Page 104 of Seven Deadly Sins

“Why in the heck aren’t you at the scene?” The chief blasted through the phone. “Speed it up before more people die.”

“We’re driving ninety, sir.”

“Don’t give me excuses, just get there.” He hung up.

They were doing the very best they could. Short of flying…she peered up at the helicopter hovering over the median…they went as fast as possible.

Liam pulled the car onto the median about ten feet in front of Reynold. “Let’s get him.”

The boy flinched when she put her hands on his shoulders. “I’m going to remove the blindfold. You’re okay.” She pulled the dirty bandanna away from his face.

“What now?” He blinked against the sudden sunlight.

“We wait until he tells us. Have a seat. I’ve got to help take care of any wounded. Do not go anywhere.”

“I won’t. My legs are shaking so bad, I don’t think I could anyway.”

She patted his head and joined Liam who already strolled among the cars, ducking in windows, on his way to the flipped vehicle. By now, they were joined by Annie and one of the borrowed officers.

“We’ll move to the body to the median.” Annie grabbed the dead man’s legs. That way, we can clear at least one lane of traffic.” The other officer grabbed the shoulders. Soon, Annie directed cars slowly down the one lane.

“You folks okay?” She bent and peered into the flipped car.

“Thank goodness we wore our seatbelts.” A middle-aged woman turned to the kids in the back. The youngest, maybe eight-years-old, screeched at the top of her lungs. “Ashley, we’re all fine. You can stop screaming.” The woman covered her face with her hands. “Tell me the man was dead before I ran over him.”

“He was.”

“I threw up.” The crying child sputtered.

“Oh.” The woman fumbled with her seatbelt. “I’m coming.”

“Ma’am, I don’t think the doors will open without the fire department’s help. We’ll get them here as soon as they arrive.” Harper tapped the vehicle’s hood, her attention already on the next car.

~

Except for the dead semi driver, injuries weren’t serious. Liam helped where he could. He helped a trembling woman to the shoulder. “Wait here until someone comes to clean the scrape on your head.”

She nodded, a hand over the bleeding spot where her forehead had slammed into the steering wheel. “My dog? It’s a dachshund.”

“I’ll find it.” He searched the van, finding the dog cowering behind the middle seat. Grasping it by the collar, he pulled it toward himself, then carried it to its owner.

A few of the smaller cars would need the occupants cut out of them, but no one would die from their injuries. Since Harper always kept bottled water in the back of her jeep, he grabbed what was left of the case and started distributing. Thankfully, the heat of the day had gone as the sun began its descent.

The chief pulled up and marched toward them. “The boy is asleep in the grass.”

Liam glanced over to see the toes of Reynold’s gym shoes showing over the wildflowers. “Better he sleeps than sit there terrified while we tend to others.”

“Tell that to his father.” He jerked his head toward the red-faced mayor marching toward them.

The man glanced at his phone, then veered toward his son. He bent and picked up something from the ground. One of Reynold’s shoes. He waved it over his head.

Liam pulled up the live feed on his phone. An empty shoe lay on the ground where the boy had laid. He whirled, searching in every direction.

Reynold was nowhere in sight.

DEADLY ENVY

Cynthia Hickey