Washed Up by Susan Koefod

Author:Susan Koefod [Koefod, Susan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Detectives, Murder, Police, Mystery & Detective, Minnesota, Hard-Boiled, Fiction, Investigation, Thorson; Arvo (Fictitious Character), General, Social Workers
ISBN: 9780878394425
Google: TL0mKQEACAAJ
Amazon: 0878394427
Publisher: North Star Press of St. Cloud, Inc.
Published: 2011-09-01T05:00:00+00:00

15

Arvo drove Christine away from the King of Spades along the dark and deserted River Road. The clock on his dash was broken, but Christine knew it must be past 1:00 a.m. The refinery was behind them, still lighting the sky and blotting out any view of the stars. A wan quarter moon hung limply above the western horizon like a small child dragging behind its distant mother.

They drove in silence for a while, heading south in the direction of Christine’s condo. Christine watched Arvo out of the corner of her eye. She could see him nervously glancing in the rearview mirror. She turned to look out her window.

Suddenly he sped up, taking a sharp curve fast and throwing Christine against her door. He took another sharp curve and she was thrown the opposite way, her arms jerking wildly and her left hand ending up on Arvo’s lap.

“Well, now we’re getting somewhere,” he said.

She snatched her hand away. “Is it really necessary to drive this fast?” she snapped, still feeling dizzy from the effects of alcohol and the club. The jarring turns were making her feel nauseous.

Arvo didn’t answer, but she noticed him still glancing frequently in the rearview mirror. She looked in the side mirror. She could see the headlights of another car a short distance behind them, keeping pace with Arvo’s.

“Are we being followed or something?”

“That’s what I’m trying to figure out.”

“What, by drag racing in the dark?”

Arvo took another fast turn, and Christine could see the car still behind them, the same distance it had been, obviously matching Arvo’s pace. He turned and drove up a gravel road, his tires spinning and spitting gravel as they skidded across the slippery surface. Christine watched as the car behind them took the same turn.

“Does that answer your question?” Arvo said, making another hard curve to turn onto the county road.

Arvo jammed the gas pedal down and squealed east on the county road, heading across a pitch black plain. Here the road went straight for miles, poorly lit at intersections with a few, scattered farm roads. The car behind them continued its pursuit. Christine glanced nervously at the speedometer, watching the needle creep up, beyond, and then far beyond the speed limit.

She noticed they were closing in on a railroad crossing a short distance ahead.

They sped across, and the pursuing car followed soon after. The faint sound of the horn of an approaching train could be heard somewhere south. Christine looked in the rear view mirror to see the lights of the warning arm flashing behind them.

“Great.” Arvo said, gunning his motor, the smell of burning rubber making Christine feel even more sick.

“I think I’m going to throw up,” Christine said.

“Hold on,” Arvo said.

“I’m not sure—”

“I meant—brace yourself,” he shouted.

The car behind them kept closing in when suddenly Arvo jammed on the brakes, spinning the car around and into the wrong lane. The car chasing them was now coming directly at them. It swerved off the road just narrowly avoiding crashing into Arvo and Christine head on.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.