The Chance (Thunder Point #4)(24)

Lots of flashing lights along the bridge greeted him. He shone his overhead beams on the scene and got out to investigate. There were two state police cruisers along with a couple of local cop cars from a town south of the bridge. And because this was pretty close to his territory, Mac McCain was there. Eric saw two cars with flats along the side of the bridge and then, predictably, down the hill on the near side of the bridge, a large SUV flipped on its side. The driver must have lost control when the tires were spiked by the stop sticks.

He approached Mac first. “Injuries?”

Mac shook his head. “Guy and his wife in the SUV are a little shook up and she has a couple of bruises, but they exited the vehicle without incident. They’re over there, moaning and groaning about the car.”

“And the bad guy?”

“Who knows?” Mac said. “The Keystone Kops over there thought they had him. I think he pulled off the road into some trees or something and when they came peeling down to the bridge, he turned around and headed in the other direction. Stolen car. We’ll probably find it abandoned before very long.” He grinned. “All these state troopers and sheriff’s department crew look like they’re feeling pretty smug, don’t they? That’s relief you see—so glad they didn’t f**k this up. Can you get that SUV? We have another wrecker coming.”

“I got it. Where do you want that SUV to go?”

“That’s between you and the owner. We’re not impounding anything.”

“Well, let’s see what they want.”

Eric made his way over to a couple standing by the side of the road. He touched the brim of his hat. “Folks? Rough night, I see. I’m here to get your car up that hill. I haven’t looked at it yet, but it’s probably going to need four new tires and since it took a slide, I’d recommend an axel and frame check. It needs to get up on the lift and the undercarriage should be checked to make sure it’s safe. And someone should look at the body for damage. I can handle all of that in Thunder Point. Where are you folks headed?”

The man sucked noisily on a mint. “Home from a visit in Sacramento. We’re almost home. Eugene.”

Eric nodded. “I had a business in Eugene for years,” he said. “Well, I can’t take the car all the way to Eugene for you, but there are good shops in Bandon, North Bend, Coquille or Thunder Point. There’s a motel in Thunder Point—not fancy, but clean and nice. And I can take care of the car tomorrow. I can send someone for the right tires, take a look at your undercarriage, brakes and other essentials. I can even do the body work, but you might want to get closer to home for that, once the car is drivable. If so, I can get you some pictures for your damages report.” Then he ducked slightly to see the woman’s face. She was looking down but lifted her face briefly. “You want someone to look at that, ma’am?”

She just shook her head. “I’m okay.”

“Is the police department going to pony up for the repairs?” the man asked, an obvious edge to his voice.

“You’ll have to work that out with them. Why don’t I get this car up the hill while you talk to that man over there,” he said. He indicated to Mac and pulled some gloves out of his pocket. Then he lifted the brim of his hat to look at the man. “Let’s just get you back on the road.”

“You’re kind of cheerful for the middle of the night,” the man said sourly. “Big commission here?” he suggested.

Eric smiled. He was cheerful all right and it had nothing to do with the money he’d make on this tow. “I’m on call to local and county police. As a matter of fact, they woke me up from a very good dream. Now if you’ll talk over where you want me to take your vehicle and move to the other side of the road, I’ll get to work. By the time you decide where you’re spending the rest of the night, I’ll have her loaded on the rig.”

He positioned and braced the wrecker at the side of the road. Using a large flashlight, he moved cautiously down the hill. It wasn’t too rocky; he wedged a boulder out of the way. Examining the car, he found some surprising things. Only one tire was flat and though it was dark, it didn’t appear to be a puncture. There were plenty of scratches and dents, with a small amount of fuel leaking on the ground and dripping into the creek. The chances were excellent that the tank had been nearly empty, but Eric had an industrial-strength fire extinguisher handy on the chance of a spark. The car was lying on the driver’s side, so he pointed the flashlight inside the passenger’s open door and looked inside.

He didn’t think this vehicle was going to cost the cops any money.

He laid out his chains and cable, then he walked over to Mac. “Listen, it’s none of my business, but...”

Mac smiled. “What are all these folks doing out here between two and four a.m. on a back road? Curious, I agree. That young lady over there works the night shift in a nursing home and was feeling sick, so she left work early. The gentleman over there—fisherman. He wants to be on his boat by four. The couple with the SUV and back full of luggage are heading home from a visit. Seems kind of late.”

“Lots of breath mints at work there,” Eric said. “No punctured tires, wife or girlfriend with a nasty bruise...”

“She said she hit it on the steering wheel.”

Eric shook his head. “The driver’s seat’s way back. She’s not even five and a half feet. There’s paint on the guardrail, over there.”