Finding Amy (10 page)

Chapter 14

Amy pulled the truck into a parking space at a busy gas station and turned the key off, placed her uninjured arm on top of the steering wheel and rested her head.

“I’ll go get directions to the hospital. You wait here.” Carson opened the passenger door.

“Mommy, I need to potty,” Trish said.

“We’ll all go.” Amy unbuckled her seat belt and pitched
the keys to Carson who stood outside the open passenger door.

Amy followed her sister and niece to the ladies room.
Jamie held Trish up to the sink to wash her hands when they were done.

“I’m going
to find Trish something to munch on before we take off again. Do you think Carson will stop for us to eat?”

“I’m sure he will if we ask him.
I don’t know if he still wants to find a local dealership and trade cars.” Amy dried her hands and they all three left the room. Jamie took the child’s hand, adjusted her purse on her shoulder and led Trish to the snacks. At the drink counter, Amy poured herself a cup of latte and added white chocolate creamer. She spotted Carson at the other end speaking to the clerk. He walked over to Amy when he finished his conversation.

“There’s a clinic in Rawlins but they don’t open until nine. We’ll go to the hospital on the outskirts of town that has emergency facilities.”

She nodded. “What about trading vehicles?”

Carson looked out of the plate glass window in front of the station at the snow
falling. “I think the truck will make it all right. The cashier had the weather channel on back at the station and they are broadcasting a blizzard by noon. I don’t want to get stranded and if we go to a dealership, it will take several hours. If we have any trouble with the truck, I’ll rent a car. For now, we’ll take a chance.”

“
Jamie wants to stop and feed Trish.”

“There’s another truck stop
with a good restaurant about forty miles down the interstate. We can stop there where it’s busier.”

“You don’t think he’s still on our trail, do you?” When Carson looked at her with those
glacier blue eyes, her knees tried to buckle. Guthrie is still within striking distance. Reaching for the counter, she prevented herself from falling. Carson grabbed her injured arm sending electricity through her body and causing a throbbing pain to curse through her shoulder.

“Are you al
l right?”

Amy straightened her spine and raised her chin. “Yes.
I’m just tired. You didn’t answer my questions.”

“Yes. I believe Guthrie
is still on our trail. I’m sure he’s changed vehicles by now. Hitting us like he did probably knocked his head lights out. I wish I knew what he’s driving.”

Amy turned and searched the store. She relaxed when
Jamie and Trish strolled up to the counter to pay. She didn’t want them out of her sight.

“What’s up? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
Jamie sat a box of animal crackers, a bag of M&M’s, a carton of milk and a Coke on the counter.

“Here let me get that.” Carson
tossed a twenty on the counter.

Carson took the wheel when they left the station and followed the cashiers’ directions to the small hospital. Finding a parking spot, he hopped out.

“Why are we going here?” Jamie asked from the back seat.

Amy turned
around. “I hurt my arm when we crashed and Carson thinks I need to have it checked.”

“Tri
sh and I’ll wait here.”

Carson opened the back door. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. I can’t protect you if you’re out here and something happens.”

Jamie crossed her arms over her chest and objected. “Nothing’s going to happen. We lost him.”

Amy opened the other
door. “No.” she demanded, then lowered her voice, “you and Trish will be more comfortable inside. This won’t take long. I think it’s just sprained.”

Begrudgingly
, Jamie unbuckled her daughter and followed Amy and Carson inside the emergency room. She and Trish sat on the hard chairs in the waiting room while Amy checked in at the counter.

Forty minutes later a nurse
called Amy’s name. In the examining room, she explained to the doctor on duty that she had jammed it and thought it might be sprained. Amy cried out when he turned her arm left then right.

“We’ll get an x-ray and see if it’s broke
n. Someone will be in to get you in a few minutes.” The young doctor explained. “You’re not from Rawlins. Are you passing through?” The doctor directed his question to Carson.

“Yes.”

“Well, I’ll have your wife fixed up in no time.”

“He’s no—,”
Carson placed his hand on her good arm and squeezed, interrupting her.

“Thanks doc,
” Carson interrupted.

After the doctor had gone, Amy turned
on Carson. The blood had gushed to her face and she didn’t care how red it got. “Why did you let him assume we were married?” She snarled.

Carson grinned. But before he could answer a nurse appeared with a wheel chair to take Amy to x-ray.

Still fuming, Amy glared at him as the nurse wheeled her from the room.
I’ll set him straight when I get back. He has a lot of nerve.

When they left the emergency room, the snow had covered the windshield on the truck. Carson brushed off the white powder and started the truck. Amy wore a dark blue sling around her arm
to support the sprain. The doctor had given her a prescription for Tylenol three, instructions to wear the sling at least three weeks, and follow-up with her primary doctor when she got home. She didn’t intend to fill the script; Aspirin would take care of her pain.

“I’m n
ot sure how far we’ll get in this snow storm but I’m going to keep going either until they close the roads or I can’t see.”

The temperature had dipped below freezing. The snow stuck to the road causing the rear end of the truck to skid. Carson pulled over to the side and slipped the truck into four-wheel drive and continued down the slippery interstate. Every
time the truck’s rear tried to come around, he slowed and steered into the spin. The storm had come out of the north and traveled fast, catching up with them close to the state line.

“I don’t
know if I can out run this mess. We might have to find a place to rest until it blows over. According to the cashier, at the truck stop it should be gone by late afternoon but will be followed by another one later tonight. If I can get farther east, we’ll be in the clear. It might be a good idea to get to an airport and fly home. That is if the planes aren’t grounded.”

Amy snuggled into her blanket. They had so many things working against them. She prayed for their safety.

****

Max sat in the parking lot of the hospital with his engine running and watched as Carson and the women entered the emergency room.
Maybe the kid got sick.
He thought as he lit a cigarette and cracked his window. It had gotten colder and this snow had slowed them down. There would be less traffic on the road. He needed to get them off the road in order to attack. They weren’t going far in this weather. He could wait.

When Max saw them leaving the emer
gency room, one of the twins wore a sling. She must’ve hurt her arm when they crashed earlier. Pushing the truck into drive, he followed them out of the parking lot. They’d be stopping for gas or food soon and he’d search the truck while they’re inside. If he found the bag, he’d snatch it and be on his way to a warmer climate.

He hadn’t heard from Martin in a while and hoped he
didn’t. That idiot got his ass in a crack. He should’ve known better than to go into business with the Columbians. But hell, the man saw dollar signs and couldn’t resist. Max grinned at the thought of Martin’s face when he realized that Max had taken the stolen the money. Who’d he report it to? The cops. Max chuckled.

Chapter 15

Amy jumped when Carson’s phone rang. She opened the glove box and handed him the cell. His fingers caressed her wrist when he took the phone. She shivered. What are you doing? He had to get better control around her. She’s just too hard to resist.

“Yeah,
” Carson answered.

“Where are you?” Rex asked.

“We’re about sixty miles west of Laramie. What’s up?”

“You need to move it, brother. I’ve been watching the weather channel and they
’re predicting a pretty bad snow storm. Everything else okay?” Rex inquired.

The truck’s back wheels slid sideways when Carson h
it a patch of ice on the road. The news and the skid sent his senses into high alert. When he had the truck headed straight down the road again, Carson spoke. “It’s pretty bad now. How much more snow are they predicting?”

Rex took
a deep breath. “They’re calling for at least a foot.”

Carson’s mouth went dry. “Damn
. I need to kick these horses in the rump. We ran into Guthrie. Rather Guthrie ran into us. He did a number on the rear of my truck.”

“Well obviously he didn’t succeed. Everyone okay?” Rex asked.

“Amy sprained her shoulder. Her right arm is in a sling. But other than that everyone else is fine. I did some back tracking and lost Guthrie for the time being,” Carson informed his brother.

“Keep me updated and let me know if you need help. I can fly in and rent a car.”

“Roger that. Later.” Carson punched the phone and pitched it on the seat.

Carson turned on the headlights when the clouds covered the sun.
With the darker skies, came cooler temperatures. Thankfully, the snow had let up and Carson hoped he could be on the other side of the storm by morning.

He
flinched when Jamie patted him on his right shoulder. “Carson, do you think we can get a bite to eat?”

His concern for the storm and lack of sleep
caused him to forget to stop at the truck stop earlier. “Sure we can. I had rather stop at a busy station, though. The more people, the better. I haven’t seen a truck stop in a while so there should be one soon.”

Remembering
Jamie and Trish in the back seat reminded Carson of the duffel bag she’d insisted on carrying from the house. She’d taken it with her every time they’d gotten out of the truck. But she didn’t have it when they left the last truck stop. Did she leave it intentionally or had she forgotten it in the restroom? He couldn’t remember. The rest of their cases were in the bed of the truck. He could be wrong. She might’ve pitched it in the back. Next time they stopped, he’d check.

Carson listened to Trish sing
, The Itsy Bitsy Spider
in her high pitched voice and he had to smile. He recognized the song as one his mom had sang when all of her boys were small. Trish kept perfect tune as he watched her in the rearview mirror. She moved her tiny fingers in unison with every word. His smile faded when he thought about the danger that innocent baby could be in. Thank God she didn’t know or even understand.

“That’s a beautiful song, Trish.” Carson watched her close her mouth when he spoke. She caught him watching her in the mirror and smiled.

“Thank you.” She looked away for a second then glanced back at the mirror. “Carson, I wish I had some more pancakes.”

“Are you hungry?” He questioned.

She nodded her head.

“
The American Truck Stop is up ahead. We’ll stop there and get you some pancakes. How’s that?”

“Umm. Okay.”

Carson took Exit 129 and turned left to go over the interstate. The lights of the massive truck stop lit up the access road and parts of the interstate. He pulled in next to the diesel pump.

He
rested his right arm on the back of the seat. “If you ladies want to go on in, I’ll take care of business and be inside in a few minutes.”

Amy grabbed her purse and jumped out.
Jamie unbuckled Trish’s car seat and Carson watched the women enter the truck stop. He finished filling the truck and pulled around searching for a parking place close to the entrance. It looked like everyone had taken a break from driving in the snowstorm. There weren’t any parking places available up close. He had to park in the back in between two eighteen wheelers. He didn’t like the idea of not being able to see the truck, but with the station being full maybe people would report anything suspicious. He grabbed his Stetson and headed for the back door.

****

Max pulled the silver Tundra into a parking spot as close to Carson’s truck as he could get. He couldn’t believe his luck. People were pulling into the truck stop to get off the slick roads. With Carson’s truck parked in the back, no one would notice a man checking on his truck. He’d check the bed first and if he didn’t find the bag, he’d use his slim-jim to trip the lock. If he found that bag, he’d made up his mind to just leave without killing the women. It would make his getaway easier and with that much money he could be more selective of the jobs he took in the future.

Max waited until Carson
had disappeared inside before slipping the ski mask over his head and exiting the truck. Checking over his shoulder, he didn’t see anyone close so he climbed over the bed of the white dually and squatted down. He opened each case, while holding the small pen light between his teeth, and shoved the clothes around but didn’t find anything. Hopping over the side, Max pulled the flat iron bar from his jeans and inserted the thin metal bar down the side of the back window. The pen light caused a glare, preventing him from seeing the interior so he popped the lock. The horn blared and lights flashed. He knew the alarm would go off when he opened the door, so he hurried his search. He found nothing. Checking the front seat, he came up empty.

“Hey buddy. What
the hell are you doing?” A large burly man walked up next to him.

Max jumped out of the truck. Sweat rolled down his temples under the mask. He eased his hand inside his coat pocket and gripped the handle of his gun.
“Sorry. I lost my keys and thought I locked them inside. I didn’t mean to set off the alarm and I can’t get it off without the keys.”

“Well you better find a way. We truckers are trying to get some sleep and that blasted horn is keeping us up. You’re going to have some mad fellows in a few minutes.” The man turned and stormed away mumbling under his breath.

Max waited until the trucker was out of sight before slamming the door and running back to the Tundra, he had left running. Shoving the gearshift into drive, he drove to the other side of the building.

“Damn. Now
I have to go to plan
b
.” He banged his hand on the steering wheel to vent his rage.