Chapter 9

I woke up Sunday morning in the middle of the night to the sound of my phone. I searched through the pile of my clothes till I found it. "This better be good Simpson," I said.

"Actually it's bad. There was a high school basketball game last night at the northern high school gym. There was an accident outside the gym as the crowd left." Simpson said.

"How bad," I asked.

"Car ran into the crowd. Six kids are in the hospital, one is in critical condition," he suggested.

"I'll get in my car and head that way. I'm not sure how long it will take, but if anyone asks I'm on my way. Where do I need to be the scene of the accident or the hospital?" I asked.

"Wilson is on the car and he is processing it. The driver left the car and the scene. We are looking for him now," Simpson said.

"Get in though the highway patrol road block and find out who owns that damn car. Get the owner's driving record and the registration and call me back," I said. "If Wilson wants to call me with the registration information that's fine. Get somebody out to the owners house now. Find out who was driving that car."

"Sheriff, I have it covered. We will be headed out to the house as soon as we get the registration information," Simpson said.

"We do this right Detective Simpson. Dot every eye and cross every tee. Everybody gets to work. If the driver is still MIA hold the night shift over," I said.

"I got it boss," he said.

"All right I'm on my way. If you get the driver call me and I'll go to the hospital, if not I plan to be standing right there," I said."

"I got it," he said.

"Stay away from the press till we get the driver," I said. "If you can't get the driver at least find out who the driver is."

Shit the night was a total cluster fuck. I couldn't believe so many things could go wrong on so many fronts in the same night. While we were intimidating the college boy, A car was plowing into a bunch of school kids. Somebody's ass was going to swing for that one. I could only hope it wouldn't be mine as well as the driver.

I kissed Liam goodbye before I went to the bathhouse to clean up. I had to dress in the same clothes I wore the night before, but at least it wasn't some sleazy slutty outfit. I headed to the hospital for a quick visit to the ER. I managed to get an update from the officers on the scene. One of mine was there as well as as couple of state boys.

"So Deputy how are the victims?" I asked.

"One of the victims died, two more have been admitted to the hospital and three are treat and release under the new medical rules," he said.

"Okay, I'm going to the scene to try to get things going there. If you are pressed to talk to anyone, don't. Trust me no matter how hard you try to say the right things, you can't," I said.

"Yes Ma'am," he said. "And the press is calling, but they are talking to the ER doctors not us yet. When they run out of good quote from the highway patrol and the doctors they may get down to me, but I won't say a word."

"Good," I said. Then I went to the parking lot and got into the little Ford pick up truck. I drove it to the scene of the accident. I really was in no hurry. I hated horror movies, let alone real life. I also knew there was very little I could do.

When I pulled in I noticed that half the parking lot was taped off. Wilson was through with the car and was walking around with a very large flash light picking up thing and putting them in evidence bags. I walked to him.

"Wilson do you need any help," I asked solemnly.

"No," he said quietly. He obviously wanted to be sure it was done right.

"If you need anything, you just have to ask, understand?" I asked.

"Thanks Sheriff," he replied.

I found Detective Eddie Simpson on the phone. I waited until he finished his call then asked. "Eddie who was driving?"

"I can't be sure yet, but the car belongs to Rose Briggs," he replied.

"Do we know, if she was driving?" I asked.

"I can't get in touch with her. She did call in a half hour after the accident to report the car stolen. But I can't get her to answer her phone now."

"Then it's time we go to her house and beat the door down," I suggested. "What's her record look like?"

"She has a drug arrest for possession of a controlled substance," Detective Simpson said.

"So what was the substance?" I asked.

"Heroin but she went into rehab as part of her sentence," he said.

"Well, for her sake I hope it took," I said. "We need to talk to her about the car."

"Oh yes," Simpson said.

"You drive, since you have the country car," I said.

It was only a ten minute drive to the Briggs' house. "If Rose Briggs was driving what was she doing at a high school basket ball game? I asked.

"Her birth date on the DMV records make her only 28years old. She is too young to have a child there. Maybe a brother, sister or even a younger boyfriend though," Simpson guessed.

"She is going to deny she was there, so we have to find out who she would be there to pickup. If not then why the hell was she there?" I asked.

"Maybe it wasn't her driving. It could have been a high school kid stole the car to joyride and drove to the school to impress his girlfriend." Simpson guessed.

"True but we won't know till we find the car's owner," I suggested.