Elena reached for the flashlight.
She didn't turn it on.
She simply held it in her right hand.
The driver's door of the SUV opened.
A man stepped out.
He was tall.
Broad-shouldered.
Wearing a dark jacket.
He closed the door and stood beside the vehicle.
Elena watched him approach.
He stopped several feet from her driver's window.
She lowered the glass only an inch.
"Can I help you?"
The man leaned slightly toward the window.
"Car trouble?"
"Looks like it."
"Need a tow?"
"Eventually."
He smiled.
"You're lucky someone came by."
Elena didn't return the smile.
"Yes."
The man looked at the sedan.
Then at Elena.
Then back toward the empty road.
"You alone?"
Elena noticed the question.
It wasn't necessarily suspicious.
But it wasn't necessary either.
She kept her voice calm.
"Yes."
"Heading somewhere?"
"Blackwood."
He nodded slowly.
"First time here?"
Elena looked at him.
"Why?"
He shrugged.
"Just asking."
There was something about his tone she didn't like.
Not threatening.
Not openly aggressive.
Just too interested.
Elena had spent years interviewing suspects.
She knew when someone was asking questions simply to make conversation.
She also knew when someone was collecting information.
"Do you work around here?" she asked.
The man hesitated.
"Sometimes."
"Doing what?"
He smiled again.
"Security."
Elena looked at his SUV.
No company markings.
No visible identification.
No emergency lights.
"Private security?"
"Something like that."
Elena's grip tightened slightly around the flashlight.
The man looked through the narrow opening in the window.
"You really should get off this road."
"I intend to."
"Tonight."
"I know."
He stepped closer.
Elena raised the window.
The man's expression changed.
Only slightly.
But she noticed.
He looked annoyed.
"Ma'am," he said, "I'm trying to help."
"And I appreciate it."
"You shouldn't stay here alone."
"I won't."
"I can take you somewhere safe."
"No, thank you."
His smile disappeared.
"There's a motel about ten miles back."
"I'll remember that."
"You don't have to be difficult."
Elena looked directly at him.
"I don't think I'm being difficult."
The man stared at her for several seconds.
Then he stepped back.
"Suit yourself."
He turned.
Walked toward his SUV.
Elena waited.
The man opened the driver's door.
Before getting inside, he looked back at her.
"Blackwood isn't always friendly to strangers."
Elena said nothing.
The SUV pulled away.
Its taillights disappeared into the mist.
She waited until the vehicle was completely gone.
Then she picked up her phone.
Still no signal.
Her expression had changed.
The encounter hadn't frightened her.
It had confirmed something.
Blackwood was going to be more complicated than the briefing suggested.
At 11:56 p.m., another set of headlights appeared.
This time, the vehicle was a county patrol cruiser.
Elena watched it approach.
The cruiser slowed.
Stopped behind her sedan.
The driver's door opened.
A uniformed deputy stepped out.
He was younger than Elena expected.
Late twenties, perhaps early thirties.
He wore a dark county sheriff's uniform.
His badge reflected in the headlights.
He approached the driver's side.
Elena lowered her window.
"Evening, ma'am."
"Evening."
"Everything all right?"
"Dead battery, I think."
The deputy glanced at the car.
"Need a jump?"
"That would be helpful."
He nodded.
"Stay inside. I'll get the cables."
Elena watched him walk back toward the cruiser.
Something about him seemed different from the previous man.
Relaxed.
Professional.
He returned with jumper cables.
"Pop the hood."
Elena did.
The deputy connected the cables.
"Try it."
She turned the key.
The engine started immediately.
Elena smiled.
"Thank you."
"No problem."
The deputy disconnected the cables.
Then he looked at her.
"You heading into town?"
"Yes."
"Where are you staying?"
Elena paused.
She could have lied.
Instead, she simply said, "I haven't decided yet."
The deputy frowned.
"It's pretty late."
"I know."
"There's a motel near the courthouse."
"Thank you."
He nodded.
Then he reached into his pocket and handed her a small card.
"If you have trouble again, call the number on there."
Elena looked at the card.
His name was printed on it.
Deputy Marcus Reed.
She looked back at him.
"Marcus."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Do you normally patrol this road?"
"Most nights."
"Busy?"
"Not usually."
Elena glanced toward the woods.
"Does that SUV stop here often?"
Marcus looked at her.
"What SUV?"
"The dark one."
His expression changed.
"What did he say?"
Elena studied him.
"Nothing important."
Marcus didn't look convinced.
"Ma'am, if somebody stopped and bothered you, I need to know."
"He asked if I needed help."
"Did he identify himself?"
"He said he worked security."
Marcus's jaw tightened.
"Did you get his name?"
"No."
"Description?"
Elena gave it.
Marcus listened carefully.
Then he looked toward the road.
"That's not one of ours."
"I assumed that."
"Did he threaten you?"
"No."
"Did he touch the car?"
"No."
Marcus nodded.
"All right."
He stepped back.
"If you see him again, stay in the car."
Elena smiled faintly.
"I know how to handle myself."
Marcus smiled.
"I'm sure you do."
He walked back to his cruiser.
Elena watched the patrol vehicle disappear into the darkness.
For the first time that night, she felt a little less alone.
She looked at the card again.
Deputy Marcus Reed.
She slipped it into her wallet.
Then she started the engine.
The sedan hummed quietly.
Elena pulled onto the road.
The mist had become thicker.
The headlights illuminated only a short distance ahead.
She drove slowly.
Five miles.
Then seven.
Then ten.
Blackwood County's courthouse district finally appeared beyond the trees.
Streetlights.
Buildings.
Gas stations.
A closed diner.
A small motel with a flickering sign.
Elena drove past it.
She continued toward the county center.
Tomorrow morning, hundreds of people would gather there.
Reporters.
Deputies.
County commissioners.
Local officials.
Civic leaders.
People who had supported her appointment.
People who had opposed it.