My Wife Is Missing(58)

Natalie lifted her head like the tail end of a whip. Beneath her she heard a heavy whomp-whomp-whomp. It took a moment to realize that the driver-side tires were off the road and bumping along the grassy, gravelly median. Pulling the wheel to the right, Natalie course-corrected back onto the highway, just as she caught a flash of red and blue lights in her rearview mirror.

Shit, she thought.

Her heart leapt to her throat when she saw a state trooper’s patrol car closing in fast. Natalie took in a deep breath and held it. No use. She couldn’t ease her rising panic. The kids saw the lights, too, and despite being belted in, spun full around to get a better look.

“Police!” cried Addie, who sounded far more nervous than excited. Natalie kept her daughter’s inhaler in the center console compartment. A thought came to her that if Addie suffered an asthma attack, the cop might think she was reaching for a gun. She was fully alert now. Carefully, she got the inhaler out from the console. By that point, the patrol car was basically riding on her bumper. Natalie changed lanes when it was safe to do so, and both vehicles came to a rolling stop in the breakdown lane.

“It’s okay, kids,” said Natalie, adopting a confident, assured tone, despite how she was really feeling.

Bryce looked quite unsettled while Addie appeared downright petrified.

“Easy does it, sweetie.”

Natalie scanned her daughter’s face. All seemed okay. Addie’s breathing appeared normal, but to ease her worry, Natalie moved the inhaler from the seat beside her onto her lap. Better if the cop saw it. It might even engender some sympathy. It also gave her a story.

The words “license and registration” pounded in Natalie’s head.

My name will come up in some system. They’ll know. Maybe. Or maybe not.

She had planned her escape like a game of chess, always thinking a few moves ahead. What she’d done was legally murky at best. She’d counted on Michael filing a missing persons report right away and perhaps even going to court to obtain a temporary custody order so he could use that to file parental kidnapping charges. The latter would take time, and Natalie remained doubtful that Michael had reached that stage of desperation so quickly.

Checking her rearview mirror, Natalie watched the patrol officer approach her car with an outlaw’s swagger. From the shape of the hips she could tell that this officer was a female. She donned a cavalry gray campaign hat as she neared.

“I see a gun,” Bryce announced with a mix of awe and delight in his voice.

Natalie tightened her grip on the wheel. Turning her head, she again caught that frightened look in Addie’s eyes. Poor darling.

“It’s all right, kids,” she said, reaching behind her to place a reassuring hand on Addie’s knee.

The trooper stood outside Natalie’s door, seemingly unfazed as cars whizzed by. Natalie lowered her window. Sunglasses hid the trooper’s eyes, but Natalie could feel her accusatory stare. She was young. A rookie perhaps? That might help. Bryce leaned forward in his seat, “Is that a real gun?”

The trooper didn’t bother with an answer, so Bryce fell silent. Pinpricks of fear darted across Natalie’s neck.

She’ll see my name, she’ll know …

Natalie fumbled for her purse. Her hands shook enough to make the clasp feel like a puzzle. From the glove compartment, she retrieved the car’s registration, which was the rental agreement. She handed that document, along with her license to the trooper.

“I’m sorry officer, I took my eyes off the road for only a moment. I thought my daughter might be having an asthma attack.”

Natalie took a guess as to why she’d been pulled over. The trooper raised her head ever so slightly. To make her story add up, Natalie indicated to the inhaler resting on her lap. The trooper glanced at the medicine, before checking out the patient in the backseat, which she did behind those sunglasses that hid her thoughts as well as her eyes.

She took the documents with her as she headed back to the patrol car. Natalie watched her go. She still couldn’t catch her breath.

“Are we in trouble, Mommy?” asked Addie.

“No honey, we’ll be fine.”

Natalie hoped the quaver in her voice didn’t betray the lie.

While the trooper ran the license, Natalie confronted her genuine remorse.

She shouldn’t have been driving. Now that decision was going to cost them all. Time slowed to a crawl. She imagined the trooper on the radio, calling for backup. Before Natalie knew what she was doing, she had her hand on the key in the ignition.

Her thoughts chattered.

One turn. Then go. Hit the gas. Move! Move! Move!

She applied some torque against the key. Doubt filled her. If the engine rumbled to life, would she go the distance? Would she press her foot to the accelerator and make a run for it? In her mind, Natalie envisioned car wheels spinning against gravel as her vehicle lurched forward. The patrol car would come after her like a barracuda tracking down its prey. Of course in her fantasy she got away, but reality came knocking back hard. It was a crazy notion. She wouldn’t put her children at risk. She was trapped with no way out.

Now, Natalie was thinking handcuffs. The pressure building up in her chest felt ready to explode.

She heard a door close. Glancing in the mirror she could see the trooper approach with steady strides. Natalie’s insides compressed. She went stock-still. It was over. She knew it. Deep inside she knew this was the end of the road. Dread overwhelmed her as the trooper rapped her knuckles against her window. A gentle breeze entered the car that might have been refreshing anywhere else but here and now.