Page 122 of Stone Coast

“I don’t need a gurney. I can walk out of here.”

“You’ve lost a lot of blood, and your blood pressure’s low. You could pass out if you try to stand.”

“Don’t be a pain in the ass,” Daniels growled. “Get on the gurney. They’ll get you to the hospital and take care of you. You’ll be out in 24 to 48 hours.”

Tyson’s face tightened. He didn’t like the sound of that. If it were up to him, he’d slap a Band-Aid on it and call it a day.

“Tyson, you need to go to the hospital,” I said. “And you need to behave.”

“I’m fine.”

It was my turn to give him a stern look and a lecture. “If you’re done being a tough guy, get on the fucking gurney so we can all call it a night.”

“Yes, dear,” he said in an annoyed tone.

The sheriff looked impressed. “I’d think she might be a good influence on you, if she didn’t have a murder charge pending.”

I cringed again. He’d no doubt dug into my history after last night’s inferno.

The EMTs transferred Tyson, strapped him in, and rolled him through the salon to the aft deck. An EMT said to me, “We’re gonna take him to Coconut General. Do you want to ride with us or follow?”

“I’ll follow,” I said.

I caught up to Tyson and got the keys from him. As they rolled him away, I asked if he wanted me to bring anything.On his list were the phone, the charger, and a bottle of whiskey. I didn’t think they’d let me bring the whiskey into the hospital.

It was worth a shot.

The sheriff said to me, “I’m gonna need a full statement.”

“Sure thing,” I replied, trying to hide my unease.

“And by full statement, I want to know everything.”

“Yes, sir.”

We stepped into the galley for privacy and sat at the breakfast nook.

“I know Tyson pretty well by now, and he’s a straight shooter. I don’t think he’d be hanging around a murderer if there weren’t something to the story. Start at the beginning and don’t leave anything out. I take it personally when somebody comes after my boys. I want to know what’s going on.”

It was easy to see the sheriff was much more than a superior officer. They were like family.

“Before I begin, I just want to say I was set up.”

“That’s what every convict says.”

“I’m not a convict yet,” I said.

“Well, the fact that you were charged in Pineapple Bay by the PD makes a setup plausible.”

He had no love for the PBPD, it seemed.

I shot it to him straight, starting with the amnesia and catching him up with the flamingIntrepid. I left out the partabout the vigilante group and the kidnapping of Alec Stratton.

I tried to give him the short version.

He stared at me for a long moment, processing everything. Maybe he sensed I was holding a few details back. “That’s it? That’s all I need to know?”

“That’s everything.”