

  As though he could read her mind, he asked, “Do you want me to get a hotel room for the night?”

  “No, of course not.” She started past him, embarrassed. Could he see her bashfulness so clearly? “It’s after nine and it’s pouring out.”

&nb
sp; Lily stalked into her living room practically running, then turned abruptly and faced him. She willed herself to stop the jerky movements, but she felt like an awkward teenager.

  He followed her slowly. “I think it would be better.”

  “Nonsense. I’ll get you a pair of sweats I think you’ll fit into, and I’ll show you where the washer and dryer are.”

  She hurried upstairs to dig out a soft, baggy sweat suit he could squeeze into. Once back in the living room, she handed them over with the flannel shirt he’d loaned her and led the way down to the second suite. She opened the door and threw it wide.

  “The laundry nook is down here.” She continued down the narrow steps. The machines sat in a small recess before the door to the garage. A basket of towels sat on the machine waiting to be washed. “Just dump your clothes in here and this’ll make a full wash.”

  She faced him in the narrow hall. “Help yourself to anything in the kitchen. I’ll make us something to eat in the morning before we go.”

  “Go?” He stopped her with a hand on her arm. He could see her nervousness, and that made it a hundred times worse.

  “I’m going to rent a car and head back to Spokane. Chief Billings said I should go as soon as possible. I can take you home on the way.”

  He frowned as if he knew she was planning something entirely different. His suspicious gaze lingered for a long minute. He sighed, realizing there was nothing he could say to stop her.

  “I’m going to make a call about the Jeep.”

  She nodded. “There’s a phone in your room.”

  Once alone in the kitchen, she breathed out her tension in a long sigh. Miles set her every nerve on edge. He was right, staying here wasn’t the best idea, but she couldn’t very well turn him out now. He would never understand she was a shy, super nerd who’d never had a serious relationship and fell to pieces in the presence of a halfway decent-looking guy.

  And in Miles’ case, that meant she was completely shattered. He was more than halfway decent looking. He was two-hundred percent spectacular masculinity.

  Lily poured herself a cup of coffee and headed to her office. She booted up her computer and settled into her comfy office chair.

  An internet search of IntelliGenysis brought up the typical multitude of results. At first it looked like a lot, considering the secrecy of the organization, but Lily was disappointed to find most of them were of the company’s own vague website and random press releases about inconsequential things.

  By the time her coffee was cold she was no closer to understanding what was going on at IntelliGenysis or how Annie could possibly be involved.

  Finally, she came to a New York Times article about Baxall Laboratories that mentioned IntelliGenysis. She followed the link to the article, a press release about a scientist hired by Baxall as their new head of research and development. A photo revealed a pretty Asian woman named Meiling Wong. Lily skimmed the article for the reference to IntelliGenysis.

  Baxall Laboratories announced today Meiling Wong has been hired as Director of Research and Development for their drug division. Wong is most noted for a 2002 Nobel Prize nomination for her drug RH24, a revolutionary chemical compound that splices out certain defect-causing genes from a patient’s genetics.

  Wong is confident gene splicing drugs will eventually eradicate most, if not all, inheritable diseases from our genetic makeup.

  “Imagine a world where young people study diseases in history class, not biology,” Wong says. “Genetic engineering has the potential to eradicate defects in the gene pool and forever remove almost every type of inherent defect, everything from Alzheimer’s to congenital heart disease. Even baldness. I believe our generation is about to see astounding changes in medicine as radical as the advent of the automobile was to our great-grandparents.”

  Wong has devoted her life to genetic studies. She completed her doctorate at Stanford University and did her residency at Stanford Research Institute in Palo Alto, California. She comes to Baxall from a five-year position at IntelliGenysis, where her work was responsible for revolutionary breakthroughs in juvenile disease research.

  Lily’s heart leapt. If she could just talk to this woman, she might be able to learn what was going on at IntelliGenysis. She printed the article and then clicked on the contact link to discover Baxall was located in Washington’s premier research area.

  “What are you doing?”

  She started and bumped her cup, spilling cold coffee on her desk. Miles stood in the doorway. His hair was damp and tousled and his skin was freshly scrubbed.

  Absurdly, she wondered if this was what he looked like every morning. Her skin grew warm. He looked good enough to eat.

  “What’s this?” He snatched the paper out of the printer on the stand by the doorway.

  She braced herself for a lecture as he scanned the paper. His heavy-lidded eyes rose to hers, making her gulp. He almost looked resigned, as if he had expected her to be up to no good.

  “She’ll have answers,” Lily said defensively. Why did this man have the power to uproot the confidence she’d worked so hard to develop as an adult?

  Because he’s the most gorgeous creature I’ve ever seen, and he leapt to my rescue like a knight in shining armor.

  She didn’t wait for a response. He wasn’t her keeper. He could hardly stop her from speaking to the woman. Tomorrow she was going to drive him home and she would never see him again.

  Her throat tightened at the thought, but she hardly had time to dwell on it now. Rescuing Annie was the single most important priority in her life. She swallowed away the regret as she pointed her browser to a popular online yellow pages and entered a search for Meiling Wong.

  The paper crinkled as he lowered his hand, but Lily didn’t look up. She found a listing for Meiling Wong in South Manning, then pasted the address into a map site and printed out the results.

  “Are you going to go marching up to her demanding answers?”

  “Something like that.” Lily gave him a cautious smile. “I’ll be nice.”

  “I’m sure you will,” Miles said. “But I doubt you’re going to get the answers you want.” He snatched the second page from the printer, glanced at it and handed them both to her.

  “That’s for me to worry about.” Lily shut down the computer and stood, feeling like they’d suddenly become strangers.

  In truth, that was all they were. And though she had probably imagined whatever tenderness she’d glimpsed between them, the sudden chilliness hurt.

  He remained in the doorway, and the stare he returned was assessing. He’s being a cop again, she thought. Expecting I’m going to do something he wouldn’t approve of.

  Well, let him. She didn’t owe him any explanation. It wasn’t his child that had been taken.

  She drew a deep breath. She was cranky, and though private, her thoughts were nasty. The man had lost his child. His little girl was gone forever. Lily couldn’t begin to imagine the pain consuming his soul.

  And she did owe him. She owed him her very life.

  “Did you find everything you need?” she asked in a softer voice. He must have. He’d shaved and smelled slightly minty.

  He nodded. “Thanks.”

  “Good night, then.”

  How easy it would be to step forward into his arms. His entire body looked primed to take her in an embrace.

  Again, she was imagining it. Her exhausted mind was playing tricks on her, letting her see what she longed for.

  Chapter Ten

  Miles sprawled across the middle of the king-size guest bed, his body bone weary but his eyes wide open.

  He hadn’t for a moment expected Lily would sit back and let the police handle this. She was desperate to retrieve Annie. Recklessly so. The woman was going to get herself killed.

  She was no fool. This palatial townhouse and the fat portfolio of graphic designs for international clientele on the living room coffee table was proof of that. Her kitchen was right out of Better Homes an
d Gardens. The last time he’d seen so much steel, granite and glass, he’d been in the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

  But as savvy as she might be, Lily wasn’t thinking clearly. She was exhausted and in shock, liable to make a tragic mistake.

  His mind replayed the kidnapping over and over, each time with painfully bright clarity.

  Had the tragic mistake been his?

  If he’d taken the shot would Vince Luggo be dead? Would Annie be safely tucked into this bed instead of him? Would Colton Reilly be without his henchman and forced to slink back to his freakish compound with his tail between his legs?

  Or would Lily be mourning the death of an innocent little girl she never had the chance to know?

  Had he hesitated because he’d lost his nerve?

  Everything was out of whack because of Lily. Every molecule in his body screamed to get the hell out of here. He wanted to go back to his dreary little house and cocoon himself in his dreary little world so badly his skin itched.

  When Chief Billings said Spokane PD first believed it was Lily who’d died in the hotel room, he felt as if he’d taken a punch to the gut. The idea of Lily lying on a coroner’s slab turned each beat of his heart into a painful kick against the walls of his chest.

  Those were dangerous feelings.

  Miles shot to his feet and strode from the room. He needed a glass of water. Hell, he needed a stiff drink.

  At many of the electrical outlets, crystal-faceted nightlights threw sparkly circles of light, making the townhouse glow. Michelle had been afraid of the dark, though not on the same level as Annie. She had adored all things magically Disney and would have loved these soft, welcoming lights. Miles preferred the darkness. To him this was just another indication of Lily’s sweetness, another reminder he didn’t need of the charm of this special woman.

  The marble tiles of the kitchen floor were cold against his feet, grounding him in reality. He opened the refrigerator and found a casserole dish with half a homemade lasagna covered in plastic. She’d made it cheesy, with a bubbly-browned top. He removed the dish, found a fork and ate it cold. Because of the tension he’d experienced all day, he hadn’t realized he was hungry, but now the food made his stomach come back to life.