Page 4 of Hunting Justice
Jonah raised his gaze to meet the paramedic’s and pulled the blanket tighter. He had to get his act together, or both men would haul him to the hospital without a second thought. “Sorry. What did you say?”
Aaron studied him, then sighed. “I’m sure you’ve already figured this out, but you have a concussion. I’d advise a trip to the emergency room for a CT scan.”
He shook his head and immediately regretted it.
“Doctors make the worst patients,” Matt announced like he’d discovered the cure for the plague.
“You don’t have to tell me.” Aaron slid the blood pressure cuff on Jonah’s arm.
“I’m right here, you two.” Jonah forced himself to focus. His energy hovered around zero, and the ringing in his ears hadn’t stopped. He didn’t want to argue with the man, but he had no desire to spend hours at the hospital. “I’ll consider it. But for now, the answer is no.”
Aaron rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath while continuing to bandage Jonah’s scrapes and bruises. “That’s not a good idea, Doc.”
The antiseptic stung, but Jonah stared at the chunks of wood and parts that used to be a beautiful home. “That may be true, and I’m not stupid. I’ll monitor how I feel, but I can’t leave—not yet.”
Detective Ladecia “Decia” Slaton, mom of the group only because she was a few years older, married, and had three boys, strode toward him. Her somber expression told him all he needed to know.
“Hey, Doc.”
“Decia.” He swallowed the bile creeping up his throat. “You found Ken?”
She nodded. “The explosion blew his body from the house. He’s in the yard. I haven’t examined him yet. The firefighters are still working on the blaze.”
How had he missed Ken’s body? Then again, it didn’t take a medical degree to know he was in shock.
“I’m sorry, Doc. He was a great guy.” Decia’s soft tone squeezed his heart.
Tears burned his eyes. He blinked them away and sucked in a breath. “Thank you.”
Decia rested her hand on his arm. “What can we do, Doc?”
He tore his gaze from the devastation. “Catch the person who did this.”
Matt placed his boot on the bumper. “Why would you think someone’s responsible for the explosion? SFD is speculating a gas leak.”
How much should he say? The situation required legal advice, but he had no proof with Ken gone. Jonah glanced at Matt.
His friend raised an eyebrow.
“Let’s just say that Ken asked me for help. I left work and headed straight here. Arrived moments before the house blew up. It’s a bit of a coincidence, don’t you think?”
Decia leaned against the other side of the SUV. “I’d like to hear more about what Ken wanted your help with.”
The pounding in Jonah’s head chose that moment to increase. He had to figure out the truth before he mentioned specifics to the detectives. He had promised Ken, and he intended to keep that promise. But he had to give them something. “Ken requested that I reevaluate a few autopsies for him.”
“Why would he do that?” Matt asked.
“I never got all the details. He died before I found out.”
Decia studied him like a bug under a magnifying glass. “Doc, you’re a lot of things, but a good liar isn’t one of them.”
“I’m not lying.”
“Maybe so, but you aren’t telling us the whole truth.” He felt sorry for her three boys when they got in trouble. The woman was tenacious.
The detective reminded Jonah of his grandmother. Not in age or looks, but in how she read people like a human lie detector. “Your boys must not get away with anything.”
A cheesy grin graced Decia’s face. “Nope. I have a whole police department watching out for them.”