Middle River Murders by Ann Mullen Page A

of
a reputable P.I.
    Mr. Blackhawk had seemed like a nice man and he was
interested in what she had to say. He didn’t think she was crazy. He treated
her with the utmost respect and gave her suspicions the importance they
deserved. He promised that he would help her. He said that he would dig around
until he came up with an answer for her. He would not let the matter rest until
she was satisfied.
    She suddenly remembered that she had stuck his card in
between the pages of her small address book. She grabbed her purse and dumped
the contents on the seat beside her and rummaged for the little black book.
    The driver rammed her car in the rear, causing her neck to
snap backwards. A sharp pain shot down her spine. At the same time, some of the
stuff on the seat fell to the floor board of the car.
    She glanced down and caught sight of the address book. It was
lying on the floor!
    She gripped the steering wheel and tried to negotiate a
curve. Once she rounded the curve, she bent down quickly and tried to snatch up
the little book.
    It was useless. She couldn’t reach the book and drive the car
at the same time.
    Should she dare pull over and stop the car?
    Then a miracle happened. She glanced over to the other seat
and noticed the small business card lying amongst the few items that were still
there.
    Luck was on her side!
    She reached over and grabbed the card, looked for the phone
number and then punched the numbers into her phone.
    The phone rang several times before a man on the other end
answered her call. His voice was familiar and she knew she had reached Mr.
Blackhawk. He would save her!
    She quickly explained her situation and told him that she
needed help. She said she was afraid the driver of the other car was going to
kill her. She also told him that she couldn’t understand why anyone would be
after her. She wouldn’t cause harm, nor would she deliberately hurt anyone.
    As she continued to drive, it didn’t take long for her to be
convinced that the person trying to run her off the road had to be involved
with the investigation she’d instigated. She conveyed her fears to the man on
the end of the line.
    Mr. Blackhawk tried to calm her down by telling her that he
would contact the Greene County Sheriff’s Office. Someone would be along soon;
just hang in there. He put her on hold so he could call the sheriff.
    She held the phone in her hand and waited for him to make the
call.
    It seemed like hours before he returned to the line and told
her that the police were on their way. He tried to reassure her that she would
be all right. Someone would help her. He even suggested that she lay the phone
down on the seat so that she could maintain better control of the car, but she
refused.
    She was terrified and she needed to hear his voice. That was
the only thing that was keeping her together. If she laid the phone down, she’d
lose her sanity. She was shaking all over and her stomach was doing flips.
    Against his advice, she held onto the phone and continued to
talk to him as she drove the car. Even though it was hard to drive and talk on the
phone at the same time, she knew that it was this conversation that was keeping
her alive. If she didn’t have a comforting voice to settle her nerves, she’d
never be able to handle what was happening.
    There was a tricky curve up ahead, but she figured she could
make it as long as the driver of the other car stayed off her rear end. If she
got bumped going into the curve, she’d go off the road for sure.
    She pressed down on the gas pedal hoping to put plenty of
space between her and her enemy.
    Soon it became a race for life… one she would not win.
    Excessive speed and being rammed by a maniac driver sent her
over the edge and down an embankment. Her cell phone fell from her hand to the
floorboard of the car as she breathed her last breath.

Chapter 6
    The time had finally come for us to leave the hospital. I was
glad to be out of there. Even though the staff was