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Joey glanced behind him and saw that she was gaining on him. In the glow from a spotlight, she saw his face was anxious and drawn, but he wasn’t slowing down. May was filled with self-doubt. She was going to be too slow. She was going to fail.
Panic filled her at the thought he might get away.
And then, to her astonishment, she saw him dart toward the southern section of the construction site, where an old, dusty pickup was parked.
As he got closer and closer to the pickup, May realized in shock that he was going to use it as a getaway vehicle. Most likely, it would be parked with the keys inside, being on site. She knew how things were in this industry.
Driving it even for a few miles would give him the lead he needed to lose them. He could abandon it near a train station, or a busy downtown intersection, jump out, and simply disappear.
She could see his expression as he reached the car. He was terrified and desperate to escape, but there was also a look of maddened determination.
May thought frantically. Speed alone would not save the situation now. He was too far ahead of them. It would be wrong to use her gun at such a time and in any case, it was too dark and he was too far away to take a safe shot.
Instead, intelligence and forward thinking could give her the edge she needed.
“The gate, Owen! Go to the gate!” she yelled.
If the gate was closed in time, he couldn’t leave the site. There might be other bolt holes for a running man to use, but there was only one way trucks could get in and out.
She didn’t even waste a moment turning to look. She trusted Owen, and knew that he would pick up on her thinking, veer off to the left, and get to the main vehicle gate as fast as he could.
And in the meantime, she was going to see if she could catch Joey Robbins before he got that truck into gear and sped away.
May pushed aside all traces of her own self-doubt. She was fast enough. Smart enough. And she was going to be strong enough to catch this fugitive who was fleeing from them in such a cowardly way.
Putting everything into her efforts, she raced toward him and saw she was gaining on him again. He climbed into the truck’s cab, but as he did, in his own panic, his foot slipped.
May reached him and leaped for him, grabbing the back of his jacket with her fist even as he tried to scramble inside.
She yanked him round and hurled herself at him, pushing him up against the truck’s body.
“Ow,” Joey whimpered. He looked astonished as she shoved him and pinned him against the side.
May was breathing so hard she could barely get any words out. Joey was panting so fast he couldn’t say anything coherent at all.
“You’re under arrest,” she finally managed to gasp, as she handcuffed him. He spluttered breathlessly in response.
He was all run out. That was lucky, May thought. He hadn’t enough strength left to resist. She was able to get his hands behind him and click the cuffs on without any help, and without a struggle.
Behind her, she heard the thud of footsteps as Owen arrived.
“You got him, May!” The admiration in his voice gave her a final surge of strength. She’d done it. She’d run down her suspect. Her fitness had paid off, and her determination had been rewarded. He’d been unable to make his getaway. To her surprise, she realized Owen looked intimidated as she stared at him.
For a weird moment, May wondered if this was how her elite, FBI agent sister Kerry felt all the time.
“Why are you chasing me?” Joey finally managed to blurt out.
“You failed to obey an officer of the law. That’s a crime. We asked you to stop. You ran. We won’t even mention that you were about to drive off in this truck. Because there’s something more important than that I need to ask you first.”
“What’s that?” He was panting for breath, his face shiny with sweat.
“There’s been an abduction and a murder in this town. You were seen pursuing and harassing the victim.”
“I was?” He looked appalled. “I don’t even know who you’re talking about! I’m being honest when I tell you this was just coincidence. I meant no harm to anyone. I’m just a friendly guy. Sociable.”
May didn’t necessarily trust people who told her they were honest. If you were really honest, why would you feel the need to say that?
“We need to know your exact movements,” she continued. “When you arrived in town, and what you’ve been doing on certain specific dates. I hope you can account for your time, because if not, you’re a murder suspect. And running from police simply proves that you have something to hide.”
