reluctantly agreed.
Baronick slid into the chair Nate had vacated. “You don’t really expect to get any sleep tonight, do you?” The detective’s grin didn’t match the concerned crease between his eyes. “Zoe’s crew’s on duty, right?”
Pete’s cell phone rang before he could respond. He checked the screen and answered. “Seth. Did you find anything?”
Judging by the sounds coming across the phone, Officer Seth Metzger must have been standing next to a jukebox. “No one here knows anything about Snake’s deal to sell a quad to anyone. Old dude or otherwise.”
“What about his alibi for last night?”
There was a pause. “Well, the guy who was tending bar then isn’t supposed to come back in for another hour. But there’s a girl here who says she was around from six until last call.”
From Seth’s tone, Pete gathered the girl was quite a looker, and he visualized her next to the jukebox—and Seth—as he spoke. “And?”
“She says Snake was here all right. Was here when she arrived. But the thing is…he left around seven fifteen or so and came back a little before eight thirty.”
Pete sat up. “Really?”
“I thought I’d stick around and talk to the bartender when he comes in. Unless you need me back there.”
“No, that’s fine. Ask around in case anyone else saw Sullivan or talked to him too. I trust you got the girl’s contact information.”
“Oh, yeah.” Seth’s smile carried through the line.
“He learned something?” Baronick asked as Pete ended the call.
“He did. Eli ‘Snake’ Sullivan may not have an alibi after all.” Pete relayed what Seth had told him.
“Interesting. But there’s still the question of—”
“Of how he would know who was in that ambulance.” Pete drummed his fingers on the table. “I wonder if Eli Sullivan knows anyone at EOC.”
“The Emergency Operations Center?” Baronick’s eyes brightened, and he climbed to his feet. “I’m on my way there now.”
Zoe stepped out of Earl’s minivan in front of the police station. Pete’s Explorer shared the parking lot with a pair of news trucks emblazoned with logos from two Pittsburgh area stations.
“See you in a few hours,” Earl said before pulling away.
No one emerged from the trucks to approach her. Apparently they didn’t believe anyone of importance would show up in a minivan.
She pushed through the station’s front door and stopped at the front office. Nancy was on the phone and waved her toward the hallway.
Zoe found Pete alone in the conference room, drawing what looked like a timeline on the whiteboard. She paused in the doorway to admire the view. There was definitely something enticing about a man in uniform. Especially this man.
Pete glanced over his shoulder and smiled. “Hey.”
She hoped he didn’t notice her blush. “Hey yourself.” She wandered over to the table and studied the array of photos, most of them from last night. “Are you making any progress?”
“Not much.” Pete capped the dry-erase pen and set it on the lip of the board. “We’re looking into Eli Sullivan. Calls himself Snake. He’s the guy you told me about who got into an altercation with Dickson.”
“I know. Earl told me the guys at the bar consider him to be a big joke.” Zoe read the notes Pete had scrawled on the whiteboard. Sullivan’s name had no alibi written under the time the shootings occurred last night. “Are you going to arrest him?”
“No.” Pete motioned for her to have a seat. “Not unless you can explain how he might have known Dickson would be aboard the ambulance responding last night.”
Zoe collapsed into the offered chair. “I wish I could.” Pete’s question was one she’d intentionally put out of her mind, because the alternative meant the shooter was gunning for random ambulance personnel.
Pete claimed a chair next to Zoe and turned it to face her. “Can you think of anyone with a grudge against Monongahela County EMS?”
“The
Baronick slid into the chair Nate had vacated. “You don’t really expect to get any sleep tonight, do you?” The detective’s grin didn’t match the concerned crease between his eyes. “Zoe’s crew’s on duty, right?”
Pete’s cell phone rang before he could respond. He checked the screen and answered. “Seth. Did you find anything?”
Judging by the sounds coming across the phone, Officer Seth Metzger must have been standing next to a jukebox. “No one here knows anything about Snake’s deal to sell a quad to anyone. Old dude or otherwise.”
“What about his alibi for last night?”
There was a pause. “Well, the guy who was tending bar then isn’t supposed to come back in for another hour. But there’s a girl here who says she was around from six until last call.”
From Seth’s tone, Pete gathered the girl was quite a looker, and he visualized her next to the jukebox—and Seth—as he spoke. “And?”
“She says Snake was here all right. Was here when she arrived. But the thing is…he left around seven fifteen or so and came back a little before eight thirty.”
Pete sat up. “Really?”
“I thought I’d stick around and talk to the bartender when he comes in. Unless you need me back there.”
“No, that’s fine. Ask around in case anyone else saw Sullivan or talked to him too. I trust you got the girl’s contact information.”
“Oh, yeah.” Seth’s smile carried through the line.
“He learned something?” Baronick asked as Pete ended the call.
“He did. Eli ‘Snake’ Sullivan may not have an alibi after all.” Pete relayed what Seth had told him.
“Interesting. But there’s still the question of—”
“Of how he would know who was in that ambulance.” Pete drummed his fingers on the table. “I wonder if Eli Sullivan knows anyone at EOC.”
“The Emergency Operations Center?” Baronick’s eyes brightened, and he climbed to his feet. “I’m on my way there now.”
Zoe stepped out of Earl’s minivan in front of the police station. Pete’s Explorer shared the parking lot with a pair of news trucks emblazoned with logos from two Pittsburgh area stations.
“See you in a few hours,” Earl said before pulling away.
No one emerged from the trucks to approach her. Apparently they didn’t believe anyone of importance would show up in a minivan.
She pushed through the station’s front door and stopped at the front office. Nancy was on the phone and waved her toward the hallway.
Zoe found Pete alone in the conference room, drawing what looked like a timeline on the whiteboard. She paused in the doorway to admire the view. There was definitely something enticing about a man in uniform. Especially this man.
Pete glanced over his shoulder and smiled. “Hey.”
She hoped he didn’t notice her blush. “Hey yourself.” She wandered over to the table and studied the array of photos, most of them from last night. “Are you making any progress?”
“Not much.” Pete capped the dry-erase pen and set it on the lip of the board. “We’re looking into Eli Sullivan. Calls himself Snake. He’s the guy you told me about who got into an altercation with Dickson.”
“I know. Earl told me the guys at the bar consider him to be a big joke.” Zoe read the notes Pete had scrawled on the whiteboard. Sullivan’s name had no alibi written under the time the shootings occurred last night. “Are you going to arrest him?”
“No.” Pete motioned for her to have a seat. “Not unless you can explain how he might have known Dickson would be aboard the ambulance responding last night.”
Zoe collapsed into the offered chair. “I wish I could.” Pete’s question was one she’d intentionally put out of her mind, because the alternative meant the shooter was gunning for random ambulance personnel.
Pete claimed a chair next to Zoe and turned it to face her. “Can you think of anyone with a grudge against Monongahela County EMS?”
“The
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