“Who would do this?” Frank asked, shooting Sam a glare.
“I wonder,” Duke retorted,
watching as Julie struggled to get the car under control. He punched the button on the side of the radio and spoke into the device. “All right, baby, check your gas. How much you got?”
“I don’t know. I can’t see the gauge.”
“What do you mean you can’t see the gauge?”
“I can’t see the gauge!” A wail filled the line. “I can’t see anything!”
“Why wouldn’t she be able to see the gas gauge?” he asked Sam accusingly.
“There’s no reason.”
“Unless she’s going in shock,” Frank suggested.
“Someone call the paramedics,” Duke yelled toward the fence, holding his breath as Julie fought with the wheel, the car spinning and reeling out of control as she did her dead level best to stay on the track. And there was no question, Julie was once again fighting for her life.
“She should be out of gas,” Frank reported.
Duke hurriedly said, “Stay with us, Julie. You got a choice, baby. Ride this out or bring that car infield. If you slide in, you’ll try and make it to the runaway ramp in the center. Chances are, you’ll wreck before you get there. Take your chances, baby. Drive, girl. Frank says there isn’t much gas left. Just drive it out like you know how to do.”
Sam glared at Duke. “She’s not gonna make it. That car is banging over a hundred miles per hour. There’s no way she can keep coming into those turns without crashing.”
“Evidently you’ve never seen Julie drive a stock car. She grew up in these vehicles. Before she knew drag racing, Julie knew these cars better than a man driving them or mechanic fixing ’em.”
He stared at Sam point-blank then. He could only imagine what the new fellow was probably thinking. If Sam told the truth about Frank, and the bill of sale suggested he may have, then Frank deliberately put Julie in danger. For all Duke knew, the damn car could have had a full tank of gas!
About the time Duke began to question whether or not Julie would run out of fuel, the car started to putter. Minutes later, Julie’s four tires screeched to a halt. She barreled out, storming down the track.
Oh, she was pissed. And Duke wondered who’d catch the brunt of her anger.
She stomped toward them, flipped the shield up on her helmet and screamed, “What the hell happened out there!”
By the time she reached them, her protective headgear was tucked under her arm. Damp with tearstains on her cheeks, her puffy eyes and smeared mascara proved she’d been crying.
“Julie, honey, it’s all right. We’ll find out what happened. We’ll get to the bottom of this,” Duke assured her, trying his best not to knock Frank sideways. Could he be responsible for something like this? Surely not.
Then again, the evidence suggested he didn’t care about Julie’s welfare.
“I’m supposed to trust you!” she accused, shoving the helmet against his gut. “You were supposed to build this incredible car.” She slapped his arm. “It was equipped with all these safety features.” The tears came. “And let’s not forget the superior brakes that you said were untouchable! ‘No one can tamper with them’ you said!”
“Julie, listen—”
“I don’t want to hear anything you have to say!” she screamed, ranting as she stormed toward the garage. “I’m tired of listening!” She stopped, turned around and glared at all of them—Sam, Frank, Duke, and the rest of the crew. “Somebody wants me dead! Apparently none of you understand that, or if you do, you just don’t care!”
“Julie, honey…”
“Don’t you ‘Julie honey’ me!” she raged. “You promised me a car that was second to none, the safest vehicle on the road or the track. That’s what you said!”
“He told you the truth, Julie,” Frank said, glaring at Sam. “There’s no way anyone can tamper with those brakes unless they’re on this team. Sam has a security code on the wiring. If someone messes with your car, an alarm goes off and—” He stopped talking all at once. He studied Sam with intense eyes. “The only way the alarm isn’t activated is if someone unhooks the security system which is coded and virtually impossible unless…”
“Unless what?” Duke demanded.
Sam and Frank glared at one another. Their eyes were cold. Frank looked mad enough to kill him. Sam appeared smug. In fact, he came across as a man who didn’t have anything to worry about.
At that point, Frank clenched his fists and his teeth. After his nostrils flared a few times, he said, “The only way that alarm wouldn’t go off is if the person who designed the security system decoded several of the alarm triggers. Only one man on this team has the knowledge required to disengage the system.”