Page 53 of Operation: Reckless Angel

The wind driving the heavy snowfall created white-out conditions. Not even a mile down the road, the call dropped, and Sebastian was gone. She told herself she would be fine. The Sheriff had a twenty-minute head start. He was surely long-gone by now.

She crept along where she thought the road should be until she reached the turnoff onto the main road that led to the interstate. There, her heart missed a beat when she found the Sheriff’s car off the road in a ditch. He stood behind it and flagged her down.

“Fuck,” she cursed aloud. She pulled up beside him and came to a sliding stop. She lowered the passenger side window. She sucked in a deep, calming breath. “Hello, can I help?”

“I’ve already called it in. A plow and a tow truck are on the way. What are you doing out in this storm? All the roads are closed.”

“I’m just trying to make it to the interstate. I think I took a wrong turn.”

“You surely did!” He eyed her with suspicion. “The interstate is east of here, but it’s closed. Based on the forecast, it’ll probably be tomorrow before it reopens. You got a place to stay?”

“No, but I’m sure I can get a room at one of the hotels in Augusta.”

“You’re not going to make it to Augusta. There’s a B and B just up the road. I know the owner. I’m sure she’s got a room you can have for the night as it’s off season. I’ll give her a call and see if you can check in now, though you may want to wait for the plow that’s heading this way now. I’m not sure you’ll make it on your own if the plow hasn’t just come through.”

“Yes, if you could check for a vacancy for me and point me in the right direction, I’d appreciate it.”

“What did you say you were doing out in this area?” The Sheriff asked. “There’s a lot of dead-end streets back the way you came.”

“Yeah, don’t I know it! I think I drove up and down every single one of them, got stuck on a few when turning around too,” she said with a laugh. “I was following the directions on my maps program before I lost cell service and had to guess,” she lied.

“Huh,” he remarked in a tone of voice that shouted he didn’t believe her.

“The cell signal seems a bit spotty out here,” she said. “Anyway, do you want to wait in my car with me until your tow truck comes?” No, that was the absolute last thing she wanted, this killer, who was way too calm for a man who’d just killed his wife and dumped her body in the lake, in the van with her. But it was the sort of offer a person would make given the situation and if she didn’t extend it, it would be suspicious.

“Thank you, yes,” he replied, and then he opened the door and pulled himself into the passenger seat.

Instantly, a feeling of panic assaulted her as he filled the space beside her.

“Thank you for stopping. I’m Sherrif Darren Elsworth.” He presented his gloved hand.

“Lisa, Lisa O’Conner,” she forced herself to say in a calm tone of voice.

“You’re a long way from home,” he said. “I noticed the Georgia license plates.”

“Yes, making this drive in January was probably not the smartest idea.”

“What are you doing out here?”

“A job interview in Plymouth brought me to Maine, and I wanted to take a look at a summer cabin that’s going to be for sale on a nearby lake. I think you call them camps up here?” she lied.

“Yes, in the summer, we are only an hour north of Plymouth. A lot of folks from the city have camps up here. Most people don’t use them or even visit them in the winter because of the weather.”

She chuckled what she knew was a fake, forced laugh. “I now understand why. I can’t believe how fast the snow is coming down.”

At that moment, the headlights of the approaching plow cut through the curtain of white flakes and came into view, followed by the lights of what she assumed was the tow truck. Thank God!

He saw it too and grabbed hold of the door handle. He removed a glove and pulled his phone from the inside pocket of his coat. “Let me call the B and B and get you a room. You’re not going anywhere today.”

She didn’t like the authoritarian way he said it. “Thank you,” she replied with a forced good-natured voice when she really wanted to tell him to go fuck himself. She’d make it if she wanted too badly enough. “The roads are really all closed on the way to the interstate?”

“Darlin’, the interstate is shut down,” he said with a condescending tone. Then he got out of the van with the phone pressed to his ear. “Norma, it’s Darren. I have a gal that needs a room,” he spoke. He slammed the door shut.

She watched him talk on the phone as the plow and tow truck drew closer. Then he conversed with the tow truck driver while the plow went around them and continued to clear the road back in the direction she’d come from. After a few minutes, the murderous Sheriff returned to her vehicle and opened the passenger door before she could lower the window.

“Okay, Norma is expecting you,” he said. He gave her directions to the B and B, which was only a few miles ahead and he told her the plow had just passed by so the road should still be passable.

As she pulled away, leaving him in her rearview mirror, the panic she felt receded. But she couldn’t relax yet. The road conditions were quickly deteriorating. Even though the road had just been plowed, the snow already drifted over it, swirling with a frenzy. When her phone rang, she just about jumped out of her skin. It was Sebastian. She’d forgotten about him.

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