House Read Free Page A

watch his speed, and he doesn’t use his mirrors. Use your mirrors, Jack. I was following you for five minutes before you saw I was on your tail. A truck could squash you flat and you’d be dead . . .”
    The cop snatched his revolver from its holster, fanned the hammer, and fired into the nearby field like a gunslinger. Blam! Both Jack and Stephanie jerked.
    â€œ. . . just like that.” Lawdale blew the smoke from the end of the barrel and slipped the gun into its holster with a precise little spin. “Making a point, my friend. These are dangerous roads out here.” He jabbed Jack in the temple again. “Watch your speed and use your mirrors.”
    All things considered, Jack thought it best to answer succinctly. “I will.”
    â€œGood.” The patrolman returned Jack’s license and registration, then pointed down the road. “Now we got a little detour here. Next three miles of highway is all torn up. Where’d you say you were headed?”
    Jack’s heart sank as he answered, “Montgomery.”
    â€œMontgomery.” The cop almost smiled, obviously amused. “Can’t you read a map?”
    â€œWe missed a turn.”
    The officer snorted, his way of snickering, Jack supposed, then pointed. “I’d take the detour. It’s maybe one hour faster than backtracking to 82—if you know where to go. It’s not marked too well, and you don’t want to get caught out in the dark.”
    â€œCould you show us?” Jack asked.
    The man walked back. “You do have a map, don’t you?”
    Stephanie held out their map, which he unfolded on the trunk of the Mustang and studied briefly. “Old map.” He refolded it with a grunt. “Okay. You follow me clearly, you hear? You think I’m a bit pickled? Trust me, couple city folk like you don’t want to be caught waltzing through the backwoods asking directions from the inbreds. You never know who you’ll run into. Now you start here—”
    â€œInbreds?” Stephanie’s smile contradicted her tone.
    The cop dismissed the word with a wave. “Backwoods rednecks. Idiots like Jack was trying to be a moment ago. No understanding of any law but their own. Evil folk. Type who haven’t discovered the toothbrush, much less the law.”
    He pointed down the turnoff. “Now you go south on this road until it comes to a T . Go left, that’ll take you past the flats, back into the forest a ways. You’ll be on a dirt road for a good forty miles, but don’t worry, it’ll dump you out on 82. Should take about an hour.”
    Jack looked at the gravel road headed south. It disappeared into tree-covered hills topped with heavy clouds. “You sure?”
    â€œDo I look unsure?”
    Not again. Jack grinned. “No sir.”
    Lawdale acknowledged with a slight nod. “Now we’re beginning to understand. That’s the road I take home every morning. If you break down, just stay on the shoulder. One of us will find you.”
    â€œYou say that like it’s happened before,” Jack said.
    â€œIt has.”
    Stephanie followed their eyes, her smile faltering. “Jack, maybe we should just get on back home.”
    â€œNo need for that,” Lawdale said. “If you go now, while there’s plenty of light, you’ll get through without missing another beat. You all be careful now.”
    The officer touched the rim of his smoky hat and walked back to his cruiser.
    Jack climbed behind the Mustang’s wheel and slammed his door shut. “You ever wonder what kind of man patrols the backwoods?”
    Stephanie dropped in beside him. “Not really.”
    â€œNow you know.”
    â€œI’m sure he’s pulled plenty of your kind from the ditch. I say we turn around.”
    Jack checked his watch. Quarter till six. They could still make it. He eased the car forward.
    Stephanie pressed it. “The