Excerpt
Bob turned around and looked at Sherry. Oh my God, thought Sherry. He’s going to recognize my car. The other guy saw her car too, and he pulled out his pistol and began shooting at her. A shot hit the windshield on the passenger side shattering it spraying a few small shards of glass toward Sherry.
In a panic, Sherry jammed her car into reverse and backed away fast. She heard a couple more shots, but they didn’t hit her car. After backing up about 200 yards, she shifted into drive and turned on to a farm road. While her compact sedan wasn’t great on dirt roads, Sherry sped. She knew this farm road, a shortcut to her house. She seldom used it. A closed gate was situated at the far end of the road. At the gate, she slammed on her brakes and hurried out of the car. She glanced back down the way she’d come. Bob probably knows this road, too. No one was coming. She drove through the gate and stopped on the other side. She had always been taught to close gates behind her.
When Sherry got to the main road, she half expected Bob and the other guy would be waiting for her. Luckily, they weren’t there. Driving quickly to her house, she ran in the front door shouting for her mother. When she found her in the kitchen, she ran to her saying, “Mom, we’ve got to pack a few things and get out of here in a hurry.”
“What? Slow down dear. What are you saying?” her mother said.
Sherry took a deep breath. “On my way home, I witnessed a shooting. Bob McFall, you know, from down the road, and someone else ran two people off the road and then dragged them out of their car and shot them.”
“Oh my God. How terrible!”
“Yes, and I’m pretty sure Bob recognized my car. They took a few shots at me as I drove away. We’ve got to get out of here. I’m a witness, so they’re sure to come after me. Go upstairs and put a few things in a suitcase. We can find a place in town to spend the night.”
Gladys Ahearn didn’t climb the stairs quickly. Sherry had started throwing things in a small bag. A car pulled up, so she ran to the window. It was Bob McFall and the other guy. Thinking quickly, Sherry moved to the side of the window. She’d have been a perfect silhouette if she kept standing in front. She told her mother to stay away from the windows.
“What’s happening?” asked her mother.
“They’re here!” Sherry yelled.
She looked out the window again and saw Bob and his friend get out of their car and take out two big gas cans, two boards, and a hammer from the trunk of the car. One of them went to Sherry’s car and splashed gas on it. He then backed away and threw a lit match on the car. It went up in flames with a big whoosh.
