Summer Rain (Lightning Strikes Book 3)

by Barbara Freethy

  He smiled. "You might not be colorful and loud, but you're beautiful, intelligent, interesting, and courageous as hell. I've never met anyone like you. Every day you surprise me—in a good way. You wear a bit of a mask, and you have your guard up, but once you take off the mask and let down the guard, you're something else."

  She felt a little overwhelmed by his statement, not just by the compliments but how well he could read her. "Thanks. But you should save that cheesy stuff for when you want to get me into bed," she said lightly.

  "Since that's just about every second of every day—"

  "Stop," she said, putting up a hand.

  "You started it."

  "And I'm finishing it. I don't need my family to hear any of this. There will be way too many questions to follow."

  "I understand. Just for the record: I meant every word, cheesy or otherwise." He let that sink in, then walked over to the mantel to look at the assorted family pictures. "You were a cute kid."

  "Better after I got the braces off," she said with a self-deprecating smile.

  "This was your high school graduation?" He pointed to one of several family group shots.

  "Yes. We had a big barbecue here at the house afterwards. My dad grilled up steaks. Half the neighborhood came. It was a family tradition to celebrate big events like that with barbecues. But we didn't have one for Alicia. My dad was gone by then." She drew in a deep breath and let it out. Before she could say another word, the front door opened and Jake and Katherine walked into the living room.

  She introduced them both to Patrick, as Alicia and Michael came out of the kitchen with platters of food and cans of soda.

  "We actually met before," Katherine said to Patrick. "In the examining room at the hospital."

  "Right. I remember you. That seems like a long time ago now," he said.

  "You look better today."

  "Thanks. I feel better."

  "What's going on?" Jake asked, giving her an expectant look.

  "Let's all sit down." After everyone settled into the couches and chairs around the coffee table, she reached into her bag and pulled out the file folder she'd gotten at the ranch. She set it on her lap but didn't open it.

  "What's that?" Alicia asked.

  "It's a file on Dad."

  "What?" Alicia gasped. "Whose file?"

  "Where did you get it?" Jake asked tensely.

  She looked around at their expectant faces and almost didn't know where to start. Patrick put a hand on her thigh and said, "You better give them a little history here, Dani."

  He was right. "Let me back up a few days," she said. "I met Patrick last Sunday at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the park honoring his late mother, Congresswoman Jackie Kane. As some of you know, Patrick was attacked at the park, and I came to his rescue."

  "You did what?" Alicia asked in shock.

  "That part isn't important," she said. "What matters is that over the last week, Patrick and I have discovered that we have a connection that goes back to both of our parents. We believe that Patrick's mother's plane was sabotaged, and that the crash wasn't an accident. We also know that Dad didn't crash his plane into the Gulf. It appears that both events are tied to MDT. In researching and asking questions, we came upon some information this morning, and this particular piece is about Dad."

  "Don't stop there," Alicia said. "Someone from MDT killed Dad, didn't they? Was it Jerry?"

  "It might have been," she replied. "In this file I'm going to share with you, it says that Dad went to the local police and reported seeing flashes of what he thought was gunfire, along with jagged lightning strikes that didn't seem to make sense. We know that that is what started the rumors about his sanity and his obsession with lightning. But what we didn’t know is that someone at MDT had created a shadow company. They were using classified information and money funneled through MDT to make the same weapons to sell on the black market. They were testing those weapons out of a ranch about twenty miles from here—Carmichael Ranch. It's no longer in operation. I don't know when it closed—if they moved everything to Mexico, or only part of it. But the ranch was completely cleaned out when we went there this morning. There was only one thing left behind—this file."

  "Who left you the file?" Jake asked.

  "The same person who sent me to the ranch, Tania Vaile. She works in finance for MDT, and I'm not sure what exactly she knows. She hinted that she knew a lot and said that Reid Packer is the one behind the shadow company and behind Dad's death." She handed the file to Alicia. "There's a note from Jerry in there, saying that Dad needs to be taken care of, that he's becoming a problem."

  "Oh, God," Alicia said, putting a hand to her chest as she pulled out the photo of their father. "He looks just like I remember him here."

  "You're saying some woman gave you this file?" Jake asked, his lips tight, his eyes filled with shadows. "Out of the blue?"

  "Not exactly out of the blue. I approached her, trying to get more information on the Packer brothers. We had two short conversations. Then she sent me to the ranch where I found the file."

  "That's crazy," Jake muttered. "I want to talk to her directly. I'm sure Alicia does, too."

  "I don't know if that will be possible. After I got the file, I called her. She was in her car, and in the middle of our conversation, she said someone was following her. She got scared and panicky, and then that was it—the phone went dead. I've called her number a dozen times, but there's no answer. I'm really worried about her."

  "We think it's time to bring in the police or the FBI," Patrick interjected. "Dani said you had a contact with a special agent after your trip to Mexico."

  "Agent Damon Wolfe," Jake said with a nod. "He questioned us several times. I still have his number. I'll call him. But I'd like to know more first. Putting my father's death aside for the moment, you said your mother died in the plane crash that killed Senator Stuart?"

  "Yes," Patrick said. "Eight years ago."

  "I remember that crash. I thought it was ruled mechanical failure with a storm as a contributing factor. I know it was investigated for months."

  "That doesn't appear to be the whole story now," Patrick said. "Dani and I discovered that my mother and Senator Stuart were talking to an MDT whistleblower the night before the plane crash. He told us he went underground after it happened, that all the evidence he'd given them had been destroyed in the crash, and that he was sure the crash was not an accident."

  "Who was that?" Jake asked.

  "He wouldn't give us his name, but he's the one who sent us to Tania. We still don't know what happened to the plane," Patrick added. "But in light of everything we've learned, I'm certain it was sabotaged."

  "If MDT is running a side operation off the books, that would explain the ranch in Mexico," Jake said, glancing at Katherine. "We always wondered how those guns got there."

  "TJ said he believed that someone very high up in the company knew about the leaks," Katherine put in. "He thought it went all the way to the top, and he wasn't convinced that all the bad guys were caught after Mexico."

  "It looks like Reid Packer is definitely involved; I don't know who else," Dani said.

  "This is so shocking and terrible," Alicia said, holding up the note Jerry had written. "Jerry talks about killing one of his best friends as if it's nothing."

  "I know," she said, wishing she hadn't brought her sister so much pain.

  "Jerry came to his funeral. We called him Uncle Jerry, and he killed Dad." Alicia shook her head in bemusement. "I don't know if I'll ever understand that."

  "Jerry was insane," Michael put in, putting his arm around Alicia. "You know that."

  "I do know that, and I'm glad he's dead. I just want to make sure whoever else was involved also pays." She turned to Dani. "I can't believe you got this. It's just like Mamich said—you were going to find the last piece of the puzzle."

  "I know it's weird," she admitted. "And that damn ring is what led me to Patrick. It fell off my hand in the park, Ali
cia. I knew you would kill me if I lost it, so I went back to look for it. There was a storm, and lightning was flashing, and I saw Patrick fighting for his life."

  "That's amazing. There was lightning, too?" Alicia asked, her eyes widening.

  "Yes."

  "So the ring led you to Patrick, and he led you here."

  "With some stops along the way," she said. "I don't know if this is the last piece of the puzzle. It might be in regards to Dad, but Tania said something big is coming, and it's coming tomorrow. We need to get the FBI involved now."

  "I'll call Agent Wolfe. It's the weekend, but I'll tell him it's urgent," Jake said.

  "I—I need a minute," Alicia said, getting to her feet.

  "Do you want me to come with you?" Michael asked with concern.

  She shook her head and walked out of the living room, heading toward the kitchen.

  "I'll go," Dani said, getting to her feet.

  "I might need you for this call," Jake said.

  "Patrick can talk to Agent Wolfe with you. He knows what I know."

  She found Alicia in the backyard, standing in front of the cement waterfall their father had built a long time ago, a water feature that had never been used since his death.

  "Are you all right?" she asked.

  Alicia shook her head, her shoulders shaking. Then she turned and threw her arms around Dani.

  Holding her younger sister as she cried made Dani feel like she was going to lose it, too. But she was the big sister. She had to stay strong. "It's going to be okay," she said, when Alicia's sudden burst of sobs began to slow down.

  Alicia pulled away, her face streaked with tears, so much pain in her eyes it was hard to look at her. In some ways, she envied her sister's release of tension.

  She felt like a million emotions were building up inside her, but she couldn't let them go—not quite yet. There were still things she needed to figure out.

  "I've known forever that Dad didn't crash his plane," Alicia said. "No one would believe me."

  "I know." She felt guilty that she'd been one of those people. "You were right all along. I'm sorry I ever doubted you."

  "Everyone did. But I just had this feeling, and after what happened last year, it got even stronger. That's why I couldn't let it go." She sniffed and wiped her eyes. "You figured it out, Dani. I still don't really know how you did it, but I'm glad you did."

  "I got lucky. I was actually trying to find out if someone at MDT was responsible for Patrick's mother's death, but he thought all along that his mom and my dad were tied together in some way, and he was right." She paused. "I took too long to get on board."

  "You're here now, and you came with answers, with actual proof."

  "I don't know if it's much in the way of proof."

  "It's enough to get the FBI looking again. We are going to take down that company if it's the last thing we do. They keep coasting by, telling lies, getting people in power to back them. But one day they are going to get caught, and I think that day is soon."

  "Things do seem to be unraveling," she said, her thoughts turning to Senator Dillon as Alicia's words reminded her that her own boss might be part of this.

  "They were running a secret operation," Alicia said in bemusement. "So everything was being doubled, weapons and technology?"

  "Apparently. But we're going to need someone to talk who really knows what's going on. Unfortunately, the people who want to talk seem to keep dying." She thought about Tania again and really hoped the woman was all right. "We're going to unravel the layers, Alicia."

  "I know we are. Sorry for the meltdown. I'm okay now. Let's go back inside."

  When they returned to the living room, Jake was just getting off the phone.

  "Agent Wolfe said he will be here tomorrow morning," Jake said. "Patrick and I filled him in on what we know. He's going to check with the local police and have someone do a welfare check on Tania Vaile to make sure she's all right."

  "That's good," Dani said, relieved that they were going to have help.

  "I hope it's good," Jake said.

  She wondered why her brother didn't seem that happy. "Why wouldn't it be?"

  "I just can't help thinking that Agent Wolfe just ran a six-month investigation into MDT and found nothing. Was he stupid? Was he not trying to find anything? Were the people at MDT just too smart for him? Or is he involved in some way? Are we trusting the wrong person?"

  "Whoever is running this show is good at covering things up," Patrick put in. "Look how long they've been in business—more than a decade. And there has to have been more than one FBI agent looking into the company over the years. We're just going to have to trust that Agent Wolfe is not under their control."

  "That's a big leap of faith," Dani said, not sure she could trust anyone anymore. "So what now?"

  "Now we eat," Katherine said. "There's nothing more we can do at the moment, and we're all going to need energy for whatever is to come."

  "I agree," Alicia said, picking up the platter of sandwiches. She grabbed one and passed it to Dani.

  For the next couple of hours they ate, drank, and rehashed what they'd learned so far. Then they moved on to more personal topics. Dani had to admit she liked watching Patrick interact with her family. He was a man who was comfortable in any group, the kind of man both women and men wanted to hang out with. She knew that had a lot to do with the fact that he was genuinely interested in whoever he was talking to.

  At some point, when Patrick went to use the bathroom, and the others were engaged in conversation, Alicia leaned over and whispered to her. "I like him. He's sexy and interesting."

  She smiled. "Yes, he is."

  "So, there's more going on than just solving a mystery?"

  "Yes, but that's all I'm going to say for now."

  "You can't stop there."

  "I have to. He'll be back in a second."

  "You should give him a chance."

  "We'll see."

  "One of these days, you're going to have to let someone into your heart, Dani," Alicia said. "Even if it's scary."

  "How do you know I haven't done that?" she asked defensively.

  "Because you haven't," Alicia said, meeting her gaze. "I was the same way until I met Michael. Losing Dad did a number on all of us. Love got really terrifying."

  "You might be right," she conceded.

  "I want you to be happy, Dani. I know you love your career, but isn't there room for love?"

  "It's way too early to talk about love." She was relieved when Patrick came back into the room. She got to her feet. "We're going to go now," she told the group. "Mom will be back soon, and no one needs to mention that I'm in town."

  "Hold on," Jake said. "Speaking of Mom, we need to decide what we're going to tell her."

  "Nothing," Dani and Alicia echoed at the same time.

  Jake sighed. "I know you two want to leave her out of this, but it's not fair to her, and it's getting complicated. We have FBI agents coming tomorrow."

  "To your apartment," Dani said pointedly. "Right?"

  "Yes, but still, she's going to find out, and she's going to be angry that we didn't tell her."

  Her brother had a point. She looked over at Alicia. "What do you think?"

  "Let's wait until after we meet with Agent Wolfe."

  "I can do that," Dani said. "I'll bring the file to our meeting tomorrow. Then we can all come back here and fill Mom in. I don't want her to be part of the FBI conversation." There were things about her job and the senator that she didn't really need her mother to be involved in, either. "So no one says anything tonight or before the meeting—are we agreed?"

  Jake gave a reluctant nod. "Fine. Katherine and I are following you out the door anyway."

  "And Michael and I will just talk about the wedding and the honeymoon, which is what she wants to talk about anyway," Alicia said. "We also have some presents here we haven't opened yet. She likes to be a part of that."

  "Great. We'll see you guys in the mornin
g," Dani said. "Text me when you hear from Agent Wolfe about what time he's coming."

  They all exchanged hugs and then headed out to the car. As she and Patrick drove away from the house, she said, "So what do you think?"

  "I think we're putting together a good team."

  "A team I was reluctant to join," she said dryly.

  "And now you're the leader," he said with a smile. "Funny how that worked out."

  "I'm not sure about leader, but I'm definitely in the middle of everything. Alicia had a meltdown in the backyard."

  "I figured. Her eyes looked red when you both came back."

  "She's always been the most emotional person in the family. She has a lot of heart."

  "So do you, Dani. You just don't show it as much or as often. Were you always like that, or did you pull back after your dad died?"

  It was a good question. "Probably after he died. But even before that, I had a better understanding of what people wanted and expected of me than Alicia did. She had to go her own way and make dramatic statements and get into battles with my mom. I just didn't tell my mom stuff that I knew she wouldn't like."

  "I don't see you as a bad girl."

  "I had my moments, but in general, I didn't break too many rules. And my mom and I did get along better than my mother and Alicia did, so that made it easier." She paused. "What about you? Did you battle with your dad or with your mom?"

  "Both of them at different times. My father was involved in my homework and after-school sports. My mom was not around as much, so I'd say my father and I had more battles, but my mom was opinionated, and sometimes I didn't agree with her thinking. She liked to argue, which served her well in politics, and I didn't mind going a few rounds either, so we'd get into it on occasion. But in general, the three of us got along well. My parents didn't really fight with each other. I think my mom was always this shining star for my dad and he was happy to orbit around her."

  "It's interesting how families interact. You can't tell that much from the outside, because everyone puts on a face, but those on the inside get to see it all."

  "Are you talking about your family now, or…"

  "Actually, I was thinking about the Packers," she admitted. "About Reid having a younger brother complex. It is interesting that his older brother has always been at the helm. It's like Alan is the prince who became king and Reid was the spare heir."