Beautiful Storm (Lightning Strikes Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

friends with the missing woman?"
    "Yes. We grew up together. Liliana lived across the street. I don't remember a time when I didn't know her. Her brother Juan and I were the same age; Liliana was two years younger, but she was always around. Over time, I found I had more in common with her than with Juan. She was an amazing girl."
    There was a heavy note in his voice now, as if he didn't think his friend could still be alive.
    "Was?" she asked gently.
    "Is," he immediately corrected. "The last two months have been difficult. I—we've been trying to keep hope alive, but as the days pass…" His voice trailed away. "It's rough."
    Even in the shadows, she could see the pain in his expression. He seemed genuine and honest. She wanted to believe he was a friend and not an enemy. "Tell me something about her that only you would know, that wouldn't have been in the papers or the police reports," she said.
    "Like what?"
    "Something personal."
    He thought about her request. "I don't know. There are probably lots of things about her that weren't in the papers."
    "So give me one."
    "Well, she almost got married when she was seventeen—she was so desperate to get out of the neighborhood. I don't think her parents even knew that she was that serious about the older guy she was dating. Luckily, she called me first, and I talked her out of it. Instead of running away, she joined the Navy, and she made a good life for herself as a military lawyer."
    "Who did she almost marry?"
    "Brad Harte. Did I pass the test?"
    "You do seem to know her, although I have no way of knowing if you're lying to me."
    "You're trying to figure out whether you can trust me—I get it. Maybe I'll just go down the path on my own. You were standing where a tree came down, right? That shouldn't be difficult to find."
    "I'll show you," she said impulsively. They'd been alone for the past ten minutes. If he'd wanted to hurt her, he would have already made a move. She took him down the path, not stopping until she reached the tree that was sprawled across the trail. "I'd been at the beach, but I thought the gold rods on the carousel might attract the lightning, so I came here, and I was right. It was an incredible show of light. Flash after flash—I was shooting pictures like crazy. In one of the bright moments, I saw the fight between a man and a woman. I heard the woman scream and then the tree next to me was hit by lightning and the falling branches knocked me down. There was fire all around me. It took me a few minutes to get free. By the time I got down to the carousel, the people were gone."
    "How long was it between the time you saw them fighting and when you reached the carousel?"
    "Five minutes or so."
    "Or so? You don't know, do you?"
    "I was a little dazed, but it wasn't very long."
    "What about the pictures you were taking? Do they show what you saw?"
    "No. The lightning washed everything else out. All I could see were shadows."
    He nodded, his gaze grim. "What happened next?"
    "I went to where they were standing, and I found the tag in the dirt. After I got home, I looked up Liliana's name on the computer. When I realized she was a missing person, I developed the film to see if I had captured the scene, then I went straight to the police. I told the detective on the case everything I just told you. They assured me someone would start looking for her right away. I must admit it's a little disappointing not to see anyone here now."
    "The police here on the island searched the park last night, but there will be another search this morning."
    "Good. I hope the tag will help to find her."
    "It certainly gives the detectives a new lead to follow, and God knows they've needed one. It's been the longest two months of my life. You have no idea what it's like to live through something like this. The uncertainty kills you."
    "I have an idea." Reading about the search for Liliana had triggered painful memories of the night her father's plane had gone down and the days