The Road to Sampson's Quarry (A Sampson's Quarry Mystery - Book One)

by Sophie Tucker

  Haley could see that the black car had picked up speed and was gaining on them by the second.

  “Make sure you are all buckled in. I’m driving about as fast as I probably should. My only choice is to do my best to stay clear of the other car.”

  Haley gave up on her search for a close town and tucked her backpack as far as she could underneath the seat.

  “Hang on!” Lucas said, his voice rising sharply.

  Seconds later they were hit from behind, the car lurching forward. Frustration and fear caused her to cry out. Haley was already upset about the damage to her car. It had been easy to brush it off when it was just a dent on the side, but hearing the crunch of metal as they were hit made her want to cry. It was silly of her to be worried about her car at time like this, but it was probably one of the things keeping her from acting on how truly terrified she was about the situation.

  Lucas was constantly moving the car between the three lanes, trying anything to keep them from getting hit again. The black car was in the lane beside them and seemed to be taking his time before coming back to hit them again. She watched time and time again as the black car came up alongside the back edge of their car before Lucas would change his trajectory, causing the black car to come back again and start all over.

  “What is he doing? What is he waiting for?”

  Suddenly Haley remembered something she had seen on TV. “I think he’s trying to do that maneuver where they spin your car out. I’ve seen it on TV a couple of times. If they hit you in the right spot. the car will instantly turn sideways, causing the driver to lose control and stop.”

  “The PIT maneuver?” Lucas asked. “Yeah, I’ve seen the cops do it on TV. How do you defend against that?”

  Haley groaned. “I don’t know; I think I missed that part of the show. I think the best way to avoid it is to not let them get to that area near the back tire.”

  “Okay, yeah. That sounds reasonable.” Lucas swore under his breath as he swerved and the black car stayed with them. The stress of the situation was evident in Lucas’s voice. “This is getting difficult. I can’t watch the car and the road at the same time. I don’t want to get us killed by crashing into a tree trying to avoid getting hit by the car.”

  “What can I do to help?” Haley asked, tamping down her panic.

  “I think we’ve got one shot at this. I need you to watch the other car.”

  “Okay, I’m watching the other car. Now what?”

  “I’m going to let him line up to hit us.”

  “Alright,” she said waiting for the rest of his explanation.

  “I’m hoping he’ll be so concentrated on performing the maneuver that I can get us out of the way in time. If I can get behind him, maybe I can stay away from him.”

  “If you get behind him, run him off the road,” Hailey suggested.

  “Well, there is that,” Lucas seemed to agree.

  Haley grabbed Lucas’s arm. “He’s lined up next to us.”

  “Okay good.” Lucas traded glances between his side mirror and the road in front of them.

  “I hate that he is just sitting there.” Haley glanced out to see that the road curved in front of them and started praying in her head.

  “I think this is it.”

  Haley watched as the car jerked violently towards them. There was a moment of delay but then Lucas reacted, accelerating and swerving towards the black car. There was a brief crunching sound as the cars met and Haley’s car began to spin. Lucas fought for control as they grew ever closer to the turn in the road. The black car almost seemed to accelerate as it failed to make the turn, disappearing abruptly in the trees.

  Haley’s car was still sliding across the road, and she heard Lucas swear under his breath. He was doing everything he could to get them around the turn. Mere seconds later, Haley screamed as they slid around the turn, only to find that a large tree had fallen across the road. Lucas swerved and the car came to a jolting stop. Pain blossomed in her head and then everything went black.

  Haley heard someone calling her name. It took her a few seconds but she realized it was Lucas and he seemed really far away. She tried to answer, but for some reason, she couldn’t.

  “Haley, open your eyes.”

  “Sir, you need to get out of the car,” another voice said.

  “No, I can’t. I won’t. She’s bleeding; she hit her head,” Lucas said sounding frantic.

  “Sir, I know. The ambulance is on the way.” Whoever was there with Lucas paused and then said, “I just have a few questions.”

  “Can’t your questions wait? I need to stay with Haley.”

  “Yes, of course. We will need to speak with you, though, when the ambulance arrives.”

  “That’s fine.”

  Haley felt like she was dreaming---like she was floating just below the surface. She tried to open her eyes, not understanding why she couldn’t. She felt Lucas take her hand, intertwining his fingers with hers.

  “Haley, you’ve got to stay with me here.” His voice cracked. “I lost you once through my own stupidity. I’ll be darned if I’ll lose you again because of somebody else’s.”

  Haley concentrated all her strength in the hand he was holding, giving it a brief squeeze.

  “Haley? Can you hear me, sweetheart?”

  She squeezed his hand and then tried opening her eyes again. It took some doing, but finally, Lucas’s face came into focus. “Hey.”

  “Hey, yourself.” Lucas was smiling at her but she could see the concern in his eyes.

  “What happened to the other car?” Haley vaguely remembered seeing it drive off the road before they slid through the turn in the road.

  “It crashed into the ravine. The police officer said the driver survived the crash but is severely injured.”

  “Police? When did they get here?” Haley asked, just realizing she was still in the passenger seat of her crumpled car.

  “They came up right after the crash.” Lucas looked out the back window. “They’ve already called the ambulance.”

  Haley frowned. “I don’t need an ambulance. I’m fine.” To prove her point, she moved to sit up a little, but pain radiated through her neck and head, causing her to fall back and close her eyes once more.

  “No. Stay still. You’ve hit your head and you will get checked out by the paramedics when they get here.”

  “How is she doing?”

  Haley moved her head enough to see a police officer standing next to the open driver’s side door.

  “Okay for now. She’s awake at least. How long until the ambulance should be here?”

  “We are hoping soon. The closest hospital is about forty-five minutes away from here, but we were told there was a unit halfway here coming back from another call. So it shouldn’t be long.”

  “Good. Thank you.” Lucas turned back to talk to Haley.

  “I just have a couple of questions,” the officer said. “There is evidence in the car that crashed into the ravine that the driver may have had some involvement in the disappearance of Mrs. Alexa Hamilton. Do you have any information on that?”

  Haley started to move forward and then stopped, the pain making her light-headed. Instead, she awkwardly pointed to the backpack she had shoved underneath the seat. “Show him my camera.”

  “What is she talking about?”

  “We were at the rest stop near Jefferson’s Mill. Haley was taking some photos of the landscaping around the little store there. It seems she may have gotten something more than flowers and trees in her shots.”

  “I’m going to need that camera and will have to…” He was cut off as the ambulance pulled up and several paramedics jumped out.

  The hospital door opened slowly and Lucas peeked in. “Oh good, you’re awake.”

  “Hey.” Haley was so glad to see him.

  Lucas came in, a stuffed teddy bear under his arm. “I saw this in the gift shop and thought it was something you should have.” He started to set it on the table beside the b
ed and then changed his mind and sat it on the bed next to her.

  Haley couldn’t help but enjoy his awkwardness. “Thank you, he’s very cute.” She tucked him under her arm and smiled at Lucas.

  “You are pretty cute yourself.” Lucas leaned over and kissed her forehead.

  Haley couldn’t tell if the kiss was a romantic kiss or a brotherly one. “Yes, I’m so fashionable in this hospital gown.”

  Lucas scowled at her. “Oh, hush. I’m so relieved to see you’re doing better. At least staying here, you will be forced to take it easy.”

  “I haven’t gotten much sleep though. Every two hours someone else is in here poking and prodding at me, taking my temperature or my blood pressure. I can’t wait to get out of here so that I can get some rest.”

  The door opened again and Haley was surprised to see Bri standing there. “Hey.”

  Bri seemed frozen in the doorway and then she suddenly rushed to the side of Haley’s bed. “Oh, my gosh, Haley. I couldn’t believe when the police called me and said you were in the hospital.”

  “I…” Haley tried to talk to her.

  “Are you okay?” Bri looked to Lucas and asked, “Is she okay?”

  “Bri, calm down,” Lucas said, moving around to the other side of the bed. “Why don’t you sit down and we’ll tell you what happened.”

  Lucas started with him showing up on Haley’s doorstep and then all the way through to the paramedics loading Haley into the ambulance.

  “So, this whole thing has to do with that missing woman?” Bri asked, looking from Haley to Lucas, her eyes wide.

  “That appears to be the case,” a voice from the door said.

  They all turned to see a dark-haired man in a suit standing in the doorway, one arm still extended to hold the door open. “May I come in?”

  Lucas turned to stand between the door and where Bri stood next to Haley. “May I ask who you are?”

  “Yes, of course.” The man reached into his jacket and pulled out a wallet. He opened it showing them a badge. “I am a detective with the Sampson’s Quarry Police Department.”

  “Please come in,” Haley told him.

  “Thank you.”

  Lucas stayed where he was and extended his hand. “Detective, I am Lucas Caldwell.”

  The detective shook his hand. “Killian Reese.”

  Lucas stepped back. “This is Haley Gardner and my sister, Brianna Caldwell.”

  Detective Reese nodded. “Thank you. I just wanted to stop in and check on you. I’m glad to see you look much better. ”

  “I am feeling much better. Thank you.” Haley frowned. “I just have one question. How did the police come upon us so soon after the accident?”

  “I believe you owe that to Ms. Caldwell here.”

  “When you didn’t arrive in Sampson’s Quarry that first night, I called the police. They suspected you had been delayed by the storm but promised to keep an eye out for you,” Bri explained. “Detective Reese, is Haley still in danger?”

  “No, we’ve apprehended both Frank Olsen, the driver of the car, and Mrs. Hamilton.”

  “Mrs. Hamilton?” Haley asked. “I thought she was missing and presumed kidnapped.”

  “That is what we were all led to believe. The truth of it though is that Mrs. Hamilton has been having an affair with Mr. Olsen for some time. Olsen was Mr. Hamilton’s chief of security. They had planned on running away together, absconding with quite a bit of money which they had transferred into a bank account in the Bahamas.”

  “The Bahamas?”

  “We are assuming they were planning on fleeing the country.”

  “None of this makes any sense,” Bri said. “If they were headed to the Bahamas why were they driving around these mountain roads?”

  “There was a plane booked to fly to Florida out of a small airfield near Jefferson’s Mill.” Detective Reese nodded towards Haley. “Your friend here snapped some photos that just happened to show both Olsen and Mrs. Hamilton meeting to dump Mrs. Hamilton’s car and head to the airfield.”

  Lucas nodded his head slowly. “They wouldn’t have known how many pictures we had or who was in them. We would’ve blown their cover for sure. Haley didn’t even know she had gotten pictures of them until a radio report mentioned that a yellow car had been found in Jefferson’s Mill.”

  “What’s going to happen to them?” Haley asked.

  “They have a whole list of charges brought against them, and neither one of them has had a hard time implicating the other. I’m guessing both of them are going to go away for a long time.”

  “Well, that’s a relief,” Bri said. “I worry about these two enough.”

  Haley reached over and squeezed her friend’s hand, wishing even more, she could get out of the hospital and spend some time with her best friend.

  Detective Reese took a small notebook from his chest pocket. “I just need to get some contact information so that if I have any more questions I can get ahold of you.”

  “She’s staying with me in Sampson’s Quarry,” Bri spoke up, giving her address and phone number.

  “Great, thank you. How long will you be staying in Sampson’s Quarry?”

  “Two weeks at least,” Haley told him.

  Detective Reese made a note in his small notebook. “I hope you enjoy your trip. I will let you get back to recovering.”

  “Thank you for stopping by,” Haley said.

  He reached into his pocket and pulled out a card, handing it to Lucas. “Please don’t hesitate to call me if you remember anything else.”

  He gave them a perfunctory wave and left the room.

  “Well, I’m glad they caught everyone involved,” Bri said, scooting her chair closer to the bed.

  “Me too,” Lucas said, looking down at Haley. “Do you need anything?”

  Bri looked at Haley and then Lucas and then back to Haley again. “So, are you guys a thing?”

  Lucas didn’t even stop,” Yes.” He looked at Haley, taking her hand and intertwining his fingers with hers. “Sorry, you aren’t getting rid of me.”

  “Good, because I am not letting you go again.”

  “It’s about time!” Bri exclaimed. “I am so sick of you both pining over each other. I’ve been wanting to slap some sense into both of you for four years.”

  “I agree. It’s about time,” Lucas said leaning down to brush a quick kiss across Haley’s lips.

  Haley smiled up at him, happier than she ever thought she would be. “Are you prepared to make up for those four years?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Now that we’ve gotten that straightened out,” Haley struggled to sit up a little more, “anyone know when I can get out of here?”

  Lucas grimaced at her. “Not until tomorrow, at the earliest.”

  Haley sat back against the pillows and pouted. She had been so looking forward to this vacation and it had gotten all turned around. “I don’t want to,” she said.

  Bri took her other hand. “What do you want to do?”

  Haley finally turned to look at her best friend. “Can we just hang out in our PJ’s all weekend and watch silly movies?”

  “Sure. It looks like you’ve gotten a head start in the PJ department though,” Bri said with a laugh.

  “Jealous?” Haley pointed to a cabinet across the room. “You can get yours over there.”

  “No way!” Bri got up and ran over to the cabinet. She pulled out two clean hospital gowns and threw one to Lucas. She quickly put a gown on and then snatched up the remote. “I know for a fact that one of your favorite comedies is on today.”

  “Really?” Haley snuggled into her pillows as her two favorite people scooted their chairs closer and rested their feet on her bed. “Now, this is a vacation.”

  THE END

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  About the Author

  Sophie Tucker was born and raised in Brisbane, Australia.

  After graduating from university with a degree in biology, Sophie decided to take a year off to travel the world. During those travel adventures, she met a handsome young Canadian named Peter Tucker. It was love at first sight! The rest was history! They returned to Peter’s hometown in western Canada, and shortly after were married. Sophie never did put her biology degree to work! Three young children kept her very busy at home.

  Sophie has always been a voracious reader and at one time she dabbled in writing children’s stories; mainly writing them for her own children. Now that she and Peter are retired, she spends the day writing, while he gardens or golfs. She’s always had an appetite for cozy mysteries, so it’s no wonder it’s the genre she specializes in. You will often find Sophie in her solarium, laptop perched on her knees, or on sunny days in the garden, writing away. Oftentimes, her two dogs, Poppy and Penny, will be at her side.

  For the latest news on Sophie’s releases, you will find it here. http://liriospublishing.com/books-by-sophie-tucker-cozy-mystery.html (Copy and paste the link above into your browser.)

  Contact information

  www.liriospublishing.com

  info@liriospublishing.com

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