Kodiak's Claim Read Free Page B

board.”
    A grizzled face poked between the dark curtains covering the back. “Since when are the girls you pick up, ‘ladies’?”
    Tammy bit her lip as Travis frowned. “Are you implying something?”
    “No, I’m outright stating.”
    She dove in to his rescue. “I’m not one of Travis’ lady friends. I’m here representing the insurance bureau, investigating the recent spate of accidents your company has been having.”
    Her announcement met with a grunt, and Boris fixed Travis with a stare. “Does Reid know?”
    Travis shook his head.
    “Your funeral.” With a snort, Boris disappeared into the back.
    “Pleasant fellow,” she remarked as Travis put the truck into gear.
    “Boris? Bah. He’s just a big old moose. I’m actually surprised we got that much out of him. The man thinks grunting is a language. But he’s a good guy, deep down inside. Real deep,” he added in a slightly louder voice.
    As if to give credence to Travis’ words, a louder grunt emerged from the back.
    Tammy couldn’t help but hear her mother’s words repeat. Not just alone with one man, but two. Please don’t let the newspaper read Too-stupid-to-live insurance investigator’s body was found… Nope. She refusedto give in to her mother’s crazy paranoia and trusted her gut, and her gut said she had nothing to fear from these two.
    Especially not-talkative Travis, who, despite his initial protest about taking her, now seemed determined to make the best of it. Given his loquacious nature, she thought it prudent to furtively question him about his boss and company.
    “So how long have you been working for your cousin?”
    “Since high school. The whole town pretty much does. Without the company we’d have no jobs. Even the general store would probably fold without it.”
    “Your main export is coal?”
    “Coal, some precious metals if the miners come across them. We do have a small fishing fleet, but a lot of that stuff gets sold or traded locally. And we also deal in timber.”
    “Your trucks, which transport these goods out, are also the main means of bringing stuff in as well.”
    “Yes. Without these regular runs, lots of families would have to travel hours for the basics. Reid came up with a system where we time our distribution drop-offs with pick-ups.”
    “Sounds like an efficient businessman, your cousin.”
    “He is.”
    “What does he think of the trucks that have gone missing?”
    “Despite what you might suspect, or how it looks, he’s not behind the disappearances. Reid cares too much about our town and the people to screw them like that.”
    “Even you have to admit it’s kind of suspicious. I mean, come on, three trucks?”
    Travis’ knuckles turned white where he gripped the wheel. “One was driven by a friend of mine. A missing friend, whose girlfriend is expecting their first child. Trust me when I say, we had nothing to do with this. No one from our town would stoop so low.”
    “Then who would?” Tammy realized the oddness of her question, and yet, if these weren’t strokes of bad luck and someone was causing them, then why? Was it a rival company? That would make no sense. Why attack people and deliveries when someone could throw a monkey wrench in the operation by calling the ministry of labor, or the eco nuts? If either found a hint of impropriety, they could shut down operations with a few simple phone calls.
    Whatever the real reason, Travis turned uncommunicative, and Tammy pulled out the claim to read it over again. They had a long drive ahead, and she wanted to know everything she could about the case.
    Hours later, she was ready to shred the paperwork. Boring and not imparting anything she didn’t already know, all it seemed capable of managing was putting her to sleep, which, given her poor sleep in the motel—Johnny and Susan weren’t quiet in their mutual enthusiasm for each other—might not be a bad idea. The few hours of daylight this part of Alaska got came and went too