Down the hall, two of his detectives were talking animatedly on their phones in the outer room of the Major Case Squad. As soon as Jack walked through the door, he could sense that something big was going on. Joe Azzolino looked up, covered the phone with his hand, and called out, “You’re not supposed to be here. I guess you’re psychic.”

“What are you talking about?” Jack asked.

Joe looked surprised. “You haven’t heard?”

“Heard what?” Jack asked, trying not to sound impatient.

“New York City is in a blackout. So is New Jersey and Connecticut and parts of the Midwest.”

“As of when?”

“Three or four minutes ago.”

Because One Police Plaza had its own generator, it wouldn’t be immediately apparent to everyone in the building.

“Do we know what caused it?” Jack asked quickly.

“There’s a thunderstorm in the Midwest. A lightning strike in Ohio knocked out their grids and started a cascading failure. Which is good news. Con Ed just put out the word that it’s not sabotage or terrorism.”

“Thank God,” Jack said quietly. He exhaled hard and hurried into his office. So much for a relaxing night on the roof deck eating Chinese food, he thought as he quickly dialed Regan on their home phone. He let it ring and ring but there was no answer. With the power out, the answering machine didn’t work. His heart skipped a beat as the empty sound of the ringing phone filled his ear. He hung up and dialed Regan’s cell phone. That rang until her voice mail picked up. “Regan, it’s me. Where are you?” he asked uneasily. “Give me a call.” He hung up the phone. By now she should have gotten the flashlight out of the drawer in the kitchen, he thought. If she left the apartment, she would have taken her cell phone. He tried the home number again, letting it ring a dozen times. Nothing.

Quickly he strode back into the outer room. “I just dropped Regan off at the apartment and she’s not answering the phone—I’ll be right back—you know what to do—I have my cell phone.”

He was gone.

Standing on the top step in the pitch darkness, Regan’s heart was beating fast. What happened? she wondered. Is this a blackout? Quickly she debated whether to navigate her way through the debris downstairs and look for a flashlight or go out on the roof and hope the candle they left on the table last week would still be there. She knew that one of the construction guys went out on the roof to smoke. She had seen a cigarette lighter on the table…and outside there should be at least some light from the sky.

She opted for the great outdoors. Regan turned the handle, pushed the creaky metal door outward, and carefully stepped down onto the terrace. It was immediately apparent that New York City was in the dark. She looked west and could tell that New Jersey had also been affected. The high-rises overlooking the Hudson River had disappeared into the vast blackness.