Hit and Run Read Online Free PDF Page A

anything else in the world. Will you teach me now or have you something else to do?'

    'You mean right now?'

    'Yes, if you can spare the time.'

    'Well, all right. We'd better change places,' and I began to get out of the car, but she put her hand on my coat sleeve, stopping me. The feel of her fingers sent a hot wave of blood crawling up my spine.

    'Not here. They'll see us and they'll tell Roger. Let's go somewhere where no one can see us.'

    'They? Who do you mean?'

    'Mrs. Hepple and Watkins. Have you met Mrs. Hepple?'

    'Yes.'
    'I don't like her. She's sneaky. Don't you think she's sneaky?'

    'I wouldn't know. I just saw her last night. I haven't spoken to her.'

    'She doesn't approve of me. She likes to get me into trouble. Roger listens to her.'

    I suddenly saw the danger of this.

    'If Mr. Aitken doesn't want you to learn to drive ...'

    She put her hand on my arm, and that stopped me short.

    'Don't tell me you're another one of them who is afraid of him. If you are, I'll find someone else to teach me to drive.'

    'It's not that I'm afraid of him, but I can't very well do something that is against his wishes.'

    She put her head a little on one side and looked searchingly at me.

    'Don't my wishes mean anything, then?'

    We looked at each other, then I turned on the ignition.

    'If you want to learn how to drive, I'll teach you,' I said, my heart slamming against my ribs.

    I moved the gear lever to 'drive' and trod down on the gas pedal. The car went down the long driveway like a bullet out of a gun. At the gates, I stood on the brake pedal and, when the tyres bit, I swung the car on to the main highway and again gave it the gun.

    For about five minutes I drove fast with the speedometer needle flickering around the nineties, then I slowed and turned off on to a secondary road and pulled up.

    'My!' she exclaimed, and she sounded a little breathless. 'You can drive! I've never been driven as fast as that before.'

    I got out and walked around the car.

    'Move over,' I said, opening the off-side door. 'You can't drive where you're sitting.'

    She slid across the bench seat and I got in and sat in her place. I could feel the slight warmth of her body still on the seat and that made the blood quicken in my veins.

    'Look, it's simple. Here's the gear lever. All you have to do is shift it down a notch, like this, then
    you press down on the pedal by your right foot. When you want to stop, you take your foot off that pedal and put it on the big one here on your left. That's the brake. Got it?'

    'Why, it's easy,' she said, and in one movement she flicked down the gear lever and trod down hard on the gas.

    The car took off like a crazy thing. She had absolutely no idea how to steer a car. I doubt if she looked where she was going.

    For two or three seconds I was so startled I couldn't do anything. In those seconds we shot off the road, mounted the grass verge, skated along it with the off-side wheels skidding, and then we slammed back on to the road again. As we tore towards a hedge on the other side of the road I grabbed the wheel and got the car straight.

    'Take your foot off the gas!' I yelled at her and I managed to kick her shoe off the pedal. Still holding the wheel, I stamped down on the brake and brought the car to a violent stop.

    Those had been hectic seconds. In another moment we could have been wrecked.

    I turned off the ignition and turned to look at her.

    The moonlight was coming through the open car window and I could see her clearly. She was completely unruffled and she was smiling. She looked so lovely she took my breath away.

    'It's got power,' she said. 'I was a little heavy-footed, wasn't I? I shouldn't have pressed down so hard. Let's try again.'

    'Now, wait a minute,' I said. 'That's a terrific way to attempt suicide. You don't stamp down ...'

    'I know,' she said impatiently. 'You don't have to tell me. I pressed down much too hard. Let's try again.'

    'Will you watch the road when the car