Page 8 of Half Blind

“Long story short, tornado, a drifter, broken vivarium, Larry and Frank are dead,” she told him.

“I can't get you replacements in this market,” Merge said.

“Don't need replacements, I need venom from the source,” she said, briefly explaining the research. “The ass hat who terminated my babies suggested allowing Larry and Frank to be my control group and going forward with venom from a Mamba, maybe a Krait, and a couple of South American vipers with the same composition as a Gaboon. I wouldn't know where to start.”

“How much of each do you need?”

“At least ten vials of each to start would be amazing. Is that possible?”

“I know a guy; let me make a call. How soon do you need it?”

“As soon as I can get it,” Lemon said. “Is it going to cost me my home?”

“Don't know, but prepare to shell out shipping costs, which means it may have to be flown in and hand delivered. Where do you want it delivered?”

“To my farm, if possible. Do I need to give you my card?”

“No, when I find out the cost, have cash ready when it arrives,” he said. “Be careful with the delivery man; they can be scary. “

****

JARED ADDED A LOADto the washer; since all of his clothes were in the same color palette of either navy or black, he could do with one load and keep it moving. He used a fast wash cycle to get the clothes clean, and he made his way to the barn to shower and change into the last set of semi fresh denims in his backpack. Once he showered, a walk around the property with a notebook would get him started on the repairs. He hoped she had a chainsaw to cut up a number of the large branches that had fallen. For good measure, he placed the carcasses of the reptiles in a box, along with the pickle jar of heads. He stuck it under the desk and covered the vivarium cages with the blanket from the cot he'd used last night.

His years in the military had taught him to trust his first thoughts. If there was an idea that came to mind, he usually went with it, and thus far, it had brought him success. At the end of his shower, he was glad he'd followed his intuition. He stepped out of the tiny shower that didn't nearly have enough hot water to clean off a shitty baby boodie to find the Sheriff waiting for him. Unabashed, after spending time with soldiers, Jared didn't bother covering himself immediately, giving the Sheriff a look at what he assumed Jared would use on Doc Myrtle. Slowly, he reached for the towel, wrapping it around his waist.

“I see your truck has arrived,” the Sheriff said. “You didn't use the names I gave you for the tow over here.”

“Was I supposed to use only one of those names? Perhaps my insurance company suggested otherwise,” Jared said, giving a bit of a smile.

“Truck looks like it's going to need a lot of work.”

“Perhaps.”

“Seems like you plan to be around for a while.”

“As I said earlier, I'm on my way to Cleveland, but I plan to help out around here for a bit before shoving off and being on my way,” Jared said.

“Listen here, son, Doc Myrtle is a gracious lady, really respected around here, and what she does, taking in those girls is a blessing,” the Sheriff told him. “She doesn’t need no near ‘do well messing up her life or fiddling with the heads of those young ladies.”

“Sheriff, I'm going to do the cleanup and repairs, fix my truck, and get on with my life. Not interested in the ladies or the teens; I have somewhere to be, but to thank her for the kindness, I'm helping out. My Mama raised a gentleman, I have three sisters, so I'm not that kind of man,” he said. “Please excuse me so I can get started. The faster I start, the sooner I finish.”

He removed the towel, making a big show of drying his balls before slipping on fresh undies, his last clean pair of socks, and jeans and a shirt. He added a fresh bandage to the wound before donning the jeans and slipped into his boots. Jared left the Sheriff in the barn and began to do an assessment of the damage. Bria came outside.

“Ms. Bria, can you dig up a notebook and pen for me to use please?” he asked.

“Yes, Sir,” she said. “Do you need me to make notes while you work?”

“Naw, I got it, but thanks, kiddo,” he replied as she dipped into the house, returning moments later with a small notebook and a pen.

The Sheriff sat in the patrol car for a while, simply watching to see if Myrtle, the cousin, or the girls came out to interact with the man. None did. The man moved debris, making a small pile near the fire pit the Sheriff seen Myrtle and the girls use in the Fall for roasting marshmallows. Jealousy seared through him because he wanted to do the clean-up and repairs for Myrtle. It would have been his chance to be her hero, maybe get a dinner invite, but now this fucker was here. He cranked his cruiser as the girl, he thought her name was Ayanna, exited the back door, bringing an insulated cup of water to the stranger.

“Fucker,” the Sheriff mumbled before driving off.

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