Chapter 88 Section Eleven

The branches snapped.The patter of the rain on the thick leaves muffled the sound.Decker listened breathlessly.Where!Another branch snapped.right near the car. Decker crouched down and hid himself among the bushes.A figure moves in the woods.A man staggers out, partially outlined in the Cadillac's lights.He clutched his stomach, hunched over his waist, and stumbled as he walked.Then, groaning, he lost his balance and fell to Decker's right, disappearing from the reach of the headlights and being swallowed up by the dark woods.But before that, Decker could see that the man was not clutching his stomach, but clutching a briefcase.

Decker crawled toward the man among the trees.Although his time is running out, he dare not act too fast.He can't take any chances.Just then another sound disturbed him: voices from the top of the ramp behind him.Decker ventured a sideways glance and saw the beams of several flashlights pointing down at the Cadillac, rain glistening in the beams.A car stopped right where he came down the ramp, and there must have been others.Let's hope there aren't police cars among those cars. Decker continued to climb back into the bushes, moving along the route he believed Giordano had taken.Behind him, people scrambled down the slope, shuffling through the bushes, parting branches and talking loudly.Because of the noise they made, Decker could hear any noise Giordano might have made.He had to hide from the light of the flashlight, bend down and hide in the bushes to search.That money, he thought, I can't find Beth without that money.

He tentatively took a step forward in the darkness, and immediately felt that his feet were empty.Another slope.He almost fell, but luckily his own strength held him back.He grabbed hold of a tree, dangled from it, and struggled up a slippery ledge of rock.The rain dripped down his neck, and the clothes clung to him coldly.He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.He had no way of knowing how far down the slope, but it was evidently very steep.Had Giordano fallen below, it would have been impossible to climb down to find him in the dark. Over there on the Cadillac, the flashlight blazed through the trees.They dispersed to find the driver, Decker thought.If Giordano hadn't fallen off the slope, if he was still alive, he'd try to stay as far away from those flashlights as possible.Where will he go?Decker had to make a random choice, and he turned to the right.

If Decker hadn't ducked over a chest-high branch, the rock Giordano was holding would have hit him on the skull instead of his bent back.This hit hit him hard enough, and it also surprised him.He fell dazed to the ground, the gun out of his hand.Giordano frantically rushed towards him from the shadows.Decker rolled on the spot, feeling the rock fly past his head in a violent gust of air, and hit the wet ground hard.He lifted his leg and kicked Giordano's leg from under him.Giordano put his full weight on him, almost suffocating him.Decker's body twisted, and he felt the edge of the slope beside him.Giordano threw a rock at Decker's face, and Decker grabbed his wrist.Just then, Decker felt the ground give way beneath him.He and Giordano suddenly fell through the air together in the darkness.They hit a protruding rock, tumbled, and fell again.Suddenly, they bumped twice and fell to the ground.This surprised them instead.

Although Decker hadn't caught his breath yet, without the slightest hesitation, he raised his fist and punched Giordano who was lying beside him.In the darkness, his fist slid past Giordano's shoulder.Giordano still holds the stone in his hand.Although he couldn't aim because of the darkness, the stone grazed Decker's ribs, causing Decker to bend over in pain.The new pain made Decker furious.He jumped up and threw his hand up, but Giordano ducked back, dodged the blow, and swung the stone again.Decker felt the stone almost hit him in the face with a gust of wind.He wanted to get closer to Giordano in case he did it again, and rushed through the darkness, giving Giordano a hard shove.The two hit something together, Giordano took a few short breaths, then froze, his arms stretched out straight.He was shaking all over, and his breathing was like the sound of a flat inner tube.Then his arms dropped and his body remained motionless.There was only the sound of pattering rain all around.

Decker still hadn't figured out what was going on.He gasped for breath, encouraging himself to keep fighting.Slowly, he realized that Giordano was dead. But for some reason, his body was still standing. "I told you I heard voices!" a man yelled.The flashlight sweeps across the rainy woods.Footsteps pounded toward the edge of the slope where Decker had fallen. Decker thought, I can't let them see him!He rushed to where Giordano was still standing oddly, and pulled him hard, but with great effort, when he realized with great discomfort that Giordano had been stabbed by the jagged sharp end of a broken tree branch. Stabbed in the head.

The voices and footsteps came closer.He must never be seen, Decker thought.He put Giordano's heavy body on the ground, and was just about to drag him into the dark woods, when a beam of flashlight shone down from the steep slope and shone directly on him, he was stunned. "Hello!" a man called. "I found him!" Decker yelled. "I think I heard something here! I crawled down and found him!" "Jesus—" cried another man, and he shone his flashlight in the same direction. "Look, so much blood!" "Can you feel a pulse? Is he still alive?" another called.

"I don't know!" Decker yelled.The strong light from the flashlight pierced his eyes. "I think I heard him fall! He must have died!" "But he might still be alive! We've got to call an ambulance!" "He probably broke his neck! I dare not touch him!" The rain trickled down Decker's face. "Is there a doctor among the people above?" "We need an ambulance!" A few people shone the road with flashlights, and slowly climbed down from the muddy slope holding branches. "Why is he going this way?" A man climbed to the bottom of the slope. "Didn't he see the Interstate behind?"

"He probably bruised his head when the car crashed!" Decker said. "He was probably knocked out of his head." "My God, look at him!" One of them turned his back. "He probably hit something when he fell!" "What about the woman he was with?" Decker said. "woman?" "I heard her!" Decker said. "It sounds like she's hurt! Where is she?" "Attention all!" cried a man. "Keep looking! There's another person here! A woman!" The crowd dispersed, and people strafed with flashlights, searching quickly.

Taking advantage of the chaos, Decker retreated into the shadows.As he climbed up the slope, he stepped in the mud and slipped.He clings to exposed branches and climbs over the overhanging rocks.People probably wondered every minute what was going on with him, and he had to leave before they suspected he wasn't a searcher.But I couldn't leave without getting Giordano's briefcase. He wasn't holding the briefcase when he fell.where is itIf the searchers find the money, there's nothing I can do to save Beth. Decker's heart was pounding.He climbed to the top of the ramp and saw more flashlights near the wrecked Cadillac.So far he can hide in the undergrowth, but those searchers may soon find this area.He was panting with difficulty, bent down, trying to figure out his position.From what side did Giordano attack him?Is it from the left or from the right?Decker turned and stared down. He could vaguely make out Giordano's body in the darkness.He thought about their struggle at the bottom of the slope, guessing where they landed together.If they landed there, they fell to his left, and Giordano's shot should have come from...

Decker crawled forward in the undergrowth.At this moment, the light of the flashlight began to shine in his direction.No!thought Decker.He had never felt such a surge of adrenaline in his body.He felt his pulse beat faster than ever.He felt increasing pressure behind his ear.Briefcase.The briefcase must be found.I need it.Beth can't be saved without a briefcase. He nearly crawled past it, but he realized just in time what he had come across.As he grabbed the briefcase, he feared his heart would burst from the loss of stress.At the same moment his foot touched something near the curb behind him.His pistol, which Giordano had dropped from his hand as he threw a rock at him.He stuck the gun inside his jacket, and now he had the guts to hope he could make it.He still has a chance to save Beth. But if the flashlight came this way again, he wouldn't be able to save her.What if one of them was a policeman?Decker's clothes were muddy, and he continued to crawl forward through the undergrowth, trying not to make a sound.He climbed to the point where he thought he had started into the woods.He looked back, waiting for the flashlight to move away from him.As soon as he got his chance, he scrambled up through the bushes until he came to the edge of the interstate.Cars whiz by in the rain, tires hissing and lights shining brightly.There were a few cars parked on the shoulder of the road, most of them empty, and their occupants must have gone out into the woods to help find survivors of the crash.One of them was a patrol car.Decker was startled when he first saw it. Luckily, there was no one in the car, but the police might be back soon. Next to the police car was the Oldsmobile.In the car, Esperanza slumped dejectedly behind the wheel.Even from a distance, he could see that his face was covered in blood.I can't wait any longer, Decker thought.In order to prevent anyone in the woods from watching him, he shielded the briefcase with his body, quickly got out of the woods, and walked quickly along the interstate. Esperanza sat up straight as Decker got into the car. "Can you see? Can you drive?" "can." "Let's go." Esperanza turned the key in the ignition, started the Oldsmobile, and sped into traffic. "You look awful." "I didn't dress up for the occasion." Decker stared back to see if anyone was following them.Maybe not. "I don't know when you'll come back, or if you'll ever come back," Esperanza said. "I didn't know you'd stay in the car. You're doing the right thing." "I'll be a good driver when I steal the car and get away. In fact, I used to be." Decker looked at him. "That was when I was 16," Esperanza said. "You got the briefcase?" "right." "Where's Frank Giordano?" Decker didn't answer. "Then Beth Dwyer has one less problem." "Self-defense," Decker said. "I didn't say it was for any other reason." "I need this briefcase." "A million dollars. With that much money, some people don't want to save anyone." "Without Beth, I couldn't save myself."