The Pineview Incident Read Online Free PDF Page B

the counters, though full of manly sounding bottles, were clean and orderly.
    “Never been in here, have you?”
    “No,” she said, still looking around.
    “Most women stare like that when they come in. They think the place should look like a cave or something.” Mark chuckled to himself.
    Donna cleared her throat. She reminded herself she really didn’t want to be here, no matter how clean it looked. Actually, she didn’t want to be anywhere near Mark’s shop. All the scissors reminded her of the time he cut off her butt-length braid in sixth grade.
    “So, what's this big plan of yours?” she asked before she could get angry about the braid incident.
    “What do you think about me going in and spying on the Gilbertson place? Do you think they’ll believe me when I tell them nothing is happening there?”
    “I think they're so busy making up ridiculous lies they'll never believe the truth. I think you’re about to get yourself into a world of trouble.” That thought bothered her. “At best, the men will think you’ve been taken over by an alien and decide to dissect you.”
    Mark scratched his head. “I hadn’t thought about the dissection thing. You may be right about that. But we need to do something. This whole mess is going to explode and someone is likely to get hurt.”
    “Most likely you,” Donna said. No reason to beat around the bush with Mark. Neither of them needed to impress the other; it couldn't be done.
    “That’s why I need your help. The men in town want me to be the spy, but I can’t do it alone and God knows I can’t take any of them. I want you to come with me.”
    Donna felt her mouth drop open. “You want me to wha—”
    “Look, I know our past has been pretty rough, but you and I are the last two sane people in town. If we have any chance of helping the Gilbertsons, we have to work together. Besides, you have the best chance of resisting the mind control devices.” Mark grinned at her like a mischievous little boy.
    “Mind control devices?” Donna raised her eyebrows and looked at Mark. “They have mind control devices?”
    “That's what I heard.”
    “How did that rumor start?”
    “Do you really want to know?”
    Donna thought for a moment and shook her head. “No, not really.”
    “Look, Chief Michaels and Mayor Brown think that since I worked as a wilderness guide, I'm the best person to spy on the Gilbertsons. I don’t want to go alone because they'll never believe me. You’re the widow of a pastor, and everyone believes pastors’ wives. Do you still own hunting gear?”
    Donna looked at him, wondering if he was entirely sane. “You want the two of us to work together? As a team?”
    Mark looked at Donna and then at the floor. “I know it’s crazy, but it’s not any crazier than a town believing one long haired guy and a few black vans means aliens with mind control devices have taken over a farm full of fat people.”
    “True.” Donna looked out the window to watch a group of teens giggle and squeal their way down the street. She tried to remember what it was like to be carefree.
    Then she remembered Mark had taken much of her carefree-ness away. Memories rushed in, and the old anger resurfaced.
    “Why drag me into this?” she asked him. “You're buddies with every hunter in the county. Ask one of them to help you.”
    “I’m not happy about confiding in you, but you’re my best friend’s widow and the smartest one in this damned town full of idiots. I knew you’d see what the others are blind to.”
    Donna was stunned. He’d just complimented her—if being called the smart idiot was a compliment.
    “The Gilbertsons all but sealed their fate with all those cryptic answers. It's going to take a lot of work to fix this mess.” Donna chewed on her lip for a moment. He'd made an attempt at being nice; maybe it was time she did the same. “I never really pegged you for the civic type. The Gilbertsons need our help, and the town needs a good dose