Chapter Seven
THE PARAMEDIC STEPPEDin front of Marlow. He held up both hands, still encased in bloody latex gloves, to stop him in his tracks.
“He’s not in any condition to answer questions right now,” he said.
“One minute,” Marlow said. “The people who did this to him got away.”
“That’s your job,” the paramedic said. He jerked his thumb over his shoulder at the ambulance. “Mine is getting him to the hospital before he codes. If you want to talk to him once he’s stabilized, we’re going to Kaiser. You can ask his doctors when he’ll be fit to be questioned.”
Marlow bit the inside of his cheek in frustration. He debated whether to claim it was Night Shift business, but that didn’t have the same weight during the crescent moon. Besides, that was the sort of overstepping that might get back to O’Hara.
He shrugged his acceptance and stepped back. The paramedic looked relieved as he stripped his gloves off and balled the bloody latex up between his fingers.
“And get your friend to clean that cut on his cheek,” he said as he handed Marlow an alcohol wipe in its wrapper. The paramedic turned and loped back to the ambulance as he tossed over his shoulder, “Wolf or not, it can still get infected. Two weeks is a long time to live with a seeping face.”
Marlow snorted at the idea he could make Cade do anything and tucked his hands into his pockets. He waited until the doors to the ambulance slammed and it drove away, its red and blue lights splashed over the ousted customers of the strip club as they milled sheepishly around outside. Their IDs and excuses were being collected by the patrol cars who’d responded when Marlow called the incident in to Dispatch.
Only one of the two was needed, but people always wanted to justify themselves to the badge.
Marlow certainly had. The veteran beat cop who’d taken his statement had absorbed the awkward lie of an interrupted date and heroics with the impassive face of someone who’d heard it all before.
Night Shift’s mistakes were not Officer Dioli’s business. Marlow envied him that. It seemed like his whole career had been about mistakes they’d made.
He headed back toward the club. Cade stood in front of the window and idly rubbed his freshly uncuffed wrists as Dioli ran down the “don’t leave town” and “we may need to speak with you again” spiel.
“Of course, I’m always happy to help the SDPD,” Cade said smoothly, his voice like honey. “If you guys can’t protect your citizens, then I can step in whenever you need me.”
Dioli made the face. The “oh, one of these assholes” face. Marlow couldn’t blame him. He’d taken his turn behind the same look when he’d dealt with Cade in the past. He wasn’t entirely sure he didn’t have it on right now.
“Ignore him,” he told Dioli. “He’s a dick.”
Dioli looked nonplussed for a moment and then let a quick, controlled grin slide over his face. He scribbled something in his book and then flipped the cover over.
“Noted,” he said. “He can pick up his gun at the station once the lab is done with it. We’ll let him know.”
“That’s okay,” Cade said. “I have others.”
Dioli looked at him for a second and then turned to Marlow. “I see what you mean.”
“Right?”
“I’ve got your statement too, Officer Marlow,” Dioli said. “If we need anything else, I guess I know where to find you.”
He turned and headed back to the patrol car. His partner looked relieved as he disengaged himself from one of the flirtier dancers.
“I’m a dick?” Cade asked.
Marlow tilted his head and raised his eyebrows. “You’re saying you’re not?”
“Maybe,” Cade admitted as he pushed himself off the wall. “But that’s between us. It’s not Officer Dioli’s business.”
“I just assumed you had better things to do than get arrested for pissing off a cop,” Marlow said. “Like all of this.”
Cade snorted, and the patina of humor faded from his face. “Did you see who spooked Lance in the bar?”
Marlow grimaced and shook his head. “No,” he said. “Whoever they were, they didn’t hang around. You? Did you see who was in the car?”
“Not well enough to identify them,” Cade said. “But that doesn’t matter. They told us what we needed to know.”
