Beyond Suspicion (16 page)

Thirty

Shelby sat for a long time considering her options. When the RV began weaving, she scrambled to her feet. Harlan was still under the influence of the antihistamine! If he fell asleep at the wheel, they'd all be killed. After tucking pillows all around Josh, she worried about being able to protect him if they crashed. When the RV straightened and ran smoothly for a few minutes, she relaxed. Maybe Harlan found some way to overcome his sleepiness. She'd better not wait any longer to remove the chain.

She sat on the foot of the bed and crossed her chained ankle over her knee. Then she held the padlock in one palm and inserted the key in the lock. It opened.

Shelby cried in relief as she got out of the chain. Leaving the lights to the bathroom and bedroom on, she checked all the windows in the RV, trying to find one Harlan couldn't see from the cab of the truck. There weren't any. The cab had wide side mirrors; he would see if she waved anything out the window to attract attention.

Back in the bedroom she climbed onto the bed and examined the window. She opened it to the screw stop. With the paring knife, she slit the screen and ripped a chunk of it out, cut off the flapping part, and let it fall out. The highway behind them was empty of other cars or trucks. It was still dark so this was the time to take a chance. She ran to the bathroom and removed the padlock, then dragged the chain to the bedroom, wadded it up, and dropped it on the highway. After tossing both padlocks out, she closed the window and waited for the squeal of brakes that never came.

It was time to get ready to fight for her and Josh's life. She needed to find Myra's purse and cell phone. A thorough search, mostly by feeling in the dark, brought up nothing. Too bad she couldn't turn on any lights. She searched every nook and cranny for a spare gun. There wasn't one or she missed it. Myra had probably kept everything in the truck.

Shelby examined the locked door. It had the usual twist lock. Good for keeping people out but not in. She twisted it and heard the door unlatch. She turned the handle and pushed it just a little so the sudden light from the bathroom glowing on the highway wouldn't attract Harlan's attention. The next time they stopped for fuel, she would take Josh and make a break for it. Harlan still had Myra's gun. Would he fire it in a gas station? It was a chance she would have to take.

Shelby closed the door and locked it so the sound of Harlan's key in the door would be a warning. She searched for paper and pencil. People wouldn't be able to read a sign, but maybe if she wrote notes and tossed them out the window, someone would actually find one and read it. She found a memo pad in one of the bedside tables and a ballpoint pen. She asked for help and identified Josh and her, giving her home phone number. When she finished, she took the notes and knelt on the bed. She couldn't believe how empty the interstate was at night. Two eighteen-wheelers flew past them too fast to flag down. It would be a waste of time putting notes out now. It was best to wait until morning.

Shelby yawned. It had been hours since she last slept, she couldn't chance a nap. If she fell into too deep a sleep and Harlan stopped she could wake up with him looming over her. Shelby went to the kitchen and put on some strong coffee. Then she made a meatloaf sandwich and drank a bottle of water. Sitting around just waiting made her mind work. The thought of the danger she and Josh were in made her hands tremble as she drank. How could she face Harlan? How could she fight him? Should she wait and stab him with a knife the minute he tried to enter the trailer?

She carried her dirty dishes to the sink then dropped them with a loud bang. Her house cleaning training kicked in automatically but she had no training in self-defense. Ironic that she didn't even have an instinctive sense of what it would take to stop him.

Myra had hidden most of the knives and she hadn't run into them in her search but surely she wouldn't have put them in the truck when she and Harlan might need them. Shelby began opening the cabinets and drawers, when she opened the cabinet under the sink she saw a towel rolled up. She pulled it out and unwrapped the stash of knives. She fingered the handle of the butcher knife. Could she stab another human being? To save Josh, yes, she knew deep inside, she could stab someone like Harlan.

She wrapped her fingers around the wooden handle and tested the weight. She tried different grips. Using an underhanded stroke forward to the belly seemed to be the better way to attack. Overhand she would have to stand too far away.

She laid the knife on the counter within reach and dumped the others back in a drawer. She would use it when he opened the door if she and Josh couldn't take him by surprise at a gas station. Now she needed to move the playpen to the living room. She lay Josh on pillows on the floor, dragged it to the living room and set it up. Then she gave Josh another bottle, changed him, dressed him completely and put him in the playpen. “You're being such a good little boy.”

She glanced out a window and found that she could see the trees and occasional houses flashing by; it was almost dawn. More cars and trucks were whining on the highway, flying past. She sank into a recliner. She'd toss the papers out when they got to a town. When the RV slowed, she jumped up to the window. Harlan had moved into an exit lane. Shelby snatched up some papers, opened the back window, and tossed several out. Then she slid the window closed and ran back to grab the knife and stand by the door. She almost fell when Harlan turned into a station. The RV stopped. Shelby peeked out the corner of the window nearest the door. It was a large truck stop and there were only a few other cars. The pumps were on this side, but the truck was at the first one. This was her chance.

She tossed the knife on the counter and grabbed Josh. Tucking him under one arm, she pushed the door open. It banged against a pump. Harlan had only cleared it by six inches or so. “No, it can't be!”

Out of desperation, she banged it against the pump. A man and a woman came out of the store several yards away. Shelby screamed for help. Harlan appeared next to the pump and showed her the gun, keeping it hidden from the couple. He couldn't get inside the RV but he could kill her right there before anyone could stop him. Shelby saw the woman look over as her husband unlocked the door for her from inside their vehicle.

“Help me!” Shelby shouted, before slamming the door.

She ran to the bedroom, plopped Josh in the middle of the bed, and grabbed more help-me notes. Josh rolled over laughing as he watched her. At least he thought they were having fun.

Harlan started up the truck and pulled out of the station. She tossed the last of the papers out. The breeze from the moving RV scattered them. Shelby frantically stuck her head out to wave down the couple. They were gone. They must have pulled out ahead of Harlan and were already on the interstate. There was no one else around. She left the window open as she slid down, curling up around Josh. He giggled and reached for the shiny lenses of her glasses. She sat him up and played patty-cake with him. Each time she sang, “…for baby and me,” she yelled “Yay!” and raised his hands in the air. While he laughed, she sobbed. Funny how half your mind could concentrate on a game with a baby and the other half on an uncertain end of a nightmare. She wiped her eyes with one bare hand as she played with Josh.

The butcher knife was her only hope. If he shot her, fine, she'd make sure she got him, too, because she was going to be face-to-face with him when that door opened and she would attack first.

The moment came sooner than expected. Harlan suddenly veered off the road, knocking her to the floor. She was able to block Josh with one arm as he rolled with her to the wall. The RV bounced and swerved while rocks and dirt slammed into the van or were flung from the tires. She scrambled to her feet, picked up Josh, and got on her knees on the bed. They were on a gravel road, filled with ruts from rain and wind. Roads like this usually led to small farms or country homes and were less travelled. Trees were sparse on either side and there were open fields dotted with a few horses or cattle.

It was hard to walk but she made it to the living room, put Josh in his playpen, and grabbed the knife. She braced her body against the door, bent her knees, and spread her legs about two feet apart. This stance cushioned each swerve and bounce, helping her to maintain her balance. The spine of her lower back hurt from the jarring. If she lived, she'd be bruised and sore.

It seemed like forever before they stopped. Shelby took a deep breath, grasped the knife in her left hand facing out with the handle held steady against her abdomen. She faced the door, and put her fingers around the door handle. As soon as she heard Harlan unlock and open the door, she would lunge like a football player, putting her whole weight behind the knife.

Harlan's fury expressed itself in the slam of the door as he exited the truck. His feet crunched the gravel as he thundered to the RV. Harlan inserted the key in the lock. Shelby took a deep breath and held it. As the door opened, Shelby shouldered through with the knife grasped in both hands and lunged.

Thirty-one

Harlan had one foot on the step. His eyes opened wide as the huge knife shot forward. Shelby's small body had force and gravity behind it. Before he could react, the knife blade hit just above his belly, angled upward. Shelby watched it disappear to the hilt. From the corner of her eye she saw the gun fly off. Shelby didn't try to check her fall. They hit the ground.

Harlan screamed at the knife protruding from his middle. “You've killed me!”

Shelby scrambled off of him and ran for the gun. She snatched it up with both hands and aimed it at him with shaking hands. “Don't move! I'll shoot you!”

Harlan, trying to sit, pulled the knife out and held the wound with both hands. Blood gushed through his fingers.

Shelby was crying as her finger cradled the trigger. “Don't get up or I'll shoot you. Please don't move.”

“Help me,” Harlan pleaded, watching his blood seeping from the wound.

“Where's the cell phone?”

“Back pocket…my pants.”

“You have to get it out. I'm not going any closer.”

Harlan whimpered as he rolled over a little, pulled it out and tossed it to her. “Call an ambulance. I can't die…”

She pressed buttons and shook it. “Come on, damn it! Oh, crap! I can't believe this. When you fell and landed on it, something inside it must have broken!”

Harlan turned gray and fell back. “I don't feel so good.”

If she didn't reach help soon, he would die. She waved the gun at him feeling a little sick now that the adrenaline was no longer pumping. “Stay,” she ordered and ran to the pickup. Standard transmission with a clutch. She hadn't learned how to drive standards in Driver's Ed. She slapped the side of the truck in frustration and marched back to Harlan.

“I'm going to get Josh. You can crawl inside after we leave. I'll put a pile of towels on the floor so you can soak up the blood. I'm taking your cell with me just in case by some miracle it straightens itself out.”

Shelby grabbed Josh after putting the towels and pillows on the floor. Then she went back outside. Harlan was much too gray, but the bleeding had slowed. She still held the gun.

“Why?” Harlan whispered.

“You were going to kill Josh.” Shelby backed away from him and headed up the road. “I'll send help as soon as I can.”

Shelby ran until she tired, Josh bouncing in her arms. She kept checking behind her and saw Harlan dragging himself toward the RV. She imagined Harlan making it to the pickup and coming after them. If he did, she'd shoot him. Shelby stopped short and stared at the gun still in her hand. OMG!

Guns were supposed to have safety latches. Harlan would have had it open. She saw what could be the latch near her thumb and slid it. Then she held it out, pointed toward the field and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened. Good, it was now latched. She tucked the gun in the pocket away from the hip that balanced Josh.

She glanced back again. No sign of the truck pulling the RV. Shelby couldn't believe she felt nothing about what she'd done. No guilt or anything. Maybe it would hit her later, but right now Josh was safe and that's all that mattered.

It was hot. Josh was getting heavier and her arms were sweating. Thirty minutes of trudging up the winding road brought them to the first signs of civilization Shelby had seen. Up ahead, about a half mile, stood a mailbox. Scanning through the trees, she saw a small, gray, weathered house. Josh's head was getting damp and he was beginning to fuss. He was too young to get this hot. She stepped off the shoulder into the welcomed shade from some old, gnarled live oaks. Once they reached the house they could rest, even if it was deserted.

A few yards away from the mailbox she heard a car roaring up behind her. She stepped behind a tree and down in the brush, hiding Josh against the tree trunk. She patted him with one hand as she pulled out the gun and released the safety. “Shhh, Joshie, we'll be okay.” She looked back up the road

A Jeep crested the small hill she had just descended. One without a top. She secured the safety and shoved the gun back in her pocket, grabbed Josh and ran out onto the road. Matt swung to the side of the road and screeched to a halt in front of her. Dirt and sand hit her legs. She coughed from the dust but didn't mind a bit.

He flew out of the Jeep and grabbed them both. “You're okay!” he yelled, hugging them.

“How…How…?”

“Hurry, I'm just ahead of Myra.” Matt took Josh from her. He used bungee cords and the seat belts to secure him in the backseat.

Shelby got in the Jeep and pulled the gun out of her pocket. “Go!”

“Did you shoot that man?” Matt started the ignition.

“No, I used a butcher knife. He said if I tried to escape he'd kill Josh. I thought Myra was dead.”

“Why, what happened?” Matt did a U-turn and headed back toward the highway.

“Last night I escaped with Josh after putting them to sleep with antihistamines,” Shelby told him. “Myra found me banging on the office door. Then Harlan showed up, snatched the gun from her and smashed it against her head. She fell down and didn't move. We both thought she was dead.”

“Too bad she wasn't.”

“How did you find us?”

“Luck and determination,” Matt said. His right hand left the wheel and fumbled for her hand.

Shelby took his hand and gave it a squeeze before he put it back on the wheel.

“I found your notes at the gas station. I called my dad and he notified the police, but some couple had already phoned them. They said they heard a woman scream for help in an RV, but a man shoved the door closed and drove off.”

“I thought they didn't hear me.” Shelby choked up.

“There were a lot of other calls, too. Your notes worked.”

“What about Myra? You said she wasn't far behind.”

“Dad said she stole a gray four-door sedan from one of the people in the park. The highway patrol is watching for her but so far she hasn't been spotted. I was ahead of her and Dad and I decided I shouldn't stop and just keep to the highway. That way I might catch up with you before she did.” He slowed the Jeep. “The RV's just up ahead. I'm glad I saw it from the highway or I'd never have found you.”

When they pulled up, Matt stopped the car. Harlan had collapsed trying to get into the RV. The pickup was gone. In its place was a gray sedan with four doors.

“Myra's been and gone. Pull up next to the RV,” Shelby said as she handed him the gun. “I'll get some things for Josh.”

Matt moved the Jeep and parked across the road from the RV facing the highway. “Hurry up!” he called

Inside the RV she grabbed the duffle from the bedroom, added water bottles from the refrigerator, grabbed a pillow, and hurried out to get back to the Jeep. Matt hovered over Harlan.

“Is he?” She knew she had killed him.

Matt shook his head. “Not yet, but soon. We'll call for help as soon as we're back on the road.” Matt handed her the gun. “I'm going to haul him in the RV out of the heat.”

Shelby kept an eye out for Myra as Matt gripped Harlan underneath his shoulders and dragged him to the RV. It seemed like he was taking forever, but finally Matt jogged across the road.

“I draped cold, wet towels over him, he roused a little and I put some water bottles near him and told him we'd send help. He said Myra got the other gun from the truck and is going to kill the baby.”

Matt took the gun and slid behind the wheel.

“She told me that she'd make Roger sorry for the rest of his life if he didn't wind up with her. Makes me wonder why she didn't come looking for us.”

“I guess Harlan sent her in the other direction,” Matt pulled onto the road. “There must be some good in him. He told me to watch out for her right before he passed out.”

“Probably did that only because he's dying.”

They reached the highway and headed home. Josh began to cry so Shelby got a bottle from the duffle and filled it with water. Josh drank thirstily. When he was finished, he burped. Matt and Shelby laughed.

Matt handed her his cell. “Get my dad on the phone.”

She scrolled through his contacts, found his father's number, and hit the button. Detective Rutherford picked up.

“Detective Rutherford? It's Shelby! Matt found us! Josh is okay!”

“Thank God, Shelby! Where are you?”

“I have no clue. Here's Matt.”

Matt took the phone, driving one-handed.

“Myra's driving the truck,” he said. “She left the four-door sedan in its place. Harlan Tuttle is dying from a stab wound. The RV is on County Road 78 just off the interstate. We're heading for Tan Creek.”

Matt listened and kept looking in his rearview mirror. “Shelby stabbed him to save the baby's life. Harlan was going to kill him and keep Shelby as a punishment for trying to escape at the gas station.”

Matt listened again. “Wait, she can tell you better than me.” He handed the phone to Shelby.

Matt's father questioned her. She told him everything she could remember and assured him neither had hurt her, other than to chain her and leave a couple of cuts and bruises.

“You're a brave girl, Shelby, we're all proud of you. The highway patrol is on the way.”

Just then Matt cursed and something rammed into the Jeep from behind. The cell phone leaped out of her hand, landing somewhere on the floor as Shelby was tossed backward then whipped forward. Matt hit the gas. Shelby turned around. A red pickup was about to ram them again.

“The gun, Matt, where's the gun!”

“Under my right leg! You'll have to get it!” Matt held tight to the wheel, bracing himself for the next hit.

Shelby dug under his thigh and found the gun. She released the safety and twisted in her seat. The red truck was trying to catch them. Shelby laid her arm steady on the seat. She pointed the gun like she was pointing her finger.

“Keep the same pace, don't swerve!”

Matt nodded grimly. “Aim for the driver's side.”

Myra gunned the pickup, which leaped forward. Shelby held her breath, pointed, and just before the truck hit, she squeezed the trigger. The truck struck the Jeep and veered. Shelby could see the spider web hole in the glass as Myra jerked the wheel to the left. Matt managed to keep control.

“I missed her!”

Myra pulled the truck around to the fast lane and ran neck and neck with them. Shelby watched her grin. “She's going to ram you!”

“No she's not!”

Shelby hung on as Matt hit the brakes. Myra's truck shot forward. By the time she hit the brakes, Matt was on her bumper. She moved into the right lane. Matt pulled forward until they were again neck and neck. This time it was his turn to try and ram her. Myra knew what was coming and jerked the wheel from the oncoming Jeep. She overcorrected. The truck spun out on the shoulder and flipped on its side, sliding into the brush.

“She's landed on the passenger side,” she told Matt. “I don't see her door opening.” Shelby turned around. “You're not going to stop, are you?”

Matt slowed. A quarter mile up from the crash he pulled off the highway. “She may have a gun but so do we. Where's the cell phone?”

She found it under her seat and handed it to Matt along with the gun. Josh was crying hysterically. Shelby climbed into the backseat and took off the bungee cords and seat belt. Josh continued his bloodcurdling yells while she checked him for bumps and bruises.

“I know, Joshie, I know.” She laid him over her shoulder. She patted his back and jiggled him up and down. His cries kept coming. “I bet you want to go home to your own bed, don't you?”

As Matt talked to his father the highway patrol cars came into view from the other direction. Josh stopped crying when he heard the sirens and saw the flashing lights. Six cars sped together then two veered off across the highway and stopped behind them. The others went to the crash scene.

Matt climbed out to meet the officers. He told them the gun was on the driver's seat. Shelby walked toward the four officers as Josh grabbed her hair in two fists and pulled. She ignored the pain. Right now she didn't care what he did.

Shelby heard a loud pop and felt a burning in her side. She dropped to her knees as the officers crouched and drew their weapons. Matt yelled her name and started to run to her but one of them dragged him behind the patrol car. It all seemed like slow motion.

Somewhere from behind she heard Myra scream, “No! Roger's ruined everything!”

Shelby wrapped her arms tighter around Josh and fell forward, covering him with her body. There were several more loud bangs and pops. Josh's cries faded as she lost consciousness.