Beautiful Storm (Lightning Strikes Book 1) (29 page)

"I do, too," Alicia said, meeting his gaze. "I can't believe it's been ten years since he died."

"Time flies. So you're home for a visit. Did your mom remarry? And how is your sister?"

"Mom never remarried. If she dates, she doesn't tell me about it. Danielle is working in politics. She's still single, as are Jake and myself."

"What are you doing for a living?" Jerry asked.

"I'm a photojournalist for a newspaper."

He nodded. "You always loved to take pictures. Your brother and sister would be playing outside, and you'd be shooting the action. Nice you could make a career out of it."

"Yes. So how did you come to own a bar?"

"I had to trade in my wings a few years ago. I had a hard landing and it affected my vision. It was time for another career. I was done with service. Now it's all about the fun," he said with a grin.

"Looks like business is good," Michael interjected.

"It's always crowded here. The best place to have a bar is near a university or a military base. I hit the jackpot and got both." He paused. "How long are you going to be in town, Alicia?"

"A few days. Michael and I are actually doing some research on a criminal case. We're hoping you might be able to help us."

He raised an eyebrow. "Really? What kind of case?"

"The double homicide involving Professor Thomas Bryer and a woman by the name of Connie Randolph. We understand they used to come here and that one of your bartenders testified at the trial."

"That was Kayla. Why are you looking into that old case? I thought it was long done."

"A friend of mine was the lawyer working on an appeal," Michael explained. "She disappeared a few months ago. We're trying to find her, and we think her disappearance might be connected to the case."

"She was one of the JAG lawyers?" Jerry questioned.

"Lieutenant Valdez," Michael said. "Did you talk to her?"

"I probably did. I talked to a bunch of lawyers and a lot of cops. Are you saying the wife didn't kill her husband and his lover?"

"We're not saying anything. We have more questions than answers," Alicia said. "What can you tell us about the professor? Did you know him?"

"He liked his vodka neat," Jerry said with a wry smile. "I know more about my customer's drink preferences than their personal lives. I can tell you that he came in here with a hot blonde at least three times in the month before they were killed. She always ordered a cabernet and never more than one."

Alicia smiled. "You do remember drink orders. What about the professor's wife, Melissa Bryer?"

"I saw her once, a few days before the murder. She and the professor were having a loud argument. Kayla went over to talk to them, ask them to take it outside. That was the last I saw of them. I told the police all this and the lawyers, too. Kayla isn't in today, but if you need to talk to her she'll be working tomorrow night."

"That might be helpful," Alicia said.

"Did you work for MDT?" Michael asked. "Someone told us you give a discount to MDT employees because you used to work there."

"I did. I worked for them after I left the Navy. I was a test pilot for their aviation division. They are making some really cool weapons. They're first in technology as far as I'm concerned. They have some of the best people in the world working for them. It was an honor to be part of the team."

"Why did you quit?" Alicia asked.

"That hard landing I mentioned was in one of their planes. It wasn't my fault. We had some mechanical problems, but I had a concussion and some vision problems afterwards. It was rough to give up my wings, but life goes on. You do what you have to do. You start over." He paused. "I tried to get your dad to work for MDT when I first started there."

"I didn't know that."

"At the time, the aviation division was working out of their offices in Arizona. Your father would have had to move there, and he didn't want to leave Texas. He told me his wife and his kids were happy here, so he turned me down. I always thought he was a better pilot than what he settled for, flying tourists around, but we all make our own choices."

"I didn't know that he'd made that choice for us," Alicia said, her gaze filled with admiration for her dad.

"Wyatt said his family had sacrificed enough while he was in the Navy. Luckily, I didn't have any family to consider."

"You never married?" Alicia asked.

"That institution is not for me. I'm a free spirit. I go where the wind blows."

Michael could see that Alicia was enjoying her conversation with her dad's friend, that it was probably making her feel close to her father again, and he didn't want to interrupt, but he was also afraid that the crowded restaurant would quickly draw Jerry back to the bar.

"Getting back to MDT," he said. "Did you happen to know Connie Randolph, the other murder victim or her coworker Paul Sandbury?"

"Names don't ring a bell. I might have met them. Half the people in here right now work at MDT. It's a huge company. I don't know all their names. Most people seem happy enough with their jobs, but I've served a few people drowning their sorrows after getting laid off. Every now and then, cuts come down from the Pentagon, funding gets decreased and people get fired. I've seen it happen a lot. I was in a specialized position when I worked for them, so I wasn't as vulnerable, but I'm happy now to be my own boss."

"Do you have any contacts at MDT who might be willing to speak with us?" Michael asked. "Maybe someone in the same department as Connie Randolph?"

Jerry thought for a moment. "I could ask around if you want. Why don't you give me your number, Alicia? I'll see what I can do."

"I'd really appreciate your help," Alicia told him as she gave him her number.

"Well, I hope I can come up with something that will help you find your friend. There's nothing worse than a missing person."

"That's for sure," she said with a heavy sigh. "Those first few months after Dad died were the worst. The uncertainty of not knowing made everything more difficult. It was hard not to keep hope alive."

Jerry nodded, a somber look in his eyes. "I remember. I took a plane up a couple of days to do my own search for Wyatt, just to be sure. I knew it's what Wyatt would have done for me. We always watched each other's backs." He paused. "Wyatt would probably want me to tell you to be careful, Alicia. I don't think he'd want his baby girl getting mixed up in a murder investigation."

"I'm not a baby girl anymore."

"Well, I know that, but I wouldn't want you to get hurt."

"I can take care of myself."

"Just as stubborn as your father." He pushed back his chair. "Sorry to cut this short, but I need to get back to work. Dinner is on the house. Make sure you order dessert and another round of drinks."

"Thanks, Jerry." She got up and gave him a hug. "It was really good to see you again."

"How long will you be in town?"

"A few more days. I'm not sure yet. It depends on what we find out."

"Well, don't be a stranger. Come back if you have more questions. In the meantime, I'll ask around and see if anyone at MDT would be willing to talk to you. I have to tell you I'm not that optimistic. MDT makes everyone sign a confidentiality agreement."

"We figured that," she said. "It's a long shot, but if you do run across anyone, please give me a call."

"I will. Nice to meet you, too," Jerry said to Michael, extending his hand. "You take care of this woman here, all right? She's a special girl. Her dad used to tell me that and from what I've seen, it's true."

Michael nodded. "I'm doing my best."

"Good. She deserves a man who's worthy of her."

"Jerry, it's not like that," Alicia protested. "We're friends."

Jerry just gave her a knowing smile. "Sure you are. But that was for your dad. I know he'd want me to say something to any man you brought around. That's the least I can do for him. Enjoy your meal."

"Sorry he put you on the spot, Michael. Everyone seems to get the wrong idea about us," Alicia said as Jerry returned to the bar.

"It's not the wrong idea, and you know it, Alicia."

"Okay, fine," she conceded. "So that wasn't totally helpful, was it?"

"Jerry might come through with more information. He seems willing to help you, and that's more than we're getting from other people. He also backed up what we read in the transcripts about the fight between the professor and his wife. I'm just not sure that fight was about Connie."

"You have another theory now?"

"Based on Sandbury's flight, I'm thinking that maybe Professor Bryer and Connie were working on something together that might have threatened someone or something at MDT. Maybe the wife thought there was an affair, but it was not that."

"But Thomas and Connie were found in bed together."

He tipped his head to her point. "Perhaps they were sleeping together and also working on something against the company."

"Are you suggesting that they might have been whistleblowers?"

"It's a possibility. Sandbury seemed to hint at the fact that there was something besides sex in the mix."

"That would mean someone at MDT killed them to protect a secret."

She was right. If someone at MDT had killed two people to keep a secret, they'd have no hesitation to stop at a third. His stomach clenched at the thought.

Alicia must have read something on his face. Her gaze narrowed. "Don't go there."

"Too late. We both know that the outcome after so long will probably not be good."

"We don’t know that," she argued. "Sandbury disappeared really fast. Maybe Liliana did the same."

As much as he wanted to believe that, it just didn't ring true in his head.

He sat back in his chair as the waitress came by to deliver their pizza, along with plates, napkins and peppers.

"This looks good," Alicia said.

It did look good; he just wasn't that hungry anymore.

"You have to eat," Alicia told him, grabbing the first slice of pizza. "You need to keep your strength up."

"I will," he said, taking a sip of his beer.

"I know it's harder for you, Michael. I can focus on the mystery, but you have a lot more emotions involved," she said, compassion in her eyes. "Is there anything I can do to make it better?"

"You're already doing it," he said, thinking that Alicia had a way of both firing him up and calming him down. She always seemed to be able to read his mood, to know the right thing to say. "Thanks."

"You're welcome. And take your time, but just know that I'm really hungry, so if you want any of this, I wouldn't wait too long to dive in."

He smiled as she took a large bite of pizza. Then he grabbed his own slice and found his appetite again.

* * *

An hour later, they left the Flight Deck. They'd talked to the waitress and one of the bartenders before leaving but hadn't gotten any more information than they'd received from Jerry. The bartender remembered the murdered couple but didn't witness the fight with the wife, and the waitress said she had trouble remembering anyone, as there was always a full crowd every night.

"Well, that wasn't a total waste," Alicia said, hooking her arm through his as they walked into the parking lot. "The food was good, and it was nice for me to see Jerry again. There are so few people I can talk to who knew my father; it feels good to hear someone say his name."

"It sounded like they were good friends."

"Like brothers, Dad used to say. I think that's the way the military is. When I asked my father what the military was fighting for, because I didn’t understand why he left for weeks at a time, he told me that he was fighting for the men who were next to him, his radar instrument officer, his mechanic, the pilot flying at his wing and the people back home who were depending on him to keep them safe. I guess there's a unique bond for people in service to their country. They're making a sacrifice that most people wouldn't make. It certainly wasn't anything I ever wanted to do. I feel a little guilty saying that out loud."

"Don't. We all have our calling. And yours is lightning."

She grinned. "Yeah, like that's going to do much good for the world."

"You never know. Your pictures are good. You capture moments in life, on this earth, in the sky that are incredible. You're leaving a legacy behind."

Pride entered her eyes as she gazed back at him. "You're going to leave me speechless again."

He laughed. "And yet you still managed to find words." He unlocked the car, and they got inside.

"You're leaving a legacy, too, Michael. Your buildings will be around for a long time."

"True, but they don't always feel like
my
buildings. They're more of a collaboration."

"You still put your mark on them. So where are we going now? It's almost eight. I know we still have some people on our list to contact, but it's getting late. We haven't tracked down Connie's ex-husband yet."

"We'll leave that for tomorrow. Let's find a hotel and then we'll figure out a plan."

As he pulled out of the parking space, he saw a man sitting in a vehicle a few spots over. It looked like the same man and the same car Alicia had seen earlier in the day. He'd no sooner passed the vehicle when it roared to life, backed out and went in the opposite direction. It sped away so fast he didn't have a chance to get a license plate number.

"Damn," he muttered, his gaze on the rearview mirror.

"Problem?" Alicia asked curiously. She turned to look over her shoulder.

He debated whether or not he should tell her. He didn't want to worry her unnecessarily. "No problem."

"Michael. No secrets between us, remember?"

"All right. I thought I saw that guy you noticed earlier outside the breakfast café. But he went in the other direction."

"Really?" She turned her head again, but the car was gone. "I don't see anyone."

"I'm not sure it was the same person, but I am going to make certain that no one is following us to our new hotel."

"I'll help. I'll keep an eye on the side-view mirror."

After they exited the parking lot, he made several quick turns, keeping an eye out for the car he'd seen earlier. After twenty minutes, he felt comfortable that they were not being followed. When he saw a hotel with an underground parking garage, he decided to turn in. It might be good to get their car out of sight.