Tension

When Zea said nothing, I thought I had her convinced. ‘If you are not interested in cash, we can find something else that works. I know you just want your grandma to have a good life. I could help with that.’ Zea’s silence spurred me on. From the conversation I had with Officer Bowman, I knew the town mayor was also concerned about the future of this village. The population at Sanders’ Hamlet was shrinking rapidly. They had no other means of livelihood other than farming. But crop yield was declining year after year with the increased frequency of natural disasters like the flash flood that led to Kieran’s disappearance. The villagers were well aware of this. But they had been isolated from the outside world for too long and had no idea how to get out of their predicament. Which was why they didn’t chase us away when Landon mentioned money. Maybe Zea would feel the same way. ‘I could talk to the town mayor,’ I said. ‘If the village can be developed into a tourist spot, then both you an