Nighttime Is My Time: A Novel Read Online Free PDF Page A

now, it was amusing to stand unrecognized by his former classmates and glance at their names and pictures as, floor by floor, they got into the elevator.
    Jenny Adams was the last one to get on. She'd been a bovine kid, and while she had slimmed down some, she was still a big woman. There was something unmistakably small-town suburban in the cheap brocade suit and off-the-pushcart costume jewelry she was wearing. She was accompanied by a burly guy whose beefy arms were straining the seams of his too-tight jacket. Both were smiling broadly and said a general hello to the occupants of the elevator.
    Gordon did not reply. The half-dozen others, all wearing their tags, sent out a chorus of greetings. Trish Canon, whom Gordon remembered as being on the track team and who was still beanpole thin, squealed, "Jenny! You look marvelous!"
    "Trish Canon!" Jenny's arms flew around her former classmate. "Herb, Trish and I used to pass each other notes in math. Trish, this is my husband, Herb."
    "And my husband, Barclay," Trish said. "And—"
    The elevator stopped at the mezzanine. As they stepped out, Gordon reluctantly took out his ID and put it on. Expensive plastic surgery had made sure that he no longer looked like the weasel-faced kid in the school picture. His nose was now straight, his formerly heavy-lidded eyes now wide. His chin was sculpted, and his ears lay flat against his head. Implants and the artistry of a top colorist had transformed his formerly thin and drab brown hair into a thick chestnut mane. He knew he was now a handsome man. The only outward manifestation of the tortured kid he had been was that in moments of great stress he could not stop himself from biting his nails.
    The Gordie they knew doesn't exist, he told himself as he started toward the Hudson Valley Suite. He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned.
    "Mr. Amory."
    A baby-faced, redheaded kid with a notebook was standing next to him.
    "I'm Jake Perkins, a reporter for the
Stonecroft Gazette
. I'm interviewing the honorees. Could I just have a minute of your time?"
    Gordon managed a warm smile. "Of course."
    "May I begin by saying that you've changed a lot in the twenty years since your senior picture."
    "I guess I have."
    "You already owned the majority share of four cable television channels. Why did you buy into Maximum?"
    "Maximum has a reputation for strong family programming. I decided it would round out our ability to reach a segment of the audience I wanted in our entertainment portfolio."
    "There's been buzz about a new series and a rumor that your former classmate Laura Wilcox may be the star. Is that true?"
    "There has been no casting yet on the series you mention."
    "Your crime and punishment channel has been criticized as being too violent. Do you agree?"
    "No, I do not. It offers genuine reality, not those made-up ludicrous situations that are the bread and butter of the commercial networks. Now if you'll excuse me."
    "One more question, please. Would you just glance at this list?"
    Impatiently, Gordon Amory took the sheet of paper from Perkins.
    "Do you recognize those names?"
    "They seem to be some of my former classmates."
    "They are five women, members of this class, who have died or disappeared during these twenty years."
    "I didn't realize that."
    Perkins pointed. "I was astonished when I began my research. It started with Catherine Kane nineteen years ago. Her car skidded into the Potomac when she was a freshman at George Washington University. Cindy Lang vanished when she was skiing at Snowbird. Gloria Martin was an apparent suicide. Debra Parker piloted her own plane, and six years ago it crashed, killing her. Last month, Alison Kendall drowned in her pool. Wouldn't you say it would be fair to call this a hard luck class, and maybe do a program on your network about it?"
    "I would prefer to call it a 'tragedy-ridden' class, and, no, I would not want to do a program about it. Now if you'll excuse me."
    "Of course. Just one more question.