Read Before The Storm for Free Online Page A

out there and just not being able to have her. I feel badly for her for the first time since I’ve been here. I do, but still, I mean, what do I know about finding anyone? There’s like millions of people in the United States. She should totally write to a detective or something. Or, I know! She should write to that show “The Locator!” It’s about this guy who goes around reuniting people who haven’t seen one another in like years. Sometimes they never even met once in their whole lives. It’s super meaningful and motivational. Everyone always comes out of it very happy and changed for the better. That show would be perfect for Stephanie!
    “Have you ever seen that one show, ‘The Locator?’” I ask her, getting a little excited now. “It’s about this guy, I think his name is Troy, and he goes around reuniting people with their loved ones!”
    She looks at me like I’m a bug on the bottom of her shoe that she just stepped on and killed. “What the fuck are you talking about? I’m not going on some stupid fucking show. I’m having YOU find her.”
    “But I don’t know the first thing about finding someone. I’m not a private detective,” I point out.
    “Well,” she says, opening up my notebook and handing me an envelope, “I have a clue that will help you.”
    I turn the envelope over, thinking maybe there’s a really thin piece of paper inside that I can’t make out from the outside, but there’s nothing. It’s completely empty.
    “An empty envelope?” I ask her puzzled.
    She rolls her eyes. “Not just ANY empty envelope. Look at the return address.”
    I glance down at the envelope and squint to see the address, but it’s written so tiny and the envelope is so worn that it’s hard to make out.
    “A P.O. box?” I ask her.
    “That P.O. box belongs to my mother. I found it in my father’s things a while ago.
    You find that P.O. box and you find my mother.”
    What, is she on drugs or something? She expects me to be able to find her mother with this? An old P.O. box address? Those things are completely confidential. Plus, isn’t it against some huge government law or something? People are very, very particular about their mail. Not to mention this address is many states away and could be from years ago. I doubt her mother is still in the same place.
    “If it’s that simple why haven’t you been able to track her down yourself?” I ask, eyeing my notebook. Maybe if I’m quick enough I can somehow grab it back from her.
    Stephanie pulls my notebook closer to her chest as if she can read my mind.
    “You’ll find her, and fast, or I’ll show this notebook to everyone and anyone who will listen.”
    There’s a knock on the door of our room and Stephanie shoves the notebook up her shirt, not that it matters since the nurse on the other side only has eyes for me. “Come on Victoria, everyone’s been waiting for quite some time.”
    I look back and forth from Stephanie to the nurse helplessly. I really do not want to be involved in whatever it is Stephanie has going on here. I mean she is clearly completely and totally out of her mind. But what choice do I have really? I need to get out of here.
    “Well thanks for everything Stephanie,” I say, walking toward the nurse. “I’ll uh…be in touch.”
    “Yes,” she says to the back of my head. “Hopefully within the next few weeks.”
    She’s now giving me a time frame. My head immediately starts pounding as the nurse closes the door behind us. With everything else I have going on how am I supposed to track down some woman I know almost nothing about?
    The stress of everything pilling up on my shoulders makes me a little dizzy. And just as I round the corner to the check out office, just as I’m regaining my balance and emotions, I start to lose it again.
    Because standing right there as if it’s the most natural thing in the world is my father.

Chapter Four
    He hasn’t changed much. Well, maybe he’s a little more built,