Simple Genius (Sean King & Michelle Maxwell 3)

He cut the wheel hard to the left and the Land Cruiser spun sideways across the slickened roadway.

“Turn into it,” advised Michelle calmly.

Sean turned into the spin and quickly regained control of the Cruiser. He applied the brakes and brought them to a stop on the shoulder.

“What the hell was that?” he snapped.

“You mean who was that,” answered Michelle.

She opened the door and leaned out into the rain.

“Michelle, wait,” said Sean as he started to turn off the car.

“Keep it on,” she snapped, scanning up ahead. “Point the lights straight up ahead.”

She slammed the door shut and Sean drove the Cruiser back onto the road.

“Hit your brights,” she told him.

He did so and the lights swelled in intensity, allowing them to see about thirty feet in front of them with as much clarity as the night and rain would allow.

“There,” said Michelle, pointing to the right. “Go, go.”

Sean hit the gas and the Cruiser sped forward.

The person running down the right shoulder of the road looked back only once. But it was enough.

“It’s a kid,” said Sean in amazement.

“It’s a teenager,” corrected Michelle.

“Well, he was almost a dead teenager,” added Sean sternly.

“Sean, he’s got a gun.”

Sean leaned closer to the windshield and saw the weapon in the boy’s right hand.

“This does not look good,” he said.

“He looks terrified.”

He snapped, “What the hell do you expect? He’s running in the middle of a thunderstorm with a metal object in his hand. He should be scared. And on top of that I almost hit him, and if that had happened, he wouldn’t be scared, just dead.”

“Get closer.”

“What?”

“Get closer.”

“Why would I do that? He’s got a gun, Michelle.”

“So what? We have guns too. Just get closer.”

He sped up while Michelle rolled down the window.

A spear of lightning lit the sky with a billion-candlepower burst of energy followed by a crack of thunder so loud it sounded like a skyscraper imploding.

“Hey,” Michelle yelled at the boy. “Hey!”