Page 8 of Last Chance Christmas

“Get revenge. He was babbling about ‘little mouses’—that’s what he said—and all the ways to kill them and how fun it’s going to be. Who knows? That guy wasn’t right in the head.”

“That your diagnosis, Doctor Ramble. Clinically insane?”

“My shoulder hurts.”

She got hers under his good arm. “Up we go.” Olivia lifted him to his feet, and they walked out the back door together. Across the road, Cole led a cuffed Wallace out from between two garages, his K-9 walking beside them.

She stiffened. Couldn’t the dog be on a leash?

“Careful, he’ll realize you’re afraid.” Junior seemed to think it was at least a little amusing.

“Ambulance?” Cole called over. “I called in for another car so he can be taken to holding at the station.”

Cole’s K-9 vehicle held him and another cop, and the dog in the back. It wasn’t designed to hold prisoners or suspects, as it had no back seat.

“I don’t need an ambulance.”

Olivia said, “Yes, you do. You were shot.”

“I’ll bet it missed anything vital.”

“Doesn’t matter. You faced down a criminal and got hurt. That makes you a hero.”

Junior said, “Heroes don’t let their duty weapon get stolen.”

Cole’s expression shifted. He knew how bad that was—and not just that it meant a lot of paperwork. They needed to find the criminal who’d run off and get Junior’s gun back, or he would feel responsible for any crime committed using it. Whether he was guilty or not.

Cole said, “Come on,” and led Wallace to his car.

Olivia got on her radio and requested an ambulance for an injured officer. The dispatcher told her that all ambulances were occupied on other calls and asked for more details.

Junior grunted. “I can make it to the car.”

She looked at him out of the corner of her eye, but he was too close for her to really focus on his face. “Sure?”

“Nothing wrong with my legs.”

Another patrol car pulled onto the street. Officer Anthony Thomas got out. “You guys see a Hispanic guy, kind of pale?”

“Orange jumpsuit?” Cole walked Wallace over to load him in the back of Anthony’s car.

Anthony shot him a look. “That’s the one. I spotted him a couple of streets away. Wasn’t sure if he’d come this way.”

“That’s not the guy who shot me. He was white.”

“I lost him. I think it was Alonzo Sosa.” A tendon in Anthony’s square jaw flexed. “I circled a couple of times, but he got away.” His eyes flared. “I should’ve triple-checked the streets around here and found him.”

Olivia said, “He could be hiding in a hundred places around this complex. It would take hours to go from room to room and search all of them.”

“He got away.”

She said nothing because there was a lot of responsibility to go around, and it wouldn’t lessen Anthony’s feelings to tell him not to have them. “I’m taking Junior back to our car so he can get checked out.”

Anthony nodded. “I’ll get Wallace to the station and touch base with the lieutenant.”

“Keep us updated.”

Cole came back over. “Titan and I are going hunting.”