The Debt Collector (Book 1 of a Jack Winchester Organized Crime Action Thriller) (Jack Winchester Vigilante Justice Thriller Series) by Jon Mills Read Free Book Online Page A

dead.”
    “I’m sorry.”
    “Me too.”
    Entering the darkened room, she spread the curtains wide. Morning light spilled in, the color bringing life, awakening a room that clearly hadn’t seen a trace of a polish in many weeks.
    “I must apologize.” She grabbed a cloth from the washroom and started wiping down the sides of the furniture.
    “No need.”
    “I just wasn’t expecting anyone today. In fact, this is all…” she breathed in deep, “a bit of a surprise.”
    “Look, I have few errands to run,” he said.
    “Okay. That would work. I could have the place freshened up by the time you get back.”
    He moved toward the door.
    “If you’re going into the town, there’s a delicious steakhouse on the corner of Oak and Union. I’m afraid we don’t provide a meal here…”
    “I will check it out.”
    He nodded and went out. She watched him climb back into his vehicle from behind the room’s curtains. He was handsome, that she was sure of, even if her mental alarm bells were sounding off. Pleasant or not, her gut instinct after he was gone was to go check out the house.

Part II

Chapter 10
    A FTER LEAVING THE MOTEL , he immediately phoned Gafino.
    “He’s dead.”
    “That was fast.”
    “Not by me.”
    Gafino paused for a moment. “Pissed someone else off?”
    “I don’t know. That’s what I got out of his ex.”
    “And the money?”
    “Haven’t located it yet.”
    Jack heard him exhale deeply. “Find out what she knows, and, Jack…find my money.”
    “You mentioned nothing about there being a woman or kid involved.”
    “Details.”
    “Details that you should have mentioned. You know my rule...”
    Gafino scoffed on the other end of the line. “A real humanitarian—that’s what you are, Jack.”
    “This changes things.”
    “It changes nothing. You have a job to do. Do it.”
    Gafino hung up before he could squeeze another word in. Jack fumed, feeling as if his blood was boiling. He needed an in-road. Some way to figure out what had gone down. It wasn’t going to be easy. Bringing up the topic of her dead husband again and drilling her for questions was liable to set off a few red flags, if showing up hadn’t already. Maybe her late husband had warned her that men would come.
    No, he needed a subtle way to get back into the house. Perhaps the whole empty motel was just a front. With no guests, how could they manage to survive? Maybe they were living off the money, or at least knew where the money was. Most of the time he knew when someone was lying to him, but he couldn’t tell if she was. Either way, he would get to the bottom of it.

    * * *
    T hat afternoon , on the way back after grabbing a bite to eat at the Steakhouse, he’d ducked into the local library to see if the local paper had published anything on Matt Grant’s death. In a town this size, it was very possible that it could have made front page news if it was murder. That was the question that ate away inside. How did he die? He kicked himself for not asking, but the last thing he’d wanted to do was give her a reason to keep him at a distance. He shook his head, catching himself thinking about her. It wasn’t as if she mattered. This was business, nothing more.
    Pulling up an archive of back issue newspapers, he typed in Matt’s name. Sure enough, two editions were listed in the search that dated back to over a year ago. A large photo of Matt was positioned beneath a headline that read: Police Search For Missing Man.
    Missing?
    He was certain she’d said he was dead. He continued reading:

    P olice are searching for 34-year-old local man who failed to return home after a night out. Matt Grant was last seen at 11:30 p.m. on Sunday when he left The Thistle Inn, on the corner of Oak and Union. Officers are “very concerned,” as he has not contacted friends or family. Matt, pictured, is thought to have been wearing a white t-shirt, blue jeans and a red flannel shirt. Anyone with information should contact