**We got separated for a few minutes," David told her.

**Who cares about that?" Brad asked. "Come on, Jenny, what did you hear?"

"There was a big thunderclap," Jenny said, closing her eyes again, "but just before it came, I heard somebody yell..."

"Yell what?" Brad asked.

Jenny opened her eyes. "I don't..." she shook her head helplessly. "I can't remember." What had the voice said? She remembered ahnost everything else, why had the words disappeared? She shook her head again.

"Come on," Brad urged. He was across from Jenny, now he leaned forward even farther, his big

hands almost touching hers. "Think, can't you? It's important!"

Jenny sat back a Uttle. The look on his face scared her. "I'm trying," she said.

'Well try harder!" His right hand closed in a fist and his eyes gUttered with anger. "How can you just forget something like that? Come on, you've got to remember!"

"Brad ..." Sally said softly.

'What?" He swung his head toward her. "You think it doesn't matter? She could have been the last person to see ... to hear Diana ali -- " He broke off before he said it, then slapped the table with the palm of his hand.

"Take it easy, Brad," Dean said calmly. His pale eyes were sympathetic. "Remember what Jenny said. She was up there in the middle of the thunderstorm. You must have heard it. It sounded like the inside of a bowling alley." He tapped his mouth with his forefinger and glanced at Jenny before looking back to Brad. "Don't you think it's possible -- even probable -- that she didn't hear anyone? That it was just the wind and the thunder playing tricks with her ears?"

'That's what David thought," Jenny said, and David nodded, his eyes still watching her. But she knew it wasn't true. She did hear somebody yell something. At the moment, though, she wasn't going to argue about it. Brad was really agitated, and she remembered what Sally had told her, about how Diana had just broken off with him. He must

be feeling guilty, she thought. He was probably so mad at her, he hoped something awful would happen. And it had.

"Yeah." Brad slumped back into his chair and wiped a hand over his face. "I guess that might be it."

Jenny knew she would remember what she'd heard; it would come back to her one of these days. But she kept that thought to herself. She didn't want to set Brad off again.

She smiled gratefully at Dean. He was the one who'd calmed Brad down and taken the spotlight off her, and she wanted him to know she appreciated it even though he was wrong about her imagining things.

Dean smiled back, which didn't surprise her. What surprised her was that he gave her a wink along with the smile. And it wasn't just a friendly one, either. She'd never been much of a sucker for winks, but if she had. Dean's slow, seductive one might have done the trick. Sally sure has him pegged wrong, she thought. He doesn't need a computer printout or an answering machine to get his message across.