Wynn and Parker exchanged a look. “A walk along the river at this hour? While knowing she’s in danger?”
He shrugged and quickened his pace. He wouldn’t buy his story either. “We need to hurry. This guy needs help. When he attacked Di with a knife, she fought him off but ended up crushing his windpipe.”
That distracted them from pressing the issue of his so-called riverfront stroll. He didn’t think Wynn or Parker were dirty, which made it hard to keep the drugs they’d found a secret. First, he’d have to admit to trespassing on purpose, then the officers would have to report the find to narcotics, which would no doubt loop in Ray Bond and Jeff Schnor.
And he didn’t want that. At least, not yet. He liked the idea of going directly to the DEA. He’d met one of the agents last year, a guy by the name of Greg Yost. He didn’t have easy access to Yost’s contact information, it was in his old phone, but he knew he could probably find it using the computer.
The ambulance arrived a minute later. Jarek gestured for the EMTs to follow him to the scene.
Di was explaining about the cricothyroidotomy that she’d performed to save the assailant’s life. “I watched Doc do one when we were in Afghanistan.” She glanced over as the EMTs joined them. “I can’t lie, I wasn’t sure it would work.”
“Wow, a cricothyroidotomy.” The taller EMT looked at Di with admiration. “Hang on, I need to grab a trach tube.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” Di said dryly.
The EMTs inserted an airway, then looped a tie around the assailant’s neck to keep the tube in place. One of the EMTs offered wipes to Di, who used them to clean the blood from her fingers. The other connected the knife guy to a heart monitor.
“He had a gun,” Di said to Wynn. “I kicked it out of his hands.” She gestured to the field. “It’s over there. After I disarmed him, he pulled the knife. I was able to disarm him a second time, but he jumped on top of me. I had no choice but to defend myself by striking his windpipe.”
Wynn and Parker eyed her with a mixture of admiration and apprehension. “You’re sure you had to use lethal force?”
“Absolutely.” Di lifted her chin. “Don’t forget, I saved his life by using the knife he attempted to stab me with.”
“She’s right.” Jarek stepped forward. “As you can see, he’s bigger than she is. I saw him jump her. Despite being attacked from behind, Di was able to fend him off and save his life. All without pulling her own weapon.”
“What’s your theory about the attack?” Wynn asked. “Do we need to inform Detective Andrews about this?”
“Probably.” Jarek shrugged. “I assume he was following us and decided to make his move.”
“Following you, but then somehow got behind you?” Parker sounded skeptical.
And this was why Jarek didn’t like lying. He wasn’t very good at it.
“I tried to ask him a few questions that only required a yes or no answer, but he refused to cooperate,” Di said. “He won’t be able to talk with that tube in his throat, but he should be able to write answers. Maybe you’ll have better luck getting him to cooperate.”
“Yeah. Sure.” Wynn turned away, giving an update to dispatch on the need to inform Detective Andrews about the arrest. Parker walked around until he found the guy’s weapon. Using an evidence bag as a glove, he picked it up and brought it back.
“Is this his weapon?” Parker asked Di.
“I think so.” She stared at the weapon. “I’m sorry to say I can’t say for sure. I didn’t get a good look before I kicked it out of his hands.”
“Hopefully, we’ll find his prints and DNA on it.” Parker turned toward Jarek. “Anything else you can tell us?”
He shook his head, expecting the cops to press the issue of their statement. “Afraid not. We were shocked by this unexpected attack.”
Again, Wynn and Parker exchanged a glance. It was nice of them to hold back from calling him a liar. After a long moment, they turned toward the assailant who was being placed on the gurney. “Okay. We’ll place him under arrest pending the outcome of the investigation.”
“Understood.” Jarek tried to act normally. “I take it he doesn’t look familiar to either of you?”
“No.” Wynn turned away. “We’ll run his prints. I’m sure he’s in the system.”
Jarek nodded, knowing that was true. The crude tattoo was a clue, along with the vicious attack on Di. If she hadn’t been a trained soldier, the outcome would have been very different.
“How long do we need to stick around?” Di asked in a low voice. “Do you think Andrews will show up?”
“No clue.” He watched his fellow officers for a moment. “I don’t think they bought our story.”
“I know.” She grimaced. “I’m sorry I put you in this position.”
