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 B

Rockland Cove County Sheriff’s Department at…

    H e pulled up the next listing. The papers were dated two weeks apart.
    The headline read: Local Man Presumed Dead.

    A vehicle that had been missing since August was pulled from Mill Cove without a body inside on Saturday afternoon after two swimmers found the car.
    The Rockland Cove County Sheriff’s Department said the car belonged to missing person, Matt Grant. Authorities declined to give any other details about the missing person. The family has asked for privacy at this time.

    J ack looked over the top of the computer. There were only six other people in the entire library. Heads bobbed partially above monitors as each did their own research.
    If no body was found, maybe he faked his death. Maybe she was covering for him. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. With so much money at stake, it wouldn’t have surprised him if he had gone into hiding with the help of his family. This was getting more complicated by the second. If he was in hiding, the money could be anywhere. He needed more information.
    About to leave, his eye caught a familiar face from the morning. Heading out the door with a backpack slung over his shoulder was the kid. What was he doing here? Jack glanced at the clock. It was a little after one in the afternoon. Following from a distance, he watched the boy light a cigarette and hurry across the road, only to duck into a side alley. Rounding a building, he was gone.
    For a moment he considered heading back to the car, but when he heard the sounds of kids jeering further down, he opted to go and take a look. The alley began to narrow. Turning the corner at the other end it was his backpack he noticed first, then the three youngsters blocking the kid. He held back for a moment. The ringleader grabbed his bag and threw it on the floor. The kid seemed unfazed. Jack had been in enough fights as a youngster to know when a fight was brewing. The energy was building as the others closed in on him. The kid held his own, stepping forward for his bag, only to watch it get kicked. The ringleader shoved him, leaning in and saying something that he could only imagine. The kid never flinched. But when the next shove came, the kid lashed out at the ringleader, only to be dropped to the ground like a fly.
    Jack yelled, “Hey.”
    Their heads turned. Shock, surprise, or the assumption they were deep in trouble was enough to make them turn and flee.
    Bruised, with a slightly cut lip, the young kid hauled himself up and brushed off dirt from his pants.
    “You okay, kid?”
    He looked at Jack for a split second, grabbed his bag, and replied, “Screw you, man.”
    He ran off in another direction.
    Nice, Jack thought, before turning back to get his car. When he made it back, Apollo was still sitting in the car. The window was cranked all the way down. Jack never had to worry about him taking off. He had sat relaxed until Jack came to the window. His head turned to the side.
    “I know, I know. Not exactly the best introduction.”
    Apollo barked.
    “You’re right, we need to get some food.”
    There had always been this back and forth conversation they had with each other, as if they could understand each other with just a look, a word, or a pat on the head. On the outside it probably looked insane, but he cared little about what people thought. Most dog owners understood.

Chapter 11
    T HE TOWN SQUARE was called Dock Square. It was located west, toward the mouth of the Rockland Cove River that ran through the town and flowed into the Atlantic Ocean. Despite its small population and the lack of people he saw earlier that morning, the afternoon brought a whole new feel to the town. Tourists browsed the souvenir stores and milled around the art galleries while others filled up small tables outside several seafood restaurants.
    Jack took a moment to gather a few personal items to see him through the next couple of days from a local grocery store. Outside he took a