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The rear side window slid down on the SUV, and there was a flash of rapid gunfire from inside the car. Grandma and Sally hit the floor, but I was too stunned to move. The blue-and-white's windshi
eld crumbled, and I saw Eddie jerk to the side and slump.
'I think Eddie's shot!' I yelled at my phone.
Tuck,' Sally said from the back seat. Snap.
The SUV took off, wheels spinning, and was out of sight within seconds. I shoved my door open and ran to check on Gazarra. He was hit twice. A bullet had grazed the side of his head. And he had a shoulder wound.
'Shit,' I said to Gazarra. 'Don't die.'
Gazarra looked at me through narrowed eyes. 'Do I look like I'm going to die?'
'No. But I'm not an expert.'
'Gripes, what happened? It was like World War III broke out.'
'Seemed like the gentlemen in the SUV didn't want to chat with you.'
I was being glib, hoping it would keep me from bursting into tears. I'd stripped my T-shirt off and had it pressed to Gazarras shoulder wound. Thank goodness I was wearing a sports bra, because I'd feel conspicuous if I was wearing my lacy Victoria's
Secret Wonderbra when the cops got here. There was undoubtedly a first aid kit in the squad car, but I wasn't thinking that clearly. The
T-shirt seemed easier and faster. I was pressing hard enough that my hands weren't visibly shaking, but my heart was racing and my breathing was ragged. Grandma and Sally were standing huddled together in silence by the Buick.
'Is there anything we can do?' Grandma asked.
Talk to Joe. He's on the cell phone. Tell him Gazarra needs help.'
Sirens were screaming in the distance, and I could see the flash of police strobes a block away.
'Shirley's gonna be pissed,' Gazarra said. 'She hates when I get shot.' To my recollection, the only other time Gazarra was shot was when he was playing quick draw in the police station elevator, and his gun accidentally discharged. The bullet ricocheted off the elevator wall and lodged in Gazarra's right buttock.
The first cop car angled in. It was followed by a second blue-and-white and Morelli in his SUV. I took a step back to allow the men access to Eddie.
Morelli looked first to me and then glanced over at Gazarra. 'Are you okay?' he asked.
I was covered with blood, but it wasn't mine. 'I didn't get hit.
Eddie's been shot twice, but I think he's going to be all right.'
I guess there are places in this country where cops are always perfectly pressed. Trenton wasn't one of those places. Trenton cops worked hard and worried a lot. Every cop on the scene had a sweat-soaked shirt and grim set to his mouth, including
Morelli.
'They opened fire with an automatic weapon from the back seat,' I told Morelli. 'We were coming out of the McDonalds drive-thru on State, and I saw the devil guy cross the lot and get into the
Lincoln. The devil guy got into the front passenger seat, so he wasn't the shooter. He had four drinks with him, so there were probably three other guys in the car. I followed him out of the lot and called you. You know the rest.'
Morelli slid an arm around me and pulled me close, resting his cheek on mine. 'I don't want to get mushy here in front of the guys, but there was a moment back there when I heard shots fired over the phone... and I didn't care a lot about the triplets.'
'Nice to know,' I said, slumping against him, happy to have someone holding me up. 'It happened so fast. No one got out of a car. Eddie was still buckled into his seat belt. They shot him through the windshield.'
'The Lincoln was stolen. They probably thought Gazarra was going to bust them.'
'No, it was me,' I said. 'This is all my fault. The Red Devil knew
I recognized him.'
