Until I Die Again [On The Way To Heaven] (Soul Change Novel) (37 page)

“I know, but… are you all right? He didn’t shoot you, did he?”

“No. He probably didn’t want the police to find a bullet in my bones. Sorry,” he said when her head drooped. “When I heard you scream, I tried to get up, but he was right there. He pulled the gun from beneath the couch cushion. When I lunged at him, he shot it over my head.”

“Is your head still bleeding? I was so worried when he hit you. How many times can you take a hit on the head?”

He managed a wry smile. “It was in a new spot this time.”

“You’re awfully cavalier for someone about to die.”

She saw a spark in his blue eyes. “Because I know we’re not going to die.”

He lifted his hands, free from their constraints. Her heart leapt into her throat. He un-wedged himself out of the tight spot and freed her. “He didn’t tie the ropes that well, which may have been intentional. In any case, I don’t think he suspected we’d get out quite this fast. I was working on them while he was talking.”

“But why would he tie them loose enough that we could escape?”

“I’m not sure, but remember, he saw it on television once. Who knows what trick he picked up.” As she reached for the door, he said, “Don’t touch it!”

She froze. “Why?”

He knelt down and looked at the doorknob, then ran his fingers along the edge of the door.

“We might set off some kind of booby trap. Look, between the door and the jamb. There’s something lodged there.”

She studied the two rows of red bumps. “Matches. And sandpaper. Oh, God, I would have set the whole thing off if I’d opened the door.”

“I don’t know if it would spark, but we don’t want to find out.” He turned to the tiny window high above the shower. “Do you think you can squeeze through if I help?”

“Not with baby oil and a plunger. But water would do the trick.”

Jamie snapped his fingers. “Good thinking. Wet matches can’t ignite.”

They found a cup and filled it. After three cupfuls thrown into the crack, he said, “The match tops are disintegrating.”

Very, very slowly they pushed open the door. The soggy matchbook flopped to the yellowed linoleum with a soft thud.

“Jamie, it’s snowing out there. I can find you a coat—”

“We don’t have time. He’ll be back anytime with your car.”

They stepped outside, and she pulled in a lungful of air as she searched for Randy. His truck was parked where they’d left it, the engine ticking as it cooled.

She pointed. “There are his footsteps. He’s definitely walking to the junkyard. If we follow his trail, he’ll be driving back here by the time we get to your car.”

They trudged through snow toward the thicket of trees. The sky was white, and the flurries made everything hazy and surreal. Jamie’s hand felt cold when she took it in her own. She knew he had to be freezing.

The junkyard came into view, Jamie’s rental car sitting alone. Over the crunching of the snow and her breath coming fast and hard, she heard another sound. An engine!

“Get in quick!” Jamie called, but he didn’t have to tell her.

When they reached the car, her SUV came up over the incline. Had Randy seen them? Why had he doubled back? She leaped in and scooted over so Jamie could jump in behind the wheel. He turned the key. The engine struggled, then died out. She watched the car get closer.

“Come on, come on.” Jamie twisted the key again.

The engine whined, then rumbled to life. Just as he put it into gear, Randy slammed into the side of the car. She screamed.

Jamie jammed the gas pedal, and the car jerked forward. “Hold tight.”

The SUV’s headlights cut through the dimness behind them. Jamie gripped the wheel, intent on his driving.

God, can you hear me? I haven’t spent enough time with Jamie yet. Please get us out of this alive! Please—

She stared at sign, and just beyond… Crystal Bridge. Barricades blocked the way, advising of a safer, alternate route in the snow.

“Jamie, no! This is the bridge I was killed on.”

“I can’t turn back. He’ll smash us while I’m trying to turn around.”

“No, no, no,” she kept chanting, knowing he wouldn’t, couldn’t turn around.

She clutched the seat with a death grip. They pushed past the barricades and onto the icy bridge. The ravine gaped on either side, ready to devour them. The tires slid for a second before gripping the road. She turned to see behind them. Headlights coming closer. Closer.

Randy pounded into the back of their car, sending them into a spin. The sound of crumpling metal echoed in her head. It was her nightmare all over again. Her death all over. She closed her eyes as the car headed toward the railing. Over. They hit a post with a thud, throwing her against the door.

“Hallie, get out of the car!”

Her eyes snapped open. They were stationary, not falling down. Her SUV was backing away. She heard the gears grind and the tires spin when Randy threw it into drive. Jamie pulled her from the car just as the SUV came smashing forward, sending Jamie’s rental car careening down the bridge to rest a short distance away.

Jamie clutched her hand as they ran beside the safety railing. Randy came at them again, and she saw the wild expression on his face.

As Randy closed in, Jamie pushed her backwards, where she slipped and fell. And where she watched with horror as the SUV skated across the ice right toward Jamie. The brake lights flashed, then remained steady as the car skidded onward.

At first it seemed that Jamie was diving toward the vehicle, and she thought she must be losing her mind. Landing on the ice with his arms in front of him, Jamie slid between the tires. The SUV drove over him and broke through the safety railing. But the car didn’t fly off the edge. Instead, it teetered over the ravine, precariously balanced between life and death. The front wheels spun in mid-air. Somewhere under that car was Jamie.

She struggled to her feet. Through the thin fog on the windows, Randy slowly turned and glared at her. Then he grabbed for something on the seat. The gun, aimed at her.

The window shattered. She dropped. The car lurched forward as the bullet cut through the air beside her. In slow motion, the SUV rolled off the bridge.

She didn’t want to look, but her eyes betrayed her. Randy’s expression through the shattered opening of glass was terror. His guttural scream pierced the air as the SUV fell from view. Through the foggy air, the sound of compressed metal seemed far away; inside her, it was all too close.

“Jamieeeeee!” she screamed through tears and terror and grief and made her way over to him.

He was lying between the slushy tire tracks. She dropped down beside him, taking him in as he sat up. No sign of anything crushed or broken.

He patted himself. “It feels like I’m all right. I wasn’t sure how that was going to work.”

She threw herself into his arms, holding him tight. “I thought you’d gone crazy.”
 
Then she pushed him back. “What were you doing?”

“When I saw him bearing down on us, I knew he wouldn’t be able to stop once he hit us. So I waited until the last minute, pushed you away, and dropped down flat. It looked as though there was enough clearance beneath the car. I figured, if I did get run over, it’d be better than getting hit and pushed over the side. And you’d be safe.”

“Jamie, you’re crazy. I put you in danger and you save my life by risking your own.”

He drew her close again and kissed her frozen nose. “You’re worth it. But before I could even rejoice in being in one piece, I saw the gun aimed at you.” He got to his feet, then pulled her up, smoothing the hair away from her wet face. “So I pushed up on the bumper with my feet.” His face paled as he looked at the edge. “I sent him over.”

“It was the only way. He was over the edge in more ways than one.”

The wind shook the broken railing, making it appear to wave her closer. She took a step toward it.

Jamie tightened his hold on her hand. “Don’t look.”

“I have to. I have to be sure.”

The wind cut through them like a thousand icicles. They stood, arms wrapped around each other, and looked down. Her car had gone over near the more shallow edge. The SUV had fallen in the middle of the ravine, where it was deep and rocky. Pieces of it were scattered in the snow, chrome and glass and metal. The bulk of it was a mass of twisted metal, hardly recognizable as a vehicle.

“It’s awful,” she said, her voice barely audible.

“Now he can’t haunt your dreams anymore.”

She snuggled closer to Jamie, only nodding in agreement.

“Thank you for coming,” she whispered.

“I wasn’t going to lose you again, Hallie.” He kissed the top of her head. “We have to figure out what we’re going to tell the police.”

She nodded, then looked up at him. “I want them to know who he is, what he did.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out the crinkled newspaper article. “I have the proof. I just have to come up with the story that explains how Hallie DiBarto figured it out.”

“We’ll figure it out. First we need to get off this bridge.”

The car pulled hard to the left, but Jamie managed to steer it with one arm. The other was around Hallie’s shoulders, holding her close. He moved only to turn the radio on, a welcome respite from the events of the last few hours. He smiled, and she lifted her head to look at him.

Bing Crosby sang, “White Christmas.”

“It’s Christmas Eve,” she whispered.

“And it’s white.” He nodded to the snow falling all around. “So this is where you grew up?”

“It seems like forever ago when I was sitting in a classroom learning the effects of acid rain and what levels the water boatman could survive as opposed to the salamander. Or seeing bunny tracks after a fresh snowfall. Or when the mountains look like they’re on fire with the aspens turning in the fall. It was literally a lifetime ago.”

“I’m sorry it was all taken away from you.”

“In some ways it’s sad.” She looked at Jamie. “But in some ways, it’s wonderful. I would never have met you if I hadn’t died.”

“I’m not glad you died, but I sure am glad you came my way.”

She sat up straighter, looking around, soaking in the surroundings and music. “You know, it’s funny. I don’t feel like I belong here anymore. I belong with you, in Caterina.”

His heart felt warm and full, and he leaned over and kissed her. “Yes, you do. Should I call you Hallie or Chris?”

“Hallie. That’s who I am now.”

He ran his finger down the bridge of her nose. “Yes. Yes, you are.” He traced down to her soft mouth and lingered there. He knew in his heart she was someone else, but it was still incredible. “Show me where you grew up.”

Her smile faded. “The last time I saw my parent’s house, I felt so sad and lost.”

“I’ll be with you this time. I’ll make sure you’re not sad and lost.”

She looked at him, and he saw apprehension turn to trust in her deep blue eyes. “Okay.”

They followed a winding road to a wooded section with ranch houses and barns. The house she pointed to looked warm and cozy, and he tried to picture the girl he’d seen in the article living there, throwing a Frisbee to her dogs on a lazy summer day. A Christmas tree twinkled in the window. Five cars were parked outside. He got out of the car.

She got out, too. “Where are you going?”

“Just want to get a closer look.” He looked around at all the white, like a winter wonderland. “I’ve never heard this kind of silence before. It’s absolute.”

She smiled. “I loved going outside when it snowed like this and listening to the silence. No one understood that. Except you.”

He nodded toward the house. “Have you seen your parents yet?”

“No, I couldn’t handle that. I lived with my sister, in my old house, and that was hard enough. I’ve seen my other two sisters, but I avoided them. My mom broke her ankle because she wasn’t paying attention to where she was walking. You don’t know how much I wanted to come here and tell her that her daughter isn’t dead.”

“Why didn’t you?”

“When I came here, I promised myself I wouldn’t tell anyone. The truth is too strange, crazy, bizarre. My father has a weak heart, and I’m sure my death put enough strain on him. He’d think it was a hoax and get angry and maybe have a heart attack.” She stared at the house. “And maybe I’m a little afraid that they wouldn’t accept me now.”

The silence was broken by three exuberant shelties racing to the edge of the fence, snarling and barking. Hallie knelt down and put her arm out. Jamie tensed, ready to pull a crazy woman out of a pack of wild dogs. When they reached her, they stopped and stretched their noses toward her while keeping their bodies as far away as possible. Shiny black noses sniffed her hand, clothes, hair. Tails started wagging, and they crowded in on her. She squealed in delight when they covered her in wet kisses and wet paws, all three climbing up on her crouched knees to get closer.

She looked at their faces and greeted each one. “Tubby, Shelby. Phoenix. I’ve missed you guys so much!”

“Believe me, she has.”

He leaned against a fence post and watched the woman he loved, already planning to have two more shelties flown to Caterina. So entranced was he with the scene, he didn’t notice the woman approach.

“My goodness, I’ve never seen them act like that toward a stranger!”

Hallie hastily wiped her tears with the back of her hand and stood to greet the woman with the kind hazel eyes and curly brown hair. She was limping, and her foot was bulky beneath her rubber boot.

“Guess they know I’m a dog lover,” Hallie offered.

Her mother watched the dogs clamor around Hallie’s feet with a shocked expression. “No, they don’t take to people that easily. I heard them barking and came out to see what the ruckus was about. This is just amazing.”

If Jamie had doubted Hallie before, which he hadn’t, he knew now she was telling the truth. The tears flowed freely, and the heartache showed like a thunderstorm in her eyes.

When Mrs. Copestakes looked up and saw Hallie’s tears, her own eyes softened. “Hon, are you all right?”

Jamie stepped in. “She recently lost her parents. You look a bit like her mother.”

The woman touched Hallie’s arm, causing more tears to flow. “I know how you feel. My daughter, Chris, was killed in a car accident a few months ago.” Her own eyes began filling. “I’ll never get over it, my little girl, gone.” Then she laughed softly through her tears. “Look at us, standing here boohooing on Christmas Eve.” She pulled a hanky out of her pocket and dabbed her eyes. “You two aren’t from around here.”