“Josh,” Kate said softly. She put a hand on his arm.
“We’re just trying to establish what happened,”
Brady said without apology. “Carry on, sir,”
“As we came to the bridge, the car behind me, I
think it was an Explorer or Expedition—”
“Color, Mr. Michaels?” Williams asked.
“Black.”
“New or old?” Williams said.
“It was a current model. It looked as if it had come straight out of the box.”
Williams’s interruption of his account with simple, objective questions relieved Josh’s tension, bringing his anger down to a simmer. Brady was a pain in the ass, but at least the other officer seemed genuinely interested in Josh’s case.
“He overtook me as we reached the bridge, but
when the SUV got just past me, it cut back across. I swerved to avoid it and went onto the shoulder. I tried to stop, but I was too close to the edge of the river. The car went over the embankment.”
“So it was an accident,” Brady said.
“No way, this guy meant for me to go over the side,”
Josh said, cutting the assumption down before it had a chance to become fact.
“What makes you say that?” Williams asked.
“When I was in the river I looked back and I saw him watching me, then the asshole gave me the thumbs
down. This bastard definitely wanted me dead,” Josh said bitterly.
“He did what?” Williams asked.
“He gave me a thumbs-down.” Josh demonstrated.
He straightened his arm with his thumb up and twisted his arm until his thumb pointed down. It was an exact representation of the gesture the man on the bridge had performed.
Kate gripped his arm tighter. “Why did he do that?”
Josh shrugged.
“And why would this man, a stranger, want to kill you?” Brady added, seemingly unimpressed by Josh’s account.
“I don’t know. You’re the ones I hope are going to find out,” Josh said, incredulous at the lack of concern shown by the cop.
“Can you give us a description of this man, sir?”
Williams asked.
“No, not really, the sun was in my face and I
couldn’t make out his features, but he was white. He wore sunglasses and a baseball cap. I couldn’t tell you how tall he was.”
“So, you’re saying that a man you don’t know and
couldn’t see ran you off the road without reason?”
“Yes, I am.”
“I find that difficult to understand. Are you sure there isn’t anything you aren’t telling us, Mr. Michaels?”
“No, there fucking isn’t.”
“Mr. Michaels, there’s no need for the profanity,”
Brady said sternly.
“Sorry,” Josh snapped back.
“Nowadays, the department is getting more and
more cases of road rage. Drivers are making it personal when they don’t get their way. Everyone thinks they’re a law-enforcing road vigilante. They’re not. The police enforce the law, not citizens.” Brady paused after his sermon. “Now are you sure nothing happened that
would have provoked the SUV driver?”
“No. Nothing happened. We weren’t racing each
other. I hadn’t cut him off and I hadn’t been riding his tail. He just ran me off the road and waited around to see me drown.”
“I think we have enough for now. We’ll take another look at the area and we’ll see if there’s any physical evidence that will allow us to make any progress,” Brady
said, dismissing Josh’s final statement like he’d already passed judgment.
“Is there anything else you can tell us about the man or his vehicle? Like a license plate number?” Williams asked.
“No, nothing.”
“Your wife has given us your details and we’ll be in contact in the next few days. And sir, can I recommend that you watch the speed? You never know, ten miles an hour slower and you might have stopped in time. Good night to you both,” Brady said.
“Good night, sir… ma’am,” Williams said.
“Good night officers,” Kate said.
Williams pocketed his notebook and smiled. Brady
put his hat back on and tipped it to both of them. The two policemen left the hospital room.
Josh waited for the policeman to get out of earshot before he exploded. “They didn’t believe a word of it.
They won’t do a damn thing.”
“Calm down,” Kate said firmly. “You didn’t give
them much to work with. Give them a chance.”
“Don’t you side with them.”
“I’m not, but I think you just came across some road crazy that thought he’d have some fun. He probably got off on terrorizing you. All we need to know is that it’s over and you’re okay.” Kate hugged Josh tightly.
She fought back tears, but they came anyway.
Kate’s embrace felt tight enough to crack his ribs. It was hard to be angry when Kate was so upset. “You’re probably right, but they didn’t have to treat me like a criminal.”
“Never mind that now, I’m just happy to see you
alive.” Gently, she rocked him while she spoke. “I have no idea how you swam to shore.”
“Neither do I. God knows. Self-preservation, I suppose,”
Josh said, the anger subsiding. The rocking
soothed his frustrations, but deep down, he wasn’t satisfied.
He was sure it was no accident. It didn’t matter
if the cops didn’t believe him.
Dr. Green returned to his patient and called it a night for Josh’s visitors. He told Josh to get some rest and ushered Kate out of the room.
CHAPTER THREE
When Dr. Green entered his room the next morning, Josh was feeling hungry, but not for hospital food.
He’d left most of the breakfast they’d brought him. It had tasted like the contents of a bedpan. He would have killed for a turkey sandwich with a side of potato salad. He looked up from the magazine.
“Hi, Doctor.”
“Hello, Mr. Michaels. I thought I’d check up on you to see how we’re doing.”
We? I don’t remember you at the bottom of the river.
I could have done with the help, he thought with good humor. “We’re doing okay.”
“Stand up for me, please. How’d you sleep?”
Josh put the magazine down and hopped out of bed.
He let Green prod and poke him. “Not bad,” he lied.
His sleep had been fitful. In his dreams, he had relived distorted versions of his attempted murder at the river. In one dream, the tailgater had been at the wheel of Josh’s car and Josh had fought for control of the vehicle.
Even at close quarters Josh was unable to see the man. In the dream, everything was distorted. The baseball cap’s bill was three times its normal size. The
man’s mirrored aviator sunglasses covered half his face.
After the fight of his life, Josh lost control to the tailgater and drove the car off the bridge with both of
them in it. In another dream, the killer simply blew the bridge out from underneath Josh as he drove across.
The bridge vaporized, engulfing him in flames as the car plunged into the river. More dreams had followed.
Each time the events had varied but the outcome was the same. He hadn’t survived. Waking at the moment of death had saved him.
Finishing his examination, the doctor asked, “How’s your stomach acting?”
“I puked around three this morning.”
“Sit down. How about now?”
“Okay, I suppose. I feel hungry.”
“That’s a good sign.” Staring at Josh like he could see through to his internal organs, the doctor thought for a moment. “I think you’re okay to go home. You seem all right, no serious physical injuries. I’ll sign you off and you can go any time you want.”