Page 40 of If She Remembered
"She's destroying everything in her path," DeMarco observed, watching the van careen between parked vehicles like a pinball bouncing between bumpers.
Kate had to swerve hard to the right to avoid a jogger who had stopped on the sidewalk to stare at the chase in disbelief.The woman pressed herself against a brick mailbox as Kate's sedan flew past, close enough that Kate could see the shock and fear on her face.
At her age, Kate thought suddenly, she really couldn't afford to be acting so recklessly.The realization struck her as she took a corner at twice the safe speed, feeling her tires slide on the asphalt before regaining traction.She was nearly sixty years old with a young son at home and a fiancé who was counting on her to come back safely.The days when she could throw herself into dangerous situations without considering the consequences were behind her.
But even as the thought crossed her mind, Kate knew she couldn't back off now.Margaret Holloway had killed three innocent people and would likely kill more if they didn't stop her today.The risk to Kate's own safety had to be weighed against the risk to potential future victims.
"She's heading for the highway," DeMarco observed."If she gets onto I-95, this could get really complicated."
Kate nodded, knowing that a high-speed chase on the interstate would involve multiple jurisdictions and create risks for dozens of innocent drivers.They needed to stop Margaret before she reached the on-ramp, but the van was still about half a block ahead of them, and Margaret was driving with the desperation of someone who knew that capture meant life in prison.
Ahead of them, the van swerved around a slow-moving truck that was hauling construction materials on a flatbed trailer.Kate had to make a split-second decision about whether to follow the same dangerous maneuver or find an alternate route.She chose to swing into the oncoming traffic lane, passing both the truck and Margaret's van in a move that required precise timing and considerable nerve.
"Kate, you’re overshooting it," DeMarco said, her voice tight with concern.
"I know.I'm trying to get ahead of her so we can set up a controlled stop before someone gets hurt."
Kate pulled back into the correct lane just ahead of Margaret's van, then began gradually reducing her speed to force Margaret to slow down as well.It was a risky strategy that required her to maintain position despite Margaret's attempts to ram her sedan from behind.The hope was that it would trap Margaret between them and the truck hauling the flatbed.
But once again, Margaret had no intention of remaining trapped.She sped up a bit, her van striking the rear of Kate's sedan, giving it a little nudge.Kate fought to maintain control as her steering wheel jerked in her hands.
“Jesus!”she hissed through her teeth.
“You okay?”DeMarco asked, whipping her head around to keep tabs on Margaret.
“For now, yeah.”
"Are you okay?"Kate asked DeMarco, who was shaking her head to clear the effects of the collision.
"I'm fine.Keep going."
Kate pressed the accelerator again, trying to stay ahead of Margaret despite the damage to her sedan's rear end.Behind them, she could hear the distant sound of sirens as backup units responded to DeMarco’s call.But she wasn't sure they would arrive in time to prevent Margaret from reaching the highway entrance that was now visible just ahead.
The chase had become a dangerous gamble with innocent lives at stake, and Kate knew they were running out of time to resolve it safely.Not only could Margaret potentially escape if she made it to the exit… she could unintentionally claim even more lives before she was caught.
CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR
Kate pressed her foot harder against the accelerator, her sedan's engine straining as she fought to keep pace with Margaret Holloway's van.She cursed under her breath as she navigated around a Mercedes, her side mirror clipping the luxury car's bumper with a sharp crack.The streets in this part of Richmond were lined with mature oak and maple trees that created a canopy overhead, their branches reaching across the roadway in some places and leaving narrow channels for traffic.
Margaret had already showed how difficult it was to maneuver the van down these thin thoroughfares.And now, the interstate was right there, just several hundred yards ahead.But even before the van veered toward the exit, Kate knew Margaret was going too fast to take the sharp turn.
Margaret's van took the next corner too fast, its higher center of gravity causing it to lean dangerously to one side.Kate could see the vehicle's left wheels lift slightly off the pavement before slamming back down with a bounce that sent Margaret veering into the opposite lane.
That's when Kate saw the oncoming car.
A dark blue sedan was driving toward them in the opposite lane, its elderly driver unaware of the high-speed chase bearing down on him.Kate could see the man's relaxed posture and casual grip on the steering wheel, suggesting he was probably heading to the grocery store or some other routine errand with no idea that his morning was about to become a life-or-death situation.
"She's going to hit him," DeMarco said, her voice tight with tension.
Margaret must have seen the oncoming vehicle at the last possible moment.Her van swerved violently to the right, missing the sedan's front bumper by what couldn't have been more than inches.Kate caught a glimpse of the elderly driver's terrified face as Margaret's van roared past him, so close that she could see him mouthing what was probably a prayer.
But Margaret's desperate evasive maneuver sent her van careening toward the edge of the exit ramp. Kate watched in a mixture of relief and horror as Margaret lost control completely, the van's front wheels striking the curb and launching the vehicle partially airborne.She hit the sign that warned drivers to slow down for the ramp, knocking it down.And then it half-flipped into the massive oak tree a few feet behind it.
The impact with the tree was devastating.The van's front end crumpled like an accordion, the hood folding upward as the engine block was driven backward into the passenger compartment.The windshield exploded in a spider web of cracks, and steam began rising from the destroyed radiator.
Kate hit her brakes hard, feeling her sedan slide across the asphalt as she fought to avoid colliding with Margaret's destroyed van.She managed to bring her vehicle to a stop about twenty feet behind the crash site, cutting her hazard lights on as her heart pounded from the adrenaline that had been coursing through her system during the entire chase.
The sudden silence was almost deafening after the noise and chaos of the pursuit.Kate could hear her own breathing and the tick of her sedan's cooling engine, along with the distant sound of sirens that were finally getting closer to their location.
