Deep Into The Night (Hartz Island Series) by Tracie Ingersoll Loy Read Free Book Online Page B

something about oil. What had it been? The man wiped off the oil stick and inserted it back in. He did this twice. His face went grim.
    “Here’s your problem. Your engine froze up. You’re out of oil.”
    “I have some in the back of the truck. Let me get it.”
    Now she remembered. José had told her to check the oil. She smiled and sighed, relieved the solution was so easy.
    “You’re kidding me, right?”
    “No. I have a box.” Cassie pointed to the back of the truck.
    “Lady, it’s too late for oil. You should have put oil in miles ago. It’s dead. You’re going to need a new engine, or a rebuilt one. Where do you want this thing towed?”
    “What do you mean?” Cassie asked. “Towed where?”
    “Wherever you want. Your truck can’t stay here.”
    He meant it. A queasy, cramped feeling settled in her stomach. Cassie blinked fast to stop the tearing, but it didn’t help. They rolled down her cheeks. She wiped them away with the back of her hand.
    “You’re not from around here, are you? Do you have anyone you can call?”
    “No.” Her shoulders slumped.
    “Okay, let me see what I can do.” He adjusted the microphone on his headset, turned away and spoke into it. After a few minutes, he turned back around to her. “Bill’s Mechanics and Towing is good. They can come and get the truck. Is that okay?”
    “Do you know anyone who goes there?”
    “They work on my mother’s car.”
    “Thanks. That would be nice.”
    “Then wait here. It’ll take about thirty minutes for them to get here.” The man started walking away and stopped. He turned around and looked at her. “You do realize they can’t fix this in an hour? Right? You’re going to have to leave the truck with them. It might take a couple of weeks.”
    Well, maybe she had thought it was like a Jiffy Lube, in and out in an hour. Auto mechanics had never been one of her strong points.
    “Why don’t you get everything out of the pick-up you’ll need and be a walk-on. After the tow truck leaves, you can wait in the terminal until it’s time to catch your ferry.”
    A heaviness centered in her chest watching Old Blue being towed away. It had been her fault. José had warned her to check the oil, and she hadn’t. The tow truck driver, which turned out to be the owner’s son, said to call in a couple of days. They had work scheduled ahead of her. If she wanted to keep the truck, he recommended a rebuilt engine, otherwise she should junk it. Alexa’s attachment to the old truck had gotten to her too. Blue deserved better than this. After all, he’d gotten her this far. Junk it? She thought not.

    The ferry approached the Hartz Island terminal. Walk-ons were off first, then vehicles, so she joined the small crowd waiting to exit. Nothing looked familiar. Not even the terrain. Everything was surrounded by woods of tall evergreens and firs. What happened to the big wide beach next to the ferry dock? In eight years, things couldn’t have changed this much.
    She turned to the bland looking blond man and asked, “This is Hartz Island, isn’t it?”
    The man stared at her, and then nodded.
    “It looks different.”
    “Don’t know what to tell you.” He turned his back on her.
    Taken aback by his brusqueness, she stepped away. Another man stood near the rude guy, but he also turned his back on her. So much for local hospitality. She turned to ask someone else, but the only other two people seemed busy with their own agenda. The ferry man motioned for them to exit, so Cassie hoisted her duffel and followed Mr. Rude and what appeared to be his shadow off the ferry. She headed toward the kiosk in the small holding area in hopes of finding help. A woman locked the door and started walking away.
    “Excuse me,” Cassie called.
    The woman turned around. “Can I help you?”
    “I hope so. I just got off the ferry, and frankly, I don’t recognize anything. I don’t have a clue where I am.”
    “You’re on Hartz Island.”
    “I know