Hope you enjoy reading
this excerpt from “Patch Town - Up from
the Ashes.”
… When he passed the driveway entrance leading up to his house he saw a
dark-colored vehicle, which looked outsized with its high beams on, stopped at
the Greenleaf Lane side road just ahead of him. When he drove past, the vehicle
first pulled out slowly, accelerated, and then came up to within ten feet of
his car. “What an idiot driver! The speed limit is 35 mph on this road,” Martin
shouted to no one in particular. “If I slam on my brakes he’ll plow right into
me.”
Linda eased to her left and glanced into the rearview mirror and said,
“It looks like a black or blue van. The person’s high beams are on so it’s hard
to tell.”
The vehicle was now so close it sounded like the vehicle’s engine roar
was thunderous, as if it were a metal-eating behemoth ready to angrily chomp
off the trunk of his car. “That driver is making me real nervous.” Martin’s
breathing came in rapid spurts. “I’m going to take another way to your place
... through the farmers market parking area. That driver has a serious case of
road rage!”
A hundred feet down the road Martin took a sharp right turn into the
public parking zone used by day-trippers walking down to the public beach. The
parking zone was bordered on two sides by South and North Main Streets and
other sides by the Dockside Restaurant and the Community Farmers Market. The
only cars parked were those in front of the Dockside.
The dark vehicle made the same right turn into the parking lot!
“My ex-husband owns a dark blue Dodge van,” Linda said matter-of-factly,
as if trying to distract Martin, instead her words raising a feeling of
irritation. “He carts all of his junk in it he sells at the flea markets.”
“You know Dad texted me before,” Kati said, leaning forward from the
back seat.
Linda and Martin simultaneously looked at each other. “And what did he
want?” Linda asked, caution in her voice.
“He wanted to know where we were. I told him we were coming up close to
Mr. Martin’s house.”
The dark van followed them all the way to the entrance of the Greenbrier
Apartments. The van stopped momentarily and Martin turned into the entrance of
the apartment complex. He pulled into a spot close to Linda’s apartment. Martin
got out of his car, leaving the driver-side door wide open, and starting
walking, almost running, toward the entrance.
“Martin, that’s not a safe thing to do? He might have a gun!” Linda
called out. Martin could hear the alarm in her voice, but he had to confront
the driver who endangered the lives of people he cared much about. Martin and
the stranger were about to collide …
Robert Parlante
February 2016
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