~Hey peeps. On to the second chapter!~
Chapter 2: "Trouble"
"Val!"
"Yeah mom?"
"Honey, I've got to go to work. I'm already late. Can you pick some groceries for me?"
"Sure, mom."
"The list is on the counter," she said. "Love ya, bye."
"Okay, bye luv ya!"
~*~
Val Lanier silently stepped into the grocery store.
Funny, she thought. There's no bell on the door. Okay, no what's funny is that's the first thought
that comes to mind as I am entering this store.
Out of nowhere, she heard a gun shot ring through the sore and what followed was piercing and
ear shattering scream.
Utterly terrified, Val ran into the room nearest her, the door slightly ajar.
The screams had now turned to moans; now, moans that could hardly be heard over the pounding
of Val's heart.
Footsteps began coming nearer and nearer. She began trembling all over. Please let him not
know I'm here, she prayed silently.
But wait! She got a good look at the culprit! Imagine that!
Oh my God! Val thought, just slightly panicking. That's the guy me and the squad treaded
yesterday!
And then he was gone.
She waited for a few minutes and slowly walked out of the closet she'd been hiding in. She
rushed over toward the moans.
She bent down over the clerk and felt his pulse.
"Good, still breathing," she muttered to herself with relief.
She got up and bolted to the telephone and dialed 911.
"Hello, please state your emergancy," the operator requested.
"I need the police and an ambulance right away! I just witnessed a shooting and robbery!" Val panted.
"Alright, miss. And where are you at?"
She gave the operator the name of the grocery store and the address.
Val Lanier knelt beside the clerk again. She felt his pulse, but barely. "Hang in there," she whispered
somewhat pleadingly.
~*~
A few minutes later, the police arrived at the scene of the crime, along with the ambulance.
Luckily, no one from her squad was on duty. She DID NOT want to talk about what had just
happened with them yet. She needed some time to think.
"Miss, I'm going to have to ask you your name," a burly policeman, who introduced himself
as Detective Jim Anchor said authoritively.
"Valerie Lanier," Val said meekly.
He opened his note pad and jotted her name down.
"I know this experience had been extremely traumatic for you, but you are the one and only
witness-besides the clerk, of course-who happened to be unfortunate enough to be here at this
place and time, and be able to tell us exactly what occured here," Detective Anchor told her.
"Okay," Val whispered. "Ask away."
"First of all, when did you get here?"
"Approximately 3:30 pm."
"Why were you here, if you don't mind me asking."
"My mom had to go to work and needed me to pick up some groceries." Val confirmed.
"Do you know by any chance if the culprit saw you?" Detective Anchor asked.
"Hmmm...not that I know of. But, I did get a good look at him from the closet over there I was
hiding in, AND I happen to know his name. You see, I'm on the Kingsport EMS squad, and he-
I have no clue how-tripped on pickle jars that fell off shelves yesterday, and he hit his head on the
floor. In this very place, come to think of it. I was on the squad that treated him yesterday.
Anyway, this was all a long way of saying that I know the name he gave up was Adam Wood,
Detective," Val rattled off.
"Thank you. Now, if we need you, we'll give you a ring, and if you remember anything else, don't
hesitate to call us. In the meantime, we are going to run a check on this...Adam Wood and see what
we can gather," Anchor said.
"Okay," she said quietly. She had a sense of dread coming over her. Then she flashed him a little
reassuring-type smile. For what reason, she didn't know. He should have been the one comforting her.
"Oh, and Miss Lanier-" she turned around. "I will be calling your parents to let them in on what
happened. Mind telling me their names?"
Chapter 2: "Trouble"
"Val!"
"Yeah mom?"
"Honey, I've got to go to work. I'm already late. Can you pick some groceries for me?"
"Sure, mom."
"The list is on the counter," she said. "Love ya, bye."
"Okay, bye luv ya!"
~*~
Val Lanier silently stepped into the grocery store.
Funny, she thought. There's no bell on the door. Okay, no what's funny is that's the first thought
that comes to mind as I am entering this store.
Out of nowhere, she heard a gun shot ring through the sore and what followed was piercing and
ear shattering scream.
Utterly terrified, Val ran into the room nearest her, the door slightly ajar.
The screams had now turned to moans; now, moans that could hardly be heard over the pounding
of Val's heart.
Footsteps began coming nearer and nearer. She began trembling all over. Please let him not
know I'm here, she prayed silently.
But wait! She got a good look at the culprit! Imagine that!
Oh my God! Val thought, just slightly panicking. That's the guy me and the squad treaded
yesterday!
And then he was gone.
She waited for a few minutes and slowly walked out of the closet she'd been hiding in. She
rushed over toward the moans.
She bent down over the clerk and felt his pulse.
"Good, still breathing," she muttered to herself with relief.
She got up and bolted to the telephone and dialed 911.
"Hello, please state your emergancy," the operator requested.
"I need the police and an ambulance right away! I just witnessed a shooting and robbery!" Val panted.
"Alright, miss. And where are you at?"
She gave the operator the name of the grocery store and the address.
Val Lanier knelt beside the clerk again. She felt his pulse, but barely. "Hang in there," she whispered
somewhat pleadingly.
~*~
A few minutes later, the police arrived at the scene of the crime, along with the ambulance.
Luckily, no one from her squad was on duty. She DID NOT want to talk about what had just
happened with them yet. She needed some time to think.
"Miss, I'm going to have to ask you your name," a burly policeman, who introduced himself
as Detective Jim Anchor said authoritively.
"Valerie Lanier," Val said meekly.
He opened his note pad and jotted her name down.
"I know this experience had been extremely traumatic for you, but you are the one and only
witness-besides the clerk, of course-who happened to be unfortunate enough to be here at this
place and time, and be able to tell us exactly what occured here," Detective Anchor told her.
"Okay," Val whispered. "Ask away."
"First of all, when did you get here?"
"Approximately 3:30 pm."
"Why were you here, if you don't mind me asking."
"My mom had to go to work and needed me to pick up some groceries." Val confirmed.
"Do you know by any chance if the culprit saw you?" Detective Anchor asked.
"Hmmm...not that I know of. But, I did get a good look at him from the closet over there I was
hiding in, AND I happen to know his name. You see, I'm on the Kingsport EMS squad, and he-
I have no clue how-tripped on pickle jars that fell off shelves yesterday, and he hit his head on the
floor. In this very place, come to think of it. I was on the squad that treated him yesterday.
Anyway, this was all a long way of saying that I know the name he gave up was Adam Wood,
Detective," Val rattled off.
"Thank you. Now, if we need you, we'll give you a ring, and if you remember anything else, don't
hesitate to call us. In the meantime, we are going to run a check on this...Adam Wood and see what
we can gather," Anchor said.
"Okay," she said quietly. She had a sense of dread coming over her. Then she flashed him a little
reassuring-type smile. For what reason, she didn't know. He should have been the one comforting her.
"Oh, and Miss Lanier-" she turned around. "I will be calling your parents to let them in on what
happened. Mind telling me their names?"