“I’ll do you one better,” the man countered with a grin. “I’m on my way to pick up a new car. If you come with me, you can have this one.”

Joe took a step back and looked again at the pristine ebony Jaguar. Surely the man was joking.

“I’m not,” he answered, though Joe was too dumbfounded to realize he hadn’t said anything to respond to. “One condition. Don’t worry—handsome as you are, I have no desire to sleep with you,” the man chuckled, and Joe felt a flush of embarrassment rise in his cheeks. He knew men occasionally appreciated him beyond the normal appraisal of a handsome face, but he’d never had someone be quite so direct.

“So what is it?” Joe asked, shifting his weight from one hip to the other.

“Simple,” the man said and lowered his sunglasses to reveal partly cataract eyes. “I have a little… farming operation, just a few miles up the road, actually. Someone’s been stealing from me. You’re a lot younger than I am. I’m hoping you might agree to spend a few hours there this evening and see if you can spot the culprit.”

“And then.…”

“In exchange, I’ll give you this car,” the man finished for him. “Happily.”

“But what if I don’t see anything?” Joe asked, not entirely sure what he’d even be looking for.

“Well, then I’ll know it was simply in my mind. Can’t blame an old man for being a little crazy, now, can you?”

Joe wasn’t exactly convinced what to make of him, but he decided to go along. His mind was already reeling with the price tag he could affix to the car. He could probably sell it for enough to pay off his debts and then some. So what if the dude was a little crazy? Someone was likely to benefit from the old loon and it might as well be him. Joe jogged around the back of the car and tossed the gas can in the back before jumping into the passenger seat.

“So what kind of farming do you do?” the young man asked as he reached for his seat belt.

“Pumpkins,” the driver answered flatly as he pulled back onto the road, “among other things.”