Dick Cabot was enjoying the early morning. He and his two fish poles were beneath the North Causeway high bridge in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. He’d already at eight o’clock caught five good size fish. Enough for at least two meals. He had been lucky as normally it took two to three hours to catch sufficient fish. He would return to the apartment short distance away and maybe start writing another novel. Trouble was, he didn’t have any idea at the moment what to write. He’d already written fourteen novels and they were well received by the public.
He pulled both lines toward the shore and wound them around each pole. He was about to leave the good fishing spot when he heard some kind of roaring sound. Suddenly he heard a car horn. He looked toward the car horn sound.
For some reason a four door blue sedan was racing down the narrow asphalt rod heading for the river. Dick thought the way it was traveling the car might be out-of-control. He knew the car was going to hit the two foot high barricade the city had built out of cement blocks. Quite a few cars had driven into the river before the stone barricade had been placed upon the shore.
“Good Lord!” Dick exclaimed. “She’s definitely going to hit the barricade. With her speed she might even get killed. Oh good. She’s wearing her seat belt.”
Dick squinted at the car and knew his mouth opened, maybe in shock, as the car’s front end slammed into the barricade. The middle of the car now lay upon top of the barricade. The motor continued to roar, with the rear wheels spinning in the air.
Dick rushed to the driver’s side, reached through the open window, and finally touched the key; then turned the key to turn the motor off.
While reaching for the key, his face brushed against the head of the woman. He smelled cologne or perfume. She didn’t move. Should he raise her head off the steering wheel? Better not. He unfastened her seat belt as it was wedged against her stomach. He’d use his cell phone to call Doctor Hill. The doctor had retired last year but often attended to immediate neighbors when something went wrong with a person.
Dick felt for a pulse on the woman’s neck. There was one.
“She seems to be unconscious.” He thought. “Her head may have a concussion as she must have banged it pretty hard against the steering wheel when the car suddenly stopped.”
It didn’t take long for the doctor to arrive.
Dick had heard a wailing siren, and assumed the doctor’s car was making the noise.
The doctor immediately walked to the woman and glanced at her face.
“I checked for a pulse, doctor; and she has one.” Dick reported.
“We won’t move her.” The doctor replied. “I’ve called for Emergency. They should be here any minute. We’ll let them remove her. She may have a concussion. She should be taken to the hospital.” He looked at Dick. “I’ll take your fish and set the pail upon your porch. Go with the ambulance and you can admit her. Do you know her?” The doctor asked.
“Not yet.” Dick replied. “I saw her hand bag upon the seat but the passenger door is still locked, and the door is probably jammed when the car stopped. When they remove her, I can get the hand bag, and hope there’s something in it, that will give a name and maybe an address.”
Moments later he heard a wailing siren, and an ambulance parked next to the car upon the barricade. One man placed something around the driver’s neck and then felt her neck.
“She has a strong pulse.” The ambulance driver reported. He glanced at Dick. “Are you her husband?” He asked.
“No.” Dick replied. “I don’t know her and she doesn’t know me. I was fishing near the spot near the barricade. My name is Dick Cabot. I’m going to see if she has anything in her hand bag giving her name and address. Wait a minute.”
He lifted the bag out of the driver’s seat and opened it. He removed a small purse, opened that, and then exclaimed. “Here’s her driver’s license. Gosh, even this picture of her is cute. Ah. She’s twenty-eight, one year less than me. Her address is at least three miles from here. Her name is Debra Cummings.” He glanced at the ambulance driver.” “Yes.” He nodded. “I’ll go in the ambulance and sign her in at the hospital.”
He was soon in the ambulance and looked at the patient. She had her eyes closed. Dick kept looking at Debra. “I thought I recognized her when seeing her license. It is her. Same face as was in the local paper a few days ago. Now she has a lot of money after winning the Florida Lottery. Probably will have nothing to do with me since she has all that money.”