“Should I get a unit out there to the McElroy place?” Lynch broke into Trent’s thoughts.
“No. I’m already on my way there. Just get some sleep.”
“Alright. Sorry I couldn’t find anything else, sir.”
“You did great, Lynch. Thanks.” Trent hit the end button on his phone while he turned on the water.
He showered quickly and threw on some clothes, barely drying off. A few minutes later, he was out the door and in his car, flying down the street toward the interstate.
Chapter 32
The highway from Cartersville to the Track Rock State park is a rolling and twisty stretch of road, bending in and around the Blue Ridge Mountains. During the warmer months, motorcycle enthusiasts frequent the area in search of the fantastic mountain views and curvy asphalt that make for a spectacular ride. Autumn in the area also provides some of the most vibrant colors in the country with trees of red, orange, and yellow spiking the color spectrum of the forest.
Joe, Allyson, and Sean had arrived in the mountainous region only thirty-five minutes after leaving his cabin, and the sun was shining brightly in the mid-morning sky. Joe had gotten up early and made an enormous pancake breakfast for his guests. Sparing no thought to gluttony, he made eggs, a bowl of fresh fruit, hot maple syrup, and turkey sausage to accompany the flapjacks.
Allyson and Sean had barely taken the time to chew the delicious food. They’d been extremely hungry, not having eaten a meal since the previous day’s breakfast. Sean had slept well on the soft couch, insisting that Allyson take the guest bed. Of course, Joe had said he would sleep on the couch, but Sean couldn’t allow his friend to follow through with that generous offer.
Most of the drive so far had been spent in silence; the three companions were either too tired to talk or still in a post-breakfast coma. After looking out the window at the passing countryside for a while, Allyson broke the quiet. “Thanks again for the food, Joe. It was amazing.”
“You’re more than welcome.” He grinned across the center console at her.
Joe continued guiding the truck through what the locals called, “God’s Country.” With the amazing views, the passengers in the truck could understand why. “I wonder why more people don’t visit this area,” Allyson remarked.
“We do get a fair share of visitors coming through here, but it certainly doesn’t get a lot of the publicity state parks in the West get, or even as much as the ones in the Northeast. Can’t say that I mind that, though,” Joe looked over at her in the front passenger seat. “I kinda like it quiet up here. Too many people comin’ and goin’ might take away from the beauty of the place.”
“I guess,” she returned to staring out across the rolling valleys from their high vantage point.
In the back seat of the truck, Sean had been checking his voicemail messages for the last few minutes. Odd, he thought, that Detective Morris had called several times trying to get a hold of him. Morris should have gotten the hint.
Looking in the rear-view mirror, Joe noticed the perplexed look on Sean’s face. “What’s goin’ on, buddy? You okay?”
“Yeah,” Sean slid his phone closed, “just checking my messages.”
“You sure everything’s alright?”
“Everything is fine. A detective from Atlanta PD called a few times. Said he wanted to ask me some more questions.” Sean stared at his phone. “Not sure what’s going on.”
Allyson turned around. “Was it the same guy you talked to the other day?”
“Yeah.”
Joe had a serious look on his face. “I wonder if they heard something from the people that took Tommy.” His country accent seemed to get deeper with the grave tone that accompanied the statement.
“Maybe,” Sean contemplated. “Or he still thinks I had some part in his disappearance.”
“I can’t believe this cop thinks you had something to do with it. Tommy’s your best friend.”
McElroy listened to the conversation patiently. He understood exactly what Sean was saying, and it made sense. The thought that the police were probably looking for them caused him to speed the truck up a little.
“I know,” Sean said with resolve. “But right now, I guess I am the most logical suspect to the cops. That just means we have to figure this thing out so we can find Tommy and whoever has done this.”
Behind the wheel, Joe was increasingly becoming more nervous. Maybe it was paranoia from the thought that he could be aiding fugitives, but he could swear that the silver sedan behind them was tailing them.
Allyson had turned back around to face out the front of the truck. She ended the conversation by saying, “Well, I don’t think you as a suspect makes any sense.”
Sean appreciated the confidence she had in him. He decided not to continue the talk. It was probably better that he not mention some of the other evidence that the police were inevitably looking at. The main motive the cops probably had was that if Tommy died, Sean inherited control of the entire IAA and the enormous fortune that went with it.
Detective Morris had more than likely thought of that before anything else.
Looking up in the front seat, Sean saw that Joe was noticeably uneasy. He leaned forward and put his hand on the driver’s shoulder. “What’s the matter with you?”
McElroy was busy checking both mirrors. The sedan that he’d thought was following them had gotten closer and was only a few car lengths behind. Sean didn’t need a response. His friend’s eyes told him exactly what was going on. Just as he was turning around, he saw a black barrel held by a gloved hand extend out of the passenger side of the silver vehicle.
Instantly, his mind cleared of all other thoughts and his years of training kicked in. “Get down!” He shouted at Allyson who had certainly not seen the danger in the car behind. To make sure she obeyed, Sean grabbed her head and shoved it downward.
“What are you doing?” Allyson started at him, angry at the gruff behavior. Then she saw him pulling the gun out of his jacket. She risked a peek in the side mirror just as the glass exploded. The sudden blast brought a scream from her mouth.
“Stay down!” He barked again. This time, she did as told while another round of bullets thudded against the tailgate of the pickup truck. Then, two hit the back window, sending a spider web across its surface.
Joe didn’t say anything. His focus was on the curvy road ahead. He swerved the truck back and forth across the lanes, trying to give the attackers a more difficult target.
With the chase speeding up, both vehicles were reaching speeds that were certainly unsafe on the dangerous, tight turns of the mountain road. Guard rails ran along the side of the highway, but they hardly seemed enough to stop a few tons of metal from blasting through and into the chasm beyond.
Sean rolled down his window and bent his body sideways, bracing his back against the front of part of the door. With two arms extended, he squeezed off a salvo of bullets at the pursuers, sending a few through the hood and another grouping into the windshield. The driver of the car slowed down slightly and duplicated the maneuvers Joe had used a few seconds before instead of keeping the car steady.
“You get ‘em?” Joe yelled as Sean climbed back into the seat, ejecting the empty clip and replacing it with a practiced ease.
“No,” Sean’s breathing had hardly changed at all. He’d no sooner spoken than the clinking sound of more bullets hitting the truck interrupted him.
Allyson remained tucked away in the front passenger seat, unsure of what she should be doing.
Sean slid across the bench seat to the other side and lowered the window. With quick precision, he released the clip from his gun, replaced it with a full one, then braced himself again and leaned out into the wind. The shots he fired this time were at the gunman, shattering the mirror at the man’s waist. Sean had hit his thigh. Momentarily, the assailant leaned over, grasping his now bleeding leg.