by Peggy Dulle
“Shit! We’ve lost our brakes,” Tom said as the Jeep began to pick up speed and slide on the gravel of the shoulder.
Chapter 27
“What the hell was that noise?” Kenny bellowed from the backseat.
“That pop was my foot hitting the floor. The brakes are gone,” Tom said as he pumped the pedal, trying to make them work and verifying my own fears.
“What!” Kenny grabbed the roll bar.
I grabbed the armrest for purchase and to try to make my hands stop shaking. People always say that your life flashes before when you are facing certain death but they are wrong. There’s no time, there’s just terror. As I gasped for breath, my heart beat wildly like it was close to exploding from my chest – I couldn’t speak at all.
Tom cursed under his breath, something he never did. He pulled up on the emergency brake. Nothing happened. We were in serious trouble.
The Jeep picked up speed.
Tom shoved the gear shift into low gear – nothing happened.
He pumped the accelerator pedal – no response.
We picked up more speed.
“The damn accelerator is stuck, too,” Tom growled, then got out his phone and spoke into the receiver, “We’ve lost our brakes and the accelerator is stuck, get that damn sedan in front of us and slow us down before we take a leap off this road!”
Tom crossed the center line and took the next turn. Thank God no one was coming the other way. We careened past homes, businesses, a school and open fields.
“Why don’t you pull the Jeep off the road and into one of those open fields,” Kenny yelled from the back seat.
Tom shook his head.
“At the end of this road are a couple of stoplights. If they’re red, we’ll go through them and hit somebody. And even if they are both green, we’ll never make the turn at the end at this speed,” I said, finally finding my own voice. I knew this road better than Tom.
“Are we coming to some more straight sections?” Tom asked.
I nodded.
He yelled into the phone, “Get the sedan in front of us on the next straight away and then apply your brakes. It should slow us down.”
The black sedan sped past us on the next turn and almost slid into the ditch on the other side of the road. Then it flipped a U-turn and started toward us.
“They’re going to hit us?” Kenny growled.
“No, they’re going to get in front of us and try to slow us down.”
I couldn’t see a good ending to that scenario, but was afraid to close my eyes and not see what happened.
Right before the sedan got to us, they flipped another U-turn and were in front of us. The Jeep jerked as we slammed into the back of the car, but we lost some of our momentum. The two cars were melded together like chips and cheese in a good plate of nachos. Why do I always think of food when I’m about to die?
I wanted to close my eyes and pray, but it was like watching, no, like being in a train wreck. I couldn’t keep my eyes off the next turn.
The sedan’s tires squealed when they applied their brakes and the two vehicles fishtailed back and forth.
We would have to take the next corner together and we were still going too fast. We all knew it. Both vehicles would jackknife, roll and slam either into a home or business. Bill and Brandon must have known it too, because they started speeding away from us.
“What are they doing?” I screamed.
“Saving themselves,” Kenny answered.
“No, they’re going to have to ram us before we get to that first light – there is no way to slow this vehicle down.”
“Why not head off the road into one of the fields?” Kenny asked, repeating his earlier suggestion.
Tom shook his head. “Even if I could go off into a field and not hit a house or business with people in it, we’d go careening off this road and there is no way to predict what this Jeep will do. The ground is uneven with holes and there is too much debris, like those fallen trees. In the field I can guarantee that this Jeep will flip over, several times, and the roll bar won’t protect us at all. It’s better to have a controlled accident on this straight section of road, rather than on a curve. Brace yourself.”
You could see the sedan screech to a stop, spin around and then accelerate toward us, all in one movement. Then it stopped in the middle of the road.
“What are they doing?” Tom’s eyebrows rose in confusion, then he smiled.
How the hell could he be smiling when we were all going to die? I had plans for the next month and years of my life – none of which included dying.
“What the hell are they doing?” Kenny asked, saying what was on the tip of my tongue, too.
“They’re going to let us get close, then throw their car into reverse. It will slow us down a bit and make the crash not as bad.”
“Really?” I asked. Now this was good news.
“In theory,” Tom said.
It was like playing chicken but neither of us would turn. Even if they did throw their sedan into reverse, we would still hit each other. The impact would definitely stop the vehicles. I tightened my seatbelt and closed my eyes. I didn’t want to see it but I felt the impact.
The contact slammed me back, then my body jerked forward. The airbags deployed and threw me back into the seat. My chest was crushed between the airbag and the car seat, barely leaving room for me to breathe. I know these things are supposed to save your life, but damn – they hurt when they explode into your chest.
When I opened my eyes, Tom was frantically stabbing the airbag in front of me and yelling, “Liza, are you okay?”
I blinked and said, “I’m fine, how is everyone else?”
“I’m okay,” Kenny said, “What about our FBI guys?”
I watched Brandon and Bill literally fall out of their cars. But they both got up, so they must be okay, too.
“Does anything hurt?” Tom asked me.
“Everything hurts,” I told him.
“It’s going to get worse, too,” Kenny moaned.
“Okay, let me rephrase that. Do you think anything is broken?” Tom asked.
I moved my arms and legs a little bit and shook my head.
“Okay, stay here, I want to go and check on Brandon and Bill.”
I nodded, sending a wave of pain through my body. Damn, it hurt.
“Fuck a duck. I hurt all over. How could I hurt so soon – we just got into the accident a few seconds ago?” I asked Kenny.
“I have no idea but I have pain where I didn’t even think I could have pain,” Kenny moved his neck around and winced.
“We’re alive,” I told him.
Kenny chuckled. “That we are, Stretch.”
“Help me out of this car, Kenny.”
“As soon as I can get myself out, I’ll help you.”
Tom came back and helped me out, then Kenny.
Kenny hugged Tom, who stepped back and said, “What was that for?”
“Not letting Stretch drive home and saving my life.”
Tom shook his head at Kenny and said, “You’re welcome.”
To me, Kenny said, “You need to drive slower until someone isn’t trying to kill you, Stretch.”
“Good idea.” I was in too much pain to argue.
We heard the sirens before we saw them.
“Cavalry is here,” Kenny said as he sat down next to me on the road.
“That’s nice. I hope they bring some really good drugs.”
“Me, too,” Kenny said as I set my head on his shoulder.
Tom was busy getting Brandon and Bill settled on the side of the road and waving cars around the accident.
“How come he is still standing?” Kenny asked.
“He’ll collapse later. He’s in cop mode.”
“Thank God,” Kenny closed his eyes and I joined him.
An ambulance arrived and took us all to the nearest emergency room. Since they brought us in through the ambulance entry, we got put into beds right away and we di
dn’t have to sit in the waiting room before we were seen. That’s the normal routine, according to one of the elderly lunch supervisors at school who always says to call an ambulance rather than walk into an emergency room. Now I know she was right.
Their emergency room was one large room with curtains separating the beds.
Kenny insisted they put him in the bed next to me and then opened the curtain between our beds.
A tall blond nurse in light blue scrubs came in and looked between Kenny and me.
“Husband and wife?” she asked.
Kenny and I laughed, which sent a wave a pain through my head and body. Given Kenny’s grimace, it had done the same to him.
“No,” I whispered, afraid of moving my head again.
“The doctor will be here in a few minutes and unless you want to see each other get a thorough examination, I need to close the curtain.”
I looked at Kenny, who shrugged. It wasn’t like the man hadn’t seen me naked before. But I doubted the nurse would understand.
I nodded and Kenny winked at me, as the nurse closed the curtain.
She took my personal and medical history information, then got a gown out of a drawer in the stand next to the bed. She handed me the gown and said “Do you think you can get into this by yourself or should I help you?”
“I can do it,” I told her, although I wasn’t sure I could.
She smiled and said, “There are heated blankets in the second drawer of the stand if you want one.”
“Thanks,” I said. The thought of a warm blanket on my sore muscles was really appealing.
Tom started into my room as the nurse turned to leave. She put up her hand to stop him.
“Fiancé and cop!” he growled and she quickly stepped aside.
His eyes softened when he turned to me, “How are you doing, Liza?”
“I’m okay,” I lied.
“Let me help you,” He picked up the gown and helped me take off my clothes and slip into it. Never had I felt such excruciating pain doing such a simple task. Then his phone rang.
“You are coming back to help me get dressed again, right?” I asked.
He smiled, kissed me gently on my forehead and then put the phone to his ear and growled, “Tom Owens, tell me what you found.”
I got a blanket out of the stand, then laid my head on the pillow and pulled the warmed blanket over my body. The warmth felt so good for two reasons: one, it helped to soothe my aching muscles and two, the air conditioner in the ER must be set at sixty degrees – I was freezing!
A minute later, a short stocky woman in a business suit rushed in and wanted my insurance information. She made me sign several documents, then disappeared as quickly as she arrived.
A few minutes later, a male voice said from outside of my curtain, “Can I come in?”
“Sure.” I sat up and pulled the blanket down.
A young man dressed in a white lab coat came into my room. He was over six feet, gangly and with a baby face that made him look twelve.
“Are you the doctor?” I asked skeptically.
He smiled, which made him look ten, then said, “Really, I am old enough to have gone to college, medical school, and done my residency.”
I frowned.
“I can get you some good pain drugs.” His face broke into a huge smile.
“Hi, Doctor,” I said.
“Tell me what hurts, Miss Wilcox.”
“Arms, legs, chest, head.”
He laughed. “How about toes and fingers?”
I moved both and said, “No, they are fine.”
He checked me over and declared nothing broken and no concussion. Then he ordered a pain shot which the nurse came in and gave me. Within minutes, I felt no pain. In fact, I couldn’t feel my body at all – it was glorious.
Even though the ER was empty when we arrived, it still took forever. Tom never sat down, he went from room to room checking on the four of us. When Tom checked on me, I could barely focus on him or his voice. Those were some really good drugs.
The entire time, he was on his phone talking to someone. Three different nurses and two doctors told him to get off his phone but he just glared at them and showed his badge, so they pretty much left him alone.
Several hours later we were in another black sedan, with George and a new FBI agent named Ryder. He was a big man, about the same height as Tom but stockier by at least fifty pounds. He reminded me of wrestlers I always saw on television.
We exited the ER into darkness and cool crisp air. When I shivered, Tom turned up the heat in the car. Bill and Brandon were taken by another sedan to their own homes. The pain medication they gave us early was wearing off quickly since we got it more than three hours ago. They wanted to give us another shot right before we left but there was no way I would be able to walk to the car on that medication. Tom would insist upon carrying me. Not an entirely bad scenario but I doubted he would carry Kenny, so I declined.
When Kenny frowned at me, I said, “I’ll call my doctor and get him to order up some muscles relaxers and serious pain medication.”
“Will you share?” Kenny asked. “I don’t have a new doctor out here.”
“Of course,” I told him, then made the call.
Tom was on the phone the entire time we drove, ordering up more security, and God knew what else. I kept my eyes closed and focused on breathing in and out and willing the pain to subside. I heard Tom tell George to stop at the pharmacy on the way home so we could pick up the medication my doctor ordered. God bless him. What a good man!
When we picked up the meds, I took the maximum dosage and gave the same to Kenny. “You want some?” I asked Tom.
“I’ll take some later,” he said, continuing his calls.
“How’d they get to her car?” Kenny asked.
“Brandon left the cars alone for a few minutes,” Tom growled.
“Why?” I asked.
“He told me an old lady with a walker came out of the casino doors and fell. He went over to help her and then he went back to the cars. It was just long enough for Angelo to slide underneath and put a small incendiary device on your brake lines. He must have also done something to the acceleration system, but I have no clue. Brandon should not have left the cars.”
“He should have let the old lady lie on the ground and scream?” I asked.
“I almost lost you again today, don’t talk to me about an old lady that would have been helped eventually,” Tom barked, the skin on his face pulled tight.
I reached over and ran my fingers down his cheek, “I almost lost you, too.”
His featured softened. “I’m tougher than you.”
“I agree with him, Stretch. He’s tougher than both of us.”
When we got home, Ryder and George took Kenny over to his apartment. I handed him several more pills before he left.
“Bless you, Stretch,” Kenny kissed me on the forehead and let Ryder help him walk.
Tom just picked me up and carried me into the house and laid me down on the bed.
“Do you want some more drugs?”
I shook my head and said, “I think I’m just going to sleep.”
“You want me to help you get into your pajamas?”
Just the thought of moving my arms and legs to change made me shudder. “No, I’m sleeping in this.”
Tom smiled, kissed me gently on the lips and said, “Don’t get mad at me when I wake you up in a few hours to make sure you are okay.”
I chuckled, then he climbed into bed with me. I guess he didn’t want to change either. Within seconds I was asleep.
When I woke up, the bed was empty and my body felt worse. Tom must have already gotten up. I took only one muscle relaxer and one pain pill and then ran a hot bath. The mixture of the drugs and the warm water helped relax my hurting muscles. When the water got cold, I emptied the tub and refilled it with hot water. After that water got cold, I put on a bathrobe and went in search of Tom.
I found him in the o
ffice staring at the board with all the pictures of the victims on it, the ones that Justin and I thought a serial killer murdered over the last six years. My heart and stomach tightened in anticipation of his reaction.
Chapter 28
When Tom saw me come in, he nodded towards the board, “What’s this?” His voice was tight as he clipped out each word. I knew him well enough to know that he was fighting to keep his anger under control and his tone even. If nothing else, the man had learned not to over-react and bellow at me because it just made my spine tense up and my own anger bellow back.
“How’d you see that?” I kept my own tone light with a hint of playfulness in it.
Tom smiled, but it didn’t touch his eyes. “I was working in here, making some phone calls and getting the paperwork started on the accident. By the way, your insurance has definitely dropped you. They said that three major accidents in less than two years make you too high of a risk.”
“Well, that’s rude.”
Tom didn’t even make a comment, he just continued, “The wedding stuff was staring at me and as much as I love you and can’t wait to be married to you, I couldn’t concentrate, so I turned the board around thinking the blank side would help me keep my attention focused on my tasks.”
He glanced back at the board and then returned his glare to me. The smile was off his face. “I haven’t done a thing since. What is this?”
The tight tone was back and if I reacted to it, we would get in a huge fight over what I should or shouldn’t be doing. I’m a quick learner too. Being in a relationship meant knowing when not to push the other’s buttons, so I kept my voice light. “This is Justin’s and my new project.”
“Did you get an email or some message you conveniently forgot to tell me about?” Tom scowled.
“No, I told you that I’d never do that again.”
Tom nodded and sighed before he pointed to the board again. “Then I’ll ask again, what is this and why are you and Justin working another case?”
“It started when Justin looked into the two women’s deaths in Anaheim.”