Snaggle Tooth: A Patrick Flint Novel
About this ebook
When a plane crashes at the base of Black Tooth Mountain during a wicked summer storm, Patrick Flintās moral compass leads him away from a trail ride with his family and to the wreckage in a search for survivors. But what he finds may teach him that not everything is what it seems, and not every life is worth saving.
āBest book Iāve read in a long time!ā
"A few hundred feet ahead, he saw a dark splotch on the asphalt. At first, he thought it was a shadow, but as he drew closer, he could tell it was three dimensional. An animal? He couldnāt choose a course around it until he knew whether it would move, and in what direction. The propeller on the Tri-Pacerās nose was lethal, of course, but impact with a critter could result in a dangerous broken windshield, or, worse, flip the small aircraft. He stepped on the brakes as hard as he dared, not wanting to send the plane cartwheeling from its own momentum. The Tri-Pacer shuddered and shimmied, and he fought to maintain control.Ā Dear God, donāt let me wreck this thing. Itās not even paid for yet, and Iāve got precious cargo.
Trish had been sleeping, thankfully, but she woke up with a start, her voice panicked. āWhatās going on?ā
āHold on,ā Patrick said through gritted teeth.
Ahead, the figure loomed closer. It was low to the ground and completely stationary. Had another plane already hit it? A dead bison? Or moose? A small bear, perhaps? What had seemed dark from hundreds of feet away now revealed itself as blue, red, and black. The blue perplexed him. It wasnāt the color of an animal, except for maybe a blue roan horse. Maybe the blue was a tarp or bag? He gauged the distance on either side. There was no room to pass without veering one wheel off the pavement.Ā Too dangerous at this speed. He considered opening the throttle, pulling back on the stick, and hopping over it, but decided not to risk it. He was out of room. There was no longer any reason to focus on whether it was moving. He had to double down on stopping.
Thank God he was piloting a Tri-Pacer. The little plane was the next best thing to a helicopter when it came to short strips. And this strip had suddenly become very, very short. With only feet to spare, the Tri-Pacer jerked to a standstill, nose tilted down. Patrick wiped sweat from his brow and exhaled. He had been so focused on stopping that he had almost forgotten about the figure that had made it necessary. Now he couldnāt see it.
āDad . . .ā Trishās voice was taut.
Patrick glanced over at her. Her eyes were huge. āWhat is it? Are you okay?ā
āYou saw that, right? You saw the man in the runway?ā
āThe man?ā
She nodded. āHe looked . . . dead.ā
A dead manāon a runway? It was hard to believe. Maybe she thought she saw a man, but it was probably a deer. But he had to check it out. āStay in the plane.ā
Patrick turned off the switch, advanced the throttle to full forward, then closed it. He opened the lightweight door, not waiting for the propeller to stop spinning, something he would not normally ever have done. He climbed out and jumped to the ground, peering through the distortion caused by the blades. He still couldnāt identify the figure. Giving the propeller a wide berth, he ran around his aircraft until he could see the figure in front of it.
And, to his surprise, he saw that Trish was right. It was a man, with an emphasis on āwas.ā An American Indian. And what was left of him wasnāt a pretty sight."
If you like C.J. Box or Craig Johnson, you will love USA Today Best Seller Pamela Fagan Hutchins' Patrick Flint series. A former attorney, Pamela runs an off-the-grid lodge on the face of Wyoming's Bighorn Mountains, living out the adventures in her books with her husband, rescue dogs and cats, and enormous horses.
About the author
Pamela Fagan Hutchins is a USA Today bestselling mystery/thriller/suspense author of more than thirty books translated into ten languages, known for her strong female characters, wild settings, and exciting plots that embrace romance, family, and all the feels. Sheās also a proud grandmother, and the host of the Crime & Wine podcast. Pamela lives out the adventures in her books at a rustic lake camp at Maineās Mooselook Lake and in an off-the-grid lodge on the face of Wyomingās Bighorn Mountains with her husband, sled dogs, and draft horses.
