Silent Witness by Diane Burke Page A

Lord. We’re alive.
    “Lizzie?”
    “Adam. Thank God. How badly are you hurt?”
    Adam raised his face off the wire mesh. His head spun and the hand he held against his face came away wet with blood. It took him a moment to get his bearings.
    They must have been in an accident. But he couldn’t remember any of it.
    Adam ripped a piece of cloth from the tail of his shirt, and wrapped the makeshift bandanna tightly around his head to apply pressure.
    “Are you okay? Adam, talk to me.”
    “I’m okay.” He blinked his eyes and tried to clear his head. He stared unseeingly through the wire mesh and then his eyes widened as everything came into focus. “Liz! Are you hurt?”
    She was crying…and grinning…and hanging upside down. What had happened?
    “I’m okay, Adam. Check on Jeremy.”
    Immediately Adam turned his attention to the crying boy, who was also suspended from the ceiling. Expertly and slowly he moved his hands over the boy’s body to check for any major injuries or breaks. When nothing seemed wrong, he released the seat belt and lowered Jeremy to a standing position in the tiny space in front of him.
    Jeremy wrapped his arms around Adam and held on like he was never going to let go.
    Adam twisted his left arm behind his back and pushed down on the handle, but the car door didn’t open. Of course. The back doors in a police cruiser are automatically locked.
    “Liz, are you hurt?”
    “I don’t think so.”
    “Can you open the back door?”
    He heard her grunt and watched as she struggled to move.
    “Can you get your seat belt unfastened and move yourself into an upright position?”
    “I don’t think so. The metal clasp on my seat belt is crushed. I can’t release it.”
    “Are you sure you’re not hurt?”
    “I’m stuck. Something heavy is pinning my legs. But I’m not in any pain.”
    “Can you reach your radio and call for help?”
    “I already did.”
    No sooner had she answered than the sound of multiple sirens filled the air.
    She grunted and groaned and twisted. “Try it now.”
    “What?”
    “The door.”
    Adam pressed down on the handle. He fell out. The short fall knocked the wind out of him. Jeremy tumbled with him, amazingly never letting loose of his death grip on him. He helped the boy to a sitting position.
    “We’re okay.” Adam forced Jeremy’s face around. “Look at me. I need to help Ms. Lizzie.” He pried the boy’s hands loose. “Sit here. Don’t move. Do you hear me? Don’t move.”
    Adam rushed around to the driver’s side of the car. The entire front of the vehicle looked like a crushed tin can in a recycling bin.
    Please, God, don’t let Lizzie’s legs be tangled in that mess.
    Adam tugged on the door handle but it wouldn’t budge. He shoved his fingers between the twisted door and the bent frame and then pulled with every ounce of strength in his body. Nothing.
    “Try this. It’s all I have for now.” Darlene seemed to appear out of nowhere and Adam had never been happier to see anyone. He took the crowbar from her hand.
    “I’ve radioed for the Jaws of Life unit. They should be here soon. Is the sheriff okay?”
    “I’m fine,” Liz yelled when she heard her deputy’s voice. “Take care of Jeremy.”
    Darlene raced around the car. As she reached the child, she tripped over the teddy bear, which must have fallen out of the car when they’d exited. She sat on the ground, scooped the child up on her lap and handed him the stuffed toy.
    Surprisingly, the boy’s cries had stopped and he watched the commotion in silence, his thumb tucked in his mouth, his body gently rocking back and forth.
    Adam glanced over at those serious brown eyes and worried that the boy might be going into shock. But there was nothing he could do for him right now. He hoped the paramedics would arrive soon. All he could think about at the moment was getting Lizzie out of this death trap.
    He placed the crowbar in the opening again and pulled with all his strength.