EMP Catastrophe , Hamilton, Grace [crime books to read txt] 📗

on. How could it not? That doesn’t even make sense! We don't live in the Stone Age!”

Matthew tried to hide a grin, recognizing their argument as one that could easily have sprouted between him and David. He made his way over to the aisle and raised his hand in a hello. David shuffled behind him, suddenly nervous, with two different power bar brands in his hands as if to test them on a set of scales. “How’s it going, you two? Looks like we’re going to all the same places today.”

Jacob gave him a disgusted look and held a hand out to stop him. “Listen, we don’t have time for you right now.”

“Whoa, I’m just asking how you’re holding up, no offense meant.” Matthew frowned. He'd only wanted to make pleasant conversation, and after Brenda and Jacob had offered to lend a hand when they were in need, he'd pinned them as good people.

“I know you’re looking to find a ride or whatever, but you’ve got to leave us alone, man. We’re none of your business.”

"Jacob." Brenda smacked her husband in the chest, looking ashamed. "Don't be such a jerk."

“Leave them alone, Matt,” David whispered from behind him. “Let it be.”

“Sorry to bother you,” Matthew said, his throat clicking as he swallowed. “Didn’t mean to upset you.”

“I’m not upset,” Jacob said, his voice rising, but Matthew turned his back on the fighting couple and headed over to the sleeping bags. The interaction unsettled him with the sharpness of their tone. Their rudeness reminded him of the customers back at Wilson’s Antiques. He bit his lip, hating how he’d seen more cruelty than kindness today.

David nudged him. “Don’t let it get to you. They’re scared and nervous. Nothing new. They’re trying to figure things out, just like we are.”

“Yeah, I know. No reason to act like that, though, even in a crisis. Whatever. Do we have everything we need?” He fingered the slick red material of a sleeping bag hanging from the display, read the tag that the mummy-bag could withstand negative temperatures. Matthew frowned. It couldn’t take that long to get to Galena. Once they got on their way, he was sure they’d run across someone who could give them a ride. If worse came to worst, they could rough it for a night or two. Investing in a sleeping bag would be an additional item they didn’t need. He let his hand fall away from the material.

“Let’s check out,” David said. “We have everything here.”

The check-out stand was empty of customers, but Jordan popped his head up from behind the counter. It looked like he was stockpiling supplies behind the desk—things that looked like what he’d suggested David and Matthew invest in. He smiled as Matthew laid their goods on the counter.

Jordan used pen and paper to tally up the total, giving them a thumbs up when he applied the company’s ongoing promotional sale to reduce the total order by ten percent. Matthew laid his cash on the table, flattening the crumpled bills with a twist of anxiety. The total came to just over a hundred dollars, just about what Matthew had on hand. He swallowed hard and held the bills out to Jordan.

Jordan looked at the cash for a moment and then asked, “Do you have a credit card?”

“I thought your machines were down with the power being out,” Matthew said.

Jordan shrugged. “We have one of those old manual credit card imprinters. I can make a copy of your credit card information and clear the purchase when the power comes on.”

A sudden silence met his tone. Matthew’s heart clenched unexpectedly. “That’s…really nice of you.” He almost wanted to laugh. Put enough good out in the world and it will come back to you, sure, but it always came back in unexpected ways.

“You can’t do that,” David cut in. “Who knows when the power will come back on? We don’t take what we can’t pay for.”

Jordan laughed. “Seriously, you’ll be paying for it. With your credit card.”

“What if the power doesn’t come back on?” David challenged. “You’ll be out all that money. You might be out of a job for doing that for us.”

Jordan waved him away. “Why don’t you let me worry about my job, sir. If the power doesn’t come back on, I might be out of a job as it is. For now, I’m authorized to take your credit card number and if it doesn’t go through, the company is nationwide. We have credit protection. No harm, no foul. At least then you’ll be able to keep your cash if you get in a pinch.”

David looked at Matthew for reinforcement. “We can’t do that.”

But Matthew shook his head. He pulled his credit card out of his pocket, and watched as Jordan placed it into the old machine under a thin piece of paper glued to three different colored carbon copies. He slid the top slab over and back, producing a copy of the relevant credit card information. “There we go,” Jordan said, handing Matthew back his card and a pink slip. “You’ll need the cash if you find a ride back to Galena. Trust me on that.”

“Seriously, thank you,” Matthew said, feeling guilty he’d called the man crazy.

“Don’t think anything of it,” Jordan said. “We’ll need to help each other out in any way we can soon enough.”

Matthew couldn’t speak, but he slid his purchases into his arms and carried them outside. He felt numb but somehow validated. Stricken, honestly, at how much Jordan sounded like him. And Matthew had called him a nutter.

David knelt on the concrete and began loading the goods into their packs. Matthew helped, stuffing everything neatly into their bags and slinging one on his shoulder. He handed his father the other—he’d taken most of the weight, but he couldn’t completely stop his father from taking some of the load.

“Matthew,” David said softly, “did you put that cash in your wallet?”

“Yeah,” Matthew said.

“Stick some of it in your shoe,” David said.

Matthew didn’t