Chapter 23
My spirit hovered anxiously around Scar Man and his crew as they trailed closely behind Max’s car.
“Boss wants this guy gone for good, no postmortem,” Scar Man declared, securing a menacing mask over his face. They couldn’t risk exposing themselves during the hit.
Panic-stricken, I sped into Max’s car, desperately pounding on his steering wheel, urging him to floor it. If they caught up, it would spell trouble. But Max couldn’t see or hear me.
Just as Scar Man’s car seemed about to close in, my heart leaped to my throat. Then, out of nowhere, a sly grin spread across Max’s handsome face, and with a swift drift around a bend, he left Scar Man’s vehicle in the dust. I breathed a sigh of relief. Max had been clued in that they were tailing him all along.
But driven by a vendetta, Scar Man relentlessly pursued once more. Ahead lay a narrow mountain pass, its other side dropping sharply into a cliff, a perfect setup for what would appear to be an accidental crash. No wonder Scar Man was so confident they could take Max out there.
“Dr. Hilton, watch out for the cliff!” I blurted out, even though I knew he couldn’t hear me.
But, he peeked in the rearview mirror, checked out the cliff, and floored it around the bend. My heart raced as Scar Man attempted to ram Max off the road at the curve.
I covered my eyes, dreading to look, only to hear a loud crash. I prayed it wasn’t Max.
A scoff broke the silence. Peeking through my fingers, I saw Max unscathed, speeding away from danger.
Floating above, I witnessed Scar Man’s vehicle crumpled against the mountain, blocked by a cascade of fallen rocks.
“Damn it! He got away. Our cover will be exposed soon!” Scar Man cursed, smashing his mask underfoot.
“How are we going to explain this to the boss? We’re done for if Dr. Hilton teams up with the detectives p>
“Let’s head back and report. We’ll figure something out,” Scar Man spat on the ground, glaring up as if he could see me. Just that look sent shivers down my spine, fear gripping my spirit.
Their malice ran deep. I had to follow them to protect Max from their schemes. I couldn’t bear the thought of him getting hurt because of me, especially since he was there at Ronald’s request to perform an autopsy. If anything happened to him, I’d never rest in peace.
Following Scar Man, we arrived at a
wooden cabin at the mountain’s base, eerily similar to the scene of my demise. Everything inside
matched the house where I got net
killed, although it wasn’t the same mountain. We had hiked Mount Pinegrove, but this unfamiliar
mountain held dark secrets, too.
Scar Man kicked a metal basin, cursing, “If you two hadn’t killed that woman, we wouldn’t be in this mess p>
They were talking about me!
“Scar Man, we didn’t know that woman was pregnant. We thought burning her would erase all traces, but the fetus’s DNA was intact p>
Tears of despair streamed down my
face. They had killed me and attempted to hide their crime by burning me, and had it not been for my unborn child, I’d have remained an unidentified corpse forever
hoped more than anything that Max and Ronald would uncover the truth about my death.
“Now, there’s no way back. We either sneak into the police station and destroy the charred body or take out Max and Collins. Collins is a cop. He’s untouchable. As for the body it’s too risky. Our only move is to eliminate Max. He’s only a surgeon at Century Wellness Hospital. It’s no big deal. Tomorrow, we’ll cause a scene at the hospital. Get him fired. Then, amidst the chaos, we’ll strike p>
Their plan was clear, but how could I warn Max?
As I pondered my next move, Scar Man flung several knives, their clashing metal freezing me in terror.
The memory of my last moments, cornered with a blade at my throat, haunted me. The final indignity had driven me to lunge at the knife. I could still feel the sharp pain as my blood gushed out. I had hoped for Claude to save me. From hope to despair, he never came.
In my dying moments, they took me to another cabin, setting it aflame. I became nothing but a charred body.
Scar Man said fiercely, “After this job, we all lay low and leave Crestview Metropolis. Don’t drag the boss into this p>
‘Who is this boss they fear so greatly?’ I wondered.