Submerged (9 page)

But he
'd hidden that box where no one would find it. Especially Ryan.

Stop
it! Don't think about that damn box.
He clenched his fists.
Focus!

The report swam in front of him. He blinked. Then he double-checked the facts, recorded the date and signed his name.

He rose from the chair, grabbed the form and headed to the copy room, where he made a copy of the report. Back at his desk, he shoved the copy into a folder in his briefcase. He'd be damned if he'd allow Shipley to set him up again.

Of course
, he had no proof his supervisor had changed the dates on the other forms, but that didn't matter. Who else would have done it? Leo? Carol? Hell, even with her pinched expression and disapproving eyes, Carol was professional. He couldn't say the same about Pete Shipley.

I
've got my eye on you, Shipley. Make a fool of me once, shame on you. Make a fool of me twice and you'll regret it.

Chapter
Ten

Highway to Cadomin, AB – Friday, June 14, 2013 – 6:57 PM

It was almost seven o'clock by the time she pulled out of Edmonton and veered onto the highway heading toward Cadomin.

The kids pou
ted in the backseat. Ella was tired of the long wait, and Colton was upset because Rebecca refused to leave the house until he'd completed the last page of homework. Since math wasn't his strong suit, it took longer than either of them had thought. Then he'd insisted on bringing his hockey stick and duffel bag with all his gear, except for skates, which she'd made him leave behind.

He held the stick across his lap, while
the bag lay wedged between his feet. "Stop kicking my stick, Ella."

"
Mommy, Colton's being mean," Ella said.

"
You're such a baby," Colton snapped.

"
Colton!" Rebecca admonished.

From the back seat a small voice said,
"Mommy, am I being a baby?"

"
No, honey. Why don't you have a nap?"

"
I'm not sleepy."

"Want to read my Kindle? I downloaded
some books for you."

"All right."

Rebecca kept one hand on the steering wheel while she rummaged around in her purse on the passenger seat. "Here." She held the eReader behind her seat and released it when she felt Ella grab hold. "There's a night light if it gets too dark. Colton can show you how to turn—"

"
How long until we get there, Mom?" Colton interrupted.

"
Not long. We'll be there before you know it."

With her mouth firmly set and
both hands clenching the steering wheel, Rebecca concentrated on the road ahead. Every now and then she flexed her fingers, trying to ignore the nagging feeling that she'd forgotten something.

She hated night driving, especially when the highway was busy or it was raining. Tonight it was both.

She turned on the radio. Glancing in the rearview mirror, she was relieved when she saw Ella's eyes drift shut. Colton was playing with his iPod. Probably Angry Birds.

Oh, to be an innocent child with no worries other than which game to play.

She longed for a time when she could relax and enjoy her children, instead of working long shifts and shipping them off to a sitter. Kelly often babysat for her when she worked the later shifts. At least she had that. But being a single parent wasn't an easy feat.

She tried to focus on their family vacation. Though it hadn
't started out that way, she was now enjoying the thought of sharing her adventures in Cadomin with her kids. It might be their last truly happy time together for a while.

Because when we get back, I have to tell them about the divorce.

Ella and Colton knew their family had problems. That's why their dad had moved out. But they thought it was temporary, that he'd come home. Even though they visited Wesley in his new apartment, they still thought he was coming home.

She bit her bottom lip.
How do I tell the kids?

She
was a child of divorce, though she'd been an adult when her parents had split. It had left her feeling hurt and betrayed. By both parents. How could they split when they'd been married so long? She'd always known their marriage had been anything but perfect. But still…

And now she was going to do the same to her own kids. Hurt them.

They'll heal over time.

She knew that was true, but it didn
't make things any easier.

When they returned home from this trip, she and Wesley would sit the kids down and explain to them as gently as possible why Mommy and Daddy couldn
't stay married. She couldn't give them all the facts. Ella and Colton needed to know that they were loved. Nothing would ever change that.

Then she and Wesley would head to Carter
's office and sign the final papers. Wesley would most likely put up a bit of a fight, but even he had to know deep down that their marriage was over. There was no salvaging something so damaged and broken.

Driving down the highway, she listened to the drumming of the rain and tried to convince herself that Wesley would see reason and sign the papers. Then they each would be able to go about their lives, separately. No more drama. No more angry, bitter words. No more accusations. No more beatings or late night hospital trips.

Her life would become…hers.

She smiled.
My life, my rules.

Rebecca had been driving almost two and a half hours when she spotted the signs for Edson. Cadomin was about an hour and a half from there.

"Anyone need to go to the bathroom?" she asked.

"I do," Colton said.

"Me too," Ella chimed in.

She took the Edson exit and found an Esso station. She parked in front of the washroom doors, then got out. Ella and Colton followed her inside the station, where they picked up the washroom key.

"Me first," Colton said, squeezing past her as she unlocked the door. He went inside, locked the door and she heard the toilet seat bang.

"I really need to go, Mommy," Ella whispered.

Rebecca groaned. "Hurry up, Colton. Your sister has to go badly."

A minute later she heard the toilet flush, then the tap running.
Good boy!

"Wait in the car," she told him when he emerged from the washroom. "And don't forget to lock the doors."

As Ella ran into the washroom, Rebecca remained outside until Colton was safely in the locked vehicle. She took a cautious survey of the gas station parking lot. Four vehicles were parked nearby—three cars getting gas and a dirty truck that was idling near the car wash. No one lurked outside. It was far too cold, due to the rainstorm.

"I can't reach the sink, Mommy," Ella called out.

With a quick glance over her shoulder, Rebecca opened the washroom door and stepped inside. She kept the door ajar so she could keep an eye on Colton. Once Ella had finished washing up, they returned to the car and climbed inside.

"I'm going to tape my stick while we're driving," Colton said, grabbing a roll of white hockey tape from his bag.

"Just be careful you don't accidentally hit Ella," Rebecca replied.

It was dark
er when they left the gas station and headed out of Edson. Within seconds, Mother Nature unleashed a torrent of wind and rain. Rebecca slowed the car and stayed in the right lane so faster traffic could go around her. Two cars passed her, an unusually slow day for the area. Visibility was so bad she could barely make out the brake lights on the vehicle in front of her. Then it disappeared. Except for one vehicle behind her, she was alone on the road.

Damn. Why couldn
't the rain wait until after our trip?

She'd been on the road for about a half hour when a
bright light flashed in the rearview mirror. "Ella? Put the Kindle down, please."

"
She's asleep, Mom," Colton replied.

She
squinted at the light in the rearview, then took a quick look in the side mirror. Someone trailed behind her in a large vehicle. The rain and dark sky made it hard to see whether it was a van or a truck. Every now and then the driver would inch up on her back bumper, far too close for comfort.

The light reflected in her rearview mirror was blinding. She blinked
twice to clear her vision. "Go around me," she muttered beneath her breath.

Though there were a handful of v
ehicles in the lane to her left, they were further up the highway. The idiot behind her had plenty of room to cross over and drive past her. Maybe the rain was messing with his vision.

She cranked up the wipers and
checked her speed. "I'm doing the limit, buddy. Go around."

"
Mom, who you talking to?"

She eyed Colton in the rearview mirror.
"Myself."

Behind her son
's head, the headlights flared. The guy was right on her tail.

Back off, buddy. You're not going to make me go faster.

From the high position of the lights, she guessed he was driving a truck. Should she pull over and let him pass? She couldn't see much ahead. No signs to indicate an off -ramp.

She r
acked her brain.
What was the last sign we passed?

God, she hated driving at night.

She opted to pull over at the first exit. It was pitch black outside. The highway lights did little to illuminate a road or wide shoulder where it would be safe to pull over. From what she could recall last time they travelled the highway, the next main exit was a ways down the road. They were in the middle of nowhere.

She drove another five
minutes. The truck stayed on her bumper. It was unnerving to have someone so close behind her. What if she had to slam on the brakes?

And why is
this driver so persistent?

The thought niggled at her. Being followed like this made her think of those horror movies
in which the unsuspecting friends are harassed by a trucker, then tortured and killed.

D
on't pull over until he's gone.

Rebecca
slowed the car to under the speed limit. Hopefully the guy in the truck would give up on following her. It wasn't as if her little Hyundai was sheltering him from the onslaught of rain.

Go past me, asshole.

Yes, Mr. Truck Driver had now graduated from
buddy
to
asshole
.

"
Are we there yet, Mom?"

"
Not quite, Colton."

"
I wish it wasn't raining."

"
Me too, honey."
More than you know.

Up ahead
a highway light illuminated a gravel road. It probably led to private property, but that didn't matter. It was a perfect place to pull over, providing there wasn't a chain across the road.

She blew out a pent-up breath.
Yes!
Finally!

She signa
led right and reduced her speed. The truck slowed with her, and her heart skipped a beat. "Go around us."

She pulled onto the gravel road, the
tires kicking up water. The truck pulled in right behind her. She slapped the steering wheel and muffled a curse. Of all the roads to choose, she'd picked the one belonging to the owner of the truck. Really?

She
attempted to pull over on the dirt road, but it was barely wide enough for one vehicle. She had no choice but to keep moving. Somewhere ahead there must be a place where she could turn around. She hoped the truck driver wouldn't be too annoyed that she'd turned off on his land. Some people were very protective of their property.

The
re was a dull thud and the car lurched.

What
's this guy doing?

"
Mom?" Colton cried out. "What was that?"

"
It's okay, honey. The road's a bit rough."

I
t wasn't the road that had made the sedan lurch. The bastard truck driver had hit the back bumper of her car.

Rebecca
's pulse raced with fear. She thought about all the horror movies she'd watched growing up. The ones with the psychopathic truckers who hunted down innocent victims with their big rigs.

Jesus!

Checking the mirror, she watched in horror as the headlights from the truck behind her grew larger. He was taking another run at her. She pressed her foot to the gas pedal, weaving along the unpaved road until they were enclosed by bushes and trees. She had the high beams on her car to guide her along the rough road, but the rain made visibility almost nil.

She was lost. There were no signs. No houses. No
streetlights.

"
Mommy, why are you driving so fast?" Ella asked.

"
I want to get to the hotel," she said in a faux cheerful voice.

God, how she wanted to get to a hotel. Or a gas station. Anywhere there were people. And a phone.

She thought about her cell phone. It was in her purse, which had landed on the floor of the passenger's seat when she'd veered around the last wild corner.

"
Mom, there's someone behind us," Colton said in a nervous voice.

"
I know."

"
How come he's so close?"

"
He wants to pass us, but there's no room."

The truck loomed closer. With the trees and brush around them keeping away much of the rain, she could make out a row of lights on the top of the truck, the kind hunters used. With these and the truck
's headlights on high, the light converged into one eye-piercing beam.