Page 5 of Reclaiming Chaos
“In four minutes, there will be a pile-up on this bridge. A hearse is going to hit the guard rail and flip. The procession behind it won’t be able to stop in time. People are going to get hurt. One little girl holding a teddy bear will be standing in the road. She’s going to be the only casualty. An oncoming car won’t see her until the last minute because of the rain.”
I turned my gaze to the window. “It’s not raining.”
She blinked as the first raindrop hit the windshield.
“Why are you telling me this?” I asked. “Do you know someone in the cars?”
She shook her head. “No. I’m telling you this so you’ll know that I’m telling the truth. Most times, my predictions come true. And my employer has designs to silence a future one. It’s the reason I ran.”
“They said you were an analyst. What type of predictions were you providing them?”
“That would vary depending on the assignment. See, I’ve been making predictions since I was a little girl. My very first was about my grandmother's passing. I cried and told my mom, and my grandmother died the following day. After that, I’d just see things. Know things…”
“Okay,” I said when her voice trailed off as she must have been remembering all those years ago.
“I was recruited directly out of college. Often, the science departments will pay college students to be part of different testing programs. I needed the money, and so I participated.”
“What type of test?”
“That time, it was remote viewing. The accuracy of my test scores was off the charts. I was offered a job by the company sponsoring the testing.”
“As an analyst? What did they want? Information and insight on their competition or something?”
“Something like that. I won’t go into specifics. Plausible deniability for you might come in handy. But I will say that most of my work was performed while testing and in the labs. Sometimes the information was channeled; sometimes I just knew things.”
“And one of your predictions scared you into running?”
She nodded. Her frown deepened. “Yes, but the one that matters right now is the girl with the bear. Her name is Mira, and you need to save her.”
“Why is she important?”
“In forty years, she’s the future president of the United States, and there is nothing accidental about this crash. Powerful people within the company are orchestrating this chain of events knowing Mira’s potential. Save the kid, and I’ll be in touch.” She opened the door, and the rain came down harder. “Don’t trust anyone, Ridge.”
“Anyone but you?” I asked.
“Save the kid, and I’ll find you.”
“This is the prediction that made you run,” I called out, trying to stall her from running off.
“No. This prediction isn’t the worst of it, but it’s one we can stop.” She backed out of the SUV just as a hearse flew up the road, and cars with lights on were following it. “Save Mira.”
I watched in horror as the hearse hit the railing and flipped three times in the air. The sound of crushing metal and smell of smoke drifting up into the rain had my heart clenching tight. I glanced back to find Carlee had disappeared through the pouring rain.
I grabbed my phone and called for an ambulance and police before tossing it back on the seat. A girl climbed out of the last car clutching a teddy bear. A long gash streaked across her forehead.
I raced for the girl, sparring only a quick glance to look for oncoming lights.
I screamed, “Get to the railing.” Not that anyone could hear me through the torrential downpour. I got to the car and pulled open the driver’s side door and helped the man out before moving to the side and opening the mother’s door. I helped them both to the side of the bridge.
Mira was standing in shock, watching us. Her lips quivered as she tried to hide her confusion and fear. “I’m the police, and I’m here to help you. You’re Mira, right?”
She nodded.
I glanced over my shoulder once more. The lights were closer and showed no signs of slowing down. I swept Mira up into my arms and sprinted toward the railing.
The gust of wind from the car plowing into the heap of torn and twisted metal sounded behind me. We’d barely made it out of the way before the car plowed into the backseat of Mira’s parents’ car.
Her mom snatched the little girl out of my arms and clutched her tight. Her father wrapped his arms around them both and glanced up at me. “Thank you for saving my daughter.”
