getting younger when the reality was he was the one aging.
“I’ll get the stretcher.” The taller EMT jogged to the ambulance before Slade caught sight of his name on his badge.
“I’m not riding on a stretcher.” Asia shook her head, one palm up in defense.
“Ma’am,” Hereford began.
“I’ll assist her to the rig,” Slade promised, not wanting her to become more agitated. What was wrong with her?
Hereford frowned and joined his partner.
Slade moved between Asia and the EMTs as a high school memory bounced to the forefront of his mind. “Still claustrophobic? Or are you boycotting ambulances?” he teased, hoping to lighten her anxiety.
She blinked, and understanding shone in her eyes. “You remember?”
“Um, yeah. You nearly capsized our canoe in the amusement park’s tunnel of love.” His neck warmed at the romantic recollection of their junior year in high school. He’d spent half his earnings from the grain elevator just to win Asia a giant teddy bear. That had been a wonderful time.
Slade shoved the painful reminder down. Those days were long gone, having been replaced by adult tragedies.
Asia’s dark eyes searched his, and he noted the hardness had returned. She took a step back. “I don’t feel well,” she admitted, then added, “I’m not sure I can handle riding in the enclosed van alone with a stranger.”
The small glimpse of her vulnerable side bolstered his protectiveness. “I happen to be down a vehicle. How about if I ride with you and keep you occupied? Distractions help the trip go faster.” He used his best conspiratorial tone and said, “Plus, it’ll delay the report I have to write about my car’s demise.”
Asia shrugged without comment, but relief softened the lines on her forehead. Slade took the token of acceptance and helped her to the ambulance. “I need to confer with my sergeant. Then I’ll accompany Mrs. Stratton to the hospital,” he told Hereford, who grunted his acknowledgment.
“One minute,” Slade assured Asia.
She waved him off, and he returned to where Oliver, Trey and the deputies stood inspecting his damaged patrol unit. Slade provided a brief recap of the events, starting with Nevil Quenten’s DOA status—temporarily omitting the significant detail of Asia’s gun possession—emphasizing her injuries and then concluding with the shoot-out in the shed.
Oliver pulled himself to his full six-foot-two-inch height and addressed the team. “Thank you for responding. Set up a perimeter.” He turned to Trey. “Have K9 Magnum search the property. Mark whatever you find with flags, but do not touch it. We’ll let the evidence techs handle collection.”
“Affirmative.” Trey strode to his pickup and released his police service dog, Magnum, from the cab. The Belgian Malinois barked his appreciation, and the duo navigated to the rear of the home, where they’d work a spiral search pattern of the exterior, starting outside the shed.
Oliver continued issuing the directives, but his voice faded into the background. Slade’s focus returned to Asia, sitting at the rear of the ambulance as the paramedic dressed her wound.
The two deputies sprinted past him, yanking Slade to the present as they sped off the property.
Now was his chance to buy Asia some time with his boss. Slade moved quickly to where Oliver stood alone, typing into his cell phone. “Sir?”
The sergeant finished his entry before looking up.
“I can’t believe Asia—er, Mrs. Stratton—would commit murder. It’s obvious she’s in danger and needs our help.”
Oliver slipped his phone into his belt clip. “You don’t have to pretend she’s a stranger. I’m aware of the friendship you and Zander once had, including the fact the three of you were childhood classmates.”
Slade and Asia had been more than classmates, but Oliver didn’t need to know any of those details.
“Right. I respectfully request time to gather more intel before making any hasty decisions.”
“You mean you don’t want to arrest her.”
“I don’t want to prematurely arrest her. The stigma of a cop’s wife committing murder...”
“The press and public would bake her. I understand and agree. However, I’m still confused as to how you ended up here in the first place.”
“That’s a little trickier to explain. I received a text from Asia’s number asking for help, with a map screenshot of this location.”
“She lured you here?” Oliver’s tone hardened.
Slade withdrew his cell phone and displayed the message. “She insists she never sent the text. It came from her number, but that doesn’t prove the sender.”
Oliver shook his head. “You said Quenten was already DOA?”
“Yes, sir.” Slade hesitated.
“Did she have defensive wounds?”
“She’s got injuries, possibly defensive, but she’s unsure how they occurred.”
“She’s claiming amnesia?”
Slade shifted from one foot to the other. “Partially. Asia said the last thing she recalls is being in her apartment on Thursday. She’s got no recollection of arriving here or the time in between.”
Oliver’s expression gave no indication as to whether he believed Slade. “Quenten’s got enough enemies. Start at her home. Perhaps returning to a familiar place will help trigger her memory. One more thing.” Oliver stepped closer and lowered his voice. “The clock is ticking. We’ll help Asia in every way possible, but we will not ignore the law. She’s our only suspect, and unless something drastic changes in the next seventy-two hours, she must be brought in for questioning.”
Slade understood the rationale. Seventy-two hours for the processing of evidence. A short span of time. “I understand. Guess I’d better call in a tow for my car.”
Oliver shook his head. “No, I’ll handle that. If these men are looking for something, they’ll try again, and I want them caught. Whoever brought Asia here had a specific reason.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Do not let her out of your sight. If she’s guilty, we’ll have to deal with it by the book. But if she’s not, she’ll need all the help we can provide. She’s still blue family.”
Asia needed them, even if she was too stubborn to admit it. If he were honest with himself, there was a part of Slade that needed her too. This was his chance to make up for destroying her life by turning in Zander. He didn’t want to arrest her, but if it came down to that, he’d do so, while protecting her within guidelines. Then he’d prove her innocence because there was no way she was guilty.
He’d almost guarantee it... Almost.
An unmarked navy blue truck approached and parked on the other side of Trey’s K9 pickup, blocking Slade’s view of the driver.
“Trooper, we need to go,” Hereford called.
Slade sprinted to the ambulance, where Asia sat propped up and unrestrained on the stretcher. An IV line trailed from her wrist. “I’m fine,” she groused. “This is unnecessary.”
The EMT grinned and stepped aside, giving Slade and Asia privacy. Slade leaned in and whispered, “It’s this or riding in the special visitor seat of a patrol car.”
She pressed her lips into a flat line. “Point taken.”
Slade walked toward Hereford. “I need to wrap a few things up with my sergeant. Can you give me two minutes? Will she be okay?”
He nodded. “She’s lost a lot of