Page 37

37

BAKER

B aker entered Ashe’s apartment, smacked in the face by the smell of blood. Looking right he saw most of the small studio and why the place smelled of iron. He pulled his cell, dialing 911, as he stepped toward the male body in the small kitchen space. He didn’t feel a pulse at the man’s neck and recognized him from the picture he’d been given. “Damn it,” he muttered, he’d clearly been late. Shifting to his phone, “Yeah, I need to report a break-in at my current location.” Looking passed the dead man he saw feet and immediately stepped forward snaking around the island.

Ashe whimpered when he reached down to check her pulse. While talking with the dispatcher on the phone, he pulled a knife from a pocket in his pants and cut Ashe loose from the bindings. Deep bruises had already started from her struggling. “Ashe? Can you hear me?” her hands had fallen listlessly once freed. “Babe, we don’t have a lot of time. Cops are on their way.” He looked her up and down, her left hand had some relatively superficial cuts, she had smeared blood all around her but looked relatively unharmed. He had just finished taking pictures of the scene and was sliding his phone into his back pocket when the cops came through the door. Baker put his hands up and motioned toward the body, “I came by to see Ashe and found it like this.” As if on cue, Ashe moaned, drawing the police’s attention.

“Ma’am, are you okay?” the nearest officer asked, kneeling down in front of her.

The second officer cued his radio and requested an ambulance.

Baker moved to be able to see Ashe. She had started to make small movements but was not answering any questions. He could tell she could hear, she just seemed incapable of response. Her gaze landed unsteadily on Baker, first his shoes then up to his face. They had never met and this is not how he would have wanted to meet, oh well. “Ashe,” he started in a whisper, “I’m a friend of Red’s. My name is Baker.” Ashe tried to wet her lips, but nothing followed. She blinked slowly trying to focus from the burning in her throat and make her voice work. The EMS crew arrived; Baker backed off just enough to let them access Ashe without moving out of her sight.

“Ashe?” the male EMT questioned. Everyone paused and looked at the two. “Ashe, can you talk to us?” After a beat he continued, “you have some nasty bruising, swelling around your throat.” Ashe reached for her throat, her fingertips carefully palpating where she felt the burning. “Can you sit up?” he reached instinctively to help Ashe and she took it, slowly sliding her hips and legs under her and into a sitting position. “How about we get out of here?”

“Wait, there’s been a crime here,” one of the Officers said.

The female paramedic looked up from the notes she was making, “She works at our station. She needs medical attention.” The second Officer nodded.