Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Glen Marcus (thriller books to read txt) 📕

it for a few miles.
      Stopping behind a large outcropping of jagged rocks, both exited the car and stood together to watch the sunrise. There was a crisp cool nip in the air but the temperature had risen above the coldness they felt the day before. As Angie felt the warm embrace of Jessie’s strong arms around her, she knew everything would turn out fine. Turning and placing her lips to his, they kissed deeply and for an instant, all the cares of their colliding worlds meant nothing as they merged into one. Both were exhausted from the previous night’s exhilaration, so they collapsed in the back seat of the Impala. Resting peacefully, in each other's arms.


      Startled by the sound of a helicopter, Jessie awoke and looked out the window towards the sky. The helicopter had police markings on it and he shook Angie to wake her. The craft was hovering some fifty feet or so above them. Frantically Angie tried to get a better look as Jessie poured over the front seat to get behind the wheel.
      “They’ve found us Jessie! What are we going to do?”
      “We’ve got to go. Get up here with me!”
      Angie made her way to the front seat as he started the car.
      “This is the Mohave County Sheriff’s Department,” blasted a booming voice from a loudspeaker on the copter, “Turn off your vehicle and step out.”
      Jessie threw the gearshift into drive and spun out up the dirt road. Driving was one of the few things Jessie had mastered in his twenty-two years of living and the larger Impala handled almost as well as his old Camaro. Making it back to the highway took only a matter of minutes, but the helicopter was in front of him most of the way.
      “Jessie, we can’t out run them.”
      “Nope we can’t,” Jessie cooly replied as Angie sensed he had been in this position before.
      As the car neared the paved highway, Jessie saw three police cars approaching from the west with lights flashing in the distance. Sliding the car with a hard right turn, the Impala was now headed away from the troopers. Keeping his eyes peeled ahead, Jessie didn’t see any police ahead of him and though it was unlikely they would make it past Kingman without encountering a roadblock. But it was the best plan he had at the time.
Reaching speeds of more than one-hundred miles per hour, Jessie kept a good distance between the following authorities and the Impala. As the lovers topped a rise, their worst fears were confirmed as they saw below them about a dozen police cars, not more than a mile ahead. Sliding to a screeching halt in the middle of the road, Jessie stopped the car and put it in park.
      “Jessie, I’m scared.”
      “I know you are baby. It’s time to make a decision.”
      “I don’t see what we have to decide. It’s over.”
      A look came across the young man’s face like Angie had never seen before. In a way, it was bone-chilling, as the man she had grown to love over the past months somehow totally had transformed right before her eyes. It was more than the look; it was his lack of trepidation of the situation. For the first time, she felt as if she didn’t know who was sitting in the seat next to her.
      “Look, we’ve come this far and I’m not turning back. Things have happened and for what it’s worth, I’d do them all over again.” Jessie said as he saw the police cars behind him abruptly stop, blocking the roadway about a half-mile behind them.
      “Honey it’s all right. I’ll stick by you. Robbery is one thing, but if you try to run, somebody’s gonna get hurt.”
Jessie looked away as if he wanted to say something but the words just wouldn’t come.
      “Let’s just get out and give up. We’ll get through this, I promise,” as she took his hand in hers.
      Turning his head and facing her again Jessie said, “I can’t do that. If you want to give up, you need to get out of the car right now.”
      “But honey…”
      “I won’t ask you again. I love you and I always will, but you’re either with me or you’re not.”
      If they were'nt in the middle of a precarious standoff, Angie would have flown off the handle at that remark. She had given up so much for him. She left behind everything her daddy’s money could buy for her; the expensive college that she had been enrolled in, the new BMW that was supposed to be a surprise graduation present.
     Everything.
     And now Jessie was questioning her love for him.
      For a second, Jessie’s cold heart sank when he saw the expression on Angie’s face. But his countenance changed, when she finally leaned over and said, “I’ll stay with you forever.”
      Revving the tachometer to its maximum limits Jessie said, “Buckle your seat belt.” And with that he dropped the car into drive and did a one-hundred and eighty degree turn. With smoke boiling from the rear tires, the pair was headed towards California once again.
      Jessie headed directly for the three police cars blocking the way. With guns drawn, the troopers were stationed behind their respective vehicles, awaiting the showdown headed directly for them. Just when it seemed the outlaws would ram into their squad cars, head on, Jessie veered and applied just the right amount of brake to narrowly miss them. Sliding down the narrow shoulder, the back bumper of the Impala grazed the side of the closest police car and a small scratch was all that was left as they went flying off in a westerly direction again.
      With a resoundingly loud rebel yell from Jessie, the pair were now unimpeded. Passing a road sign at a high rate of speed, it read Takrock Bay Bridge 14 miles. The police cars were once again in hot pursuit, but the Impala had a nice lead on them. With the speedometer buried at the top speed of 120 mph, it took a very short time to reach Toprock. As they rounded the last bend in the road, the California state line lay one mile ahead of the requited lovers. The Impala was fastly approaching the bridge, when the helicopter that discovered them previously appeared again out of nowhere, hovering between them and their goal.
      With a glance from Jessie, Angie leaned over and gave him a kiss. The two had been through so much in the last few days. Young love can often be an undying and blind love. Outside forces may alter its outcome, but the fact remains, true love conquers all it encounters. The kiss lasted only a few seconds and as the Impala, traveling at the high rate of speed, made the mile in just over a half-minute. While the couple enjoyed their last embrace, they were oblivious to the marksman stationed in the open door of the police helicopter.
      A single shot from a high-powered rifle pierced the windshield on the driver’s side. The pilot saw the fast-moving vehicle swerve off the main road and then onto the right shoulder. It then barreled down a paved embankment that fed the car directly towards Takrock Bay. At the end of an eighty-foot tall overlook, the Impala became airborne and flew outward about one-hundred and fifty feet, landing upside down into the cold clear water. By the time the police arrived at the scene the car was submerged into the frigid depths with no chance of any survivors.
 

Epilogue

Mohave County Sheriff’s Department Report
345 W. Beale Street
Kingman, AZ 86402

Case # 77-00108
Incident Type: Felony
Incident Date: January 21, 1977
Final Report Date Filed: January 24, 1977
Time: 14:50
Incident Location: 100 Toprock Bay Drive
Reported By: Officer Joshua Biddle
Employee Number: 2546
Division: HWP
Supervisor: Major John Wrightman


Narrative:

On 1/20/77 at or around 13:30 hours a statewide all points bulletin was issued for dark-colored 1972 or 1973 model Chevrolet Camaro connected to an armed robbery and homicide of the attendant at the Pit Stop Gas Store in Allentown, AZ. The vehicle was seen leaving the store at approximately 11:40 hours on the morning of the same. APB also stated the Camaro to have Texas license plates but gave no numbers; Attendant was DOA with a single gunshot wound to the back of the head, the shot appeared to be muffled by a foam seat cushion on attendant’s chair.

On 1/21/77 at or around 04:00 hours, Coconino County Police reported finding a metallic black colored 1972 Chevrolet Camaro, Texas plate number - UP URS located at 429 East Empire Ave. in front of a used car business. Upon arrival of the business, owner Edward Albritton, described a white-colored 1976 two-door Impala sport coupe had been illegally removed from the premises, Arizona license plate 325 ALM.

On 1/21/77 at 09:30 hours an APB was posted by the FBI Office Dallas, Texas on behalf of the Gregg County, Texas Sheriff’s Department. A subsequent arrest warrant had been issued in the murder of Leonard Justin McDonald, age 43 of 2349 Meadowbrook Lane, Longview Texas for one James (Jessie) Davis. A subsequent warrant was also issued on James (Jessie) Davis on one count kidnapping in the abduction of one Angela Lynn McDonald, 17, a minor child of the deceased. In pursuance of Davis crossing state lines in the commitment of a felony, the FBI would be monitoring all communications as instructed by Major Wrightman.

On 1/21/77 at 15:15 hours a routine patrol being made by Mohave County Air and Rescue, Senior Pilot Officer, William Rivers and Special Weapons Officer, Ford Mayfield spotted a white Chevrolet Impala matching the description of the stolen vehicle along an unnamed road approximately 6 miles north of Yucca, AZ. On closer inspection by helicopter unit, a visual was made of the license tag and vehicle was confirmed to be one allegedly stolen and previously mentioned in report. Said Impala left area at a high rate of speed and Mohave County deputies were dispatched to scene. Pursuit was commenced in an easterly direction on Route 66 for approximately ten miles. Vehicle halted its progress south of Kingman after a roadblock was established two miles of outside the city in a joint effort by Kingman PD and Mohave County Deputies. Pursuit then turned westbound as said Impala struck one Mohave County patrol car upon making its exit from scene. Traveling at a high rate of speed, Officer Mayfield obtained a visual on suspect car and Officer Mayfield confirmed the identity of the driver as suspect James (Jessie) Davis. Confirmed also by Office Mayfield was the passenger, one Angela McDonald.

On 1/21/77 at or around 15:50 hours, an order was radioed to pilot Rivers that Office Mayfield had a go on a shot to disable the vehicle before it left Mohave County jurisdiction and entered into the state of California. A single shot was taken by SWO Mayfield approximately one-quarter mile from the Takrock Bay Bridge. Upon SWO Mayfield’s shot striking the Impala the vehicle careened off Route 66 in a northerly direction into the Takrock Recreation Area. Upon entering the recreation area, said vehicle became airborne and landed on its top in Takrock Bay. At or around 16:05 hours, pursuing deputies arrived and found no evidence of said Impala as it was submerged and possibly taken downstream by strong currents.


On 1/22/77 at or around 10:30 hours, suspect car was removed from Takrock Bay by the Mohave County Dive and Rescue Team. Upon inspection, two bodies were recovered from said vehicle.

On 1/24/77 at 09:00 hours, positive identification was made by the Mohave County Coroner’s Office on two crash victims pulled from said wreckage. Angela Lynn McDonald, 17 of 2349 Meadowbrook Lane, Longview Texas