Page 19 of Left Behind

“No problem,” Sonny said, then went back to the precinct, while the team from the county crime lab arrived on the scene of the accident.

Cameron took them back to the area where he found her. They bagged her cell phone and the flashlight she’d dropped, and bagged a shell casing found nearby, but the rain had destroyed any other signs or clues that might have been helpful.

***

A couple of hours later, Carey’s surgeon, a doctor named Kline, came into the waiting room looking for the sheriff. There was only one man in the waiting room wearing a uniform, so he headed for him.

“Are you here for Carey Eggers?” Kline asked.

“Yes. I’m Sheriff Woodley. How is she?”

“I’m Dr. Kline, her surgeon. She’s in recovery, but in critical condition and will be going straight to the ICU.”

“Did she ever regain consciousness?” Woodley asked.

“No, and if she does regain consciousness, it’s going to be a while before you can speak to her.”

“Understood, but I’ll be needing the clothes she was wearing to take back to the lab,” Woodley said.

“When we saw the bullet wound, we assumed you would. They’re already bagged. I’ll have one of the nurses bring them to you,” Dr. Kline said.

“Thanks,” Woodley said. “And keep me updated on her condition. As soon as she wakes up, I need to talk to her.”

Dr. Kline nodded and left, and a few minutes later, a nurse came looking for the sheriff.

“Sheriff Woodley? Dr. Kline asked me to bring these to you.”

“Thank you,” Woodley said. He left the hospital with the clothes and headed back to his office to turn them over to the lab.

***

It was midday when Woodley got back to his office and began going through the papers that had been left on his desk. Within moments, he came upon the BOLO regarding Billy Eggers’s missing car. He immediately checked the report on the vehicle towed in and, when he realized it was the same one, called the contact number.

“Bowling Green PD. Detective Gardner speaking.”

“Detective, this is Sheriff Woodley out of Jubilee, Kentucky. I just received your BOLO about a missing car belonging to a Billy Eggers. We towed that car off Pope Mountain this morning. It was wrecked during a rainstorm sometime last night.”

“Who was driving it?” Gardner asked.

“A woman named Carey Eggers. Her purse and identification were found in the wrecked car, but the car was empty. However, we were notified later of a woman who was found unconscious up in the woods and it was her. She’d been shot.”

“Shot! Damn,” Gardner said. “Where is she now?”

“The hospital in Jubilee. She’s undergone surgery. I don’t know anything more. She has yet to regain consciousness.”

“Thank you for your information. There are people who’ve been looking for her for hours,” Gardner said.

“What happened?” Woodley asked.

“It appears she was a witness to her brother’s murder. Looks like the killer ran her down.”

The skin crawled on the back of Woodley’s neck.

“Do you know who it was?”

“No, and I’d appreciate it if you didn’t advertise the fact that she’s still alive,” Gardner said.

Woodley frowned. “I’ll call the Jubilee PD and ask Chief Warren to make sure nothing is put in the local paper, but I can’t promise word doesn’t spread locally.”

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