Page 42 of Barron

“I concur with Priestly. We don’t need you moving around and contaminating the evidence. So there were two intruders.” Captain Weaver turned to Billings. “Help Priestly to the EMT vehicle. Then call in the forensic unit. I want this place dusted and inspected from one end to the other.”

“The guy I jumped wore gloves,” Barron said.

Captain Weaver smirked. “We don’t know if the accomplice had them on. No crime scene is ever perfect. There’s always a mistake or an error made. I intend to find it and arrest their asses. No one threatens my assistant without repercussions.”

“Are you all right, my dear?” Andrea Miller had finally reached her side.

Releasing Barron’s waist, Yoanni gave Andrea her best smile. “I wasn’t hurt at all, but my boyfriend was.”

As Barron continued to the emergency vehicle, Mr. Miller gave him a thorough scan. “This young man seems familiar. Has he been around the neighborhood?”

“I’ve brought him around a few times.”

No way would she admit Barron was the late-night visitor Mr. Miller had seen watching her house on his bike.

“I’m glad you’re unharmed, my dear,” Andrea said. “Would you like to come home with us? We can put on a pot of tea?”

Yoanni held her wrist warmly. “Thank you. I’m so grateful for your offer, but he needs my help.” She tilted her head toward Barron.

“Of course,” Andrea said, then turned to her husband. “We can go home, Mr. Miller. For the moment, our Yoanni doesn’t need our help. Keep us informed, will you, darling?”

“I sure will.”

Once the paramedic cleaned the blood and examined Barron’svitals, he gave up arguing with his stubborn patient. He let him go home as long as someone drove for him.

Barron argued, “I’m telling you, I’m fine.”

But between the pressure of everyone’s disapproving glares and the fact that maybe he wasn’t feeling as well as he pretended, he eventually sat quietly on the passenger side while Yoanni drove his truck. Captain Weaver, adamant that they should be escorted, assigned a different officer to follow them. Billings had other matters to deal with.

In the end, Yoanni was grateful for Officer Cragg’s escort. Barron bitched all the way home. He was pissed that someone had surprised him from behind. She let him vent without saying much. He was awake and not too hurt. Nothing else mattered to her. As she got to his house, she drove the truck into Barron’s driveway, but left it out of the garage so she could help him climb down. Cragg parked the patrol car behind the truck.

“I’ll give you a hand,” Cragg said, going to Barron’s side of the truck.

She winced, thinking of Caesar. “Thank you, but there’s a dog inside. He barely knows me. I don’t want him to get nervous and attack you.”

“Yoanni,” Barron murmured from his seat. “Caesar won’t react if you both help me walk in the house.”

“Are you sure?”

He cupped her cheek. “Yes, princess.”

Officer Cragg was a big man. His physique indicated he trained with weights and had done sports at some point in school and later. He easily anchored Barron’s armpit on his shoulder and stood him up.

“Lead the way.” Officer Cragg smiled.

Taking her keys out of her purse, Yoanni opened the door, soothing a whining Caesar inside the house. “It’s okay, boy. We have Daddy with us.”

Caesar stepped back, growling at the man in the dark uniform.

“Settle down,” Barron ordered. “Sit.” At his master’s command, Caesar sat, panting. His eyes darted from one human to the other. “That’s my good boy,” Barron said. “Help me sit on that chair. I need a moment.”

“Oh, no. You’re too pale. Maybe we should go to the hospital.”

“Get him some water, miss,” Cragg said, helping him sit. “The concussion and all that moving around is making him nauseous. Once he gets into bed, he’ll get a decent rest and will feel better in the morning.”

“I’ll go get water. Please stay with him. Do you need anything, Officer?”

“No, thank you. I’ll watch him.”

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