Halfway Dead by Terry Maggert Read Free Book Online

the hint. “How about if I start by telling you what I’m looking for?”
    I thought it over, then shook my head. I already knew it had something to do with that picture; a simple divination could tell me much more than he realized. “Nope. What exactly is your job?”
    He looked at the set of my lips and gave up. “Okay, I actually am an investigator, just not someone who looks for criminals. I look for lost things. Things that haven’t been found, when they need to be found.”
    So, he was a diviner, too. He just used non-magical means. “Okay, so far, I’m not freaked out. Now, tell me who you work for.”
    “Ahh. That’s the least interesting part of my story. I work for a soul-sucking gigantic corporation who makes lots of different things, but they have a particular interest in food technology, among other things,” he said.
    I broke in, holding one chipped nail—I really needed a fresh coat of polish—up dramatically, or at least with as much drama as I could muster while sitting down. To really create a scene, you need to be standing, so you can point skyward and shout eureka or something. I was too comfortable to do that, so I went with a modest display and a mild, “Hah! Stop right there. What other things does this mysterious corporation have interests in?” To me, the devil is always in the details. What’s unsaid would no doubt be more interesting than what Major told me upfront, and I didn’t want this going any farther without the whole story.
    “Fair enough, but, well . . . ” He dragged his feet, so to speak, until I quirked a brow at him. “They make the following things: decorative wares, furniture, high-end food gifts, some sort of nautical stuff, I’m not really sure what, and a huge variety of kid’s toys. I work exclusively for the food divisions, so I’m not entirely sure about all of the other details. Like I said, it’s a big company, and I’m usually out in the field. Or in a city, somewhere.”
    That was quite a variety. The list didn’t exactly ring of evil, so I thought it over for a minute, tapping my teeth with the aforementioned chipped nail. “So are you a real investigator, or do you always enlist locals to help you solve your problems?” I grinned at him, wondering if he would see me as mean or just feisty. I hoped it was the latter. I’m a white witch through-and-through, I don’t do vicious.
    He smiled, telling me that he took my comment in stride. “It seems arrogant to assume I know more about a place than a local would.”
    Point one for you, young man, I thought. “All right, so far, I’m listening. Tell me about this picture. What should I be squeeing over?”
    He didn’t hesitate. “Back here, this ring of giant trees?” He indicated the huge trunks beyond Tyler’s hapless face. “They’re worth a dump truck full of money.”
    “Stop right there.” I held up a hand as anger flushed my face. The last thing I was going to do was help someone log illegally in the pristine forest behind my own home. “You’re well past ballsy if you think I’m going to help you— ”
    “I don’t want them to cut down,” he interrupted.
    “You don’t?” I was quelled for a moment. After chewing that over, I said, “Okay, then what?” I admit, I was stumped. C’mon, that’s hilarious. Fine, whatever.
    “Not at all. I want to find those beautiful trees in perfect health, and I want to leave them in perfect health. My company wants that so much, they sent me with instructions that if I harm anything in the forest, I shouldn’t bother coming back.” At my incredulous expression, he nodded quickly to confirm his statement. “Seriously. I really need to do this, since the company owner has plans that are . . . well, they go beyond simple profit.”
    “Now you’ve really got my interest. What’s more important to your company than money?” I asked.
    He waved around us in a sort of recognition at the mountains. “These trees. They’re sort of