Fogbound: A Lin Hanna Mystery Read Online Free PDF Page A

arm and cried out, “Don’t turn yet, I thought I saw someone fall at the
side of the road ahead.   They may
need help.”
    Lin continued
slowly past the exit.   Just ahead
was a place with wide grassy shoulders bordering a forested area.   A parking area opened at an overlook just
beyond.   There was one car there,
but no visitors were to be seen.   Near
the verge of the roadway was what appeared to be a pile of crumpled
fabric.   Lin pulled into the
overlook and Sue jumped out of the car immediately, running toward the pile.
    “It’s a young
woman,” she cried.
    Lin secured the
car and headed back toward the spot where Sue was helping the young lady to sit
up.   Her left arm and shoulder were
bloodied and there was a large gash on her forehead.   Her face and upper body were badly
bruised.   Her sundress was almost
completely ripped off.   It barely
covered her breasts and she was barefoot.
    She spoke in a
rasping whisper, “Help me, I’ve got to find Pete, I can’t find him.”

Chapter 2

 
    In spite of the
warm afternoon, the girl was shivering.   Lin quickly returned to the car to retrieve the picnic blanket she and
Sue had brought along just in case one was needed. Now she used it to wrap
around the young woman.
    “She’s probably
lost a lot of blood,” Sue remarked, noticing the bloody trail marking where the
girl appeared to have crawled up to the shoulder from a drop off just this side
of the overlook. “See if you can get cell signal here and call 911.”
    Unfortunately,
Lin had only one bar and her attempt to call didn’t go through.   Signal was no better at the
overlook.   She did observe that
there was a blanket and picnic remains spread out on a grassy area nearby, a
beautiful spot with a broad view beyond.  
    “I think we may
have to go for help,” Lin said as she returned to the spot where Sue was trying
to apply pressure to the wound on the girl’s head with a piece of cloth torn
from her ripped dress.
    Just at that
moment a motorist came around the bend, pulled to a stop at the shoulder, and
rolled down the window. “Can I help you?   What happened?”   an older
gentleman called from the car.
    “ We need to
get some medical help up here, maybe a park ranger too, this girl’s been hurt,”
Sue explained,   “and there’s no cell
signal up here.”
    “I’ll go back to
the exit and get off the Parkway,” the Good Samaritan offered,   “I’ll make a note of the milepost here
and call from Deep Gap.   I should be
able to get through from there.   Just hang on and help should be here shortly, or, if you think it best,
we could put her in your car and take her to the hospital.   I’m local and I could lead you there.”
    Lin spoke
quickly, “I don’t think we should move her—not knowing the extent of her
injuries.”   She didn’t add that she
was afraid this might be a crime scene of some sort and the authorities would
want to see the situation.
    The man nodded
in agreement and drove away to get help.   Sue went back to their car and brought some bottled water from the
cooler, but, by the time she’d returned, the victim had lapsed into
unconsciousness and wasn’t able to drink.   Sue sat down beside the girl and drew the blanket more firmly together pulling
her close to keep her warm while they waited.
    On impulse, Lin
decided to go back to the car and get her camera.   She took some photos of the general
area, the overlook, the empty car parked there, and the trail of bloody grass
that led from the rocky area where the slope dropped away. When that was done,
she decided to go back to the parking area and look over the edge down the hill.   She really couldn’t see much.   The land dropped about six feet to a
relatively flat but rocky area about three or four feet wide.   There was no sign of another person
anywhere.   A marked hiking trail led
away from the far end of the parking area, but there was no sign of any
hikers.   Only the one