Fear the Storm

by Geri Foster

  Something creepy tickled her conscience. "I didn't mean to intrude," she turned to leave. "I'll see you the next time you visit my parents."

  "No need for you to rush off," Robert said, putting his arm around his wife's shoulder. "We're always glad to see you. Feel free to stick around as long as you like."

  "That's very kind of you, but I just wanted to drop off a loaf of my mom's cinnamon bread."

  Opening the door for her, Robert said, "Tell your mom and dad we'll see them for dinner Thursday night."

  "I will."

  She stood outside on the porch and Robert fairly slammed the door in her face. She sucked in a deep breath and pressed her hand to her chest, feeling her pounding heart. Wow, that was awkward and downright scary.

  Her legs shaking, she made her way unsteadily down the outside steps to her car. What a fool she'd just made of herself.

  No more playing super sleuth.

  Chapter 13

  Their kiss hadn’t ended to Lucas’ liking. Rachel put up a strong barrier between them and he wasn't convinced he could get past it to her heart. Still, just having her sit next to him was like a dream, with him the hero who gets the girl.

  His cell phone rang and he took it out of his pocket, seeing Kendall's face on the screen. He answered and put the call on speaker. "What's up? Did you get anything out of the Spears?"

  "Oh, Lucas, I nearly had a heart attack." She sounded like she had just run a marathon.

  "Hold on, you’re on speaker and Rachel is here." He placed the phone on the console between them. "Go ahead. What happened?"

  "I didn't get a thing from them but syrupy sweetness and fake kindness."

  He looked at Rachel for help and she shrugged her shoulders. "What do you mean?"

  "I went over there with a loaf of my mom's bread to break the ice. I foolishly assumed Mrs. Spears would invite me in and we'd have a little chat. After a few minutes I'd bring up the bank, you know?"

  Rachel leaned closer to the phone. "And?"

  "Let me just say, I don't honestly think I fooled them one bit, but they were both too considerate to openly embarrass me."

  "Oh, no."

  "Oh, yeah. And to top it off, Mr. Burke told me I was always welcome there and could stay as long as I wanted. I don't think I can face them again. Playing private eye is not fun."

  That didn't surprise Lucas. "You didn't go there expecting a confession, did you?"

  "Well," Kendall paused. "Yes, I did. But in his defense, I don't think he suspects that you guys put me up to it."

  "We didn't," he and Rachel said in unison.

  "Shut up!"

  "Where are you now?" he asked.

  "I'm headed back toward town on Stark Road."

  "Meet us at Frankie's. I could use a beer."

  "You off duty?"

  "Yes, I am."

  "Okay, I'm on my way."

  As he was about to hang up, a loud scream rang through the air before the squeal of tires on pavement drowned out everything.

  "Kendall, are you all right?" he grabbed the phone and screamed into the receiver. "Kendall…Kendall?"

  Rachel nearly strangled herself in her seatbelt, reaching for the phone and taking it away from Lucas. “Kendall, are you okay? Answer me!"

  Lucas flipped on the siren and they headed toward Stark Road, which lay south of town. "It sounds like she was in a car accident."

  "Oh my God! What if something happened to her?" she gasped.

  "We're only minutes away. We'll be there soon.”

  They hit Stark Road and she held on to the handle above the passenger door as he took the curves at a dangerous speed. Up ahead, she saw Kendall's maroon Toyota on the side of the road, smoke coming out of the hood. A black SUV pulled from behind her vehicle, made a U-turn, and then drove away. Why wouldn’t they stop to help?

  Lucas stomped on the brakes, jumped out of the cruiser and darted toward Kendall's car. He arrived at the driver's side, yanked open the door, scooped her up and rushed to the side of the road.

  "Stay back, Rachel. I'm not sure the car is safe."

  She ignored him and rushed to them, falling to her knees. Lucas had set a dazed Kendall on the grassy area away from the road, blood oozing from her forehead and nose.

  "Are you okay?" she screamed. Her friend, her very best friend was injured. "What happened?"

  Kendall reached up with a trembling hand and shoved her hair back. "I...I don't know."

  "Just sit still," Lucas said. "An ambulance is on the way." Kendall tried to push him away, but he didn't budge. "Don't fight me on this. You've been injured and a doctor needs to check you out."

  "I don't know what happened."

  "Did you lose control? Hit a slick spot or swerve to keep from hitting something?"

  "I can't explain it. One minute I was on the phone talking to you guys and the next thing, my car is careening toward the opposite side of the road."

  Lucas looked at Rachel, and then back to Kendall. "Did you notice a black SUV behind you? Were they riding your tail?"

  "Huh?” She looked up at him. "What SUV?"

  "There was one when we drove upon the scene," Rachel said. "Jerks must have tapped you and left, didn’t even try to help."

  Kendall shook her head as the sound of sirens raced toward them.

  She put her arm around her friend's shoulder. "It's going to be all right. I'm sure it was just a freak accident."

  "Yeah," Kendall bit her lip, glancing up at her.

  "Let's just be glad you're not hurt too badly."

  The ambulance came and the attendants quickly checked Kendall over, put a neck brace on her then laid her on a gurney. After they had her secure, they rolled her to the back of the emergency vehicle and lifted her inside.

  Before they could close the door, Rachel jumped in. "I'll meet you there," she called out to Lucas.

  He waved as he walked toward the accident with his camera in hand. The door of the ambulance closed, leaving her alone with her battered friend. As the paramedic checked for the source of bleeding, she held her hand, biting back tears.

  How could this happen? What if she had been killed? Kendall squeezed her hand. "I'm okay. Don't look so worried."

  "I almost lost you."

  "No, you didn't. It was just one of those weird things that happen in life."

  "I can’t believe you were rear-ended and they just left."

  "Lay still, Miss Cochran. I'm going to run a line."

  Kendall flinched when the needle went in her arm but, other than that, she kept her eyes on Rachel. "What did you guys find out?"

  "Not much. Lucas plans to talk to Sheriff Townson, though." She nibbled her bottom lip and leaned closer to Kendall. "After what's happened to you, maybe we should forget about all this snooping around."

  "This had nothing to do with us trying to prove your dad’s innocence." Kendall tried to laugh but flinched instead, "It's just unfortunate."

  It was possible this was really just an accident, but it was too much of a coincidence not to question it. Kendall said she didn’t notice the black SUV, but it just didn’t make sense for the driver not to stop and help. There was something else going on here. As scary as the idea was, she couldn't help but think that someone had tried to kill her friend. Someone must've found out they were searching for the truth.

  She shook her head. Was she crazy? Did she honestly think something so strange could actually happen? Who on earth would want to harm Kendall…who just happened to be coming from the bank Vice President's house? The Spears wouldn't harm the daughter of their best friends.

  Would they?

  She reminded herself this was Rainwater, not Dallas. It was just a sleepy little town in North Texas. Things like that didn't happen here. Sighing, she realized her imagination had gotten the best of her. She smiled down at Kendall. "You're right. I'm overreacting."

  "Let Lucas figure it out," Kendall said. "I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation in the middle of all this."

&nb
sp; She moved her other hand to grip Kendall's palm tighter. "I'm sure you're right. You'll be fine." Looking up at the attendant, she asked, "She's good, right?"

  He nodded. "I don't think there are any internal injuries, but only a doctor can confirm her diagnosis. I can promise you that she's going to be sore tomorrow."

  She smiled, relieved she wasn’t hurt too seriously. "We'll take sore over broken bones, anytime."

  "Nothing's broken and the cuts are superficial. She's going to have a bruise from the seat beat, but she might've walked away without a scratch if the air bag had failed to go off."

  Kendall struggled to keep her expression light. Something was terribly wrong, but she didn't want to share that with Rachel. Maybe not even Lucas. He might think she exaggerated the whole incident.

  Yes, she’d noticed the SUV. She didn't see the driver, but he did try to run her off the road. God only knows what would've happened if Lucas hadn’t driven up when he did. Even stunned, she had heard the door from the vehicle behind her open and close. They were coming after her.

  During the ordeal, she feared if she looked up there'd be someone standing at her window with a gun. But, the blaring sirens scared off whoever had done this. Perhaps saving her life.

  But who was driving that car? And why? No one could be that mad at her. So, why try to run her off the road and maybe kill her? This was all so scary she struggled to keep her hands from shaking. She decided to keep it from Rachel because, truth be told, the most likely cause for all this was their investigation. She didn’t want Rachel feeling guilty and, more importantly, she didn’t want to stop when they were on to something—which they must be for her to be outright attacked.

  And Lucas? If she told him, would he even believe her? There was always a chance she had read the situation wrong. What exactly could she say anyway? Hey, I’m pretty sure this guy tried to murder me. Oh, and I think it’s because I’ve been snooping but I don’t want to stop so just let it go? Yeah, right. He’d be all over her, protecting her in a second.

  She sucked in a deep breath, thankful Rachel had come with her in the ambulance. Suddenly she didn't want to be alone. Fear came at her like a two-headed monster and she wanted to crawl beneath a bed. What if she'd been killed? Would they go after Rachel or Lucas next? She blinked back tears, pain clawing at her chest.

  God protect them.

  Chapter 14

  Lucas didn't like what the signs at the scene told him. If skid marks could talk, they’d tell him that the evidence pointed to Kendall being forced off the road. Shoving back his Stetson, he put his hands on his hips and studied the area surrounding the accident. He'd seen enough of these to read them like a Sunday newspaper, and this one spoke of dangerous intent. Someone either wanted Kendall scared off or dead.

  Why?

  He finished the sketch, took pictures from every angle then tossed his camera into the glove compartment of his cruiser. This begged for a further, and deeper, more in-depth investigation. He took out his cell phone. After two rings, he said, "Hey, Charlie."

  "Yo, my friend. What can I do for you?"

  "I have an accident out here on Stark Road. You think you can check it out?"

  Charlie Holmes was the expert on motor vehicle accidents. He was affectionately called, 'The Road Whisperer'. He could see things no one else noticed. And Lucas wanted to know every single, minute thing about what happened out here.

  "When did it happen?"

  "About twenty minutes ago."

  "I'm on my way. Meet you there?"

  "Yeah, I'll wait for you."

  He called Rachel next. When she answered, he said, "I contacted Kendall's parents and they are going to meet you at the hospital."

  "You did explain that she's okay, didn't you?"

  "Yes, they understand. That doesn't mean her mom isn't frantic."

  "I bet." Rachel paused. "Aren't you coming?"

  "I'll be along soon. I called in an accident tech. I'm waiting to see what he has to say." He knew she couldn't talk while in the room with Kendall and he didn't want to alarm either of them, so he left it at that. "She still okay?"

  "Yes," Rachel replied. "She's not going to like the sight of her nose, but she's lucky."

  Staring at the accident site, he realized luck didn't quite describe the situation. She easily could have died. He looked down the road. The SUV at the scene hadn’t gone unnoticed. He managed to get a partial plate number that he planned to run later, because obviously it was involved in this. The question was whether or not it was really an accident…or intentional.

  Had the driver run Kendall off the road to scare her? They had been asking a lot of questions lately surrounding the bank robbery and it didn't escape his notice how coincidental that was. Could someone be working behind the scenes to make sure they didn't reveal the truth?

  If so, who?

  He stood to the side when Charlie got out of his van with a small toolbox in his hand. "What’ve we got here, Lucas?"

  "Car wreck. Kendall Cochran."

  Charlie looked up, recognizing the name. "She okay?"

  He nodded. "She's being checked out, looks like it's just a few bruises and abrasions."

  “Good to hear.” Charlie put his toolbox down and walked around the crash site. He strode about twenty-yards one way, then maybe thirty the other. He took out his chalk, measuring meter, and several other tools of the trade.

  During that time, Lucas called his deputy on duty and told him to be on the lookout for a black SUV and to try to run the tags. By the time he got off the phone, Charlie was scribbling in his notebook.

  "Looks like a wide-wheel based vehicle tried to run her off the road." They walked to the back of the car. "See this little dent?” he pointed to the rear driver’s side. “That's where the driver of the other vehicle tried to throw her into a spin. On this narrow road, she wouldn’t have been going more than fifty, so they needed to hit her with considerable force to do a PIT maneuver. Unfortunately for them, that action leaves evidence."

  "You're saying it's possible someone did this on purpose?"

  "I'm saying this was no ordinary accident where the driver was going too fast. The person behind the wheel of the vehicle that hit Kendall was a skilled driver. Someone made this happen by choice. If the car had accidentally rear-ended her, the whole bumper in the back would show several marks. We only have one on the far-left side, and mostly to the side of the car itself. She lucked out that, either they weren’t that skilled or she is, because she was able to control the car and not flip."

  That wasn’t what Lucas wanted to hear, but he couldn't imagine a resident of Rainwater wanting to hurt Kendall. Well, there was always Bobby Joe, but he didn't drive well enough to attempt a PIT maneuver. He, himself, rarely used it because it often proved too dangerous. Still, he planned to talk to Bobby Joe later tonight. But first, he had to get to the hospital and check on Kendall.

  He held out his hand. "Thanks, Charlie. I really appreciate you coming out here. Please be sure to file that report with the county and send a copy to my office.”

  Charlie shook his hand and climbed back in his van. "Will do. Take care."

  A few minutes later, Lucas arrived at the hospital to find Rachel and Kendall's parents sitting in the waiting room. "How is she?"

  Rachel stood and walked over to him, a diet drink in her hand. "The doctor said they couldn't find anything serious and they might release her within the hour."

  He shook hands with Kendall's dad and hugged her mom.

  "What happened?" Kendall’s father’s face held a tinge of green and his eyes held the concern that only a parent could feel right now. "Rachel said no one else was involved."

  He and Rachel shared a quiet glance that said, good idea not to worry them any further. "I'm still waiting for a full report to be sent to my office. I'll know more then." Since there was no love lost between Kendall’s parents and Bobby Joe, he didn't want to bring up the ex-husband. Instead, he decided to keep that bit of informati
on under his hat.

  Soon, Kendall came out of the thick double doors with a bandage on her arm, a cut over her left eye, a swollen nose, and a cut lip. Otherwise, she looked fine. A bit shaken, but she'd be okay.

  Her mom immediately wrapped her arms around her and insisted she spend the night with them. Obviously, they didn't plan to let their daughter be alone. Kendall looked back at him and Rachel as she and her parents entered the revolving door. The expression on her face was part urgency, part indecision—meaning she had something to tell him but she wasn’t sure she should.

  "She's probably going to call as soon as she's able to pry her parents loose," Rachel said. "Now that a little time has passed, I think she’s remembering more about the accident."

  "Yeah, according to my Accident Reconstructionist, Charlie, this was no regular car crash."

  "You mean, it wasn’t just a hit and run?”

  "Doesn’t look like it." He glanced at her, his mind filled with possibilities, and he didn’t like any of them. "I can't imagine something like this happening. I'm talking to Bobby Joe later, but he drives a beat up old pickup. And I find it hard to believe he’s capable of trying to run her down."

  "He nearly killed her in the past," she reminded him, barely containing her anger at the memory. "That man has a wicked temper."

  "I know he does. But in the past he only unleashed it when they were fighting and he was drunk, jealous, and mad. Today was planned and calculated. That's not Bobby Joe's style. Besides, I believe any romance between them is completely over, so what’s his motive?”

  "Why do you say that? I mean, why do you think he is over it?”

  "I saw Bobby Joe out with Melissa Brooks three days ago and he didn't look like he was broken-hearted over his and Kendall’s split."

  She nibbled her fingernails. "So, you think he's gotten over the whole relationship? Good for Kendall, bad for Melissa."

  "I can't say he has for sure, but my guess is that he's moved on. As for Melissa? I’m keeping an eye on that. One sign he’s up to anything like what he did to Kendall and I’m all over him." He clenched his jaw, balling his fists.