Finding Sheila

Chapter 3 - Break Time-3

The first trooper with the Kentucky State Police was on the scene within minutes of her radioed distress call. He immediately called in reinforcements, then had a local Sheriff’s deputy block the main exit so no one could leave.

More State Troopers responded from several miles around and began a canvass of the area around the rest stop.

Dana continued trying to question people. Most, she found, had arrived at the rest stop after they did, and no one claimed to have seen anything. Exasperated, she walked toward the last 18-wheeler in a long row, one she hadn’t yet seen a Trooper approach.

A man opened the cab door on the driver’s side and climbed down. “Saw you coming. What’s going on? Why is everyone being held here?”

Dana pointed toward the ambulance more than a hundred yards away. “We were transporting a prisoner from Tennessee to Ohio, a woman in her fifties in an orange prison jumpsuit. She’s gone missing from the back of the ambulance. Have you seen anyone come out of it besides me and the driver?”

The truck driver stared off at the squad for several seconds and slowly shook his head. “Driver a woman?”

“No, male.”

“I saw a woman over that way in dark pants, light shirt with a jacket on that was navy blue...pretty dark blue.” He flung a hand in the general direction of the squad. “Thought she came out of the Pilot building though.”

Dana rubbed the tender spot at the back of her head. She had a sketchy memory of someone she passed as she went into the Pilot Center that was dressed like that. The woman had smiled at Dana but didn’t speak. “What did she look like?”

“A little overweight, I’d guess you’d say. Short hair, from what I could tell at this distance. Not very tall. Couldn’t tell you her age, though.”

Dana controlled another shudder. “Did you see where she went?”

“Up the row here, toward another semi. Dark blue cab, silver trailer.”

“She got in?”

He nodded. “On the passenger side, I’m pretty sure.”

“Any markings at all on it?”

“Sorry. Not that I noticed and, before you ask, I didn’t catch any kind of a plate number on it either.”

She glanced out toward the freeway. She could see the northbound ramp but not the southbound one. She pointed toward the ramp that was in view. “Did you see if they went north?”

“Nope. Didn’t watch them that long.”

Dana glanced around. Troopers were starting to mill about, out of places to search. She worried what he’d told her was a dead end, but since it was her only lead, she hustled back to the squad.

Caleb stood by the driver’s side door, using a cell phone to talk to his dispatcher. She reached around him and yanked the door open then commanded him to give her the keys.

He lowered the phone and pulled the keys out of his pocket as he asked, “What for?”

“I’m going after Sheila!”

“You can’t drive this ma’am.”

“Watch me!” She snatched the keys away. “If you’re coming along, you better get in.”

Moments later, as the squad rumbled to life and he was only half way in on the passenger side, she told him, “Give me lights and sirens so I can get past the local yokel blocking the exit up there.”

“Won’t he know that we’re the ones that lost the lady and...”

“Just do it!”

Caleb did as he was told. His phone was still in his hand. He realized he’d never hung up with his dispatcher and raised it to his ear. ‘What’s going on? Are you rolling? Who’s that talking to you?’ she was asking. Scared, he disconnected the call and dropped the phone into the center console.

Dana squeezed the ambulance through the space behind the patrol car blocking most of the exit from the travel center. She was a couple of feet into the grass and prayed that the ground was firm.

She took a wild stab and turned down the northbound on ramp. On the highway, she laid on the gas. The sound in the cab with the siren screaming overhead was deafening. “You can turn that thing off now!”

When it was quiet, she told him, “Radio your dispatcher if you feel like you need to, and tell her whatever you want to tell her.”

He reached toward it but then drew his hand back again. “I don’t know what to say to her that won’t get me in any more trouble than I already am.”

Dana sped around a car that wasn’t paying attention to her lights.

Caleb grabbed one of the ‘Oh s**t’ handles. “Slow down. You’re breaking the law, driving this thing over the speed limit!”

She shot him a look. “Seriously? We’re in pursuit of an escaped felon.”

He gave in. “Maybe we need to turn the siren back on then, so people just get out of the way.”