When the car slammed into the tree Sara felt a sharp pain as her leg once again banged hard against the inside of the car. She closed her eyes against the dizziness for a moment, but they shot back open when she heard Michael moan beside her.

Sara glanced out the back window. The dark car was parked about ten feet away, staring menacingly at her. There was no movement from the vehicle, but she could hear the driver revving the engine. Were they going to continue to ram them until they were?...oh Gd! Sara's mind screamed. They had to get out of the car!

Sara turned her attention to Michael. His seatbelt had held him, but his airbag was deployed. Sara pushed the airbag away from him, and began to examine him. She looked him over quickly, but other than the head injury he had sustained prior to the crash she saw no other injuries.

Sara patted his face gently. "Michael? Michael you have to wake up"! she pleaded frantically.

Then glancing out the back window she felt her heart begin to race even more. Sara watched as the car door opened and someone dressed in dark clothing stepped onto the road. She told herself not to panic, that at least they weren't about to be pulverized by a ton of steel, but that was hardly reassuring.

The driver stood looking at them for a moment and then began to approach. Sara looked once more at Michael. He would be a sitting duck. She knew she had to keep this maniac away from him at all costs. She reached and ran her fingers lovingly along his jaw. Then leaning over she gently kissed his soft lips.

"I love you Michael", she whispered softly.

She forced her eyes from his relaxed features and glanced to see the figure standing about half way between the two vehicles, as if waiting for her.

Remembering the small pocket knife, Sara fished it out and pulled it open. It's small, but at least it's something, she thought as she pushed the door open. And easing her hurt leg out of the car she climbed to her feet.

Leaving it open, Sara tucked the small knife down the waist band of the front or her pants. She wasn't going to let them hurt Michael. She would die first.

Sara turned to face the figure in black. And then wanting to put some distance between Michael and this person, she began to limp painfully forward.

Sara's heart pounded as she drew closer. She stopped in front of the figure and watched as a pair of gloved hands reached to pull down the hood that obscured their features.

Sara stared hard at the dark haired woman in front of her. She had no clue who this person was. She noted the crazed look in the woman's eyes and knew she was unbalanced.

"Who are you"? Sara said trying to keep her voice level and strong.

The woman laughed, and Sara felt a shiver run along the back of her neck.

"Who are you"? Sara repeated a little louder and stronger.

The woman looked at Sara, her smile falling away to leave her face cold and uncaring.

"Who am I? Hmm...how to answer that"? The woman said lacing her fingers together.

Sara, who stood about three feet away, considered going for the knife, but she knew the woman must be armed, and at Sara's slow pace she would have plenty of time to draw a weapon and shoot her.

"Who am I"? The woman repeated insanely. "Who am I"?

She unlaced her fingers and tucked them into the large pockets of her coat.

"Sara Tancredi", she said suddenly.

"You know your much more beautiful than Alex said you were. Perhaps he was afraid I would be jealous"? The woman said cocking her head to the side as she coldly sized Sara up.

Sara just stared at her.

"I'm Pam Mahone, Sara. Or should I say the Widow Mahone? Do you mind if I call you Sara"? The woman went on smiling again.

Sara wasn't sure what was worse the cold stare, or the strange shape the woman's mouth took on when she attempted to smile.

"Your Alex's wife"? Sara asked confused.

"That's right, Sara. We were trying to make it work again, but I guess that's in the crapper now, huh"? Pam laughed.

"Alex was always dropping the ball Sara", Pam continued. "He was so convinced your lover boy over there knew something about Oscar Shales", Pam laughed again.

"So afraid the truth would come out. Do you want to know the truth, Sara. Hmmm, do you? Oh, please say yes! It might buy you a little time", Pam's grin widened.

Sara shuddered inwardly, but nodded her head. She was terrified. This woman was crazy, even more so than Alex.

When Pam didn't speak right away, Sara found her voice, "Yes, tell me. Please", she pleaded.

Anything to buy some precious time, Sara's mind screamed..

Pam smiled an almost genuine smile and Sara could see that she was an attractive woman, or at least she had been before the madness set in.

"Oscar Shales was driving Alex nuts. He put a huge strain on the marriage, Sara. You see Alex became consumed with the need to catch him, but then when he had him, he was just going to bring him in", Pam said in an incredulous tone.

"Can you believe it, Sara? And he would have too", Pam continued.

"If I hadn't been there. It was quite fortunate, actually. You see we were on the way to a charity function when Alex got the call. When we got there he made me promise to stay in the car like a good little girl", Pam laughed gleefully.

"But of course I didn't. I followed him. And I watched as he fumbled that ball all over the place. And then I stepped up. Oh, Sara, do you know how invigorating the first kill can be"? Pam said with excitement as she relived the moment in the telling.

"It can be so fulfilling, it's such a stress reliever. Maybe you should try it sometime, hmm? Oh, but wait your a doctor, thats right"! Pam exclaimed.

"Doctors only save lives. Do you think you can save your lover boy, Sara? Save the genius, save the world"! Pam laughed.

"Why don't you just let us go"? Sara said evenly.

Pam's smile faded.

"Now Sara you interrupted me! I wasn't finished. Let me tell you what happened after I killed Oscar Shales, okay? And then you can beg me to let you and your sweetie pie go", Pam smiled. "Okay, Sara? Great! So after I killed Shales, Alex was so mad at me Sara", Pam continued, and she had the look Sara thought, of someone who has just tasted something delicious.

Sara shivered as her heart pounded away.

"But of course he accepted it", Pam said bringing a gloved hand to the side of her mouth as she whispered, "but he did insist that we bury the body. So we buried old Oscar in our back yard right under the birdbath", she smiled.

"Wasn't that ingenious, Sara? Even your lover boy would be impressed, don't you think"? Pam asked nodding towards the car where Michael presumably still sat unconscious behind the wheel.

Sara felt Pam's eyes back on her, and was about to turn her gaze from the car when she thought she saw movement in the front seat. She pulled her eyes back to the mad woman and hobbled sideways trying to get Pam with her back to the crashed car.

Sara was hoping what she had seen wasn't just wishful thinking. She was hoping Michael was awake and aware of the danger. But if he wasn't she didn't want Pam to see him. Sara knew if Pam saw Michael get out of the car it would all be over. Pam would pull her gun and shoot him.

Sara knew that the only reason Pam hadn't killed her, was that the woman was enjoying telling her story. She knew she had to keep her talking.

"So then what"? Sara asked.

Pam smiled.

"Now your getting the idea, Sara. Good girl"! Pam said clapping her hands together.

Sara breathed a sigh of relief when Pam continued to speak.

"Well then or marriage got even rockier for a little while. Alex insisted I move out. To, as he put it, distance myself a little from the situation. Of course I agreed".

Sara moved a little more and Pam moved along with her.

"Everything seemed to be going great, but then he got this case. You know the Fox River 8 thing"? Pam said as if Sara had no clue.

When Sara nodded Pam continued.

"I think Alex had lost it a little there at the end. He certainly wasn't himself. All those little pills", Pam confided.

"He told me his paranoid idea that the Fox River 8 knew about Shales. Of course I knew it was ludicrous, but why spoil the fun, huh Sara"? Pam said as she tucked her hands away in her pockets again.

Sara hobbled a little more. And once again Pam followed, her back now almost completely to the crashed vehicle.

Sara trained her eyes on the woman in front of her. But she could still see Michael as he crawled out of the car window and landed quietly on the ground.