Page 6 of False Evidence
“I’m running late to pick up Gemma, and I’m being pulled over—I don’t know why. I wasn’t speeding.”
“You want me to pick her up?”
“Would you mind? I know it’s a huge ask.”
“No problem. Gracie will be thrilled with the company. I’ll head out now.”
“Thanks, Erica.”
She disconnected and let out a relieved sigh as the cop climbed from the vehicle and approached. Thankfully, Erica was authorized to pick up Gemma anytime. The daycare was only a mile from Erica’s house in Virginia, which made the arrangement extremely convenient. As a single mom, it was always good to have a backup mom at the ready. Erica was an absolute gift in that regard.
Erica was the one friend Alexandra had refused to give up when she and JT split for good, and the only time Alexandra had seen JT in the last seven years was at Erica and Lee’s wedding.
She shouldn’t have gone. After all, JT was best man. But she’d wanted to see Erica finally marry Lee after years of struggling with her own decision.
Not wanting to mar the happy day knowing JT could be a moody bastard, Alexandra had left right after the ceremony.
Now that she lived near Erica and Lee and their daughters played together, she was bound to cross paths with him, but so far, her luck had held.
The officer tapped on her window, and she rolled it down. The cold December air wafted into the car, making her hope this wouldn’t take long. Her coat was in a heap on the passenger seat.
“Please step from the vehicle, ma’am.”
The command startled her. “Don’t you want to see my license and registration?”
“I said step from the vehicle.”
She took a deep breath and tried to remember Maryland law on this. Could he compel her to leave the safety of her vehicle without offering any reason for why he’d pulled her over?
This didn’t feel right.
“Why did you pull me over?”
He reached inside the window and hit the unlock button, then yanked the door open. “Out. Now.”
She reached for her phone and hit the camera button on the lock screen, snapping his photo.
He yanked her phone from her hand, dropped it on the ground, and stomped on it.
Fear like she’d never felt before swept down her, leaving her dizzy.
This didn’t make sense. He couldn’t be a real cop, could he?
Was he some sort of serial killer who drove down back roads and pulled over women driving alone?
But how had he known she was alone? Her SUV had tinted windows. It was pure luck that Gemma wasn’t in her car seat in the back.
Oh god. Her baby. Would she see her again?
In the midst of her panic, she had a moment of relief knowing Erica was on her way to pick up her baby girl. No matter what happened, Gemma was safe and would be with someone she knew and loved.
The cop tried to yank her from the car, but her seat belt was still buckled. He cursed and reached across her—she thought to unlatch the belt—but he twisted the key, shutting off the engine, then he yanked upward, snapping the plastic fob from the end of the key.
She shoved at him, trying to smash his head into the steering wheel. She might be assaulting a cop, but what he was doing couldn’t be legal.
His elbow snapped back, hitting her in the face. Pain exploded along her cheekbone and radiated out to her jaw and ear.
Tears sprang to her eyes. She didn’t know if they were from fear or pain.