Summer People by Aaron Stander Read Free Book Online Page A

date—have you seen other women since the divorce?”
    “I had dinner a few times with people from the office. And some of my colleagues—female colleagues—tried to fix me up or invited me to those embarrassing dinner parties where you figure out immediately who you’re being paired with. Nothing serious, I didn’t leave anyone behind. And you?”
    “Right after the divorce I dated a lot of different men. But I never found anyone I wanted to be serious about.”
    “Want some more cognac?” Marc picked up the bottle.
    Lisa shook her head. “What I really would like to do is take you to bed.” She pulled his face to hers and kissed him. She slowly ran her tongue back and forth across his lips. “And I promise I’ll still respect you in the morning,” she said with a playful laugh.
    “What would your mother think?”
    “Your baby sitter would approve.”
    The storm woke Marc about 2:00 a. m. He got up and closed the windows and went back to a warm bed.
    Soon after the Coast Guard issued a small craft advisory, the little harbor was jammed with boats seeking shelter from the storm. The cold front, sweeping down from Canada and across Lake Michigan, moved faster than expected, reaching the eastern shore just after dark. At its leading edge was a sharp squall line with high, gusty winds. This was followed by hours of heavy rain, lightning and thunder.
    Boaters, many coming out of the storm in yellow, foul weather gear, filled the restaurants and bars in the harbor. The ferocity of the storm added to the intensity of the partying. Sometime after 2:00 a.m., the merrymakers were pushed out into the raging storm.
    The rain, falling in sheets, pounded the parking lots and marina; whitecaps crashed over the sea wall. Lightning flashed in the greengray sky; the earth shook as the thunder reached the ground. Just after 3:00, south of the village, a transformer was hit by lightning. It crashed to the ground in a pool of burning oil. The village, marina, and surrounding countryside sank into darkness, darkness occasionally shattered by flashes of lightning.
    A shadowy form moved along the docks. Gasoline spilled across the deck of a large sailboat.
    A sharp explosion rocked the harbor. A massive bolt of lightning, attracted by a tall shaft of aluminum, shot to earth. The charge ran along the mast and guide wires, over deck, and into the water. A wave of flames exploded across the boat; burning fuel covered the water. Several explosions followed the first as the fire spread across the water and along the docks.

11

    Ray had fallen into bed after 11:00. Before retiring, he had opened the curtains so he could watch the lightning, but he quickly fell asleep, a sleep not disturbed by the romp of wind, rain, lightning, and thunder. The metallic ring of the phone, however, jarred him back to consciousness.
    “Sheriff, better get down to the marina. There’s a bad fire.”
    “Fire, what’s burning?”
    “Jake said boats, docks, fuel on the water; it’s real bad. And the power is out—there’s no light. The fire department’s there, but things are out of control. I’ve requested help from the other departments, foam truck is coming from Traverse City.”
    “Get all our people there and work on back-up. How about medical?”
    “There’s a unit at the scene, and I’ve got several more coming. Mercy Flight is standing by and a Coast Guard chopper is on the way.
    “Keep me informed,” said Ray.
    As he raced toward the lake, Ray was struck by the darkness, no lights in buildings, no yard lights, no street lights in the village, only the beams of his headlights cutting into and being diffused by the heavy mist.
    He was still miles away when he first saw the glare on the horizon. As he drove closer he could see the flames rising from the harbor and being reflected back from the ceiling of low clouds. As he approached the marina, he saw the flames on the water, running along the docks, shooting up from burning boats. He could