Carolina

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Carolina - book excerpt

Prologue

A gray SUV pulls into a driveway, rolling forward until it stops at the log cabin at the end of the stone path. A brunette woman climbs out of the driver’s seat, clutching a box under her left arm. Another woman, a couple of decades younger, opens the passenger door, steps out into the sunlight, and looks up at the house. Her older brother follows suit and meets up with his mother and sister. They start up the steps to the porch where the swing creaks, swaying slightly forward and back in the breeze. Their mother opens the front door and the three of them step inside the quiet house.

“You guys hang out in here for a minute. I’ll be right back,” their mom says.

They sit in the living room on the couch and look around the room while their mother climbs the steps to the second floor. She strolls down the hallway and stops in front of the door at the end. A nameplate reading Rebecca is affixed to the front of the door. She turns the handle and steps in.

The girl’s room is still decorated, set off by a perfectly made bed and a mountain of pillows. Rebecca walks around the room and smiles at the posters that still manage to cling to the wall. She chuckles at the largest one, a close-up of the cutest singer who, at fifteen years old, she swore she would marry. A line of dusty trophies stands on top of the dresser next to the window. She pulls the curtain back just enough and stares out to the beautiful tree-line on the far side of the water. Taking a deep breath, she steps back, exhales, and sits on the edge of the bed. Her hand grasps the closest pillow and pulls it into her chest before hugging it tightly.

“Mom?” her daughter calls from downstairs.

“Yes, honey?”

“Are you coming?”

“I’ll be right down,” she reassures her. She looks up at the ceiling, then to the door. Her palms rest on her quivering knees for a moment, then she walks out the door.

Chapter One 

The horizon glowed bright orange and the sound of Nicole’s footsteps in the gravel pierced the quiet air. She yawned and took a drink of her coffee, hoping that it would help her wake up a little faster. Birds chirped all around her in the red maples that filled the front yard. Her footsteps stopped when she reached the car door. She closed her eyes, taking in the sweet smell of the cornfields that surrounded her.

August in Indiana was indeed known for the corn that stretched as far as the eye could see. When the sun would set, the fields would fill with lightning bugs that resembled the stars above. And when the sun would rise, a mixture of haze and gnats would float above the tassels in the morning glow.

Nicole started the car and immediately turned on the wipers in an attempt to remove the morning dew from the windshield. She noticed the gas gauge hovering above empty, regretting the fact that she didn’t fill up the day before. After sitting for a minute to let the windshield clear up, she backed up to the road. She turned up the radio and changed it off the commercial to another station. It was at least playing some sort of music.

There wasn’t much scenery-change on the nine-mile drive to town. It was the same old corn for miles, with an occasional cluster of trees. A couple of dogs barked persistently and ran alongside her car trying to keep up. She felt an odd sense of relaxation today, like she hadn’t a care in the world. The thought of how much money remained in the checking account hadn’t crossed her mind yet. Will the twenty-year-old car survive another day? Who knows? Who cares? A smile lit up her face when she felt the morning breeze blow in through the window.

About halfway to work, she pulled into the gas station to fill up the tank and top off her coffee. It wasn’t the best-tasting coffee in the world. In fact, it sucked, but it would have to suffice. She started the pump and waited, glancing around at the other folks who were surely on their way to work, too. One lady in a dress at the pump across from her looked like she had stepped out of a magazine. Nicole looked down at her own wrinkly scrubs, then glanced again at the woman’s dress in envy. Then she looked at an older gentleman filling up a gas can.

A blue pickup truck pulled into the station with the radio blaring and a young man jumped out. He pulled his pants up and walked inside. A few moments later, he walked back out with an energy drink and a pack of cigarettes. He stared at the woman in the dress, giving her a smug look as if she was some sort of snob. After shaking his head in disgust, he jumped back into the truck and turned up the radio. He glanced at Nicole finishing up at the pump. She made eye contact with him in the mirror for a second then decided against getting that coffee. Something didn’t feel right about him.

When she pulled back out on the road, she found a good rock song and sang along the best she could. Of course, she would only do this in the privacy of her car, to save the embarrassment. The sun was now high enough that it was shining right in her eyes beneath the protection of the visor. Her black sunglasses helped, but the light was still making it difficult to see. She continued to chug along as she got closer to town.

Suddenly, a familiar blue pickup could be seen approaching in the rear-view mirror. The truck swerved left and right in the distance and was catching up quickly. Nicole tried to ignore him, but he was now only a couple of car lengths away. She continued, doing her best to stay calm. He closed in a little more. She could see the awful smile on his face in the mirror. She looked away, trying very hard not to let him upset her. The sun was still making it difficult for her to see the road in front of her in the morning haze. The man in the truck began to honk repeatedly, motioning for her to pull over. Nicole would have bet that he had been drinking, but this early? Her knuckles turned white from her strong grasp on the steering wheel.

Nicole’s ability to remain calm seemed to infuriate him. He started yelling and pressed the accelerator. The bumper of his truck rammed into the back of her car and she screamed in terror. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she rummaged through her purse, searching for her phone. Where is it, where is it? The truck smashed into her car again and she slammed her right hand back on the wheel in an attempt to keep it on the road. “Leave me alone!” Nicole screamed.

He continued to ride right behind her car. Now she reached over and grabbed her purse and brought it to her lap. She pulled the contents out by the handful and tossed them over to the passenger seat. Then she saw the blue case at the bottom of the purse. She dialed 9-1-1. It rang. It rang again. “Come on, answer!”

Then, as if the dispatcher had heard her request, “9-1-1, what’s your emergency?”

“There’s a man following me in a blue truck. You have to help me! Please!” Nicole begged.

“Calm down, ma’am. Where are you?”

“I’m on county road 32, heading east. I’m only a couple of miles from Carolina. Please help me!”

The truck slammed into the bumper of her car again, harder this time. Nicole screamed and sobbed then pressed the phone up to her ear. She held it there with her shoulder, freeing up an extra hand.

“Oh my God, he just hit me again. Please help me!”

“We are going to help you, honey. I’m notifying the police now and they’re on their way. I need you to be strong and try to stay calm. What’s your name?” asked the operator.

“Ni . . . Nicole. Nicole Turner.”

“Nicole, my name is Mary. I know you are scared, but I want you to try really hard to stay calm and keep driving. Help will be there soon.”

Then the man surprised her. “He’s backing up a little. Do you think he knows I’ve called the police?” Nicole asked Mary.

“Could be. Just keep going.”

Then he pressed the accelerator to the floor and began to build up speed. Faster and faster the truck rolled toward her car. Nicole looked in the mirror and saw it approaching. She started to swerve to the other side of the road but was forced to swerve back when she saw the cars coming toward her. She floored it, trying to lighten the impact, but it was too late. Her old car couldn’t get up and go fast enough to outrun the racing truck. This time it slammed hard. Nicole let out a scream and dropped the phone. She lost her grip on the wheel and the car swerved to the left, toward the oncoming traffic. She overcorrected to the right and the car began to spin clockwise. It plowed through the Welcome to Carolina sign before slamming into a giant oak tree in the ditch line. 

“Nicole? NICOLE!” Mary called out on the phone.

Her head laid on the steering wheel, blood pouring down her face. The sirens began to blare as the sheriff’s car pulled up next to her. The lights were out. No more glaring sun. No more screeching tires. There was nothing but darkness and silence.