Snow crunched beneath his boots as he moved closer to the truck window and shined his flashlight inside.
The beam illuminated a man slumped forward against the steering wheel.
Still.
Too still.
A faded denim jacket covered broad shoulders that no longer rose with breath. A thermos rested on the passenger seat with its contents frozen solid. On the dashboard sat an old Army veteran cap bleached almost colorless by years of sun.
Grant’s chest tightened as understanding settled in.
Behind him, the dog released a low aching sound and leaned harder against the driver’s door.
“You stayed with him,” Grant whispered quietly.
Backup arrived twenty minutes later, but the conclusion had already become painfully obvious.
The driver was Frank Delaney, seventy years old, a retired Army engineer who had apparently suffered a sudden heart attack while driving. Based on the conditions inside the truck, the medical examiner estimated he had passed away nearly three days earlier.
