Page 17 of Charmed Forces
“I’ve had some field medic training. I wanted to draw his blood before he hydrated any further. He hasn’t lost any blood and judging by his slurred speech and poor motor function, I remain convinced he was drugged.”
“Do you think he was unconscious through it all?” I wondered.
“It’s possible. He could have awoken in a panic during the shootings and ran.”
“But why not simply kill him too? It doesn’t make any sense. Whoever was in that room had to be a professional. One kill shot each. It didn’t look like anyone even tried to make a run for it. The man in the doorway was facing the room like he was going in, not escaping or following the assailant. There was a man and woman sitting on the sofa. The other man was next to the fireplace.”
“Did you see Daniel’s service weapon?”
“No. Just his phone.”
“You’re certain it was his?”
“My mom called. I saw her face on his phone screen,” I told him as I pulled a face. I had no idea why my mom was calling Daniel and I certainly couldn’t imagine how she would feel when she learned what had happened. What was I supposed to tell her? “The discarded badge had to belong to him. It was near his phone on the floor.”
“I removed his backup gun from his ankle. It doesn’t seem to have been fired, but I’m concerned about his missing gun.”
“I didn’t even know he wore an ankle holster.”
“He’s always worn one,” said Solomon.
“How do you know that?”
“Well, so long as I’ve known him anyway. I can tell.” Solomon pulled his phone from his pocket again, and said, “Delgado.” Instead of putting the phone on speaker, he angled it so I could lean in and hear too.
“There was one unit there when I arrived and two squad cars pulled up just now. Four officers went inside, their weapons drawn. An ambulance also pulled up and the EMTs are waiting for clearance. Oh… Hold on. Someone just went to fetch them and they’re going in. Now two unmarked vehicles have arrived.”
“Recognize anyone?” asked Solomon.
“Detectives Crump and Hertford,” said Delgado and I shuddered at the memory of the pair of bungling detectives. “Anyone in particular I should look for?”
“No. Just make a note of everyone who turns up.”
“Garrett just arrived. It seems they’re not letting him inside.”
“Garrett?” I asked.
“Oh, hey, Lexi. What’s up?”
“Why aren’t they letting him inside?”
“I’m not close enough to hear. I’m parked on the junction almost ten houses away. They’re cordoning off the street. Anyone want to let me in on what’s going on?”
“Nope,” said Solomon. “And if anyone asks, you pulled over to make a phone call and got curious about all the police activity.”
“You got it.”
“Call me back if anything happens. Or in fifteen minutes. Whichever comes first.”
“Yes, boss.”
“We need to get some sense out of Daniel. They’re going to know he was there soon,” I said. “And he definitely needs to get examined at the hospital.”
“I’m going to say they already know since they won’t let Garrett inside. He probably outranks everyone there and he’s the murder squad lieutenant,” said Solomon. “Forbidding him entry means they must think there’s a conflict of interest. There’s probably a protocol to follow to ensure all the evidence remains untainted.”
“Shit, you’re right.” I darted a glance at Daniel who was trying to get to his feet, his back leaning against the cabinet. Every time he leaned back, the cabinet popped open, then he would try again, but get nowhere. Solomon and I jogged over and caught him under each arm. We helped him over to the kitchen island.
“You need to tell us what happened,” I said.