by Lisa Orchard
Alex pressed his lips into a grim line. “I’ve got a mile before the next exit. I’ll pull off and we’ll see what he does.”
Sarah glanced at Jackie, then shifted her weight and stared out the back window again.
“Do you really think it’s him?” Jackie asked in a low voice as she watched out the back window with her.
“I’ve got a funny feeling it is,” Sarah said, swallowing the lump of fear that rose in her throat.
As Alex increased his speed, Sarah relaxed. She glanced at Jackie and gave her a smile. “We’ll lose him for sure now.”
Jackie gave her a quick nod and shifted so she faced the front seat again. “It’s time to get back to shopping.”
Sarah rolled her eyes and glanced out the back window one more time. A sense of dread filled her body like water filling a balloon. Her limbs seemed heavier and her movements were slow and uncoordinated. Craning her neck, she gasped as the black truck picked up speed and barreled down the highway toward them.
“Alex!” Sarah screamed. She glanced forward and caught Alex’s eye in the rearview mirror. “He is following us!”
Alex’s lips pressed together, forming an angry slash. “I saw that too. Don’t worry we’ll lose him.”
Sarah ducked down in the seat. She couldn’t stand it and had to lift her head, so she could watch the Stalker. Jackie turned around too, and both girls watched as he drew closer. Sarah could make out his hulking form behind the wheel.
“Alex, go faster!” Sarah screamed.
“Yeah! Go faster!” Jackie piped up.
“Floor it!” Scott yelled.
The car leapt forward as Alex stomped on the gas. Sarah prayed they would reach the exit in time to make an escape. Her heart thundered against her rib cage as the Stalker continued to gain on them.
The motor screamed as Alex increased his speed again and the car shook as it tried to meet the demands of its owner. Sarah was sure the vehicle would leave parts of itself all over the highway with the deep shudders running through it.
“I’m going to take this exit coming up!” Alex yelled.
Sarah gulped. “He’s going to see us get off!”
“I don’t know what else to do!” Alex shouted above the roar of the motor.
“Scott can you call your dad?” Lacey screamed as she pulled on his arm.
“I can try. But there’s not much he can do. He’s a city cop.”
“Just try,” Lacey shrieked as tears coursed down her cheeks. “That guy is crazy!”
Scott didn’t answer, but he fumbled around until he got his cell phone out of his pocket. He flipped it open and his shoulders slumped in defeat. “No service.”
Sarah glanced forward as Alex swerved at the last minute and got off the highway. He slowed the vehicle as they approached a stop sign. Looking back out the rear window, Sarah’s heart raced. The Stalker was right behind them.
“What in the world does he want?” Lacey cried. Tears welled in her eyes and her voice cracked with the strain of the situation.
“I don’t know,” Sarah answered.
The Stalker drew closer and Sarah’s blood ran cold. What are we going to do?
“Which way should I go?” Alex asked in a voice tinged with urgency.
“Turn left!” Scott shouted.
Alex cranked on the wheel and turned sharply onto a dirt road. Sarah was heaved against Jackie as she heard the tires grind on the gravel and spew dirt everywhere. The seatbelt cut into her stomach and bile rose in her throat. She righted herself and went back to her original position, staring out the back window.
“He’s not stopping at the stop sign! Step on it!” Sarah yelled.
Her heart lurched in her chest and her stomach twisted into a painful knot as the black truck tore through the stop sign and barreled down on them. Panic shot through her system like a speeding train and her mouth flooded with saliva. Don’t puke now.
Sarah swallowed her nausea and stared out the window. She grabbed Jackie’s hand and squeezed tight. The girls held hands as the truck drew closer.
Its grill loomed, filling the back window with its shiny metallic grin. Gulping, Sarah huddled closer to her friend. She clenched Jackie’s arm as her friend turned away from the back window. Alex’s car fishtailed to the right then the left as the Stalker’s front bumper collided with the back bumper of the Brown Bomb. The screech of metal against metal filled the air and Sarah clenched her teeth and covered her ears.
Alex yelled out and then stomped on the gas.
Sarah glanced out the back window and was confronted by the grill of the Stalker’s truck. “He’s right behind us!”
“I know!” Alex yelled. “I can’t go any faster!”
The Stalker rammed the back of their vehicle again sending its back end fishtailing to the left. Sarah’s seatbelt pulled her up short and slammed her back against the seat. She tried to balance herself, but couldn’t quite make it with the erratic movement of the vehicle. Leaning on Jackie she again tried to regain her balance. She heard the thunk of the door opening and then the rush of air as the door swung wide.
Alex swerved and the engine screamed its protest. Sarah was yanked back by her seatbelt and she grabbed Jackie’s arm. Holding tight, she whispered a brief prayer of thanks for the seatbelts while the tires spewed gravel everywhere. Some of it entered the car, dusting Sarah and Jackie in a gritty mist.
The car fishtailed again and Alex skidded to a stop. The engine knocked and then stalled. He turned the key with a frantic hand. The engine cranked in protest but wouldn’t start. “I think it’s flooded!” Alex panted as he continued to crank on the key. He looked out the rearview window and his eyes widened, filled with panic.
Sarah turned and peered out through the haze of dust they had kicked up. Her stomach clenched in a nauseated knot and her body seemed to flush with sudden heat. She could just make out the form of the black truck barreling toward them.
Chapter Five
“Alex! Get the car started!” Sarah screamed.
“I’m trying! It’s flooded!”
“Hold the gas pedal all the way to the floor and then turn the key!” Scott shouted.
Lacey huddled closer to Scott and covered her ears and started sobbing.
“Hurry, Alex!” Sarah shrieked, grabbing Jackie’s hand and holding on tight.
“Hurry!” cried Jackie. She made eye contact with her friend and Sarah noted the fear mirrored there.
The girls ducked down, bracing for the impact. Sarah squeezed her eyes shut and clung to Jackie with both hands.
Alex screamed in frustration and cranked on the key one more time. The engine roared to life. Cheering with relief, he put the car in gear and floored it. He pulled away and the Stalker shot past, disappearing in a cloud of dust.
Straightening out his car, Alex shot forward in the opposite direction. He kept glancing in the rearview mirror searching for their Stalker as he drove away.
Sarah held Jackie’s gaze. “Good thing there wasn’t any traffic on the road.”
Jackie took a deep breath. “Yeah. Good thing.” She coughed and waved her hand through the dust that had entered the car. “Ugh. I can’t breathe with all this dust in the air.”
Sarah gave her friend a quick nod and then turned her attention up front. “Lace, are you all right?”
“I think so,” Lacey answered in a shaky voice.
“I’ll get back on the highway and take the next exit off,” Alex called above the roar of the motor. “I want to check the damage to my car.” He merged onto the highway; the car shook from the exertion and the engine screamed its protest.
Sarah sat up and took a deep breath. She straightened her blouse and adjusted her skirt. Glancing out the rear window, she exhaled a sigh of relief when she didn’t see the black truck. Taking another deep breath, she leaned her head against the seat and let her body go limp.
“What is up with that guy? He’s a total freak!” Jackie grimaced as she tried to tame her wild curls
. “I mean really, hitting the back of our car? What’s up with that?”
“I have no idea,” Sarah said, biting her lip. “But he knows something about my parents.”
“That was totally scary,” Lacey whimpered from the front seat.
Scott put his arm around her and soothed her. “Don’t worry. We’ll get to the bottom of this.”
Questions swarmed through Sarah’s mind like bees coming home to the hive. Who is the Stalker? What is his connection with my parents? Where are my parents? She shook her head and grabbed Jackie’s arm. “That guy went into the spooky house, right?”
“Yep.”
“So his last name must be Robinson, right? I mean he walked in the front door like he owned the place, right?”
Jackie nodded, sending her curls flying. “That’s right.”
“So all we have to do is find the connection between the Robinson family and my parents.”
“Right. So how are we going to do that?”
Sarah sighed and furrowed her brow. “I don’t know yet. I’m still working on it.”
“There’s an exit in about a mile. I’m going to pull off there,” Alex announced. He stepped on the gas and the car shuddered in protest.
They sat in a tense silence as they drove toward the exit. The car shook as it made its way down the highway and Sarah prayed it would stay together long enough to get them back to Harrisburg.
Alex took the next exit. Sarah cast a nervous glance out the rear window. When she didn’t see the Stalker she gave Jackie a relieved smile and squeezed her arm. “He’s not back there.”
“Good news.” Jackie flashed her million dollar grin and then leaned forward. “Alex, there’s a gas station on the left.”
“I see it. I’m going to pull in there.” Alex glanced into the rearview mirror. He gave Sarah a quick smile, before turning his attention back to the road. He pulled into the gas station and parked. When he turned off the engine, the car shuddered and then knocked several times before it died.
Alex slumped forward and rested his forehead on the steering wheel. “Man… that was one wild ride.”
“You can say that again,” Sarah said before pressing her lips into a grim line.
Scott reached over Lacey and grasped his friend’s shoulder. “Come on. Let’s go see what the damage is.”
Alex straightened and then stepped out of the car.
The rest of the Super Spies followed him to the rear of the vehicle.
Alex groaned when he saw his bumper. “This really stinks! It’s going to cost me a fortune to fix.”
“At least it’s still drivable,” Sarah said with a nervous twitch of her lips. She tried to put a positive spin on the situation. It bothered her to see Alex so upset. When he didn’t react to her words, she tried to shoot him a reassuring glance. When he still didn’t respond her face grew hot. She knew she was blushing so she turned and stared at the car.
The bumper and trunk sported a huge dent right in the center. The dent reminded her of a cartoon dog she used to watch when she was little. The dog’s name had been Scruffy and every time he ran into something his nose would get smushed in, so it didn’t look like he had a nose at all. She had always laughed when she watched the cartoon and a smile played on her lips for a brief moment. She shifted her weight and eyed the gas station. “I’m going to get something to drink. Does anyone want anything?”
“I’ll go with you,” Jackie said.
“Can you get me some bottled water?” Lacey asked.
“Sure,” Sarah said and then grabbed Jackie’s arm. “Come on.”
Jackie stumbled, but clutched Sarah’s arm and kept from falling. Sarah glanced down at her friend’s heels. “I can’t believe you wear those things.” She rolled her eyes. “I mean… really… what’s the point? You’re already pretty tall.”
Jackie pulled herself up to her full height and gave Sarah the haughtiest look she could muster. “I think it’s important to stay up with the trends.”
“Even if it means breaking an ankle?” Sarah shook her head.
“Do I have to remind you that being fashionable is an asset?”
Sarah snorted. “An asset for who? The bad guys chasing us? Yeah, it’s an asset all right.”
Jackie sighed and shook her head, acting like a parent with a rambunctious toddler. “Who was the one who carried the perfume that got us away from the Cat Lady killer?” She pretended to look around at an audience and then she waved her hand in Sarah’s face. “Me. It was me who had the perfume. Fashion statement, girlfriend.”
Sarah rolled her eyes. “One time.” She gave Jackie a dismissive wave.
Jackie stopped and put her hands on her hips. She stared at Sarah with an indignant expression. “I count two times.”
Sarah giggled. “Oh all right, two times, but only two.”
“We’ve only had two mysteries.” Jackie started walking again and caught up to Sarah. “This one hasn’t been solved yet. Mark my words. Fashion will play a key role. It always does in every aspect of life.” She stuck her nose up in the air and marched past Sarah with long, determined strides. She beat her to the door. Looking over her shoulder, she gave Sarah another haughty look and then flounced inside; her curls bouncing with her jaunty steps.
Sarah giggled and shook her head. Only Jackie. Gratitude for her friend warmed Sarah’s heart. It felt good to have someone like her to hang out with. She’d shared some pretty important moments with her and couldn’t imagine what her life would be like if Jackie wasn’t in it. Picking up her pace, Sarah entered the gas station and searched for her friend. Spying her by the soft drinks, Sarah hustled over and spooked her friend by poking her in the ribs.
Jackie jumped. “Knock it off, would ya?”
Sarah laughed and gave her friend a nudge. Jackie nudged her back and the girls burst into laughter.
After getting their giggles under control, they selected their beverages, paid for them, and sauntered out the door.
“It looks like everyone’s ready to go,” Sarah said, pointing at the car.
The rest of the gang had climbed into the Brown Bomb and seemed to be waiting for the two of them.
“It does. Must be the car can still make it home.”
“Looks like it.”
The girls picked up their pace. Reaching the vehicle, Sarah paused before climbing in. She glanced around, searching for the Stalker and his black truck. When she didn’t see either one, she took a deep breath and climbed inside.
They made their way back to Harrisburg without any further mishaps and Alex dropped the girls off at Sarah and Lacey’s. He waved goodbye and then left to take Scott home.
“Want to stay for dinner, Jack?” Sarah asked.
“I’m sure Aunt June won’t mind,” Lacey piped up.
“Cool beans! I’ll just call my mom and make sure it’s okay.”
“Awesome,” Sarah said.
Climbing the stairs leading to the porch, she cast a furtive glance around. The thought the Stalker was still out there sent tingles of apprehension throughout her body. Who is he? And why was he after us? And why did he ram our car? No answers came to her and she shook the questions from her mind determined to focus on finding her parents.
Once inside, the girls hustled into the kitchen; the friendliest room in the house with its warm pine cabinets and bright yellow, pineapple print wallpaper. Sarah took a deep breath and picked up the scent of pot roast. Her stomach rumbled as she dropped her backpack by the back door. “I’m starving.”
“Hello, girls,” Aunt June greeted, glancing over her shoulder. “I’m just putting the salad together and then we can eat.” Spotting Jackie she said, “Would you like to eat with us?”
“We already invited her,” Sarah said.
“I’ve just got to ask my mom.” Jackie set her backpack down next to Sarah’s and then walked out of the room to make the call on her cell.
Sarah opened a cupboard. “I’ll set the table.”
“Thanks,
honey.” Aunt June smiled. She walked over to the oven and pulled out a roast. “It’s done. I’m going to turn down the temp and just mash the potatoes.”
Jackie strolled into the room. “My mom said it was okay.”
“Cool.” Sarah beamed and gave her a thumbs-up.
While Aunt June mashed the potatoes, Sarah and Jackie finished setting the table. When they were done, everyone sat down and began filling their plates.
“After dinner I’m going up to visit your uncle. I want you girls to clean the kitchen,” Aunt June said.
“Awww… I wanted to visit Uncle Walt tonight, too.” Sarah pouted.
“I know, but he started his therapy today and I’m sure he’s very tired. You girls can go up tomorrow.”
“Oh, all right,” Sarah grumbled.
Aunt June sighed and turned her attention to Lacey. While they discussed the school day, Sarah and Jackie focused on finishing their meal quickly.
Sarah kicked Jackie under the table. “Hey.”
“What?” Jackie asked in a low voice.
“When we’re done cleaning the kitchen, let’s get on the Internet and see if we can find out anything about the Stalker.”
“Okay.” Jackie shoved a forkful of mashed potatoes into her mouth, and then gave Sarah a mashed potato smile.
“You are totally gross.” Sarah cringed and turned away from the sight.
Jackie snickered and kicked at Sarah under the table. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
“It is.” Sarah rolled her eyes. “I mean really how old are you?”
“Old enough.” Jackie sat up straight in her chair and shoved another forkful of mashed potatoes into her mouth, then grinned broadly.
Sarah filled her fork with potatoes, but instead of putting them in her mouth she got into position to fling them at her friend.
“Sarah!” Aunt June interrupted. “You put those potatoes down right now!”
Grimacing, Sarah placed her fork on her plate. “I wasn’t really going to do it.”
“I bet,” Jackie said as a sly grin crossed her face. She pursed her lips to hide it.
“I certainly hope not,” Aunt June said in an annoyed voice. She sighed and stood.” I’m going to get up to the hospital.” She carried her plate and glass over to the counter and set it down. “I should be home around nine o’clock.”
