With a Vengeance by Annette Dashofy Page B

entire ambulance service?”
    “Possibly. The Phillipsburg garage, at least.”
    Zoe pondered recent calls. “We lose patients from time to time, but I can’t think of any that raised red flags.”
    “Angry family members?”
    “No.”
    “Anyone get fired? Or want a job and not get it?”
    “No.” Zoe’s stomach did a slow roll. “You think one of us is behind this?”
    “I don’t know.” Pete shrugged. “That’s why I’m asking.”
    She thought back over recent weeks. Months. “No. We haven’t turned anyone away. We haven’t fired anyone. Nobody’s been in trouble that I’m aware of.” Her gaze drifted back to the whiteboard. “Maybe Snake was willing to take his frustration out on anyone who showed up last night. Maybe he knew Barry was on duty and took his chances. Maybe he just got lucky.”
    Pete looked unconvinced. “I’m not ruling him out.”
    Zoe’s own words echoed inside her brain. “Lucky. Not so lucky for Barry and Curtis.”
    Pete reached over, closing his fingers over hers. “We’ll get whoever did this.”
    She smiled at the warmth of his touch. “I know you will.”
    “By the way, we released your ambulance. As soon as they get it patched up, you’ll be able to get it back in service.”
    Uneasy, she slipped her hand from his gentle grasp and leaned back in the chair. “It’s going to be a weird shift.”
    He watched her for a long moment. “I imagine so.”
    “Sixteen hours straight on duty and everyone in mourning.” She picked up a pen lying on the table. “And on edge.”
    Pete didn’t say anything.
    She met his gaze. He had a way of looking into her soul and her heart. Or so she believed. Sometimes the idea of him being able to read her mind terrified her. Now, it comforted her. She managed a smile. “Of course we all have that warped sense of humor to fall back on when things get tough.”
    “Job requirement.”
    “Yeah.” She set the pen down and spun it on the table. “I know there’s still the same problem as with Snake, but did you get a chance to look into the other possibility I mentioned?”
    “You mean Knox’s girlfriend’s jealous ex? Not yet.”
    “You may want to add the girlfriend to the list.”
    Pete rested an elbow on the table, his chin on his fist. “Oh?”
    Zoe launched into the events of the afternoon, concluding with Earl’s observation about a woman scorned.
    Other than the deepening of a crease in Pete’s forehead, his face grew very still. She’d seen this non-expression before, during their weekly poker games. Giving nothing away. Yet she knew his neurons were firing at high gear. His voice low, he asked, “How well do you know Lucy Livingston?”
    “Not very. Before today I’d only had one conversation with her. And I’m not sure you can classify today’s spectacle as a conversation either.”
    “How about her father?”
    “I know him to see him. Nothing more. He seemed to have a calming effect on her though.”
    Pete nodded slowly, sat up, and pulled out his notebook. He held out a palm for the pen Zoe had been twirling. She handed it over, and he jotted a note.
    “Do you know him?” she asked.
    “As well as I know anyone in Vance Township who hasn’t been arrested or filed a complaint.”
    Zoe tried to read Pete to no avail. Either he genuinely did not know Hector Livingston, or he knew more than he was willing to share.
    Pete caught her eyeing him. His face softened. “Who drove when you went into Pittsburgh?”
    “Earl. Why?”
    “Don’t trust your truck?”
    “My truck is fine. Earl’s minivan fits in the parking garage easier is all.”
    “How much did Bud soak you for repairs this time?”
    Feigning indignation, she jutted her jaw. “None of your business.”
    Pete chuckled. “That much, huh? You need to start thinking about trading it in. Get something smaller. With better gas mileage.”
    Trade in her Chevy? “I need my truck. I can’t haul a horse trailer with something smaller that gets better