Under Ice

Chapter 14

Riley gripped the steering wheel, as she glared at the icy roads ahead. The sun was beginning to rise and snow was getting heavier and thicker, and after the puzzeling revelations at the middle school, she and Bishop had decided to retreat back to the motel and get some shut eye.

As they drove down long wide streets and by peaceful townhouses, she gazed at them, thinking of her own home. It was 4 days until christmas, and for once in her life all she wanted to do was stop and go visit her family. She remembered the voicemail from her mother 2 days ago that she had dwelled over - when are you coming home, Brooke? Do you want to stay for christmas? Shall I set up your room?

But of course, she didn't know what to say. As usual, the job pulled her away from anything personal, and being an entire plane ride away made things even more difficult. It was excuse after excuse, and it worried her. Would she one day end up lonely and failed like Arthur? Would she end up running away from everything she knew, like Mary-Anne?

She looked to Bishop, who ways staring out of his window. He had nothing to worry about, at least. Her best friend had all of his family in New York, and whatever girl he had just started dating lived only a few blocks away from him. Life was so much easier for him.
It could be easy for me too, she thought as her hand went from the gear stick to lingering over her phone. Should she call home? Should she make the promise that she could come, even though she would almost definitely cancel? It was a conundrum.

Suddenly her phone buzzed. She snatched it up from where it lay on the dash board, praying the caller wouldn't be her mom. Flipping it over she saw that it wasn't-  it was Captain Morgan.

"Riley,"

"Where are you now, Detective?"

"Central Aminta, we're heading back to the motel."

"Bishop's with you?"

"Yeah, why?" She switched him onto speaker, placing the phone back on the dashboard so Bishop could listen in too.

"We've got a hit on Ducan Grant,"

"Where?" Asked Bishop.

"Aminta."

Riley slammed one the brakes. "Where in Aminta?" She said, listening intently.

"He's currently in his car, speeding down Lakend Road West,"

Riley looked up at the street name. They were on Lakend Road East. Silently she moved the gear stick into reverse and the car began to go crawl back towards the opening for the other road.

Bishop, watching Riley do this, said: "Why would the killer bring him here?"

"More like he brought himself here. We caught footage of him at an ATM using his mom's credit card,"

"Wait so you mean..."

"He wasn't kidnapped or killed, he was on the run." Finished Riley as they drove up the adjoining street towards Lakend West. "He must have connected the dots faster than we did," As she said this they approached the end of the street, and they surveyed road that was Lakend Road West. As they did, a brown car sped by, meerly a blur infront of their faces. In the distance they heard the noise of police sirens and the flashing of blue and red through the snow.

Riley gripped the steering wheel and hit accelerate.

The tyres of the rented subaru squealed as they pulled out, the sharp left almost making the tired car skid across the road. Bishop shouted as Riley did this, but she ignored him and slamming on the accelerator again, they sped off into the blizzard. How far was the car infront of them? Riley calculated. 700 yards? 800?