Back The Collector Series: The Recluse Part One By Charles Bird (R.I.P.)

Last Updated: March 20, 2023
Joel Barnett had always been a recluse, he found it hard to relate to others and was uncomfortable in a group. When he graduated from the University, he had invested his inheritance from his parents and multiplied it many times over. While his wealth grew, he became more and more uncomfortable around others and practically retreated into his own shell. At the young age of 35 years old, he felt he could no longer stand it and he cashed in all his "chips" and retreated to the mountain cabin his parents had left him. The cabin sat in the middle of a 1,000 acre plot of private land, surrounded by National Forest. It was hardly a cabin, it boasted of five bedrooms, and 6,000 square feet of living space. In addition, there were two bunkhouses that would sleep thirty ranch hands each. The nearest town, Forestville, was 75 miles away over roads nearly impassable. Three times a year, a commercial food service came and stocked his storeroom and Joel supplemented that with wild game he trapped or shot on his own property. The only people he saw were the food service people and an occasional Forest Service Ranger, who would pay him a courtesy call. His rare trips into Forestville were those he could not avoid and the only person with whom he had any real contact was Millie Benson, the owner of Millie's Café and Rooms. He did have a radio and electricity, there was a small water turbine on the stream that supplied enough power for lights, the shortwave transceiver radio, a walk-in freezer and a small refrigerator. Some might have thought it would be lonely there, but for Joel, it was pure heaven.

Chapters Status: Complete

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