Page 7 of Peak Suspicion
“Yeah. They said I was setting a bad example for my students.”
He laughed. “I’m sorry. It’s just so ridiculous.” But she wasn’t laughing with him. He sobered. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to make light of your situation. Obviously, something like that is really upsetting. Is that why you were driving so recklessly?”
“I was not driving recklessly!”
He was glad she couldn’t see the smile he quickly hid. Maybe she wasn’t too badly injured if she was angry with him. “I was driving behind you and you were going pretty fast.”
The sound of sirens rose in the distance. “Hey, I think help is on the way. I’m going to move away for just a minute so I can talk to them. But I’ll be right back. I promise.”
The siren stopped almost directly overhead. Caleb moved away from the car and looked up. “Hey!” he shouted. “We’re down here!”
Deputy Jamie Douglas looked down at him. “What’s the situation?” she asked.
“Single female driver. Mira Veronica. She’s banged up—says her neck hurts—and has some cuts from broken glass. She doesn’t report any other injuries. The car is stable—it’s wedged tight against this tree.”
Jamie glanced up the highway. “The ambulance is just pulling up behind me,” she said. “Search and rescue should be here soon. What happened?”
“I think she took the curve a little too fast and lost control. Easy enough to do on this road.”
Jamie said nothing, but disappeared from view. Moments later Search and Rescue Captain Danny Irwin appeared and Carter repeated the story for him. “Sit tight,” Danny said. “We’ll get some people and equipment down to get her out.”
Carter returned to the car. “We’ll have you out in a few minutes and the paramedics will check you over,” he said. “Is there someone you want us to notify?”
“No,” she said. “And don’t tell anyone what I said about those notes. I mean, the note. Please.”
“Okay, but why not? You should tell the sheriff. You’re being harassed.”
“No. Please!” She clutched at the seat belt and shifted, until he was afraid she would injure herself further.
“It’s okay.” He tried to soothe her. “I won’t say anything, I promise. Just hang on another few seconds.”
He turned to see Danny, Ryan, Harper Vernon and his own sister, Bethany, descending to the ledge. He stepped back to allow Danny, a nurse, to climb up and assess Mira’s condition. While Danny was talking to Mira, Carter helped assemble the litter and unpack the hydraulic extraction tool—more commonly known as the Jaws of Life. “If we cut away the pillar between the two side windows it makes it easier to load her onto the litter and bring her out without risking further injury,” Ryan explained.
Danny rejoined them. “Bethany, you’re the smallest,” he said. “It will be easier for you to climb into the car with Mira and brace her neck and back. Keep her calm and shielded while we cut away the pillar, then we’ll get her on the litter and bring her out.”
“What can I do?” Carter asked.
“You already did a good job keeping her calm,” Danny said. “You can help get the litter up to the road.”
Bethany eased her way into the car. Conversation ceased shortly thereafter as the extractor screamed through the metal car body. Minutes later, Mira was free of the car, strapped into the litter. “My pack,” she said, and tried to sit back up.
“I’ll get it,” Carter said. He returned to the car and spotted the black day pack half under the front passenger seat. He leaned in and, with a grunt, managed to pull it free. He returned to the litter. “I’ll carry it up for you,” he said. “You lie back and enjoy the ride.”
He knew from training that the experience of being carried up a steep slope wasn’t exactly relaxing, but his fellow volunteers did everything they could to make the journey as safe and comfortable as possible. They talked to Mira all the way up, reassuring her she was in good hands. He followed with Mira’s pack and his own.
Once they reached the waiting ambulance, Paramedic Hannah Gwynn assessed Mira and allowed her to sit up. She cleaned the minor cuts on Mira’s face and applied a coupleof Steri-Strips. “You should consider going to the hospital and having your neck x-rayed,” Hannah advised.
“I’m feeling much better now that I’m sitting up,” Mira said. “I’d like to go home.”
Carter, who had been standing nearby, moved in. “I can take you home,” he said.
“What about my car?” Mira looked toward the drop-off.
“You’ll have to arrange for a wrecker to retrieve your car,” Jamie said. “I’ll give you some information, and you’ll need to contact your insurance company.”
“Okay, thanks.”
Jamie returned to her cruiser and Mira shifted her gaze to Carter. “If you could take me home, that would be nice.”
