The Gardens of Digby Green: Joliet
The Chrysler’s gas gauge needle and the sun dropped in synchronicity. Ray flipped down his visor. Reaching up for it reminded him, again, that his shirt was a mess because the fabric stuck to his skin. Dousing the sauce with water from his bottle as he’d waited at some train tracks had not helped. The next person to see him would probably think he’d been gut-shot.
Trailing Green across the state border was probably not the smartest thing he’d done, but the garden supply employee had seen Rose that Wednesday, and Ray had to learn whether when Green left Rose’s Roses, she’d been alive.
In the middle of a song, the radio coverage dissolved into static. Out of range. Ray checked his mirrors, before he reached to spin the volume knob to Off.
Strobing lights approached from the rear, while a siren keened in increasing volume. Ray saw a gap in the right hand lane, and merged into it. Three vehicles ahead, the green Ford truck also eased to the right. The police car flashed past, a white blur. Both drivers between Ray and Green pulled into the vacated left lane.
What should he do? The longer he spent immediately behind the pickup, the driver would become suspicious, but passing was also risky.
His lead-footed quarry accelerated, snapping Ray’s attention into focus. There was more than one way to lose this game. Before he could hit the gas, a beige Malibu passed him, cutting into his lane so closely Ray had to brake, and lay on the horn. He checked his mirrors again. The next driver behind him didn’t seem to be in such a hurry.
Several minutes later he passed a distance sign for Joliet. Beyond that, clustered more flashing red, blue, and yellow lights. Traffic slowed significantly. A fire truck, a rescue truck, an ambulance, and three police cars…the rear doors of the ambulance were open.
Green’s pickup, and the Malibu veered to the outside of the lane, and Ray followed suit as his eyes caught the glitter of shattered glass. Traffic crawled past the wreck, where a flatbed tow truck loaded a crumpled van.
Digby took the Joliet exit.
The Gardens of Digby Green: Joliet is a serialized story that posts on Fridays.
Check back for installment fifty-nine.
Find a link to purchase Heartland Treasures anthology here.
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