^ »
She must have taken the wrong turn off Cotton Lane. There was nothing out here but a bunch of cotton fields and an endless stretch of dirt road, apparently leading nowhere except in and out of the fields.
Deborah Vaughn slowed her dark blue Cadillac to a stop, shifted the gears into Park and picked up the piece of paper on which she'd written the directions. Despite the protection of her sunglasses, Deborah squinted against the sun's blinding glare. Holding up her hand to shield her eyes, she glanced down at the map and instructions she'd brought along to help her find the new development property her real estate firm had just purchased. Damn! She had turned off too soon.
Glancing around, she didn't see anywhere to make a turn, and she certainly had no intention of backing her car all the way to Cotton Lane. She'd just have to go a little farther and find some place to turn around.
Shifting the gears into Drive, she drove on. Within a few minutes she spotted what appeared to be the burned-out remains of an old shack. A wide, weed-infested path, marred with deep ruts, ran straight from the dirt road to where a shiny black Ford pickup had parked in knee-high grass behind the still-standing brick chimney.
Loud, pulse-pounding country music blared from the truck's radio.
Deborah assumed the truck belonged to the farmer who had planted the acres of cotton. She drove her Cadillac onto the path, intending to back up and head out the way she had come. The sun's glare blocked her vision, allowing her only partial vision of the open truck door. A man jumped out of the driver's side, and yelled a warning. She glanced toward the back of the truck where two men stood, one holding a gun to the other's head.
Sunshine reflected off the metal on the gun in the killer's hand. The gun fired. The wail of a steel guitar blasted from inside the truck. Deborah screamed. Blood splattered from the dead man's head. The killer turned abruptly and stared at the Cadillac, at the woman inside, then released his hold on the body. His victim slumped to the ground.
Deborah recognized the killer from his picture in the paper. She couldn't remember his name, but she knew he was somehow connected to that outlaw gang headed by Buck Stansell.
The man who'd leaped out of the truck pointed toward Deborah's car.
The Caddy sped down the dirt road, the black truck in hot pursuit. While the driver veered the truck off the side of the dirt road, partially into the open field, the killer aimed his gun toward Deborah. The truck closed in on the car, the truck's hood parallel to the Cadillac's left rear bumper. The killer fired; the bullet shattered the outside mirror. Deborah cried out, but didn't slow her escape, didn't take her eyes off the road ahead of her.
A cloud of dust flew up behind the Cadillac, providing a thin veil of protection between her and the men determined to overtake her. The truck picked up speed just as Deborah saw Cotton Lane ahead of her. Another bullet ripped through the driver's door.
They intended to kill her. She had no doubt in her mind. She'd seen the killer's face, the man who had murdered another in cold blood. She could identify him. And he knew it.
The minute she turned the Caddy onto Cotton Lane, she sped away from the truck. She had to escape. Had to find help. But who? Where? The police!
She didn't dare slow down enough to use her cellular phone. She had to make it to the police station before her pursuers caught her.
Where the hell was the police station in Leighton?
She crossed Highway 72, paying little attention to whether or not traffic was coming from the other direction. The sleepy little town of Leighton, Alabama lay straight ahead. The truck breathed down her neck like a black dragon, the killer's gun spitting deadly lead fire.
A bullet sailed through the back glass, embedding itself in the dashboard. Deborah ran the Caddy straight through the town's one red light. The black truck slowed, but continued following her.
Deborah brought her car to a screeching halt at the side of the police station, a small metal building on the right side of the narrow street. Glancing behind her, she saw the black truck creep by. Lying down in the front seat, she eased open the door, crawled out and made a mad dash to safety.
A young officer jumped up from behind a metal desk when Deborah ran inside the station. 'What the hell's going on, lady? You look like the devil's chasing you.'
'He is.' Deborah panted, wiping the perspiration from her face with the palm of her hand. She grabbed the approaching officer's shoulders. 'I just witnessed a murder.'
'You what?' The young officer's face paled. 'Come on in and sit down.'
'I don't want to sit down,' Deborah screamed. 'They're out there. Two of them. The killer and the man who was driving the truck. They followed me all the way into town. They shot at me. They were trying to kill me!'
'Good God!' He shoved Deborah aside, drew his 9mm handgun and rushed outside.
The female officer who'd been listening to the conversation rushed over to Deborah and followed her when she headed for the door. Looking up and down the street, Deborah didn't see the truck. She leaned against the doorpost.
'Are you all right?' the woman officer asked.
'I will be.'
The male officer let out a long, low whistle when he saw Deborah's Cadillac. 'Good thing they didn't get a lucky shot or you'd be dead, ma'am.'
'They're gone, aren't they?' Deborah asked, realizing they wouldn't have hung around, making it easy for the police to arrest them.
'Yes, ma'am, looks that way.' He walked toward her, shaking his head. 'Just where did this murder take place?'
'Out past some cotton fields, somewhere off Cotton Lane.'
'Don't suppose you recognized either man in the truck or the man you say they murdered?'
'I only recognized one of them,' Deborah said. 'The killer. He's one of Buck Stansell's gang. I remember seeing his picture in the paper when he went to trial a few months ago on drug-related charges.'
'Lon Sparks?' the officer asked. 'You saw Lon Sparks kill a man?'
'Yes, if that's his name … I saw him kill a man. Shot him in the head. Blood everywhere. All over the dead man. All over the killer.' Deborah trembled, her hands shaking uncontrollably.
'Damn, ma'am, I sure wouldn't want to be in your shoes. Lon Sparks is a mean bastard, if you'll pardon me saying so.' The officer returned his gun to his holster.
'Shut up, Jerry Don, can't you see she's already scared out of her wits.' Putting an arm around Deborah's shoulder, the female officer led her back inside the station. 'We'd better get hold of the chief and then call the sheriff. If the killing took place out past Cotton Lane, then it's a county matter.'
'Everything will be all right,' Jerry Don said. 'You're safe here with us, Miss … er … Miss…?'
'Deborah Vaughn.'
'Come on over and sit down, Miss Vaughn, and tell me exactly what happened,' the female officer said.
'May I use your phone first?' Deborah picked up the telephone on the officer's desk. 'I'm expected at home for dinner and my mother will worry if I'm late.'
Her hands trembled as she dialed the number. 'Mother, I'm afraid I'll be running a little late. You and Allen go ahead and have dinner without me. No. No, everything's all right. I just ran into a little car trouble out here in Leighton. Nothing I can't handle.'
Nothing she couldn't handle. That's right, Deborah. You're tough, aren't you? You can handle anything that's thrown your way. You don't need anyone to take care of you. You've been taking care of everyone else for so long, you wouldn't know how it felt to admit you needed someone.
