Chapter 2 - Shadows on Cedar Street
The sudden ringing sent a jolt of adrenaline straight through Officer Natalie Brooks. The sound came from beneath a stack of unpaid utility bills and old flyers resting on the corner of the kitchen counter. Natalie reached out, moving aside the papers until she saw the small screen glowing blue against the dark wood. The screen read: UNKNOWN NUMBER.
She picked it up immediately, pressing the speaker button before bringing it to her ear. "This is Officer Natalie Brooks, Police Department. Who am I speaking to?"
For two agonizing seconds, there was only heavy, raspy breathing on the other end. Then a weak, trembling voice whispered, "Natalie... please... check on my baby..."
"Andrew? Is that you? Where are you?" Natalie demanded, stepping toward the window where she could keep an eye on Denise Carter’s open front door.
"Old Mill... ravine..." Andrew choked out, coughing painfully. "I didn't... leave her... I was ran off... the road..."
"Listen to me, Andrew, Ashley is safe. She’s at St. Jude Hospital right now under medical care. She's dehydrated, but she is alive," Natalie said clearly, wanting to relieve the father's agony first. "Stay where you are, we have rescue crews headed to the ravine. But Andrew—why did you write 'Don't trust Denise' on your shopping list?"
There was a harsh intake of breath on the line. "She came to the house... four days ago... she wanted Ashley's medical settlement money from the accident... my late wife's insurance... She threatened to tell Child Protective Services I was abusing her... poisoning her... if I didn't hand over the trust..."
Before Andrew could say another word, a sharp metallic click echoed through the line, followed by the crunch of heavy footsteps on gravel near his end. Andrew gasped, "Someone's... down here..." then the call disconnected into flat static.
"Andrew! Andrew!" Natalie yelled into the phone, but the call was dead. She immediately keyed her radio. "Dispatch, I need emergency medical and all available backup to Old Mill Road ravine right now. Suspect involved in a hit-and-run, victim is alive but in critical condition and potentially in immediate danger!"
As dispatch acknowledged the request, Natalie sprinted out of Andrew’s house, her tactical boots pounding against the rain-slicked pavement. But as she rounded her cruiser, she noticed Denise Carter’s garage door rolling open. A dark SUV pulled out into the downpour with its headlights off, accelerating wildly toward the main boulevard.
Natalie jumped into her cruiser, flipped on her emergency lights and sirens, and slammed her foot on the accelerator. The chase was on through the blinding storm. The dark SUV swerved dangerously through intersections, ignoring red lights as rain slashed against the windshields. Natalie kept close distance, calling in the suspect’s vehicle description and plate number over the radio.
"Suspect vehicle heading east toward the Old Mill bridge!" Natalie called out. "She's heading back to the crash site!"
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Why would Denise go back to the ravine? The realization hit Natalie like a freight train—Denise wasn't just hiding something; she was going back to finish what she started four days ago. If Andrew survived the crash into the ravine, he was a living witness who could ruin her life and send her to prison forever.
The dark SUV skidded sharply onto Old Mill Road, a narrow, unlit winding path flanked by dense woods and deep ravines. Trees bowed under the fierce winds. Up ahead, where the metal guardrail was crumpled and snapped like a twig, the SUV pulled over abruptly, its tires tearing through mud.
