Total pages in book: 36
Estimated words: 33261 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 166(@200wpm)___ 133(@250wpm)___ 111(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33261 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 166(@200wpm)___ 133(@250wpm)___ 111(@300wpm)
Then she thought about Daniel over the years. There had been times she had seen him with split knuckles. A busted lip. Many signs on his body that he’d been in a lot of bar fights.
She had no idea if he was a Reaper or not, but she couldn’t help wondering if it would even matter if he was. Did she even care if he was a Reaper?
****
Daniel looked at the pile of food on the ground. There was a small ditch outside of town. In the harsh winter, anyone not paying attention on the icy roads often ended up in said ditch.
He folded up his glasses and looked around. The food was good quality, and Daniel recognized the packaging from one of the companies Amy dealt with regularly.
“I don’t like this,” Nixon said.
It had been August who had called him about the mess. Daniel glanced around the road, heading into Lost Creek. The sign was just up ahead. It had been changed a few years ago, and now it looked inviting. The old sign had been a little too rusty, giving everyone the creeps who dared to enter.
“Neither do I,” Daniel said.
Amy had already called to let him know her café had been shut because of a delivery having gone awry. Daniel had a feeling he was staring at that order.
“Everyone is talking about the café being closed,” Nixon said.
They didn’t have to wait long before old Sheriff Billy arrived on the scene. He climbed out of his car and then walked up to meet him. They shook hands. Old Sheriff Billy was a long-serving Reaper. He’d helped to take care of many little problems within Lost Creek.
It was rare for them to have this kind of problem. Daniel knew to some that dumped food wasn’t an issue, but having already been at the mercy of assholes in the past, every situation was investigated.
“Did you check the security footage like I asked you to?” Daniel asked.
“Went over it. The driver stops, and then there’s a conversation. We can’t hear it, money is exchanged, or drugs. The footage is a little fuzzy. Once that happens, a couple of men climb into the back of the truck, tip out all the food, and then another small van arrives, fills the truck, and they go their separate ways.”
“This is intended for Amy’s,” Daniel said.
“That dude,” Nixon said. “The one that was hitting on her. The one you got me to escort to the hotel. I haven’t felt right since dealing with him.”
Daniel knew this was about Amy, but he wasn’t going to worry her. He glanced around at the mess.
“Nixon, I want you to grab a few guys, clean this mess up. Billy, I want you to come with me. Amy’s waiting for a brand-new delivery of produce. Did you get a good look at the driver?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you think you’re going to be able to spot him again?” Daniel asked.
“Yeah, there’s nothing to it.”
“Good.”
Daniel shook Nixon’s hand. “I’ll leave you the car. I’ll drive back with Billy.”
“I’ll call in when I see them passing.”
“Don’t let them see you.”
With that, he made his way over to Billy’s car, climbing into the passenger seat in front. Pulling the car door closed, he rested his hands on the open frame of the window as Billy climbed in.
“Are you okay?” Billy asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“I know it can be quite a challenge when they start to target people close to you,” Billy said.
Daniel turned to look toward Billy. In all his years as a Reaper, he’d never had to deal with someone targeting anyone close to him.
“Has there been any other suspicious activity? Any purchases of multiple properties, land, anything?”
“Nothing. I consulted with Pete. Everything has been quiet. Every summer we have rentals, and this one is the same as before. All the rentals are taken up. We have a bunch of tourists just passing through, then others who are sticking around for the summer. Nothing is out of the ordinary.”
They parked across the street.
Daniel had heard the annoyance in Amy’s voice. She hadn’t been happy with closing.
“Do you think a guy who got rejected would do this?”
“Yeah, I do. There are a lot of assholes out there.”
“Amy’s a good woman.”
“I know,” Daniel said. “And we’re not going to let anything happen to her.” He wasn’t interested in making small talk. They didn’t have to wait long for the truck to arrive. All he had to do was wait for him to swing the truck around, pull out, and then reverse right back.
“That’s him,” Billy said.
That was all Daniel needed. “Right, I want us to drive out.” He pulled out his cell phone and sent a quick text to Martha, asking her to let him know when the truck was leaving. He got a smile emoji back as a response.