Chapter 13 - The Bus Driver's Revelation
Before Ethan could answer, the bus driver cleared his throat.
"I think..."
Everyone turned toward him.
"...I've seen that man too."
Detective Collins walked forward.
"When?"
"This morning."
"Before I started my route."
The driver rubbed the back of his neck.
"I usually arrive forty minutes early."
"I was drinking coffee outside the depot."
"There was a gray sedan parked across the street."
"What about it?"
"I noticed a man watching the buses."
"Was it unusual?"
"Very."
"He wasn't watching traffic."
"He kept checking photographs."
"What kind of photographs?"
"I couldn't tell."
"But when Ethan boarded..."
The driver stopped.
"He immediately started his engine."
The detectives looked at one another.
"You remember the license plate?"
The driver smiled faintly.
"I've driven buses for thirty-two years."
"I notice everything."
He recited the number from memory.
Collins immediately radioed dispatch.
Within seconds, an answer came back.
The sedan had been reported stolen four days earlier.
The detectives' expressions hardened.
"This wasn't random."
"No."
"Someone knew Ethan's route."
The mother looked toward Ethan.
"You take this bus every day?"
He nodded.
"Whenever Maya's treatments allow."
The little girl quietly asked,
"So somebody waited for you?"
Ethan answered honestly.
"It seems that way."
At that moment, Detective Harris received another phone call.
He listened silently for almost a minute.
When he hung up, his face had lost all color.
"What happened?" Collins asked.
Harris looked directly at Ethan.
"They've searched your hospital room again."
"And?"
"They found something hidden inside your pillow."
"What?"
"A handwritten note."
Ethan frowned.
"What did it say?"
Harris slowly repeated the words.
"'Next time...'
"...you won't survive the ride."
The entire bus fell silent.
Outside, several officers immediately began checking every nearby vehicle.
May you like
Whoever had planned the attack...
Might still be watching.
