Page 37 of In Her Grasp

Then, the piercing cry of tires against asphalt shattered the momentary stillness as Carl’s SUV jerked into motion. Dust billowed up behind it.

“Jake, call it in!” Jenna instructed, racing back to their car.

There was no time for hesitation. Jenna’s legs propelled her back towards their vehicle, and she leaped into the driver’s seat. Jake was secured in the passenger side just as quickly, and she started the engine.

“He turned left at the next corner,” Jake said.

Watching out for any pedestrians who might be endangered, Jenna revved up the cruiser’s engine and took off in pursuit of the fleeing SUV.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Jenna’s cruiser weaved through the narrow streets of Colstock in pursuit of the fleeing SUV. Beside her, Jake held the radio steady, his voice even as he relayed their position to the Highway Patrol officers. “Heading west on Maple Avenue, approaching Fourth,” he reported. He called for roadblocks with precision, arranging the grid to corner Carl Reeves before he could escape the town completely.

“Copy that, Deputy Hawkins. Dilkins is setting up on Route 17,” crackled the response from dispatch.

“Got it,” Jake acknowledged.

The patrol car’s siren wailed as it bore down the undulating ribbon of asphalt that marked the outer boundary of Colstock. Jenna navigated the chase with precision. Ahead, Carl Reeves’ SUV kicked up a storm of dust and gravel, a gritty haze hanging in the air like the aftermath of some small-town tempest.

Jake keyed the mic once more. “Dilkins, confirm your position,” he said, the radio crackling to life in response.

“Roadblock in place on Route 17 at the edge of town,” came the terse reply.

“Copy that, we’re pushing him your way. Be ready.”

As they cleared the last stretch of residential Colstock, the roadblock loomed ahead—Officer Dilkins’ cruiser parked broadside across both lanes. Dilkins himself stood with his service weapon, drawn and steady, pointed unwaveringly toward the oncoming threat.

As Reeves approached the roadblock, the SUV’s tires screeched in protest. The vehicle fishtailed wildly before coming to an abrupt halt mere yards from Officer Dilkins and his cruiser.

Within their car, Jenna’s hand steadied on the steering wheel as she watched the SUV’s erratic halt. She screeched to a stop, then she and Jake flung their doors open and slid out, boots hitting the ground in unison.

Jenna’s weapon cleared its holster in a smooth arc, her stance firm and practiced as she leveled it at the driver’s silhouette. Beside her, Jake drew his own firearm, the motion seamless. They advanced in tandem, every sense attuned to the man inside the SUV.

“Carl Reeves, step out of the vehicle with your hands visible!” Jenna’s command sliced through the stillness. The barrel of her gun did not waver as she spoke, her eyes locked onto the SUV’s tinted driver’s side window.

No one moved.

Then, with a creak that seemed too loud in the quiet, the SUV’s door opened. Carl Reeves emerged slowly. His hands rose, palms outward.

Jenna scrutinized his face as he stepped into full view. Fear etched deep lines across his forehead, pulling at the corners of his mouth. But there was something else—a resignation that sagged his shoulders and dulled his eyes, a stark contrast to the panic that had sent his vehicle careening moments before. The man who worked maintenance at the Sablewood Dam stood there, looking every bit a small-town figure caught in a net too large for him to understand.

Jake moved toward him with the grace of a seasoned officer while Jenna held her weapon steady.

“You’re under arrest on suspicion of murder,” Jake told him, his voice devoid of emotion. “Turn around, hands behind your back.”

Carl complied, a defeated slump to his shoulders as Jake secured the cuffs with a series of deft clicks.

“Listen, I didn’t do anything!” Carl blurted out suddenly, his voice laced with raw desperation.

“Carl Reeves, you have the right to remain silent,” Jenna’s voice cut through the heavy silence that had fallen over the scene. “Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.” She held Carl’s gaze as she continued, “You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you.” The recitation was methodical, each word delivered with the gravity it deserved.

“Understand these rights as I’ve explained them to you?” Jenna asked. Carl nodded mutely.

With the rights formally read, they moved to the next step. Carl was guided to the back seat of her patrol car, then the door closed with an authoritative thud, sealing him within the confines of the law.

Jenna turned and called out to Officer Dilkins, who had set up the roadblock. “Great work, officer. We’ll take it from here.”

Dilkins responded with a salute, then holstered his weapon and returned to his own vehicle.

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