Left to Vanish (An Adele Sharp Mystery—Book Eight) by Blake Pierce (books to read for 13 year olds .txt) 📗

along with therest of the jalopy, moving on to the larger road leading away from the sidestreet.

“Go, go!” Adele shouted.

Agent Paige didn’t need a second invitation. Stillunbuckled, she slammed her foot into the gas, and the car screeched again,fully turned now, skidding out of the cul-de-sac and up the street.

The taxi shuddered and rattled with the rapid acceleration,and Adele gripped the backrest of Paige’s seat, her wide eyes fixed on the carahead.

The old car was turning again, moving toward the highwaynow.

“Hurry, before he gets away!”

Paige growled and spun the wheel again, this time tearingout onto the larger road and moving across three lanes of traffic. Luckily,only a couple of cars were on the roads, and only one of them honked as she flewup the street, following Mr. Lavigne’s vehicle.

Agent Paige leaned on the horn, but this only seemed toincrease the car’s speed in front of them.

“He’s running,” Paige snapped.

“He doesn’t know we’re police,” Adele retorted, feeling herheart hammer. “We’re in a taxi. We have to cut him off! He’s not going to pullover.”

Agent Paige gunned the engine, speeding now, catching up tothe car as they both pulled out onto the highway, merging into a fast lane oftraffic.

A large truck merged into the same lane as they did, andAgent Paige had to skip onto the shoulder for a second, to avoid a collision.The truck behind them leaned on its horn, and Adele’s heart jolted.

That was close. Still, she could see Mr. Lavigne now movinginto the left lane, heading toward one of the ramps.

“Go!” Adele said quickly. “We have to cut him off. Get himto pull onto the shoulder!”

“Call backup,” Paige snapped. “He’s running.”

Adele wasn’t so sure, though. The eccentric and entitledpreservationist had seen them pull up, no doubt, but there was nothing about themto suggest they were law enforcement. For all he knew, he was being chased downby two crazies. Still, she fished her phone out, preparing to call but keepingher eyes on the road ahead as Agent Paige moved in and out of traffic, tryingto catch up with the surprisingly quick jalopy.

Their taxi continued to grumble and shake as they racedforward.

“He’s going to take the exit!” Adele shouted, her phoneforgotten for the moment. “Get in front of him, get in front!”

Agent Paige gritted her teeth, jolting the wheel to avoidan SUV moving too slowly in the left lane. She veered in front of anothertruck, passed the SUV, and now came directly behind the jalopy.

They were so close they were practically bumper-to-bumper.

Adele could see the widened eyes reflected in the mirrorahead of them again.

She glimpsed Mr. Lavigne flash a middle finger in themirror and then quickly merge, moving off the highway to the exit.

“Before he turns!” Adele said quickly.

At the same time she glanced up at the large signs over theroad. A small white etching of a plane indicated this was an exit that led tothe airport.

Paige remained focused, still bumper-to-bumper with thefleeing jalopy. Mr. Lavigne picked up speed as well, trying to distance himselffrom what he likely assumed was a crazed taxi.

Paige continued to lean on the horn, and now Mr. Lavignereturned it, blaring back at them.

“Careful,” Adele shouted.

Paige slammed on the brakes just as Lavigne did too.

She nearly slammed into the back of the car, but then thejalopy sped forward again, leaving them stalled behind.

Paige growled, and floored the gas again.

“Hang on tight,” she insisted. And then Agent Paige quicklyveered onto the shoulder, slamming along the security rail and scraping theside of the taxi against the gray metal. Adele winced, but at the same time,Agent Paige, with this same maneuver, pulled sharply in front of the fleeingvehicle. Apparently the taxi at maximum speed was a bit faster than the preservationist’sold, worn out car.

Adele heard the sound of squeaking tires, slamming brakes,and screeching horns. At the same time, Agent Paige brought their car to a fullhalt, guiding the jalopy off the edge of the road.

Luckily, Mr. Lavigne had slammed on the brakes as well. Hisvehicle screeched, and with a scraping protest, crunched against the metalbarrier on the opposite side of the road. Adele heard something shatter, likelya headlight, and she heard more blaring horns, this time coming from behind thestalled cars.

But she was already throwing open her door, gun in her hand,shouting, “DGSI, hands where I can see them!”

The moment the gun appeared, the honking behind them faded.A truck and two SUVs were trying to get past, but now, at the sight of AgentPaige and Adele, both armed, they began to back up quickly. One of the SUVseven pulled off the shoulder, wheeling back and nearly slamming into the cementdivider.

“Out,” Adele screamed. “Out with your hands up!”

The bearded man in the front shouted incoherently. Hiswindow rolled down, though, but both of his hands were still out of sight.

“Show me your hands!” Adele screamed.

“Are you insane?” a voice was yelling from within the car. “Idiots!”

“DGSI,” Adele shouted. “Show me your hands!”

With his window down, at this declaration, Mr. Lavignefroze, looking sharply up at her. His squinting eyes peered out from a beardedface. His comb-over was slick with sweat, likely from the excitement of thechase.

Agent Paige was circling the other side of the car, her owngun pointed toward the window. She slid past the window covered in duct tape,growling loud enough for him to hear, “If I don’t see your hands in the nextfive seconds…”

Mr. Lavigne’s hands were still beneath the steering wheel.For a moment, he seemed caught in a decision, but then, as the two agentscircled toward the front of his stalled car, and Adele spotted the smashedheadlight, fragments of glass scattered across the highway, he finally raisedhis hands slowly, placing them on the steering wheel.

“All right, turn off your car,” Agent Paige snapped.

“You want to see my hands or have me turn off the car?” Mr.Lavigne snapped back.

Instead of answering, Adele jolted forward, reachingthrough the open window and pulling the keys.

She stepped back just as quickly, snapping her weapon toattention. She gripped the keys, staring at the stalled car, breathing heavily.

“Get out slowly,” Paige growled.

Mr. Lavigne was breathing heavily, shaking