Pete didn’t immediately leave, though. Instead he walked her to the SUV.
She opened the back passenger door, pulled out Jane’s pink backpack and held it out for Ricci. “Find, Ricci.”
“What are you doing?” Pete looked perplexed yet interested. “You’re not going to disturb the crime scene, are you?”
“No, of course not.” The uniforms who’d been called to investigate the report of an injured man on the parkway had placed crime tape around the area. “But I can search beyond it.”
“I guess.” Pete’s expression was doubtful.
“I don’t have to pick up Jane from day care until five, which gives me some time to investigate.”
Pete nodded. He didn’t seem anxious to get back to the ambulance, even when Kim gave the horn an impatient tap.
“Thanks for the ride.” Faith tucked the backpack inside her SUV, then turned to Ricci, who was sniffing around the vehicle. He alerted right near the spot where the crime scene was, then veered along the side of the road, heading east.
Excitement surged and she praised her partner for a job well done. This must be the way Logan had come before he’d been stabbed. Had the assailant been with him, or had he gone alone? And why had her ex-husband been out here anyway? There was no abandoned vehicle nearby, forcing her to assume someone had driven Logan here, then stabbed him, before taking off.
She pulled the flashlight off her utility belt and crouched down to examine the area, searching for blood.
Nothing. Which meant Logan must have walked this way prior to being stabbed.
Ricci moved forward. She abruptly stood to follow just as the sharp echo of gunfire rang out.
“Ricci!” Faith dived toward her K-9 partner, anxious to prevent him from being injured, all too conscious of the fact that her dark uniform would be glaringly obvious against the backdrop of white snow.
“Stop the ambulance!” Pete didn’t wait for Kim to respond but opened the back of the rig and jumped out. Since the vehicle had still been moving, he tripped, fell, but tucked and rolled, somersaulting to his feet. “Faith! Are you okay?”
“Get down!” Faith’s terse shout was reassuring, although he ignored her directive. Years of helping people in distress had him heading toward her in a crouched run. He reached her side in moments, noticing she had her body draped over the dog.
“Come on, let’s get back inside the ambulance,” he urged.
“Are you crazy? You should have stayed inside.”
“Too late.” He glanced around but had no clue which direction the shots had come from. “Come on, let’s move.”
She muttered something but there wasn’t time to argue. He could see that traffic was moving around the ambulance even as Kim tried to back it toward them.
There were lots of cars around, but he knew the shot could have come from anywhere. More likely the shooter was long gone, but he understood Faith’s caution.
“Let’s go, then.” She was on her feet, tugging at his arm. Together with Ricci, they made a mad dash for the ambulance.
Pete made sure Faith got in first, then Ricci, before jumping in behind them.
Kim hit the gas and swerved into traffic, causing a myriad of horns to blow in protest. “You’re nuts, Pete, you know that? You almost got yourself killed.”
“She’s right,” Faith added. “You shouldn’t have left the safety of the ambulance. I’m a cop, and so is Ricci. We can take care of ourselves.”
He’d never jumped into the line of fire before and couldn’t quite explain why he had this time, other than he couldn’t bear the thought of Faith being shot while he sat doing nothing.
“Mikey needs you,” Faith continued.
“I know,” he finally said in his own defense. “The same way Jane needs you.”
She didn’t seem to have a response to that but pulled out her phone to notify Zimmerman about the recent events. After explaining about the gunfire, Faith glanced at Pete and added into the phone, “There’s something else you should know, Detective.” There was a pause, then she continued, “A few weeks ago, Ricci and I tracked a man who’d taken his son from his mother while in the middle of a custody dispute. We caught him, but he wasn’t very happy with me, and outright threatened to get even. His name is Trevor Wilson and it could be that this attack on Logan might be related to that case. I’m not sure why he’d go after Logan, but the possibility of a connection shouldn’t be ignored.”
Another moment of silence as Zimmerman said something, before Faith responded, “Thanks.”
Pete lifted a brow as she tucked her phone into her pocket. “You believe this is all related to some guy named Trevor Wilson seeking revenge?”
“I have no idea. It doesn’t seem likely Wilson would stab Logan, but taking shots at me? That fits.” She lifted a shoulder. “I’m just trying to think of all possible angles.”
“Makes sense,” Pete agreed.
They fell silent for a moment as Kim put distance between them and the crime scene. “Zimmerman wasn’t thrilled that I used Ricci to find Logan’s scent. Wait until he finds out the K-9 unit is assisting him with the case.”
“He’ll get over it.” Pete peered through the window. The heavy snow was replaced with light flakes that sprinkled the night. He knew that meant the temperature was dropping. The roads would grow icy soon, and he felt the need to get to the day-care center to pick up Mikey as soon as possible.
“Yeah, he will. At least he told me I didn’t need to come in to give my statement, deciding our conversation was good enough.”
“When we get back to the paramedic station, I’ll give you a ride to pick up Jane at the day care if you like.” He had given up his firefighting position to take the full-time paramedic trainer position, mostly because working normal eight-hour shifts was better for Mikey. It was one of the many changes he’d made since losing his wife, Malina, seven months ago.
She shook her head. “I need to get my police-issued SUV. I can’t leave it sitting there all night.”
“Isn’t it part of the crime scene now?” he countered.
“Only if it was hit by one of the bullets. Besides, it’s not unheard of to give cops tickets. I don’t want to cause any trouble after asking my chief for a favor.”
“Well, you can’t go back there alone,” he pointed out. “Or take Jane.”
The mention of her daughter in that scenario made her wince. She blew out a breath. “Okay, fine. I’ll figure something out.” She glanced up at him. “Makes you wonder how long the shooter was out
