“No, no, no.” Chandler leaned away from the window. “Incoming!” he warned.
Michael had grabbed a rock, and now he heaved it at the car. The stone just missed the hood and bounced harmlessly into the street. They heard him screaming behind them.
“He’s running back for his car,” Chandler said.
The streetlight ahead turned yellow.
“Go!” Chandler yelled.
Jack laid on the gas and took a hard right. The little car’s engine whined. For a moment Jack thought they were in the clear—until he looked in his rearview mirror and saw the Toyota running the red light.
“Damn,” Jack cursed.
Jack passed a Buick and took a left. The Toyota stayed with them. Michael screamed something. Spit flew against Michael’s windshield as he ranted and gestured at Jack to pull over.
“I knew it.” Chandler smacked his forehead. “I knew something like this would happen.”
“I’ll lose him.” Jack took a right and headed down a narrow two-way street.
“In this wind-up toy? I don’t think so.”
Michael was right on their tail.
The light ahead turned yellow.
Jack didn’t slow down.
“Jack…”
A huge black SUV barreled from left to right toward the intersection ahead of them, but Jack still didn’t slow.
“The SUV’s jumping the red light.” Chandler put his huge hands on the dash.
“There’s a passenger-side airbag. Sit back or it’ll break your arms.”
“Stop the car and it won’t go off!”
Jack’s knuckles tightened on the steering wheel. “He’ll stop.”
“You won’t make it.”
“I might.”
“Might?” Chandler’s voice shrilled.
The compact zipped in front of the huge SUV. The SUV driver laid on the horn and slammed on the brakes.
Jack didn’t see the BMW taking a right.
Chandler screamed. So did Jack, but he kept the gas pedal pinned to the floor. The BMW just missed the rear bumper, and Jack’s little car with the “I love my math teacher” bumper sticker sped through the now snarled intersection. Horns blared and people swore.
Jack looked back. Michael had skidded to a stop behind them, on the other side of the intersection.
“What the hell is wrong with you, Stratton?” Chandler roared. “You could have killed me, you, and everyone else back at that intersection.”
“How am I going to kill them in this tin can? Sure, we’d die, but this car would’ve bounced off the SUV without even denting it. And the light was still kinda yellow.”
“You know, it’s not too reassuring that you care so little about us dying.”
“We didn’t.”
“Unacceptable risk. Learn that term,” Chandler growled. “I’m not taking them, and neither are you. You need to be responsible.”
“I am responsible,” Jack said.
“No, you’re not. If you haven’t realized it about yourself yet, let me explain it to you. You’re the wild child of the family, and I’m the responsible one.”
“I’m not that wild.”
Chandler laughed. It was deep and real. “So says the crazy man who just gunned it through an intersection in a toy car.” He mimed driving, holding his hands out and making a high-pitched whine.
Jack laughed.
After several minutes of weaving down side streets, Jack headed toward the highway. “I think we lost him.”
“I hope so. He looked nuts. What now?”
“I’m going to go talk to Detective Clark. The police’ll have to look at Michael Shaw now.”
27
Not Your Case
“You what?” Detective Clark glanced across the lawn of the police station and took a long drag of his cigarette.
“I didn’t break any laws,” Jack said defensively.
Clark jabbed the air with his cigarette. “Before we get into breaking laws, did you miss the part where Detective Vargas told you that this is an ongoing investigation?”
“But—”
“But nothing.” The old detective’s wrinkles became even more pronounced as he scowled. “And it’s not my case.”
Jack felt his frustration rising. He respected Detective Clark and valued his opinion, but right now the detective’s dour expression hurt Jack. “It’s wrong to just sit there. I had to try to do something. I tried to explain to Detective Vargas, but he didn’t listen. So I decided to look into it myself.” Jack squared his shoulders.
Clark’s scowl didn’t go away, but with a sigh he said, “You may as well tell me what you found. Start at the beginning.”
Jack took out his notebook.