Chapter 22

On the way to the salvage yard they caught up on each other's lives. Liv had almost forgotten about the maniacal events by the time they arrived. "Here, can you unlock the gate?" Finn handed Liv a key. She nodded, jumped out and opened the heavy wrought iron gate. As soon as he drove through, she closed and locked it again.

"Brrr, it's getting freaking cold. Feels like a storm front is moving in." She shivered and cranked up the truck's heater. Finn drove carefully down the rutted driveway and pulled up in front of a tin covered building. Tires and old car parts were clearly visible in the moonlight, and the path to the yard's office was lined with chrome bumpers.

They got out of the truck and headed for the office. Finn unlocked the door and fumbled around before finding and flipping on the light switch. A naked bulb hanging from the ceiling flickered then sputtered to life.

Liv eyed the piles of paper and car parts. "Homey."

"Mom gave up on this place a long time ago." Finn laughed. "You ready to make that call?" He motioned to an old rotary phone sitting on the desk.

"Yeah, sure. Hope I still remember how to use one of these things. I think I had a toy like it when I was a kid." Liv took a deep breath, dug a phonebook out of a stack of teetering papers, found the number for the state police and dialed.

"Colorado State Patrol, what is the nature of your emergency?" a friendly man enquired.

"Hi, um, I saw a man murdered today. I need a trooper to come out and make an arrest! Oh, and the guy who did it saw me and then sent another guy after me to try and run me off the road!" Liv said breathlessly.

"Easy there. We'll get this sorted out. First things first, what is your name and location?" the operator asked.

"My name is Liv Driscol and I live in Eagles Landing, Colorado."

"Have you called the local authorities, Miss? We try to let them handle it first."

Liv hesitated before responding, "I think the Sheriff may be friends with the murderer. I saw him at the Sheriff's house less than an hour ago! I wasn't sure what to do, so I called you guys. I don't have any reason to think that the Sheriff is in on it, but I couldn't take the chance."

"Well, I truly hope he didn't know anything about the murder, but you did the right thing. We don't want any conflicts of interest. Sounds like you've been having a rough day!"

"Yeah, that's an understatement."

"Okay, I'm checking our system. It looks like our nearest car is over an hour away. I can dispatch a patrolman to meet up with you and take a statement. I'm really sorry about the wait, we had a bunch of accidents tonight and everyone is busy at the moment."

"An hour is fine," Liv said with relief.

"Miss? Do you know the name of the man you saw commit the murder or the one who chased after you?" the operator asked.

"No, I've never seen either of them before," Liv admitted.

"Okay, that's fine. We'll find them; don't you worry. Now, where would you like the patrolman to meet you, Ms. Driscol?"

Liv looked down at her soiled clothes and responded, "Have him meet me at my house at 1112 Thornway. It's a two story house with a wraparound porch."

"I'll have him meet you there. Expect to see him in about an hour. Thanks for calling the Colorado State Patrol."

After hanging up the phone, the operator, a former gunrunner named Mac, swiveled around in his seat and let out a laugh. The only light in the windowless room came from two large computer consoles that were monitoring all the phone traffic in and out of town. The prey had called the hunter. The irony was perfect.

Lining one wall of the bunkhouse operating center was a bank of phones, ready in case they had a busy night. In the midst of the black phones sat a single red one. He hurried over and picked up its receiver. There was only one button to dial.

"Mister Conroe, I hope I didn't wake you, sir. It's Mac, at the call center. I just intercepted a call from Liv Driscol to the State Patrol. That little bitch is still alive-. Sorry sir, I didn't mean to curse." He waited impatiently. "Yes sir, I will call Max immediately. Thank you, sir, it was my pleasure. You have a good night too."