the dead man - 15. george

by nick nelson

part fifteen of 31

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george grindell was the meanest man in town. he lived on the outskirts of town. nobody liked him or had a good word to say for him. he operated a garage and gas station and truck rental just off the highway. almost all his business, except for the gas, was with people passing through. most of the folks in town could fix their own vehicles if they had to, and had not much use for renting his trucks, which mostly sat idle in his big lot. these trucks would later figure in annette walker davis’s investigations. george had a wrecker that he used to haul vehicles that were in accidents on the highway, and had an arrangement with the highway patrol to carry them to his garage, where he usually got to fix them himself and charge the drivers or their insurance companies for his services. much of his income derived from this activity. george’s wife had left him, naturally enough, considering what a rotten person he was, but she left behind a daughter, named gretel. gretel’s personality, and her treatment by george, were a matter of some interest and dispute by the inhabitants of the town. annette walker davis would come to some pretty definite conclusions of her own. next