Here is a special sneak peek at the companion short story, “When Questions Abound.”
“Help! Is there a doctor in here?”
Detective Jordan Graves pulled his attention from his girlfriend Cassidy to see who needed assistance. A man stood in the doorway of the restaurant, a frantic look on his face. “There was an accident. A woman’s been injured, but the guy who hit her took off. She looks bad though. Are any of you doctors?”
“I am.” Dr. Brody Cavanaugh fought his way through the crowd followed by two or three other people Jordan recognized from the hospital.
“We better go too,” Jordan said to Cassidy. He flashed an apologetic look at Graham, his brother and co-owner of Fire Dreams before hurrying outside with the rest of the crowd. The sun had set, but the streetlights illuminated the area and down the street Jordan could see the car – a red sports car – folded in a “C” shape.
“Get the Jaws of Life,” Bubba, one of the firemen, ordered as he sprinted towards the car. Around him, the rest of the firemen spread out. Some ran toward the firehouse a block away to get the truck and ambulance, and others followed Bubba including Cassidy.
Jordan glanced around for the man who had entered the restaurant. He stood a few feet away wringing his hands together. “You.” Jordan hurried over to the man. “I’m Detective Graves. Did you see the accident happen?” He pulled out his notepad to write down the details.
“It happened so fast. I heard the crash and then it sounded like he gunned it. Why would he gun it if he knew he’d hurt someone?” The man was rambling, clearly in shock.
“Can you tell me what the vehicle looked like that hit her?” The man turned to face Jordan and for a moment his eyes were clear. “It was a truck. A black Ford truck.”
“Did you see anything else? A license number by chance?” Jordan asked.
“It just drove off. Why would anyone do that?” Clearly this man wasn’t going to be of any more help. His state of shock was simply too great. At least for now.
“Can I get your name?” Jordan asked. Perhaps the man would remember more when the shock wore off.
“It’s Ethan. Ethan Bower.”
Jordan took down the name and number of the man though he doubted they would contact him again. He appeared to have supplied as much as he could.
Having finished his interview of the witness, Jordan walked over to the wrecked car. The firemen had succeeded in getting the woman out and the ambulance had driven off a few minutes ago. That left the car as his domain. His and Al’s, his female partner.
“Find anything yet?”
Al was already poking around inside the car. She popped her head out and held up a mangled phone. “Found this, but there’s no purse, no wallet. I haven’t checked the trunk yet, but I can’t find anything to let us know who this woman was. Did you get anything from the witness?”
“Not much. He said he heard the wreck while he was closing shop. When he looked, the black truck was speeding off. He didn’t get a license plate number.”
Al sighed and crossed her arms. “We better hope the driver makes it then because all I have right now is a lot of questions.”
Jordan agreed. “Can you pop the trunk?”
Al leaned back inside but though he could see her tugging on the lever, nothing was happening. “Is it working?”
“No, it must have gotten damaged in the accident.” He scanned the area. Bubba and Luca were just putting the Jaws of Life back on the truck. “Bubba, can you guys use that on the trunk? We can’t get it to open.”
“Wish you’d said something earlier,” Bubba said with a teasing smile. “This thing isn’t exactly light, but Luca could use the extra workout.”
“Speak for yourself,” Luca retorted.
Jordan stepped back as the two large men approached. The hum of machinery filled the air again until they were able to cut a hole allowing access to the trunk. Jordan joined Al at the back as Bubba and Luca headed back to the truck. With her flashlight, they examined the trunk, but there was nothing there either.
“Guess that’s it,” Al said.
“Yeah, I’ll write down the license plate number and we can run it tomorrow. Perhaps that will give us something to go on.”
“Sounds good. Sorry the opening of your restaurant was interrupted, but it looks like it will be a great place.”
Jordan looked back at the restaurant he and Graham had worked so hard to open. It certainly wasn’t the opening night they had planned for, but he hoped this night wouldn’t keep people from coming back. “Thanks, Al. I hope so. Guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Continue reading When Questions Abound!