Page 69 of Not This Time

"Come on, where are you?" she muttered under her breath, beads of perspiration forming on her brow despite the cool night air.

She was tracking the GPS on her phone, making sure she was on the road outside the forest preserve.

Her gaze moved from her phone to the windshield, scanning the area outside the vehicle. As if in answer to her searching gaze, a glint of metal caught her eye, reflecting the moonlight just enough for her to recognize the outline of a solitary vehicle ahead of her, moving in the dark.

No sign of a pursuing vehicle, though. She frowned, and pressed the button for the radio.

"Come in," she said.

"Ranger Blackwood?" the officer replied. "I lost him. He pulled into the forest preserve but pulled out again. He shut a gate behind him."

Rachel frowned. "Where are you now?" she said quietly.

"By the lake, pulling it."

"Copy."

She closed the channel, her eyes narrowing as she peered at the dark outline of the civilian car ahead of her.

It wasn't the officer.

"Gotcha," Rachel whispered, her voice taut with determination. She floored the accelerator, rapidly closing the gap between them.

Now that she was close, she recognized the make and model of the car. It matched the DMV information.

It washiscar.

He'd had connections to all three victims.

As she drew nearer to the fleeing vehicle, she flicked on her flashing lights and siren, hoping it would be enough to convince Dr. Caldwell to pull over. "This is Texas Ranger Rachel Blackwood," she barked into the speaker. "Theo Caldwell, I order you to stop your vehicle immediately!"

But instead of complying, Dr. Caldwell's car swerved erratically. Rachel gritted her teeth, her knuckles white.

They raced down the empty road, shadows flickering like ghosts against their headlights.

"Fine," she muttered, her eyes narrowing as she calculated her next move. "If you won't stop willingly, I'll make you."

Switching gears, Rachel pressed on the gas and closed in on Dr. Caldwell's car, her pulse quickening with anticipation.

With a sudden burst of speed, Rachel swerved her car alongside Dr. Caldwell's, her tires screeching in protest. A panicked, pale face with indistinguishable features glanced over at her with wide, terror-filled eyes, but she met his gaze with unwavering resolve.

But Dr. Caldwell only clenched his jaw and pressed harder on the gas.

With one final surge of acceleration, Rachel angled her car towards his, strategically tapping the rear end of his vehicle with her bumper.

The sudden impact caused Dr. Caldwell's car to fishtail, forcing him off the road and onto a long stretch of open space. The ground beneath their tires shifted from asphalt to gravel, sending a spray of dust into the air and obscuring their vision.

The rocky terrain jolted Rachel's car, a constant reminder that she was venturing into unfamiliar territory. The landscape was a chaotic mess of boulders and tangled roots, each threatening to impede her progress or damage her vehicle. She gripped the steering wheel tighter as her car bounced over the uneven ground, praying that her years of experience navigating the Texas wilderness would be enough.

"Damn it, Theo," she muttered through gritted teeth.

Dr. Caldwell's car swerved erratically ahead of her, as he too struggled to maintain control on the unforgiving terrain.

Ahead, she spotted an opening in the terrain. She slammed her foot down on the accelerator, closing the gap between their vehicles before ramming her bumper into Dr. Caldwell's car once more.

A sickening crunch echoed through the night as Caldwell's car plunged into a crevasse, its wheels spinning helplessly in the air. Rachel slammed on the brakes, skidding along the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust.

Rachel stepped out of her car, the cold night air biting at her cheeks. The wind howled around her, whipping her long braid into a frenzy as she strode towards the disabled vehicle.

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