Chapter 16
We were a few miles outside town when Brooke looked in the rear view mirror, and said, ‘That van is very close.’
I turned my head and looked back and saw a black Chevy van behind us and the driver was riding our tail.
‘Let him pass, maybe the driver is in a hurry,’ I said.
Brooke moved the Toyota to the right, giving the van more space. Instead of passing, the van slowed down a bit so Brooke moved a bit further to the right. Suddenly the van accelerated and came up really fast and when it was alongside, it rammed into us. Brooke almost lost control over the little Toyota, but at the last moment she got the car back on the road.
‘What the fuck!’ Brooke yelled.
‘Jesus, what’s wrong with him.’
‘Hang on John, here he comes again.’
The only thing I could grab on to was the handle in the door. I felt the entire car shake on impact and I heard Brooke swear, then scream, and then silence for a few seconds. We had become airborne while going over the hard shoulder, and we hit the ground hard. Brooke lost control, and we crashed into a large rock. The air bags deployed and I felt something warm under my nose, I put up my hand and when I looked at it my fingers were covered with blood. I looked over to Brooke, and she seemed OK, but she was moaning. I had to get to the drivers’ side to help her, but when I opened the door, someone kicked it hard.
‘Stay put!’ a female voice said.
I looked up and I saw a woman in her twenties walk around the front of the car. She was quite tall, with dark hair in a ponytail. She was wearing jeans, and a blue jeans shirt, and sunglasses covered her eyes. I followed her with my eyes around the car and as she leaned in through the window towards Brooke she whispered something quietly in her ear. Then she stood up, gave me a wave with her fingers, just like Brooke did, and walked away. Brooke turned to me and said in a weak voice, ‘John, that was my big sister Lauren’ and then she passed out. I was hoping that Brooke was OK as I get my cell phone out and dial 911.
After I hung up with the operator I got out of the car, and walked around to Brook’s side and knelt down beside her so my head was on her level.
‘Brooke, Brooke, open your eyes Brooke,’ I said.
Her eyes fluttered and she groaned a little.
‘C’mon Brooke, open your eyes, open your eyes Brooke.’
‘John. It hurts, it hurts like hell.’
‘Hang in there, the ambulance is on its way. Where does it hurt?’
‘It’s my leg, my left leg.’
I reached leaned in as far as I could and saw that her left leg was bleeding through the jeans.
‘Keep still Brooke and breathe.’ I pulled myself out, and knelt beside her again, taking her hand in mine.
‘Is Lauren still here?’ she asked.
‘No, she left. I heard the van speed away; I think she went towards the town. What did she say to you?’
‘She said, I didn’t deserve you after what I had done to Johnny.’
‘Who’s she to talk, she killed him?’
I heard the ambulance coming.
‘Hang on Brooke; I am going up to the road so the ambulance can see me.’
I scrambled up to the hard shoulder. It was steep and the rocks were loose. The ambulance driver saw me just as I crawled over the edge and he slowed down, then reversed and two medics got out.
‘What happened son, are you alone?’
‘No, my girlfriend is in the car down there. Her leg is bleeding and I think it is broken.’
‘Stay here, we are going to have a look at her.’
They took a gurney with them and slid down the shoulder. I sat down on the side of the road. My hands began to shake, and I felt cold. I remembered the witness with the two dogs who said she had seen a black van jump the curb and run over Mike. Then it must have been Lauren that killed him and most likely Tom too. But if it was Lauren, why would she leave a note on the Quad, saying she needed it to protect what was hers? It didn’t make sense. Lauren was obviously not right in the head. I almost smiled, thinking what the chances were of meeting a girl with issues like Brooke, and then to find out she had a sister with even bigger issues.
I looked down to see how the medics were doing with Brooke. They had taken her out of the car and lifted her up on the gurney. One of them was taking her pulse, and the other was cutting open her jeans to be able to see the injury. I heard a car coming fast, and when I turned my head towards the sound I saw a police cruiser. It stopped right by me, and Chief Harris and Special Agent Willcrow stepped out.
‘John, are you OK?’
‘Yeah, I am fine Chief, Brooke is injured though. The medics are down there with her.’
‘Brooke is here? Is she armed? We have to arrest her immediately.’ said Agent Willcrow
‘Agent Willcrow, she hasn’t killed anyone, the only thing she is guilty of is being a victim of child abuse.’
Chief Harris, raised his eyebrows, and looked at Agent Willcrow. Then they both looked at me.
‘That is not possible, we have evidence. Who else could it be?’
‘Lauren Richards, the sister. She is the one who pushed us off the road. She is driving a black van. Do you remember the witness at Mike’s accident Chief Harris?’
‘The kid is right; a witness said a black van drove over Mike.’
‘I don’t care, we still have to arrest Brooke, but first we’ll get her back to the Medical Center and then the Chief and I can have a long talk with her.’
While we were talking the medics had put Brook in the ambulance, and now one of them walked over to where we were standing.
‘She will be OK. She has a nasty cut on her leg, and a slight concussion. We’ll take her to the Medical Center in town. She should be able to leave later today.’
‘I will have one of my deputies sit with her during the examination,’ said Chief Harris, and Agent Willcrow nodded his approval.
‘John, get in the car with us, I am taking you home; your parents are very worried about you.’
‘Thanks Chief.’