Page 30 of The Unraveling of Julia

J ulia kept her eye on the rearview mirror but couldn’t see the White Fiat at her angle. The road wound through the park and ended in a larger two-lane highway with a barrage of signs. Gianluca steered onto the on-ramp.

Julia clung tightly to him. “Is he still behind us?”

“Yes, two cars back.” Gianluca zoomed ahead, and Julia gritted her teeth. The highway widened to an overpass, two lanes going in both directions over a wooded valley. The shoulder was a skinny strip of gravel next to a metal guardrail.

“Are you trying to lose him?”

“No. Hang on.” Gianluca accelerated, and a white van in front of them switched to the middle lane, letting them pass. A narrow service road was coming up on the right. Suddenly, at the very last minute, Gianluca veered onto the service road.

“Where are you going?” Julia asked, surprised.

“Watch this.” Gianluca sped down the service road, which ran parallel to the highway. He kept looking over at the white Fiat.

The white Fiat moved ahead of them on the highway, where the traffic was faster. It was too far away for Julia to make out any details of the driver.

Gianluca raced to the end of the service road, entered the highway, and rejoined traffic. They ended up behind the white Fiat, so now they were following him . “Boom! Turnabout is fair play!”

“Nice!” Julia felt a surge of excitement. She had a clear view of the white Fiat’s license plate and tried to commit it to memory. “I think I got the plate.”

“I do. Now let’s see if he’s the same driver.” Gianluca steered between the lanes and pulled up alongside the white Fiat. “Is it him?”

“Yes!” Julia recognized him, balding with a mustache, a jowly face, and a cigar.

The Fiat driver looked over, his eyes flaring in alarm. Instantly he veered away into the right lane, then the shoulder, and down the highway.

“Follow him!” Julia heard herself say, on impulse. “Let’s see where he goes.”

Gianluca accelerated down the shoulder, chasing the white Fiat. They raced along the shoulder, spraying gravel. The guardrail was low. The overpass was high. If they skidded on the gravel, they’d fall off the overpass. The valley was a deep drop.

Julia lost her nerve. “I’m getting scared.”

“I hear you.” Gianluca slowed, left the shoulder, and rejoined the traffic at normal speed. “You okay?”

“Yes, thanks.” Julia watched the white Fiat disappear up the shoulder, out of sight. “What the hell is going on?”

“I don’t know but we have his license plate.”

“We should go to the police.”

“Great minds,” Gianluca said, grimly.