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Alice clambered into the back of the van and carefully took Marlowe from me, then I jumped out and looked down at the scumsucker. If Nash took him into custody, he’d call for a lawyer, then I wouldn’t know who was coming after Marlowe.

I locked eyes with the man who was also standing over the asshole. He held out his hand. “My name is Dave Draper.”

I shook it. “Kai. Did you call the sheriff?”

Dave scratched the bottom of his chin. “The way I saw things, that needed to be your call.”

I grinned. I was really liking the Drapers.

“So what do you want to do?” he asked.

“I want to take him with me, get some answers out of him, before taking him to Nash.”

Dave nodded. “Seems reasonable. No reason to waste the sheriff’s time.”

I grinned wider.

A burgundy Buick Roadmaster drove right up to us. It had to have been made in the late 1990’s. Out came Doc Evans.

“Where’s my patient?” He scowled.

“She’s in here,” Alice called out.

Doc easily climbed into the van. Man must do some of those PT exercises himself. I followed him.

“Who the hell’s bright idea was it to keep her in here, and not take her out where there is fresh air?” Doc wanted to know.

Damn, he was right.

Doc picked up the blue rag, took a quick sniff, then threw it out the van door to Dave. “Dispose of this. Preferably where no one else can get to it.” He then turned his attention back to me. “Now, let’s get her to that bench, out yonder. I don’t think she needs oxygen, but I’m going to check her vitals. Somebody call an ambulance?”

I was lifting Marlowe out of the van as Alice was answering the Doc. Dave, however, was not running to dispose of the rag. Instead, his foot was on the neck of Marlowe’s assailant. Yep, he was somebody I wanted to go have a beer with. I’d even pay for his.

As soon as I had her on the bench out on the sidewalk, Doc took his stethoscope out along with a blood pressure gauge.

“Honey, your blood pressure is kind of on the low side. What is it normally?”

Marlowe told him.

He gave a satisfied nod.

He then set his stethoscope against her chest. “I want you to breathe normally for me. Can you do that?” Marlowe rolled her eyes. Yep, my girl was feeling better.

“Don’t be giving me any of your lip, young lady.” He listened to her lungs. “Now I want you to breathe deep for me.”

He took the scope away and looked at her. “I take it he didn’t have the rag against you for all that long, did he?”

“No, sir.”

“Didn’t think so. You’re going to end up with quite a headache. You’re going to need to go to bed early, and sleep in, but other than that, you should be fit as a fiddle.”

“That’s it?” I asked.

“That’s it.” He patted me on the shoulder as he got up off the bench. That’s when I noticed we had garnered a little bit of a crowd.

“Nothing here to see, folks. Go about your business.”

It was funny to see how everyone obeyed the old doctor. He then turned his attention back to the two of us. “I’m going to tell the ambulance to head back home. There’s no need for one. If you find yourself getting dizzy or becoming nauseous, you call me. Alright?”