by Willow Rose
Eliza felt like crying at the thought as her eyes left the laptop and she glanced back at the road. She slammed her hand into the steering wheel a couple of times, yelling into the empty car when she glanced in the rearview mirror once again and spotted the truck behind her.
Then her heart dropped.
The truck was pushing closer and came up right behind her. The engine roared, and the truck ran into the back of her car, bumping it lightly. Not enough to leave a dent or a mark, but enough to let Eliza know this driver meant business.
Eliza gasped and stared at the truck in the mirror, then down at the laptop next to her, knowing its content was what the driver was after and she'd have to make sure they didn't get ahold of it.
Even if it cost her everything.
2
"Head, shoulders, knees, and toes, knees and toes. Head, shoulders, knees, and toes, eyes, ears, mouth, and nose."
I looked in the rearview mirror at my kids while singing. Tyler was screaming the words out while touching his body parts.
"Could we please just stop singing that stupid song?" Abigail complained from the furthest back seat, where she sat with her twin brother, Austin, and their stepsister, Angela. Together, the three of them were also known as the three A's. Meanwhile, our adopted daughter, Betsy Sue, was sitting right behind me, earbuds in her ears, probably listening to a song by my wife—and her adoptive mother—the famous country singer, Shannon King. Next to her, we had made room for her imaginary ghost friend, Billy, who was still with us even though Betsy Sue was now eleven years old. Next to Billy sat our youngest son, Tyler, strapped into his car seat. The car was a Cadillac Escalade that I had bought just a month ago, realizing we didn't have enough room in my Jeep or Shannon's minivan for all of us if we wanted to go on a trip like this. The Escalade was an eight-seater, so there was plenty of room for all of us, including any imaginary friends. We had left Emily at home since she was busy applying for colleges and reading all my books on criminology so she could get ahead of her future classmates. She had decided to become a detective like her dad, and nothing in this world could make me prouder. It was a decision she had made while we were on a trip to the Bahamas a few months earlier, where she had also decided to finally begin the fight against her anorexia. She had started counseling and was taking her recovery very seriously, enough for us to feel safe enough to leave her alone while we took all the kids skiing in North Carolina for the first time in their lives. We had asked Emily to come too, but she was the one who had told us she preferred to stay home and take care of our dog.
"What? You don't like the song?" I asked, surprised. "You used to love singing this song."
"Well, now I think it's stupid," Abigail said. "Plus, it's kind of hard to do the movements properly when you're sitting down."
Shannon gave me a look and smiled. "The girl has got a point. Plus, we have actually sung it like twenty times now. I hate to say it, but it's getting a little old."
"Aw, but I love this song," I said.
"Me too, Daddy," Tyler yelled. “I love it too!”
I looked at my three-year-old, who was chewing on his pacifier that we ought to have taken from him a long time ago but didn't have the heart to yet. He wasn't allowed to use it in his preschool, so it was only when he was sleeping or driving in the car and we needed him to remain calm. So far, he had napped for two hours of our nine-hour drive.
Shannon yawned and looked at the clock, then up at me. She reached out her hand and grabbed mine in hers, then held it tight.
"I am so glad we're doing this. It's going to be wonderful to feel the snow again and just to be us, just be a family."
"I’m not going to argue against that," I said.
Things had been awesome between Shannon and me lately. She had been off the pills for six months now and seemed to be doing better than ever. She had taken the entire year off from touring and concerts and had been writing music in her studio at our house instead, something that left her with great joy. More than once, she had told me that she now remembered why she had originally started a career in music. She simply loved creating songs and having this outlet for her emotions. I just enjoyed having her at home every day and had been working from home a lot lately as well, being privileged to have a boss at CBPD who let me do so. That way, we could have lunch together on most days, and I enjoyed it immensely when seeing her happy face as she came out of her studio after hours in there, her cheeks rosy red and her eyes glistening with glee.
"This is what I was meant to do," she would often say when we enjoyed our coffee on the porch of our beach house in the afternoon right before the kids came home from school and the house was once again turned into an inferno of screams and obligations. "This is what I truly love to do."
It was great to see her so happy, but I knew she also loved standing on the stage. I knew that was a big part of her too. Even though she didn't say so, she missed it. She loved to share the songs with her audience, and I knew I couldn't keep her for myself for very much longer, but so far, I had enjoyed every moment I got.
It was my idea to go on this trip and teach the kids how to ski. Shannon had been skiing all her life, and so had her daughter, Angela, whereas I had only been snowboarding when I was younger. It was a couple of years now—or if I was honest, at least fifteen—since I had been to the mountains last, but I figured I could still remember how to snowboard. It was hardly something you forgot how to do, right?
I sure hoped not.
3
Shannon gleamed at Jack, then exhaled. In the back, the three A's were debating something very loudly about an Anime character, and it was about to turn into a fight, she could sense from the tone that was being used. Tyler was still singing the song and touching his head and shoulders and toes, but he was the only one still going at it.
Shannon felt such a deep sense of belonging that she had never felt before. It had been going on for quite some time now, ever since she had told her record label that she was taking a break and devoting herself completely to her family. They were naturally on her case about it and kept contacting her agent to ask if she was ready to get back in the game soon, bringing her offers that were hard to turn down. But so far, she had turned them all down. She needed this break. Living a normal life of packing lunchboxes and doing laundry and kissing scraped knees wasn’t something Shannon enjoyed much, not the way Jack did. With six children in the house, there was always something or someone to attend to, and sometimes she missed the old life of touring and performing.
On the other hand, she enjoyed the calmness that had been over her life lately. It was very unlike anything she had ever felt in her tumultuous time here on earth. And Angela had never been happier either. She couldn’t ignore that. The stability of having her mother close and of staying in one place and feeling the close-knit community surrounding them gave her exactly what she needed right now. And the way that Jack’s parents had managed to take Angela in like she was their own made it a lot easier for Shannon to accept the fact that Jack's mother wasn't very fond of Shannon. Shannon knew his mother was just being protective of her son because of all that he had been through with his first wife, Austin and Abigail's mother, who ran out on them and was later killed. She didn't want her son to go through another heartbreak. But Shannon was trying so hard to get her mother-in-law to like her, and she hadn’t come around yet. It tormented her slightly, especially since they were so close, living just a few houses down from them. Shannon was happy at the prospect of getting away for a week; she had to admit.
Shannon had suggested they could go to Vail or Lake Tahoe or somewhere bigger, maybe in Colorado, but Jack had told her that he knew of this small place in North Carolina. It was a place where the kids would learn really quickly because it was such a smaller area, and there were hardly any people who knew of it, so you’d meet mostly locals on the slopes. He used to go there with his buddies when he was in his twenties, and he loved the place. Shannon had been skeptical at first but then
realized if she was to go anywhere and not be the center of attention, this could actually be it. In a small place, it was easier to stay incognito, and that was all she wanted right now. In Cocoa Beach, they had gotten used to her by now, and only tourists turned their heads or asked for autographs, which meant if she stayed away from the most touristy places, she could actually live a life as close to normal as possible. Every now and then, paparazzi would show up outside of her house and take pictures of her as she drove the kids to school, but it wasn’t very often anymore. They left her alone these days for the most part.
"This is it. We're almost there now," she said as they drove off the highway and she could see the mountains towering in front of her. They were enveloped in a thick layer of fog, which she guessed had given them the name, the Great Smoky Mountains. They weren't as tall as the mountains Shannon was used to skiing in, but they were still gorgeous.
Jack glanced at her, and they smiled at one another, feeling excited about this adventure for their family. Shannon and Jack both wanted them all to enjoy skiing so they could do this every year and make it a family thing they did together. She had booked ski school for all the children, even though Angela didn't need it, but so she could be with the others. She was mostly nervous about Tyler, but he didn't seem to be afraid of anything, and Jack was certain he was going to do just fine.
"He has short legs. If he falls, he doesn't fall very far," he had said with a grin when they discussed it.
"Turn right here," Shannon said and pointed at the sign to Maggie Valley and the Cataloochee ski area.
Jack took the turn and soon they could spot the city limit sign ahead, telling them they were now entering Maggie Valley. The children had their noses glued to the windows.
"It's so cold," Austin exclaimed as he put his hand on the glass. "And look…there’s snow on the sides of the road; look at all that snow!"
Shannon and Jack exchanged a look and smiled again. It was the first time the kids had seen snow, except for Angela. Tyler shrieked and pointed.
"And tomorrow, kiddos, you'll all be swooshing down those mountainsides up there,” Jack said and pointed to where you could see the slopes.
"Wow," Abigail said. "I can't wait! I’ve never tried skiing before, so I’m pretty sure I’m good at it."
Shannon chuckled, then looked at the three A's in the backseat. Austin looked excited until he saw the slopes on the mountainsides.
"We're going up there?" he asked, his voice trembling slightly. "All the way up there?"
"Yes," Jack said as they passed the sign and entered the small town. "It's gonna be so much fun. You just wait and see. By the end of the week, you're gonna be shooting down the black slope with your daddy. You'll see."
Shannon glanced at the boy in the back, then saw how he sunk into his seat. Jack didn't notice it, but she did. The boy was terrified by the thought of having to ski. But worse than that, he was also afraid of disappointing his dad. It was the same with surfing. His twin sister was an excellent surfer like her dad, whereas Austin never really liked it. But Jack refused to see it and kept telling him he'd get better if only he practiced more.
They drove past a few restaurants, then a trailer park and some cabins next to a souvenir store with a huge bear figure on display.
"Isn't it quaint?" Jack said and looked out the windshield. "I love this place. It brings back so many mem…"
Jack didn't get any further before something happened in front of them. On the road ahead, running in the opposite direction of their car, a small car was driving fast, speeding toward them, tires screeching, zigzagging dangerously close to the oncoming cars.
"What the heck…?" Jack asked and lifted the pressure on the accelerator. The car came closer still and was soon driving almost on their side of the road.
"Jack!" Shannon screamed, then reached over and pulled the wheel in his hand, turning the car away just as the oncoming car came so close it scratched against the side of theirs.
Jack yelled, Shannon screamed, and so did the kids as the car skidded sideways. In the brief seconds that the oncoming car scratched against theirs, Shannon locked eyes with the woman inside of it before it was gone again. Shannon closed her eyes when she heard the loud crash coming from behind them, and when she opened them again, the Escalade had come to a stop. Heart beating rapidly in her chest, she looked around to see if any of the children had been hurt.
"Is everyone okay?" she asked.
They all nodded that they were.
Shannon clasped her chest. "What a scare."
That was when she finally looked out the windshield at what Jack was staring at. In front of them, the car that had almost hit them had rammed into a storefront, and smoke was emerging from it.
4
"Call 911," I yelled and took off my seatbelt. I jumped out of the car while Shannon yelled something I didn't hear. I stormed toward the crashed car and spotted the driver inside, clamped between metal and the blown-up airbag. I tried to open the door, but it wouldn't budge, so I went to the passenger side and managed to pull that open instead. I peeked inside the cabin and spotted a woman. Her head was bleeding heavily, and there was glass everywhere. I reached in to grab her hand, then felt her wrist for a pulse. When I realized she was still alive and didn't seem stuck, I carefully grabbed her arm and pulled her toward me, then managed to get a grip on her shoulders and soon pulled her completely out of the car and put her on the ground. Shannon came out from our car and rushed toward me.
"They're on their way," she said, panting and agitated. "Is she…is she still alive?"
"Barely," I said and pressed on her chest, then blew air into her lungs. "But I am not losing her now. Not on my watch."
In the distance, I could hear sirens, and I lifted my head, then wiped my face and was smeared with the woman's sticky blood on my cheek. As I lifted my gaze, I spotted a black pick-up truck parked a few feet away. It was just sitting there, the motor humming like it was waiting for something. As I looked at it, trying to see who was inside, it suddenly took off and disappeared down the road before I could see the license plate.
"Shoot," I said and glared after it. The truck sped down the street and took a right turn, then was gone. "Did you see that truck?"
"What truck?" Shannon asked. "What are you talking about, Jack? There's no truck."
"There was one, and it was parked right over there before it took off when it realized I was looking at it," I said and shook my head. I knelt next to the woman before I continued performing CPR, placing my hands on her bloody chest, then pressing rhythmically, while praying under my breath asking God for the strength and ability to be able to keep her alive long enough for the ambulance to arrive.
"Please, don't let her die, God. Please, help me keep her alive."
A few minutes later, the area was crawling with uniforms. Paramedics took over and rushed the woman into an ambulance, while I gave a deputy from the sheriff's office my statement of what I had seen, which frankly wasn't much. Then I gave him all my contact information and told him where we were staying in case they needed me.
"Probably won't be necessary. It seems like a terrible accident," Deputy Winston said and closed his notebook. "She must have been speeding and lost control of her vehicle."
"She was definitely going too fast," I said.
"Well, you're a lucky man, Detective Ryder. One inch closer, and she would have taken you all down with her."
I turned around and looked at my car with all the children in it as the realization sunk in. The deputy was right. If Shannon hadn't pulled the wheel when she did, we would have all been in ambulances by now.
Shannon stood next to me, her hands shaking from both cold and shock. I grabbed her hand in mine and smiled gratefully.
"You have no idea."
5
Maggie Valley 2017
She had only been in town for a total of three weeks when Savannah Kelsey met Benjamin Rutherford. She already knew who he was since she—like most peo
ple in Maggie Valley—went to his father's church, and there he was usually sitting in the first row looking dashing. Savannah noticed him on the first Sunday they attended the church, but he didn't see her, and it took a few weeks before she finally got to talk to him. It happened in front of Joey’s Pancake House on Soco Road, the town’s main street on a Saturday morning. He was hanging out by his brother’s pick-up truck, leaned up against it, chatting with two girls, of whom Savannah only knew one. Her name was Leslie, and she sat next to Savannah in their third-period science class at the high school.
"Hi, Savannah," Leslie said as Savannah passed them, trying not to look at the boy. She was going to pick up two omelets and bring them home for her and her mother to eat. Buying the campground had turned out to be a lot of work, and her mother barely had time to stop and eat between chores.
It had been one of her mother's crazy ideas. When Savannah's dad died after being sick with cancer for three whole months, her mother had sat in the living room crying for three days. Suddenly, she had walked into Savannah's room in their house in Newark and told her they were leaving. She was sick of feeling sorry for herself, and she had to get away. She had seen an ad online for a campground that was for sale in North Carolina, and she wanted to buy it. A few weeks later, the sale went through, and they packed everything and moved. Savannah was naturally devastated to have to leave her friends, but she was also grieving the loss of her father and was sick of being the girl who lost her dad at the school. She couldn't stand the way people treated her like they were afraid she might break down every moment or gasping when they accidentally mentioned her father or just the word dad like Savannah was unable to stand hearing the term. But it wasn't just the sympathy stares or the tilting of heads as she spoke to people that made her want to leave. It was just as much the fact that she felt so guilty inside. Because she wasn't sad that her dad died. She was sad that he wasn't there anymore, yes. She was devastated that he would never see her graduate or get married, yes, but she was happy that he had finally found peace, that he was free from all the pain he had been in. And it was so hard to explain to people that his death came as a relief to the people who loved him. People wouldn't understand till they had actually seen a loved one in that type of pain or going through months of watching them waste away, seeing the anxiety and panic in their eyes grow every day. That was the hard part. It was the screaming at night when the painkillers stopped working, or the panic when he couldn't breathe, or the fear that he would die when his wife was in the bathroom. Those were the tough things to deal with. Not the part when he actually passed away. That was the merciful part; that was the relief. Savannah struggled to explain that to her friends, especially because it filled her with overwhelming guilt. Coming to a new place, starting over, was just what they both needed.
