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Dallas was the first official to arrive on scene, and he was followed by another patrol car, an ambulance and a tow truck. Suzanna slowly began making her way up out of the ravine as Dallas slid down the hill to meet her.

“Suzanna, are you okay?” Dallas asked. He grabbed her by the elbow and helped her back up to the road.

“The…the car hit me on…on purpose,” Suzanna said through her tears. “It sl-slammed into me three ti-times, and the las-last time I went off the road. Then the car j-just sat there for a long time. No-nobody came to help, and finally the car just sped off.”

By that time, they were up on the road. “Suzanna, do you need any medical treatment?” Dallas asked. They were joined there by Officers Joel Penn and Darryl O’Conner.

“No, I don’t think so,” she replied. “I feel like I’ve been run over by a large truck, but I don’t need the ambulance.” She wrapped her arms around herself and fought off a shiver.

“How about we get you checked out by the EMTs anyway,” he said and led her to the waiting ambulance. They checked her blood pressure, which was a little high under the circumstances, and listened to her heart. They then asked her questions about any injuries she might have received.

She told them nothing was broken, and then she left the ambulance and rejoined Dallas and his men, who all held high-powered flashlights and had been checking out the skid marks left on the road.

“Do you have a description of the car that hit you?” Dallas asked her.

“I don’t know much about makes or models of cars. I… I’ve never been a c-car person, but I’m sure it was a four-door sedan.” She sucked in a deep breath in order to get control of her emotions.

“Did you get a color?”

Suzanna frowned. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what color it was, it was so dark…too dark to tell.” The emotions she’d tried to get control of took possession of her again. Tears blurred her vision, and the back of her throat closed up with residual fear.

“It’s going to be okay, Suzanna,” Dallas said and patted her shoulder awkwardly. “I’m assuming you have insurance.”

“I do,” she replied. “That’s not what has me so upset.” She stared at the handsome lawman in the swirling blue-and-red lights coming from the top of his patrol car.

Once again, an icy chill gripped her. “What has me so upset is I think the driver of the car was trying to kill me. I don’t know who or why, but I believe this was a case of attempted murder. I… I think somebody wants me dead.” With that, she burst into tears once again.

Seth heard about Suzanna’s car accident the next day at noon when he went into the café to grab some lunch. He immediately left the café and drove to Suzanna’s house. He had no idea if she was at work or not. More importantly, he had no idea if she’d been badly hurt.

There was an unfamiliar car in her driveway, but it was a huge relief when she answered his knock. “Hey, Seth,” she said. “Come on in out of the cold.” She opened the door wider to allow him entry.

“I heard you had a car accident. Are you okay?” He looked her up and down. She was clad in a pink robe that was tied tightly around her waist, and she moved gingerly as she led him into her kitchen.

He wanted to grab her up in his arms and hold her tight. He needed to feel her body close to his and her heart beat against his own to assure himself she was really okay. But instead, he followed her into the kitchen and continued to gaze at her worriedly.

“I’m a bit bruised and battered, but I’ll survive.” She gestured for him to have a seat at the table while she walked over to the coffeemaker.

“Tell me what happened?” he asked.

“Let me get some coffee going before I get into all that,” she replied.

“Okay, I’ll try to wait as patiently as I can,” he said.

She flashed him a quick smile, although the gesture wasn’t as bright as usual. She must be hurting a lot to stay home from school instead of going in to work.

He didn’t know if she had hit another car or had struck a deer. He had left the café before hearing any of the details about her accident. He was now eager to find out exactly what had happened.

It took only minutes and the two cups of coffee were on the table, and Suzanna eased down in the chair opposite him. “Now, tell me exactly what happened,” he said.

She wrapped her slender fingers around her coffee cup and then told him about the terror on the road she had experienced the night before. When she was finished, his head reeled with more questions.

“Suzanna, who on earth would want you dead?” he asked incredulously.

She released her cup and leaned forward. “That’s what Dallas asked me, and I told him I don’t know. I haven’t had words with anyone—I don’t have a jealous boyfriend or any boyfriend at all. There’s nobody in my life who should want to kill me, but I swear that car slammed into me and threw me off the road and into the ravine on purpose.” Her face paled. “He hit me not once, not twice, but three times.”

He reached out and grabbed her hand. Her fingers were icy cold and immediately curled around his. “Is it possible the driver was just a drunk and would have hit anyone who was on the road that night? I’ve heard the stories about some of the men who habitually drive drunk. Couldn’t it have been one of them?”

She frowned, the gesture taking nothing away from her beauty. She pulled her hand from his and tucked a wisp of her hair behind her ear. “I suppose that could be possible,” she finally conceded. “Or is it possible it was the Scarecrow Killer? I mean, one of his works of art was left in my classroom. Am I his next target?”