Page 113 of Tasting Fire
“How many years of your life is it worth?” Cash asked, laughing at his friend’s antics. “And who is it from?”
“Oh, that’s a seeeeecret.”
For God’s sake, sometimes it was like working with a bunch of middle schoolers around here.
But he didn’t like the sounds of any secret delivery.
Nothing else had happened around Steele Ridge since Amory’s questioning, but Cash wasn’t ready to relax quite yet. He still couldn’t believe that bastard had been released. He held out his hand to Sully. “Just hand it over.”
On the front, his name had been printed in block letters. Something about it made the back of his neck tingle.Stop being paranoid, Kingston.
He ripped open the envelope and found a half sheet of paper inside. On it was typed:
Fruits, vegetables, and honey
Where the wild things grow
Farmers take the money
Ten o’clock—don’t be slow
Dammit, not too long ago, Jonah had received weird notes like this from someone who wanted to kill him. How many poetry-writing nut jobs could there be in Steele Ridge?
“Who dropped this off?”
“Some kid on a bike.”
He didn’t like the sound of this after all the bullshit with Emmy lately. He needed to check this out.
Before he left the station, he changed into street clothes then headed to the farmer’s market. It wasn’t hard to locate his dad since he had the only pig-pink truck in the area. When Cash strolled up, his dad was busy handing over asparagus, kale, and hakurei turnips, and people were happily handing him back wads of bills.
Once the customers cleared out, Cash said, “It’s good to know you and Mom are set for retirement.”
His dad laughed. “I should make enough today to keep your mom in baking supplies.”
“And I always thought you were kind and good.”
“I have hidden layers.”
Nicksie came around from behind the table to sniff at Cash’s boots. Satisfied, she flung herself down across his feet. Maybe he needed his own dog. Maybe he and Emmy could—
“Looking for something in particular?” his dad asked him.
“Actually,” he pulled the piece of paper from his pocket, “I was wondering if you knew anything about this?”
His dad fished his cheaters from his front shirt pocket and scanned the poem. “Shakespeare, it’s not.”
“It’s like a damn clue or something.”
“You think?” His dad’s tone was casual, but there was a wicked spark in his eyes. Yeah, he knew something about this, which meant there was nothing nefarious about it. “If it’s a clue, then it seems like you’re supposed to find something, right? Maybe look it over for more hints.”
“So you’re not going to help me?”
“Surely you can handle a scavenger hunt on your own.”
Cash grinned. Yeah, his dad knew what this was all about, and now Cash knew more than he had when he walked up. “Thanks, Dad.”
“I didn’t… You can’t… Just get out of here.”
