Page 36 of Duty Compromised
“So, truck or SUV. Do you know what color? Make? Model?”
“Dark blue. Maybe black. I’m not sure about the other. It happened so fast.” Her fingers tightened on my arm, nails pressing through the fabric. “The airbag went off, and I couldn’t… I couldn’t see for a second. Couldn’t breathe. There was powder everywhere, and the smell…”
Her voice started to shake. Without thinking, I shifted my hand to her shoulder, let the weight of it rest there. She closed her eyes, drew in another breath that was steadier this time.
“Then someone approached my passenger side. I thought they were coming to help.” She opened her eyes, focusing on the officers with visible effort. “But they just opened the passenger door and grabbed my computer bag. I tried to say something, but I was still dazed from the airbag. The man had a baseball cap low and sunglasses. I couldn’t see his face well.”
“But you’re sure it was a male?”
She nodded.
“Can you describe anything else about him?”
“Tall, I think. But I was sitting down, still strapped in, so it’s hard to say.” Her fingers tightened on my arm again. “He didn’t say anything. Just took the bag and left.”
“Just like that?” Santos looked skeptical, his pen pausing over his notepad. “No demands? No weapon?”
“Nothing. He just grabbed it and disappeared. I tried to call out, but I couldn’t… My voice wouldn’t work.”
The younger officer, still scribbling notes, glanced up. “Probably just some opportunist. Saw the accident, figured you’d be too shaken to stop him.”
“Yeah.” Santos closed his notebook with a snap. “We see it sometimes. Lowlifes taking advantage of people’s worst moments. We’ll canvass for security cameras, see if we can get a better description, but honestly, ma’am, these cases rarely go anywhere. And it’s odd that he didn’t take your purse.”
Charlotte met my eyes. We both knew the guy hadn’t taken her purse because, unlike what the officers thought—if they believed her at all—this hadn’t been a random robbery.
They asked a few more routine questions—insurance information, whether she needed a copy of the report, had she been drinking, was she on any medications. Through it all, I kept my hand on her shoulder, felt the tension in her muscles, the way she fought to keep her voice steady. Every question seemed to drain more energy from her.
After they left, Charlotte slumped forward, exhaustion replacing adrenaline. She looked smaller somehow, like the weight of everything was physically crushing her.
“I messed up,” she whispered. “I thought I was doing what was best.”
“It’s going to be okay. I’m going to use my resources to see what I can find out. We have the drive—that’s what counts.”
“Yes. Could it have been a random robbery like the police officers said?”
“Possible. But doubtful.”
“So, what now?”
“Let’s get you out of here, then we’ll worry about the rest. It’s going to be okay, Charlotte. Trust me.”
She glanced up at me and, after a moment, nodded briefly. “I do.”
And I was going to make sure that trust wasn’t misplaced.
Chapter 11
Ty
The hospital checkout desk had seen better days. Scratched laminate, a cup of pens where half didn’t work, and a receptionist who looked ready to clock out. Charlotte stood there signing forms, her hand steady despite the white bandage at her temple and the exhaustion written across her face.
I stepped into the hallway, pulling out my phone. The call connected on the second ring.
“About time you checked in.” Ben’s voice carried that particular tone he used when he was worried but didn’t want to show it.
“Had a situation.” I kept my voice low, watching Charlotte through the glass panel in the door. “Charlotte’s car got T-boned at an intersection. Deliberate hit.”
“Your auburn-hair doc? She okay?”
