23rd Midnight

About the AuthorsJAMES PATTERSON is one of the best-known and biggest-selling writers of all time. His books have sold in excess of 400 million copies worldwide. He is the author of some of the most popular series of the past two decades – the Alex Cross, Women’s Murder Club, Detective Michael Bennett and Private novels – and he has written many other number one bestsellers including standalone thrillers and non-fiction.James is passionate about encouraging children to read. Inspired by his own son who was a reluctant reader, he also writes a range of books for young readers including the Middle School, Dog Diaries, Treasure Hunters and Max Einstein series. James has donated millions in grants to independent bookshops and has been the most borrowed author in UK libraries for the past thirteen years in a row. He lives in Florida with his family.MAXINE PAETRO is a novelist who has collaborated with James Patterson on the bestselling Women’s Murder Club, Private and Confessions series, Woman of God, and other stand-alone novels. She lives with her husband, John, in New York. A list of titles by James Patterson appears at the back of this book James Patterson& Maxine Paetro23RD MIDNIGHT Contents PROLOGUE: MONDAY ONETWOTHREETWO DAYS EARLIER CHAPTER 1CHAPTER 2CHAPTER 3CHAPTER 4CHAPTER 5CHAPTER 6CHAPTER 7CHAPTER 8CHAPTER 9CHAPTER 10CHAPTER 11CHAPTER 12CHAPTER 13CHAPTER 14CHAPTER 15CHAPTER 16CHAPTER 17CHAPTER 18CHAPTER 19CHAPTER 20CHAPTER 21CHAPTER 22CHAPTER 23CHAPTER 24CHAPTER 25CHAPTER 26CHAPTER 27CHAPTER 28CHAPTER 29CHAPTER 30CHAPTER 31CHAPTER 32CHAPTER 33CHAPTER 34CHAPTER 35CHAPTER 36CHAPTER 37CHAPTER 38CHAPTER 39CHAPTER 40CHAPTER 41CHAPTER 42CHAPTER 43CHAPTER 44CHAPTER 45CHAPTER 46CHAPTER 47CHAPTER 48CHAPTER 49CHAPTER 50CHAPTER 51CHAPTER 52CHAPTER 53CHAPTER 54CHAPTER 55CHAPTER 56CHAPTER 57CHAPTER 58CHAPTER 59CHAPTER 60CHAPTER 61CHAPTER 62CHAPTER 63CHAPTER 64CHAPTER 65CHAPTER 66CHAPTER 67CHAPTER 68CHAPTER 69CHAPTER 70CHAPTER 71CHAPTER 72CHAPTER 73CHAPTER 74CHAPTER 75CHAPTER 76CHAPTER 77CHAPTER 78CHAPTER 79CHAPTER 80CHAPTER 81CHAPTER 82CHAPTER 83CHAPTER 84CHAPTER 85CHAPTER 86CHAPTER 87CHAPTER 88CHAPTER 89CHAPTER 90CHAPTER 91CHAPTER 92CHAPTER 93CHAPTER 94CHAPTER 95CHAPTER 96CHAPTER 97CHAPTER 98CHAPTER 99CHAPTER 100CHAPTER 101CHAPTER 102CHAPTER 103CHAPTER 104CHAPTER 105ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Dedicated to our friends and fans of the Women’s Murder Club. This book’s for you. PrologueMONDAY ONEAT DAWN THAT morning, a man dressed entirely in black nosed his gray Ford sedan up to the curb on Taylor Street. To the east, the morning sun struggled to rise through the clouds over San Francisco Bay. It was still dark but the man, who was now in “Blackout” mode, knew this street as well as he knew his own mind.He cut his headlights, released the trunk latch, lowered the seat back a few inches and adjusted his video glasses in the rearview mirror. With his unobstructed view of Victorian row houses and the wooden staircase across the street, Blackout waited for Catherine. She was always on time, one of the many things he liked about her.At twenty-five, Catherine Fleet was a beautiful mother of a baby girl named Josephina, and an integral part of the masterwork he was creating. He wished he could talk with her about it, but there wouldn’t be time. She was leaving her house on Leavenworth now. She would turn down Macondray Lane, the quarter mile of footpath that ran downhill and at a right angle to Taylor.The lane parted a smattering of trees and hugged the walls of the large homes until it merged with the wooden staircase that ended only yards from the rear of Blackout’s stripped-down cop car.Catherine would pause there, Josie strapped into her front-facing carrier, and together they would take in the magnificent view of dawn breaking over San Francisco Bay. Moments later, she would head south to Ina Coolbrith Park for their morning walk.As he rounded off that thought, Blackout saw a flicker of movement in his rearview mirror. Catherine was halfway down the staircase, as regular as a metronome. Her unbuttoned dark coat revealed a garnet-red, snowflake-patterned sweater over dark pants. Her long, dark hair spilled over her shoulders and floated around the redheaded baby’s ears.Perfect. She was perfect.Blackout secured his video glasses, worked his gloves over his large hands, and got out of his car. In only a dozen strides he’d reached the foot of the staircase. Catherine looked down briefly, gripping the banister, giving the good-looking young man a brief smile.Blackout smiled back, took the first two steps upward, snagging the toe of his shoe on the third. As he’d calculated, he tripped and fell facedown spectacularly, sprawling with his arms spread like a large broken bird.She called out, “Oh, my gosh. Are you all right?”“I, uh, don’t know,” he said. “I think I slammed my knee on the edge of the riser …”Blackout was awkwardly working himself up into a crouch when Catherine reached him.“Can you stand up?”The concern in her voice sent a wave of pleasure through him as he looked up into her blue eyes, the irises rimmed with gold halos. The baby was awake, beating her fists against the air.“I’m good,” said Blackout. “Embarrassed, is all. I try to impress with finesse.”Catherine laughed, saying, “Forget it ever happened,” never seeing the small vial Blackout had secreted in his clenched hand. Called “Down Dog,” it was an inelegant name, but it got the job done. He aimed the sprayer at Catherine Fleet’s golden blue eyes and thumbed the lever.Her reaction was instant, sharp, pained. She cried, “What did you do?” She sat down hard, tearing up from the pepper spray and palming her eyes. The baby girl was gulping air, exhaling wails that could be heard through brick walls.Blackout had to move fast, before someone else came down the stairs on their way to the park. He scrambled up and got behind Catherine, cradled her lovely neck between his forearm and biceps. She could barely draw breath, gasping, “Don’t. Hurt. My baby.”“Don’t worry. She’s in good hands.”Catherine tried to push off the step, to get away from him, but Blackout held her in place and spoke gently to her as he squeezed.“Don’t fight me, Catherine. It’ll be all over soon. Shhh, shhhh. I’ve got you.”In fifteen seconds, Catherine was unconscious. In forty seconds, a woman who’d been at the peak of life was dead. But the