The Winslow Incident Read Online Free PDF

the
long table, his pounding heart undermining his efforts to stay cool. Busted.
Again.
    “You were sitting right here at
mess yesterday,” Pard said, jabbing one finger against the table, “when I told
everyone to keep quiet until we can get a handle on things.”
    He stared at his uncle now,
refusing to respond, uncertain if his voice would quiver.
    Pard glared back, exasperated.
“Then I find you and your cousin and her crew out in the pasture laughing it up
at a damn near tragic situation.”
    Working up his nerve, Tanner
strode to the head of the table and poured himself a cup of coffee. “I’d offer
you some,” he said, amazed that his hands were steady, “but it seems like
you’ve had enough.”
    His uncle went redder in the face.
“No wonder my brother wanted to get rid of you. You’re nothing but a punk.”
    “Then I’m not disappointing
anyone.”
    “You disappoint everyone.”
    “Hey, I didn’t ask to be
here—”
    “And I didn’t ask to have you
here, but I’ve been trying to make the best of it.”
    “Make the best of it?” Bullshit! Tanner thought. You’ve made it crystal clear you wanted nothing to do with
me since the day they dumped me here. His parents had barely stayed long
enough to drink a glass of iced tea on the porch of the sprawling ranch
house—Tanner and Pard eyeing each other warily the whole time—out
of fear Pard would change his mind about taking his nephew for the summer. And Tanner
had been surprised by the way his dad had avoided looking at him when he
unloaded the duffel bag from the back of the Forester and said, “Be good, son.”
That was the first time in a long time he’d been called “son,” and to Tanner,
it had sounded odd and somehow final.
    Now his uncle tried a different
tact. “Listen, you’re a smart kid. Make yourself useful.”
    “What should I do? Go warn the
innocent townsfolk?”
    Pard slammed his fist down on the
table so hard coffee jumped out of Tanner’s cup and his heart leapt in his
chest. “Dammit! I’ve got problems here and don’t need any extra aggravation.”
    “Okay, okay . . .” Tanner backed
away, thinking, You do got problems. Then, to Tanner’s relief, Kenny
Clark swaggered in.
    “We’re ready for you, boss,” Kenny
said.
    For reasons beyond Tanner’s
fathoming, the only thing Kenny seemed to love more than his job was his boss.
    “Find any more dead?” Pard asked Kenny
without taking his eyes off of Tanner.
    “Nope.” Kenny appeared proud to
report that, maybe thinking that the boss would figure Kenny Clark had played a
hand in this good turn. “More sick, but no more dead.”
    Relief softened Pard’s features
and he swiveled to tell Kenny, “Good. Be right there.”
    Pard turned back to Tanner. “Look.
I’m willing to pull in my horns this time. But don’t cause me any trouble at
the rodeo. It won’t get you down the mountain any quicker, I promise you that.
It’ll only increase your sentence.”
    Kenny chortled at that while Pard
leaned closer to Tanner. “You will do what the men tell you to do, and when you
are not doing that you will keep out of the way. Above all, you will keep your
mouth shut. Understood?”
    “Yes,” Tanner hissed in reply. Of
course he understood. That didn’t mean he’d do it.

The
Delivery
Downtown Winslow
    F rom the passenger’s seat, Hazel watched Sean
fight to keep the steering wheel of the bakery van straight. Sunlight pouring
through the windshield lit up his eyes and kissed his hair. How’s a
boyfriend in prison sound? A shudder snaked down her spine. It sounded horrifying—that’s
how it sounded. At the ranch, her uncle had known precisely which lever to
pull. Now, as she studied Sean’s profile, she couldn’t help but think for the hundredth
time that he was too good-natured for prison, too young and too good-looking; she
felt sick imagining what might happen to him.
    Sean crammed the gearshift into
second with a grinding sound. “How’s your hand?” he