Lydia’s heart pounded as the tan SUV got closer to their bumper. River pressed the accelerator to the floor then turned his head side to side, maybe trying to find a possible escape route.
He pulled the radio. “Lizzie. We’re being chased. Could use some help.”
“On it. Let me get turned around.”
“I just turned on to the highway,” said River.
The first hit to their bumper propelled Lydia forward in her seat. The seat belt dug into her flesh. Her heartbeat revved up.
The SUV zoomed forward, so its front was even with the back end of River’s patrol car. The vehicle kept up with them as River increased his speed. The tan SUV sideswiped the patrol car, sending it off the road, then seemed to follow them from its position on the road, probably to take another shot.
The land was flat, bumpy, with trees in the distance.
“Unbuckle your seat belt and get down low.” River glanced all around. “We got to play some defense here.” He turned the wheel to head back to the road.
Lydia did what he said even though she wasn’t sure what he had planned.
River performed a tight turn. She heard a banging noise as Frankie slid around in her kennel. The K-9 whimpered. River spun the car completely around then braked. He was using his car to block the road.
River had unbuckled his seat belt and pulled his gun. He pushed open his door, which was on the far side of the road, away from the tan SUV.
She lifted her head above the ledge of the passenger’s-side window. The SUV was only yards away, the motor still running.
“Get down,” said River.
A single shot was fired. Her heart raced as she squeezed herself into the space on the floor underneath the dashboard.
The momentary distraction had given River time to move to the hood of his car.
A volley of shots caused her to wince each time a round was fired.
A second later, River jumped back in the patrol car and pressed the gas. “He’s getting away.”
When she crawled back into her seat, Lydia could see the rear end of the SUV as River sped toward it. Just as River got close to the other vehicle, it suddenly turned onto a dirt road. River sped past, turned around and went back to the dirt road where the tan SUV had gone.
She saw Lizzie’s patrol unit coming toward them as they turned. Once they were on the road where the tan SUV had gone, she spotted its taillights before it disappeared around a bend. Forest bordered them on both sides.
As they rounded another curve, she realized they were on the road that led to the border between the hiking trail and Gregory Larson’s land. It was the road the car had been spotted on the day Elsie disappeared. She could see the forested hill, and beyond that was the hiking trail, but there was no sign of the tan SUV.
River slowed down. Lizzie caught up with them.
Lydia looked all around. “I don’t see him anywhere.” The road they were on came to a dead end. He couldn’t have driven through.
River slowed the car. “He must have turned off somewhere.”
She didn’t remember seeing any roads that intersected with the one they were on. Maybe there had been an opening in the forest that would have provided a degree of cover.
Lizzie’s voice came through on the radio. “Where did he go?”
“Not sure. I’m going to backtrack in the car. If you want to deploy Reena, maybe he hid the car somewhere and took off on foot.”
While Lizzie got out of her SUV with her golden retriever, River backed his patrol car up until he could get turned around. They rolled along the dirt road slowly, both of them watching their respective sides of the road. The tan SUV would blend in with the trees. Still, unless the driver was able to go deep into the woods, it seemed like they would be able to spot it.
“If the guy abandoned his vehicle and took off running, Lizzie’s dog would find the scent. When a person is afraid, which is the case anytime you are on the run, he or she emits a scent that the dogs can pick up on.”
If that was what had happened, where was the SUV?
River activated his radio. “Anything?”
