Storm Gathering Read Online Free PDF Page A

been on their shift since six, but Jarrod hadn’t managed to shake off whatever wild and crazy party he’d attended the night before. Aaron got out of the cruiser, glancing back to watch Jarrod slowly pull himself out by gripping the car-door window.
    “Good morning, Officer Kline,” Martha said as they walked in.
    “Hi, Martha.” Aaron smiled and went to the coffee counter. He was stirring in cream and sugar when Jarrod came up beside him, a coffeeless Styrofoam cup in his hand.
    “She’s here!” Jarrod whispered.
    “Who?”
    “Kelly, I think is her name.”
    Aaron looked over his shoulder to see a tall blonde grabbing a newspaper. He rolled his eyes.
    “She’s so hot!”
    “You didn’t really want the coffee, did you?” Aaron asked. “You just thought ‘hot babe’ would be here.”
    Jarrod grinned but dispensed coffee into his cup for effect, ferociously blowing the steam off the top as he watched the woman pay for her newspaper.
    “Why do they have to make this coffee so hot?” Jarrod complained.
    It always amused Aaron how Jarrod couldn’t stand hot coffee. Or his hamburgers with too much ketchup. Or his shoes tied the wrong way. For a man who wanted everything right in his world, Aaron thought he might be in the wrong profession.
    “Come on, let’s get out of here,” Aaron said. He walked by Martha, gave her a wave, and dropped a few cents into the MS box that sat on the counter.
    Walking out behind him, Jarrod said, “Why do you always do that?”
    “Do what?”
    “Give money to the charity of the week?”
    “I don’t know. I mean, we get free coffee, so why not?”
    “Exactly. We get free coffee. It’s one of the very few perks of this job, and then you have to go and make it not a perk by putting change in the box.” Jarrod stopped. “Wait; I think I left my sunglasses in there.”
    Aaron eyed him. “Did you just see another good-looking woman go in?”
    “No, I swear it.”
    Aaron walked back in with Jarrod, hoping to catch at least the headlines of the newspaper while he waited. As Jarrod roamed to the back of the store, Aaron noticed a woman, seemingly upset, talking with Martha. He stared at the newspaper and listened.
    “Well, have you called?”
    “Yes, several of us have.” The woman sniffled. “I hope something bad hasn’t happened.”
    Aaron glanced over his shoulder, and Martha motioned for him to approach. “Officer Kline, this is Liz. She usually comes in about twenty minutes after you fellows.”
    Aaron smiled at the teary-eyed woman. “Hi, Liz.”
    “Liz Lane,” the woman said, offering a hand.
    Martha said, “Liz feels as if something might have happened to one of her coworkers.”
    “Why is that?” Aaron asked as Jarrod came alongside him, flipping his sunglasses on top of his head.
    “I’ve called her several times and there’s no answer. She didn’t come to work yesterday. This is the second shift she’s missed,” Liz explained. “I’m having to cover for her again, and I was supposed to have two days off. It’s just that she’s not that kind of person, you know? She always shows up for work. Or at least calls when she can’t come in, which is really rare.”
    “Where is work?” Jarrod asked.
    “We’re both gate agents for Delta.” The woman shook her head, worry crossing over her features. “I’ve worked with Taylor for two years—”
    “Her last name?” Jarrod interrupted.
    “Franks.”
    Aaron gave Jarrod the I’ll-handle-this look. “Sorry, go ahead,” he said.
    “Anyway, she’s very responsible. Taylor comes to work even if she’s sick because she knows how crazy it gets when we’re shorthanded. I’ve called every hospital around to see if there was a car wreck, but she’s not there. And supposedly we can’t even file a report until tonight.”
    “How well do you know Miss Franks?” Aaron asked.
    “Pretty well. We know each other some socially, beyond work. Taylor has me on this exercise kick, and I joined Gold’s