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CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

A spen wasn’t ready to go back to Coventry. After she left the retirement home, she drove south to Manchester, ate a crisp salad with grilled chicken at a restaurant where not a soul stared at her, and then continued to a place Garrett had told her about, armed with all the information she needed for the countertop.

She walked rows and rows of granite slabs leaning against what must’ve been incredibly sturdy racks. She recalled Garrett’s design for her kitchen, a design she’d instantly loved, and looked for a slab that matched it.

It was ridiculous how many shades there were. Maybe she shouldn’t have been surprised. This was the Granite State, after all.

She finally settled on a creamy color with veins of light gray, taupe, and beige running through it. It would be perfect for the island, and there was enough to do the other countertops as well. She gave the clerk the specifications Garrett had printed for her, adding his phone number to the top of the paper. “If you have any questions, call him. He’s in charge.”

“You got it,” the guy said.

She handed over her credit card, trying not to wince at the price. She’d get it back when she sold. She had a lot of problems in her life at that moment, but fortunately, money wasn’t one of them.

That chore done, she headed for the mall, where she purchased a new laptop to replace the one that had been stolen. Then she headed for a department store and found a pair of flannel pajamas, some wool socks, and a knit cap, along with a few sweaters and turtlenecks. She threw in a pair of long underwear, just to be on the safe side.

One way or another, she was going to find a way to stay warm. Her furnace was doing a better job, but it still couldn’t seem to raise the temperature in her upstairs to more than sixty-nine degrees, which was about five degrees colder than she wanted it.

With that in mind, she picked out a down comforter along with a microfiber duvet cover that looked cozy and warm.

With plastic bags hanging from her wrists, she headed for the door and stepped outside, shocked to see the sun already falling low in the sky. It wasn’t even four o’clock. She wished she’d remembered how early it set. It would be dark by the time she got home.

Would Garrett still be there?

She hoped so. She needed somebody to talk to. Not just somebody, though. She needed Garrett.

She missed him.

Despite what she’d told herself the day before about not getting involved with him, she longed for him, her protective polar bear. He was a good listener who asked insightful questions and helped her think.

He was also fun to be with, kind and gentle and, despite the thing with his aunt and uncle, trustworthy.

She liked him more than she should, considering she was leaving as soon as she figured out what happened to her mother—or gave up trying.

She made the two-hour drive back to Coventry. It was fully dark by the time she turned off the highway onto Rattlesnake Road. She’d driven home with Garrett after the burglary, but this was the first time she’d made this drive at night by herself.

Once she passed the condominium complex, it was dark. Not just nighttime dark, but zero-lights-anywhere dark. It reminded her of the highway that ran across the center of the Big Island, where the only light came from the billions of stars overhead.

Only here, the tall pines on either side of the road seemed to bend over her, blocking her view of the sky. The road twisted up the mountain. Though it hadn’t snowed in days, she feared icy spots now that the temperature had dropped so low. She was going slowly, much slower than the posted speed limit of forty-five. Not that anybody would complain. She was all alone.

And then headlights appeared in her rearview mirror. The vehicle came up behind her, fast. Much faster than could be safe with all the hairpin turns. As it approached, she sped up a little, figuring the other driver was in a hurry. But she didn’t dare go as fast as that driver.

She couldn’t pull over because there was nowhere to stop. On the left, there were only trees. On the right, a drop-off just a few feet beyond the snowbank piled on the narrow shoulder. No, stopping wouldn’t be safe.

As the car got closer, she feared it wouldn’t be all that safe to stay on the road, either.

He bore down on her, and she gripped the steering wheel tightly. But the car slowed.

And then it careened into the left lane. She hit the brake, happy to let the crazy driver pass. But he didn’t.

He swerved and clipped the back of her car.

She managed to keep her tires on the road, braking hard.

The other car sped ahead, braked, and veered into her again.

Her front wheels skidded off the pavement.

She tried to get back on the road, but the car was right beside her, blocking the way.

She braked. The wheels locked up. The car bumped over the snowbank and barreled toward the forest. A thick tree loomed ahead.

She yanked the wheel to avoid it, feeling sudden weightlessness.

And then she crashed. She heard the sounds of crunching metal, felt the jarring motion. Her eyes were wide open, but everything went black.

Aspen was suspended in her seat, the seatbelt the only thing keeping her from falling to the passenger door beneath her. In front of her, the airbag had deflated and hung toward the ground.

She couldn’t see anything outside the car. Her headlights must’ve smashed against something because they were out. Or maybe…

Her dashboard lights were out as well. All the lights were out.

And the engine was off.

The world was silent.

She wiggled her toes and moved her feet in circles. Then she tested her hands, her arms. She touched her torso and felt no pain. No blood. The whole thing had happened so quickly. She’d be bruised tomorrow, but otherwise, she didn’t think she was hurt.

Thank God she’d been going so slowly.

If she clicked off the seatbelt, what would happen? It felt like…like the car was angled downward and wanted to keep going. Something must’ve stopped it from rolling onto its back. She peered out the window and saw dark tree trunks against darkness beyond. Lots of darkness. Not more trees. It was open. Like…

Like she was at the top of a cliff.

Which, considering where she’d been, made perfect sense. She’d caught sight of the lake in the valley below when she’d driven this with Garrett. Of all the places to go off the road…

She angled forward to try to see how far she was from the cliff, but the car swayed, and she froze.

It was leaning on something. It had to be a tree.

Maybe a thick tree that could hold the weight no matter what she did.

Maybe a thin trunk that would bend over at any second, sending her and her small SUV hurling downward.

She had to get out.

She found the door latch and pushed, shocked when it opened easily. Rather than fight gravity by holding it open, she let it close again very gently to keep it from latching. She inched her feet beneath her, tucking the toes of her tennis shoes into the space between the center console and her seat. When she was sure she wouldn’t fall, she unfastened the seatbelt and moved it out of her way, balancing on the console. Then she pushed the door open again.

The car swayed.

“Lord, just hold it steady, please.”

She couldn’t prop the door up while she climbed, so she wriggled into the gap between the door and the car. Its weight rested against her back and scraped as she pushed through. She ignored the pain.

The car shifted, eager to get past whatever held it in place.

She pretended it didn’t matter. Pretended all was well. Managed to get her hips over the edge. She was just about to fall when she saw a flashlight beam in the woods. Somebody was coming.

Silently. And slowly.

She held onto the edge of the car and twisted out, flipping her feet toward the ground. She hung on by her fingertips, ignoring the pain of the car door resting against them. She dropped into the snow.

The car groaned and twisted.

Aspen crab-walked backward as it shifted.

Something snapped, and the car fell onto its roof and slid out of sight.

A moment later, she heard a crash.

And stared into the darkness at the empty spot where her vehicle had been moments before.

The person with the flashlight said nothing.

A rescuer would be calling for survivors. A rescuer would be running, frantic.

Whoever held that flashlight was no rescuer.

It was the person who’d run her off the road, coming to finish the job.

Aspen flipped to her hands and knees and crawled, staying low, moving toward the road above. Praying whoever was looking for her thought she had gone over with the car.

Except the trail she was leaving in the snow would prove otherwise.

It was just a matter of time before whoever that was caught up with her.

She was cold and wet and terrified. She had her handgun, but she’d much rather stay out of sight than have to use it. To be on the safe side, she paused long enough to slide it from its holster, undo the safety, and shove it in her pocket.

She reached the road and bolted toward town, keeping to the shadows on the far side. Whoever was after her would lose her tracks on the pavement.

But she couldn’t remain exposed.

After what she judged had been about fifty yards, she leapt into the woods on the opposite side, trying to keep her tracks to a minimum. She climbed until she thought she was well-hidden and snatched her phone from her pocket. Thank God it was there. Thank God she hadn’t tossed it on the console or left it in her purse.

She prayed for service. She’d just passed the condos, right? There could still be service here. She dialed 9-1-1 and rejoiced at the operator’s voice.

She whispered, “I’m on Rattlesnake Road. Someone rammed into me and forced my car off the road. I think he’s coming after me.”

The woman got all the information and promised to send help.

But Aspen was ten minutes outside of town. How long would it be before the police arrived?

Would whoever held that flashlight find her before then? She needed a way out of the woods, and she needed it now.

She dialed again.

Garrett answered on the first ring. “Hey, how was your?—?”

“I need help. I think someone’s after me.”

She told him what had happened.

“I’ll be there in five minutes.”

She slid her phone into her pocket. Maybe she shouldn’t have called him. Had she put him in danger? But in that moment, all she wanted was off the mountain. And away from whoever was following her.

She kept low and silent and waited a few yards from the road.

Long minutes passed before the sound of an engine reached her. Headlights approached, the vehicle going very slowly. That had to be Garrett.

She bolted into the road and lifted her hands to get his attention.

He did a U-turn and stopped right beside her. The passenger door flew open. “Get in.”

She’d barely closed the door when he hit the gas.