Chapter 1 #3
Being the first on a scene tainted a person’s reputation no matter how innocent. And maybe Owen was hallucinating that Emma was her sister and the current incident was no accident. Or was Owen trying to let Emma know about his suspicions all those years ago?
“Did you get a good look at either car? Could you identify it?” Daniel asked.
“I don’t trust my memories.”
EMTs raced past the pair. Daniel pulled her out of the way a second before impact with them.
The paramedics worked quickly, extracting Owen from the vehicle and getting him on a stretcher with oxygen.
Watching the team work efficiently awed Daniel and helped ground him.
Compartmentalizing was key for success in his line of work.
Second to the empathy he couldn’t shake no matter the worst of human nature he witnessed.
Another set of flashing lights illuminated the road as the second ambulance arrived. A siren echoed as Owen’s ambulance sped off.
An EMT hopped out of the second vehicle and approached. “Sheriff?”
“You should get looked at, too,” Daniel told Emma.
“No, I’m okay. I wasn’t involved. Not really,” she protested. “I feel fine.” She fainted, dropping like a rock into a lake.
Daniel caught her in his arms.
The EMT, Jake, a younger guy with short hair, stepped forward and held out his arms.
“She’d better get checked out,” Daniel said, lifting Emma easily but in no rush to hand her over to another man.
He’d prepared himself for the reaction and was glad that he had been ready to catch her.
She draped over his shoulder like a doll.
If he hadn’t be on alert, he could have missed her, and she’d have hit the ground with force.
“I’ll meet you at the hospital after I call Frankie to process the scene. ”
With a nod, Jake opened the door at the back of the ambulance.
Daniel carried her to the back and sat her on the step, steadying her.
Emma roused. “What? Daniel?” Her questions were short and sharp.
“Shh. Shh,” he murmured. “You’re fine. Can you step into the back of the ambulance? I need you to do me a favor and go to the hospital with Jake.” Daniel pointed at the EMT next to her, working to get a blood pressure cuff on her upper arm. “Will you please help me?”
She nodded and, with help from Jake, stepped into the vehicle.
Daniel shut the door, and the ambulance pulled away, siren blaring as it headed to the nearest hospital roughly twenty miles away.
Lights flashed behind him. With a hand raised to shield his gaze from the glare of headlights, he spotted the other patrol vehicle from the sheriff’s office.
“What’s the situation?” Deputy Frank Wells, the department’s best at processing scenes, called as he approached. “Single car crash? Stalled vehicle?”
“Hit and run.” Daniel retrieved his flashlight off his belt, angling it to shine on the ground, following the tracks. “This is a mess.”
“How did a vehicle end up in the middle of the road that crumpled? It’s not deer season,” Frankie replied, shaking his head.
“According to the witness, no critters were involved.”
Frankie widened his eyes.
“Driver is en route to the hospital. It’s Owen.”
Frankie whistled, shining his flashlight to the ground. “Collision? Slippery road? Shoved him to the side?”
“No. Head-on. I’m going to point out an APB for a red sedan with front end damage. That’s what our best witness thinks she saw.”
Frankie pointed at the crushed front bumper and grille on the pickup. “I can’t believe anyone escaped that unharmed.”
“No, the witness was in another vehicle.” Daniel angled his light behind to the SUV. “She was over there. I’m going to head to the hospital to get a statement. Can you handle processing the scene? I know the rain won’t help matters.”
Frankie nodded. “Yes, sir. I can take care of things here. But…”
“Yes, Deputy?”
“Do you want to call or have me do it?”
Daniel hated some parts of the job. Telling bad news to good people was top of his list. “Let me get to the hospital and assess. I’ll call from there. Mr. T has a weak heart. No sense causing him to panic if it can be avoided.”
“Yep. Okay. I’ve got this. Keep me posted.”
With a nod, Daniel retreated to his vehicle and turned on his flashing lights as he drove away.
Triage. After responding to an accident, he assessed and acted accordingly.
With almost two decades of experience, he trusted his professionalism to carry him through the hard stuff like calling the Thomases.
He needed to apply the same principles to her.
Emma presented a different challenge. He’d get a statement, although he needed different answers.
What did it mean that she was back? Did she also have questions about her sister’s untimely death?
That summer had defined his life. He wanted to be a man of God in every way that he could.
Giving back and protecting his town was the best path he’d discovered.
And if staying also meant he could help make sense of the case that still haunted him—the accidental death that had never sat right with him—so be it.
Maybe in getting to the truth, he’d be able to find peace for himself and prove himself worthy to the girl he’d always loved.