Chapter 1 - The Stranger in the Rain
Only after Evan finally drove away did the stranger crouch beside me again.
His expression changed completely as he stared into my terrified eyes.
The gentle concern of a helpful trucker vanished in an instant.
His eyes grew incredibly cold and calculating under the dripping brim of his yellow hood.
He reached deep into his heavy waterproof coat with a steady hand.
I squeezed my eyes tightly shut in sheer panic.
I fully expected him to pull out a weapon to finish my stepson’s dirty work.
Instead, the man pulled out a heavy, solid steel crowbar.
He aggressively wedged the metal bar against the crushed dashboard that was pinning my shattered leg.
The screech of tearing metal echoed violently through the foggy, desolate ravine.
Pain exploded entirely behind my eyes as the immense pressure on my shin finally released.
I let out a ragged, desperate gasp as cold air rushed into my bruised lungs.
"My name is Vance."
He spoke in a low, gritty rumble that easily cut through the sound of the pouring rain.
"I am not a commercial trucker."
"I am a private investigator based out of Knoxville."
"Your late husband hired me three months before he passed away."
I stared at him in absolute, mind-numbing disbelief.
David had died of a sudden, tragic heart attack just six weeks ago.
He had never mentioned hiring any kind of private security or investigator.
Vance reached his strong, calloused arms deep into the wrecked cabin of the Subaru.
He lifted me out of the shattered driver's seat as easily as if I weighed absolutely nothing.
The freezing rain washed the warm blood from my face as he carried me up the steep, muddy embankment.
Every single step he took sent fresh agony shooting up my shattered spine.
"David knew something was terribly wrong with the boy."
Vance carefully navigated the slippery, jagged rocks near the ruined guardrail.
"He found out Evan was researching untraceable, odorless toxins on the dark web."
We reached the wet asphalt just as a distant police siren echoed through the mountain pass.
"Your husband did not die of natural causes, Sarah."
Vance opened the passenger door of a massive black SUV hidden perfectly within the dense trees.
He gently set me onto the cold leather seat and strapped me in.
"Evan poisoned his own father to secure sole ownership of the mountain estate."
My mind violently reeled at the horrific, unimaginable accusation.
Evan had always been a distant teenager, but I never imagined him capable of actual murder.
Vance climbed into the driver's seat and started the powerful engine with a roar.
"We have to leave this mountain right now."
He killed the headlights and forcefully shifted the heavy vehicle into drive.
"Evan did not just call an ambulance for you."
"He specifically called the local county sheriff."
"And the sheriff has been on Evan's private payroll for the last two years."
I watched in pure horror through the rearview mirror as three police cruisers aggressively swarmed my wrecked car.
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They did not rush down the hill to check for survivors.
Instead, the corrupt deputies immediately drew their service weapons and began aiming at the dark forest.
