Until The Ride Stops

Matt’s attention swung from the pickup to Caroline and his look of concern deepened. “Anybody hurt?”

“Not yet. Just property damage,” Caroline said. She liked that his first question was about potential injuries. It was a definite mark in his favor. Arriving just in time to save her from a fight was also a giant red check in the plus column.

“Good,” he said. “Let me pull off the road and we’ll do the paperwork.”

“Didn’t you hear what I said? Your driver is denying it.”

Matt laughed, his tense expression replaced by something closer to his usual smile. “That man behind you is not my driver, but he is delivering stone for my project so I feel responsible for his actions. If he worked for me, I’d fire him.”

“For an accident?”

Matt shoved his hard hat back on his forehead. “I’d fire him for trying to lie his way out of it. And whatever else he was about to do. That’s not how I operate.”

“Come on,” the dump truck driver said. “That damage could have been there already. I can’t stick around all day and fill out reports. I’m supposed to be back at the quarry for another load of stone right now.”

Although it was technically her jurisdiction and she was the one standing in the middle of the road stopping traffic, Caroline waited, curious about how Matt would handle the situation.

He took off his seat belt. Got out of his truck. Stalked over so he was nose-to-nose with the driver. “You will pull off the road. You will cooperate with this police officer. Or your company will never do business with mine again.”

The hard steel in Matt’s voice made Caroline glad she wasn’t in the other man’s shoes.

“You don’t really think that girl’s a cop, do you?” the burly driver asked.

And that’s the end of my sympathy for that guy.

Caroline dialed on her phone and gave the dispatcher an update as she watched Matt reach in and take the keys out of the dump truck’s ignition.

* * *

MATT INSPECTED THE back of the dump truck. A minor dent and some yellow paint would probably not be noticed by the truck’s owner. But the yellow Starlight Point traffic pickup was not so lucky. It needed serious attention to its front corner, bumper and headlight.

Despite the relatively small section of damage, Matt knew the cost could run into the thousands. When his mother had backed into his stepfather’s car in the driveway last year, it was a similar toll.

A Starlight Point police cruiser pulled up and the chief got out. Matt waited while Caroline approached her boss and gave him a quick explanation. His day would be going a lot more smoothly right now if he were inside the gate supervising his crew as they used the stone to pack the newly poured footers for the ride. But there was no way he was going to make an enemy of anyone at Starlight Point—especially Caroline—by glossing over a serious infraction.

She was gesturing with her hands as she talked with her boss. No doubt she’d already exchanged words with the dump truck driver before he’d pulled up. What would have happened if Matt hadn’t shown up when he did? Would the other guy have continued to give Caroline a hard time? Left the scene of the accident? Or worse?

Matt had an odd sensation in his chest when he thought of Caroline facing down big burly jerks like the guy driving the dump truck. Smart and tenacious, she could take care of herself as well as anyone. But life wasn’t always fair. He’d learned that the hard way watching his father make the mistake of flouting the law.

He would never forget the day his biological father was led off in handcuffs, despite his assurances it would never happen.

Caroline usually wore her long brown hair in a tight ponytail, but her clothing and the time of day made it clear she’d just gotten out of bed. Matt pictured her flying from her bunk in the dorms to stomp out injustice. He smiled just imagining it.

Caroline glanced in his direction and he felt as if a searchlight had caught him making a prison break. He hoped she wouldn’t ask him why he was staring at her and grinning. What if she thought he was mocking her or not taking the accident seriously?

He sobered his expression. She was waving him over to talk with her and her boss. Matt crossed the road, the keys from the dump truck jingling in his shirt pocket.

“Dunbar,” the chief said. “Heard you happened along at the right time.”

Matt wondered what Caroline had told her boss about the driver’s apparent refusal to cooperate. He didn’t want to imply Caroline couldn’t have handled it herself.

“Or the wrong one,” Matt said, shaking the chief’s hand. “If I’d been here a little earlier, I might have prevented the dump truck from backing into your pickup. Wish I had.”

“That would have ruined Caroline’s fun. She hasn’t gotten to arrest anyone this season.”

Caroline narrowed her eyes at her boss. “Hey, it’s only June. Give me time.”

“If it’s okay with you,” Matt said, addressing Caroline, “I’d like to get that truck off the road. Can I pull it inside the construction fence while you write up the charming driver? It seems like a hazard on this narrow road.”

“Fine by me,” she said.

Matt started the engine while the dump truck driver leaned sullenly against the fence. The police chief inspected the yellow traffic truck while Matt drove through the gate. He stepped down from the driver’s seat and found Caroline waiting by his door.

“Thanks,” she said. “For what you did.”

“I didn’t do much,” he replied. “Just encouraged him to own up to his mistake.”

Matt held out the keys to the dump truck but Caroline shook her head.

“We’ll release him in a few minutes after we get a copy of his license and write him a ticket. He can make his trip to the quarry for more stone.”

“I’m sure he’ll appreciate that. But he might want to trade jobs with someone and send a different truck back here,” Matt said.

“Do you have a lot more stone trucks coming in?”

Matt nodded. “Shoring up the footers for the top secret ride you probably don’t know anything about.”

Caroline smiled. “I heard they were building an office supply store here.”

“A thrilling one.”

Caroline glanced over at her boss who was writing on a clipboard while the truck driver stood there, arms crossed over his chest.

“So you already poured the concrete footers,” she said. “Are you on track with the project?”

“Almost,” Matt admitted. “There are always surprises.”

“Like remains from a previous construction on this site?”

Matt took a deep breath. Why was she asking him about that? “I’d rather not think about the past when I’m trying to make darn sure the future ride is a success.”

Caroline’s expression reminded him of cop shows on television where someone was getting interrogated in the police tank.

“You’ve seen the...uh...evidence of the old ride, the Loose Cannon,” she continued. “Was there anything that would explain the accident back in 1985?”

Did Caroline know that the company that had built the ride belonged to his stepfather’s brother? Was that why she was asking him these questions? If she didn’t know already, it wouldn’t take her very long to discover the connection. For the sake of honesty and keeping his relationship with her friendly, he should probably just tell her right now.

But he couldn’t. The story of that ride had been forbidden in his family for so long it felt strange to talk about it, especially with someone he hardly knew. Someone who seemed to have a dogged sense of justice and a love of investigation.