Page 44 of Killer Summer
“The coroner's reports are coming back from the prisoner transport bus crash. The bus driver, the guard,s and the other inmates on the bus had been shot.”
“I don’t understand,” Dani said.
“Someone must have helped Vickers and another inmate escape. Everyone was accounted for except him and another man named Greg Santino. Big guy, about the same age and height as Vickers.”
“There were two men in the car that hit me earlier today,” Dani said. “I killed one of them.”
“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but keep away from the police,” Detective Owens said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if it was someone from the inside that helped Vickers get out. And right now, things don’t look so good for you.”
“What about you?” Dani asked. “If he has people helping him, what if he comes after you too?”
“Why would he come after me?”
“Because.” Dani’s throat tightened. “He tries to hurt everyone I care about.”
Janet made a soft, sniffling sound. “You’re sweet, Dani. But you worry about yourself. I’ll be fine.”
“Okay.” Dani swallowed and wiped her eyes. “I’ll check in with you again in a few days. I’ll lay low until then.”
“You’re a tough kid,” Detective Owens said. “I’ll be rooting for you.”
Click.
Dani placed the phone back in the truck console and caught a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror. She looked and felt like hell. Pins and needles shot through her arms and legs and her bladder was screaming for relief. The parking lot was empty, but she double checked to make sure it was all clear before disappearing into the woods to pee. When she was done, Dani hiked her sweat pants up and moved toward the back of thetruck to assess the damage from the wreck. Thankfully, her truck was built like a tank, and aside from a dented bumper and black paint scratches, her ride was no worse for wear.
Refueling at a gas station wasn’t an option, but thankfully, Dani had already planned for that. She reached into the truck flatbed, pulled out a red gas container, and stuck the nozzle in the tank. Between preparing for hurricanes every year and needing to be ready to flee at a moment's notice, she always made sure to keep gas, water, and clothes at the ready. The four containers she had in her truck bed contained almost enough gas to fill up the tank. She would be coasting into her aunt’s cabin on fumes, but the less she had to stop, the better. When she was finished refueling, she rummaged through her bag for a couple of granola bars, bottled waters, and a loaded gun. She tossed the items in her passenger seat and hit the road.
Miles flew by under her tires as she took the backroads of Georgia northbound through the middle of the state. She had made this trip many times before, always making certain to take a different route each time. As she drove, Dani tried to block out her thoughts and focus on the road, but clearing her mind was nearly impossible. She kept trying to fit the pieces together of how Vickers had managed to find her again. Who could have helped him escape? Was it one of his fans from the incel forums? She thought that moving all the way across the country and changing her name would have been enough to keep her from getting doxxed, but apparently, she hadn’t been careful enough.
Dani kept her speed five miles over the limit all the way through the night with the windows down, breathing in deep lungfuls of heady Georgia air. The landscape smelled different than the sub-tropical climate she was used to back home, rich in minerals and red clay. The atmosphere wasn’t as soothing as the briny sea air she remembered from her youth in Santana Beach, but it was peaceful and clean in its own sort of way. New.Just the change of pace Dani needed. Too bad her respite in the mountainous countryside would likely be short-lived.
The cabin she and Lisa had purchased was intended to be a place for them to semi-retire and relax. Now it was going to be a stakeout spot while she waited for Matt Vickers or the cops to catch up with her. Thanks to her need for vengeance, Dani was now a fugitive on the run. She hadn’t technically done anything wrong, but she hadn’t exactly followed the rules either. Obstruction of justice. Leaving the scene of the crime. There were likely a few other charges that she wasn’t thinking of. Arson, maybe, but they couldn’t prove it. She would never intentionally endanger her neighbors, and even though she didn’t start the fire, the guilt of leaving the scene weighed on her.
Dani couldn’t see a future where she could just continue living her life as it was and also get the justice she wanted and deserved. She didn't want to drag her aunt into the line of fire either. The only solution to her problem now was to start another life with a new name in a new town all over again. But before she disappeared off the map, Dani would finally have her revenge.
Dani’s neck and back ached as she pulled into the long driveway leading to the cabin. A dagger-like pain pierced her guts, threatening to burst inside her like a water balloon. She had driven for nearly six hours that night through rural country roads, straight through the state of Georgia until she reached DeSoto Falls in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. She didn’t know how much time she had until either Matt or the police showed up, but one thing was certain: she had a new plan, and she needed to get ready.
Lisa Spencer stood at the door to the front of the cabin to greet her, with her hands balled into fists and propped on her hips. The house was a typical little box of a log cabin, built long before Dani was even born. It was a modest little cabin with three bedrooms and one bathroom, all under a thousand square feet and set on over a hundred acres of land. It was all they needed.
“Good grief, girl,” Lisa said. “I just heard from my friend Rhonda back home. She said that your house burned down?”
“Yeah. I was gonna tell you.” Dani slung her gear bag over her shoulder and shut the truck door. “He’s coming. We don’t have a lot of time.”
“Did he follow you?”
“I don’t know, but you need to get out of here. Tonight.” Dani opened up her bag, grabbed two stacks of cash and held them out to her. “Remember that place I was telling you about in Costa Rica? I want you to go there and wait for me.”
“Oh no, girl. I’m not going anywhere without you,” she scoffed, handing back the money. “I’m staying right here and helping you make sure that bastard is dead.”
“Lisa. You don’t get it,” Dani said. “Even if Matt doesn’t find me, the police will be knocking on our door soon enough. They think I’m in on it for some reason.”
“In on what?”
“I don’t know. I called Detective Owens and she said that she thinks someone helped him escape. They probably also think I burned down my own house.”
“Well, shit.” Lisa sighed.
“My old life is done. I know we had big plans for this place, but it’s not safe for us here anymore. I’m so sorry.”
