C.J. Urban - Julie Townsend 01 - Hidden Intent Read Online Free Page A

It is.” Julie mulled this over, trying to think of the implications.
    Sam didn’t have the interest Julie did, however. He was glad to have his tape measure back and intact. He turned, and noticed the other diary Julie had found. “Can I read it with you?” He asked, curious.
    Julie tucked the drawing under her arm, leaving the old cigarettes where they lay. “No, Sam. I’m not trying to snoop, and I don’t want to gossip. That’s wrong. I just want to see what she wrote before she died.”
    “Really?” His eyes went wide. Sam was no stranger to death, but this fascinated him. “Will you tell me if you find anything out?”
    “I’ll think about it. How about you measure the other side? Wall to wall?”
    “Oh, okay,” Sam answered, dejected. But he knew his sister, and when she meant business.
    Julie scanned the first page and instantly realized why this diary had been hidden. The first entry held the steamy contents of a relationship with a teenage boy. She was amazed to discover that his name was Lucas. The same name on the drawing she’d just hastily put away.
     
    …It’s the way he kisses me. If only our love didn’t have to be a secret…Dad would never understand…
     
    Julie scanned the rest of the page and then flipped through to the last entry. Her eyes widened as she saw a distinct change in the tone of writing.
     
    …I can see D through the curtains. I don’t think he’ll hurt me, but I wish Dad was here anyway. Dad could make him go away. All I can see are his eyes. They look dead and hollow tonight. I wish that tree wasn’t so close to my window. He could probably get inside if he wanted to. Note to self: LOCK WINDOW.
     
    Julie glanced at the entry date and felt a shiver run through her as she saw it. Tara had written those words the night she died.
     
     
     
    Chapter 5
     
     
    Skye Taylor looked up from his work, eyes aching from staring at the miniscule parts his job required him to repair. It had been a long week. He enjoyed his work but sometimes it was tedious. The brightest part of his week was when the new girl in town had come into the hardware store, searching him out in need of help.
    “You headin’ out?” Asked a voice to his right.
    Skye glanced to his longtime friend and co-worker, Steve Ricks, and nodded. Steve was tall with hazel eyes, long dreadlocks that defied a small town persona, and constant stubble across his face. He was one of the nicest guys Skye knew. Also one of the best locksmiths.
    Now Steve leaned on the shop’s counter, tilted his head and rubbed his chin. “Who was that girl that came in a few days ago?”
    “Oh, just a new girl in town,” Sky replied, attempting to hide a grin.
    “I know she’s new in town, bro,” Steve said. “Dupont is too small for a newcomer not to be noticed. I’m asking you, who is she to you?”
    “No one,” Sky said. But the gleam in his eye belied his words.
    Steve chuckled. “You’re going to ask her out, aren’t you? I’ve seen that look before.”
    “I might,” Skye replied casually.
    “Who knows? You might just finally get yourself a girlfriend.”
    “I’m not in any hurry, you know.”
    “Sure you’re not. Well, have a good weekend, then,” Steve said, smiling as he ambled slowly away from the counter.
    Skye grabbed his one-inch thick notebook and put it in his backpack. Keeping track of that notebook was a job in and of itself, and he didn’t dare lose it. In it, he’d written every brilliant idea his inventive mind had ever come up with. Skye was sure as the day was long that if he could just invent something useful, he would have a purpose that defined him.
    He made his way through the crowded hardware store and out into the warm summer evening. His mother had invited him to dinner and after such a long day one of her home-cooked meals sounded great. Reaching his white Dodge Ram truck, he climbed in and turned the key, cracking a smile as the diesel engine roared to life. Before putting the