Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 70516 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 353(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70516 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 353(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
Illicit. What a crock of shit.
I just shook my head. “What a mess.”
“Deacon Andrews has a head on his shoulders,” Black said into the quiet silence between us. “There’s no way that he’s not questioning things right now. Never once, outside of not doing what they wanted her to, has Edith Wheeler not been an exemplary member of society. Hell, I remember listening to him rip into his girl one day at the ice cream shop when he watched her knock Eddy’s ice cream to her feet. He bought Eddy new ice cream and made Audrey go without. He’s not immune to her shit. Or theirs.”
“Then maybe you should bring him in,” I suggested. “If the pastor and his wife trust Andrews, then maybe having his help would expedite this shit show.”
“Deacon Andrews doesn’t seem to be in on it, at least,” Apollo agreed. “He just seems like he spoils his kid and gives her everything she could ever want. The pastor and his wife, though, seem shady as fuck.”
I couldn’t agree more.
I’d seen them several times around town, and I’d always gotten this smarmy vibe off the pastor.
His wife seemed meek and troubled, as if Barton beat the shit out of her if she got out of line.
“What now, Sheriff?”
Black was silent for a second. “You’re not in it. At all.”
I held up my hands as if he could see it over the phone line. “I never planned to be.”
“Though, I would highly suggest watching the girl,” Black muttered darkly. “Fuck my life.”
My lips twitched.
“I’ll keep working on my end. If they’re aware that they were caught, maybe they’ll fuck up and…” Apollo trailed off. “Black, how close are you to the Wheelers’ place?”
“Five minutes, why?”
“Because I just hac…I’m borrowing the neighbor’s surveillance feed. Pastor Wheeler’s in the back yard with a lighter and a burn barrel.”
“The moment it starts up I can bust him.” Black sounded like he was moving. “But who knows how long it’ll take for whatever he’s burning to go up in flame. It might be all out by the time that I arrive.”
“Bring your cruiser’s fire extinguisher,” Apollo suggested. “And hurry.” Apollo paused. “One of your club brother’s backyard butts up against their backyard. Maybe you could be out there on Dutton’s deck. His old lady is in the kitchen right now.”
“Thanks, Apollo.” Black hung up, leaving Apollo and me on the line alone.
“What do you want to bet it’s all gone by the time he gets there?” I grumbled.
“I contacted Dutton’s wife, Sarah. She is going to go out there and turn the water hose on.”
“Good luck,” I said. “Keep me updated, yeah?”
“Sure.” Apollo already sounded distracted.
Taking that as my cue, I got back to work restoring power to several of the homes along this stretch of road.
I was all the way finished, and letting my buddy know that I was coming down, when my phone started to ring again.
“Hello?”
“Fuck, man,” Creed said. “Where are you?”
I frowned. “I’m working on Old Smith Landing. Why?”
“Call just came in,” he said. “There’s a bear that’s attacking a woman.”
My stomach sank. “Okay?”
“It’s Eddy,” Creed said. “And it’s not looking good.”
Eleven
Don’t pick the bear.
—Eddy to Nettie
Eddy
I hiked this damn trail all the damn time.
As in, all the time.
I did it so much that it’d become second nature to me on the trail to know where the turns were, where it switch backed, and even where the best flowers grew in the summer.
Only, this time it felt different.
I should’ve taken it as a sign when I’d asked Nettie if she wanted to go, and she’d immediately said no.
I’d been restless, though, and had wanted out of my house.
I’d wanted a break from reality, and usually I got that from hiking.
So against that little voice in my head that told me not to go, I’d gone.
And now I was staring down a bear that was pissed off as hell because I’d just pepper-sprayed it.
The bear hadn’t run away.
In fact, the pepper spray had only seemed to infuriate him more.
I’d seen him from pretty far away, and I’d started to turn around, only the bear must’ve glimpsed me or smelled me or something. Because almost as fast as I’d noticed him, he’d noticed me. Before I could make a move in the opposite direction, he was running.
That’s when I knew I was about to die.
Despite every instinct telling me to run, I held my ground and made myself big, yelling and shouting to try to scare him off.
Any other time, this would’ve worked.
They would’ve turned around. I’d dealt with plenty of bears in my life to know how they reacted.
But this one…there was something wrong with it.
It ran with an almost drunk gait. It was listing hard to the left, and then to the right, and at one point, the bear had even fallen over in his haste to get up the mountain toward me.