River Run by J. S. James

Author:J. S. James
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: CROOKED LANE BOOKS

23

By the time Delia and her stakeout partner caught sight of the rigid-hull inflatable, now a white smear rocketing under the first of Salem’s three bridges, the rain was back in their faces. Despite a river chop, he’d rammed Jackie’s throttle ahead and kept on palming the knob as if willing her to stay with the sizzling-fast Zodiac.

Every so often, Delia frantically hit the speed-dial on her cell phone, cussing when she got nothing. She tipped it and water dribbled out.

Once more, she tapped at the phone.

“Annie. Thank God. We’re in pursuit of a Zodiac, no decal number. Request assistance from Salem to—Annie?” She banged the phone into the palm of her hand, then upended it. Water streamed out.

“¡Carajo!” She dropped the waterlogged phone onto the seat and gripped Jackie’s left window strut, riding boat bounces in a jockey crouch. “Annie knows what to do.” She tossed him a look he no doubt read as hope. not confidence. “She’ll get us backup.”

“Not from Salem,” Jerzy said as they raced under the bridges, him pointing to Wallace Marine Park. The launch ramps and parking lot were as empty as a church on Monday. The next river access for a police boat was miles to the north.

Grim questions streamed through her head. How long before Bastida figured out theirs was the only boat in the chase? Before he decided to hang a Louie and come at them? Or did he have something else in mind?

The glance she stole at Jerzy confirmed he was worried, too. She adjusted the shoulder holster, making sure she could reach the S&W, wishing she’d strapped on her service auto as well, brought a shotgun, too.

The boat they chased had grown from dot to pea size. She cupped her hand to her mouth, yelling across the aisle. “Can’t you get more crank out of this rat motor?”

“You’re the boss.” The throttle was full ahead, so he tweaked the power trim. RPMs nudged into the red. Jackie’s speedometer needled up toward sixty before he shouted back. “We’re topped out at better than three-five knots. I figure the best he can do is three-oh or three-two.”

“Meaning what?”

“If Bastida keeps to the main channel, we could catch up before we have backup. Then what?”

“Just don’t lose him.”

* * *

Ten miles downriver, Delia and Jerzy had closed to within two hundred yards of the Zodiac. Close enough to smell the hundred-plus octane exhaust from those high-performance Mercs. So close she unholstered the short-barreled .44 Mag. She’d left her service Glock in the car. She was one of those cops who’d suffered one automatic weapon jamb too many.

A short way past Wheatland Ferry, the Zodiac dodged left and faded from sight. The rain made it look like it’d melted into the riverbank. Again, no backup boats could be seen putting in the water.

Delia yelled across the center aisle. “Where’d he go?”

She got back a shrug as Jerzy backed off on the throttle.

They rounded a shoal of scrub willow thickets, which she figured had masked Bastida’s sneak move.

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.