Chapter 6 - The Raging River
We piled into the armored state command vehicle and tore down the highway at terrifying speeds.
The tactical driver pushed the massive engine to its absolute limit, sirens wailing into the night.
The sky above us broke open, unleashing a torrential downpour of heavy, punishing rain.
I gripped the grab handle tightly as the vehicle swerved around sharp mountain curves.
"Why would he go into the mountains during a deadly storm?" Sarah asked, staring at the tracking screen.
"He is trying to make it look like a tragic natural accident," I realized with a sick feeling in my stomach.
"If the car goes into the flooded river, he collects the life insurance, the inheritance, and the sympathy."
The rain was now falling so heavily that the windshield wipers were entirely useless.
The mountain roads were quickly turning into dangerous, slippery mudslides.
"We are losing his visual on the traffic cameras," the tactical driver shouted over the howling storm.
"The power grids up ahead are completely failing."
I pulled out my own phone and opened a highly classified tracking application.
When I had dressed my mother after her shower, I had slipped a micro GPS tracker into the lining of her pajama pocket.
It was standard procedure for protecting high-risk witnesses in domestic abuse cases.
A tiny green dot blinked steadily on my screen, moving perilously close to the edge of the river gorge.
"Take the next dirt road on the left," I ordered the driver, pointing at the map.
"It is a logging trail that cuts directly across the mountain."
The driver didn't hesitate, aggressively throwing the heavy vehicle off the paved road and into the muddy forest.
Branches whipped violently against the armored glass as we bounced over deep ruts and fallen logs.
We finally burst through the tree line and slid to a halt near the edge of a raging, swollen river.
Through the sheets of driving rain, I spotted the black SUV parked on an old wooden bridge.
The river water was rising rapidly, violently crashing against the unstable wooden supports.
Daniel was standing outside the vehicle in the pouring rain, aggressively trying to push the heavy car over the edge.
Vanessa was sitting in the driver's seat, revving the engine in neutral to help push it forward.
My mother was slumped lifelessly in the backseat, completely unaware of her impending death.
I didn't wait for the troopers to secure the area.
I threw open the door and sprinted into the blinding storm, drawing my authorized sidearm.
"Get away from the car, Daniel!" I screamed, aiming the weapon directly at his chest.
Daniel froze, staring at me with a look of pure, unadulterated hatred.
Before I could take another step, the wooden bridge gave out a terrifying, earth-shattering groan.
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The massive central support beam snapped loudly under the extreme pressure of the floodwaters.
The entire bridge suddenly tilted violently to the side, sending the SUV sliding dangerously toward the deadly drop.
