wailing, the pursuit continued east around the curve at the south end of Hogback and off reservation land. Most of the vehicles in the way managed to pullover to the shoulder, a good thing considering the trap Emily was setting just ahead. The two lanes were wide at this point, and the shoulders level, so the perp picked up the pace.
Then they saw the emergency lights of Emily’s unit in the median. “Here we come,” Ella said into the mike. Justine slowed, not wanting to be close to their quarry when he encountered Emily’s surprise.
“She’s layingthe belt,” Ella said, seeing Emily dart across the two lanes, dragging the array of hollow metal spikes into position. “Now get out of the way,” Ella added under her breath.
The driver braked hard, nearly losing control as the pickup started to crab a little. “He’s going to roll it!” Justine shouted.
Somehow Tso managed to straighten out the pickup, but as the vehicle squealed, sliding downthe pavement on locked brakes, there was a blue puff of smoke and flying rubber.
“He blew out a tire. Looks like he’s not going to make it to Emily’s belt,” Ella said, watching the truck bed swing to the right from the drag of the blown tire on the left rear.
The pickup slid sideways another ten feet, then stopped. The driver jumped out of the cab and shot across the median and two lanes ofhighway. He raced down the shoulder, hurtled a fence, and headed north across a field.
“Next stop, Colorado,” Ella said. “Pull over into the median. I’ll get him, and you help Emily clear the highway.”
Ella was a good runner, one of the best high school cross country competitors ever in the Four Corners, in fact. She’d won State her senior year. But it took her a few seconds to get across thehighway without getting hit by oncoming traffic, and by then, the man they believed to be Gilbert Tso had a two-hundred-yard lead on her. Even semi-intoxicated, he was making good speed across the dry alfalfa. Twice he stumbled and nearly fell, but somehow he managed to stay on his feet and continue.
Ella kept pace with him, not letting him get any farther away, knowing he’d tire out sooner orlater and maybe start falling. She’d have him then.
Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Emily’s county vehicle paralleling the chase on a dirt road at the east edge of the field. Justine, in their unmarked SUV, was right behind her. They had to go fairly slow, but they were matching Tso’s pace easily.
“Tribal PD. Give it up,” she called out to the man. “You’re not going anywhere.”
The man didn’t respond. If anything, he picked up the pace, angling toward the corner of the field, which ended at a big arroyo.
Ella wished she hadn’t eaten such a large breakfast on the go, it was making her sluggish, and the stubble of plants that remained after the last cutting made it hard to maintain solid footing. She poured it on, but had only halved the distance between them when theperp reached the arroyo. He jumped down inside. Assuming he wouldn’t head in the direction of the vehicles, to his right, Ella angled toward the left, hoping to head him off.
She came to a stop when she reached the rim of the ten-foot-deep wash just as the man ducked into a big metal culvert. Here, the wash had been filled where another dirt road lined the western margin of the field.
She ranacross, expecting to see her quarry racing away. But the arroyo was empty, and there were no tracks in the bottom. He was still in the culvert.
“He’s trapped,” she whispered into her handheld radio. “He’s hiding in the big culvert beneath this road. I’ll block the west end, and you two take the east.”
Emily and Justine acknowledged immediately. They left their units on the parallel road to theeast, and came toward the culvert along both edges of the arroyo. Tso, or whoever it turned out to be, would have to pass between them.
It didn’t take long before they were ready. Ella and
Then they saw the emergency lights of Emily’s unit in the median. “Here we come,” Ella said into the mike. Justine slowed, not wanting to be close to their quarry when he encountered Emily’s surprise.
“She’s layingthe belt,” Ella said, seeing Emily dart across the two lanes, dragging the array of hollow metal spikes into position. “Now get out of the way,” Ella added under her breath.
The driver braked hard, nearly losing control as the pickup started to crab a little. “He’s going to roll it!” Justine shouted.
Somehow Tso managed to straighten out the pickup, but as the vehicle squealed, sliding downthe pavement on locked brakes, there was a blue puff of smoke and flying rubber.
“He blew out a tire. Looks like he’s not going to make it to Emily’s belt,” Ella said, watching the truck bed swing to the right from the drag of the blown tire on the left rear.
The pickup slid sideways another ten feet, then stopped. The driver jumped out of the cab and shot across the median and two lanes ofhighway. He raced down the shoulder, hurtled a fence, and headed north across a field.
“Next stop, Colorado,” Ella said. “Pull over into the median. I’ll get him, and you help Emily clear the highway.”
Ella was a good runner, one of the best high school cross country competitors ever in the Four Corners, in fact. She’d won State her senior year. But it took her a few seconds to get across thehighway without getting hit by oncoming traffic, and by then, the man they believed to be Gilbert Tso had a two-hundred-yard lead on her. Even semi-intoxicated, he was making good speed across the dry alfalfa. Twice he stumbled and nearly fell, but somehow he managed to stay on his feet and continue.
Ella kept pace with him, not letting him get any farther away, knowing he’d tire out sooner orlater and maybe start falling. She’d have him then.
Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Emily’s county vehicle paralleling the chase on a dirt road at the east edge of the field. Justine, in their unmarked SUV, was right behind her. They had to go fairly slow, but they were matching Tso’s pace easily.
“Tribal PD. Give it up,” she called out to the man. “You’re not going anywhere.”
The man didn’t respond. If anything, he picked up the pace, angling toward the corner of the field, which ended at a big arroyo.
Ella wished she hadn’t eaten such a large breakfast on the go, it was making her sluggish, and the stubble of plants that remained after the last cutting made it hard to maintain solid footing. She poured it on, but had only halved the distance between them when theperp reached the arroyo. He jumped down inside. Assuming he wouldn’t head in the direction of the vehicles, to his right, Ella angled toward the left, hoping to head him off.
She came to a stop when she reached the rim of the ten-foot-deep wash just as the man ducked into a big metal culvert. Here, the wash had been filled where another dirt road lined the western margin of the field.
She ranacross, expecting to see her quarry racing away. But the arroyo was empty, and there were no tracks in the bottom. He was still in the culvert.
“He’s trapped,” she whispered into her handheld radio. “He’s hiding in the big culvert beneath this road. I’ll block the west end, and you two take the east.”
Emily and Justine acknowledged immediately. They left their units on the parallel road to theeast, and came toward the culvert along both edges of the arroyo. Tso, or whoever it turned out to be, would have to pass between them.
It didn’t take long before they were ready. Ella and
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