Read Online Silent Witness by Diane Burke - Free Book Online

before she’d reached her destination. He gestured to the gaping wound visible through her shredded pant leg.
    “It’s fine.”
    “It’s not fine, ma’am. It’s deep and nasty looking. Let me clean it up and pack it for you, at least until we can get you to a hospital.”
    “I said I’m fine. How are the boy and Dr. Morgan?” Liz looked beyond the paramedic’s shoulder and saw Adam sitting on a gurney and another paramedic bandaging his forehead.
    Jeremy was strangely quiet on the gurney beside him, particularly with all the uniforms milling about. But then she noticed that the boy was wrapped in the top of a scrub uniform. Adam must have requested an extra top from one of the paramedics. How creative for Adam to have eased Jeremy’s fears by dressing the boy the same as the men around him.
    Adam turned his head at the sound of her voice and looked out the back of the ambulance. He appeared defeated, guilty even. What did he have to feel guilty about? She’d been the one who had lost control of the car. Before she could draw close enough to speak with him, Sal grabbed her arm and spun her around.
    “I told you this was a bad idea.” Anger poured out of him like steam from a boiling teakettle.
    “What are you talking about?”
    “You should have put that kid in foster care, preferably in another county. We don’t have the manpower to handle this.”
    “I lost control of the car. It has nothing to do with Jeremy.”
    “Really? How did you lose control?” He bounced on the pads of his feet, more agitated than she could remember ever seeing him. “Have you looked at that car? Someone shot out your tires! Think maybe that would make you lose control?”
    “My tires?” Liz looked at the crumpled mass below. “Are you sure?”
    “Of course I’m sure. Front and rear, driver’s side.”
    “Leave her alone. Hasn’t she been through enough?”
    Liz sensed Adam’s presence behind her. She could almost feel the brush of his breath on her neck. The temptation to turn and bury her face against his chest, feel the safe haven of his arms, was intense. But she didn’t. She didn’t need anyone’s protection. She was the protector.
    Sal stormed forward, forcing Liz to step aside. He poked Adam in the chest multiple times with his index finger. “This is your fault. Ever since you showed up, she hasn’t used the brains she was born with. That kid belongs in the care of Child Protective Services. If you’re so worried about him, then here’s a suggestion for you. Why don’t you take him some place far, far away? Neither one of you needs to be here mucking up this investigation and making it impossible for us to do our jobs.”
    “Sal, stop it.” Liz stepped between the two men and tried to keep her astonishment from showing on her face. “What’s got into you? Stop it right now.”
    When Sal joined the force, they had flirted a bit with each other, tested the waters, so to speak. Once Liz realized Sal didn’t share her faith, and probably never would, the relationship ended. They’d remained friends and over the years developed a tight, successful working partnership. Nothing more—at least on her part. “What were you thinking?” Sal got in her face. He continued to have trouble keeping his temper in check. “We’re a staff of five. We can’t protect you and the boy and work the case. Keeping him here is a death warrant. I could have been pulling your corpse out of that car.”
    One look at his flushed cheeks and overbright eyes turned Liz speechless. He still had feelings for her—and she’d never known.
    “Hold on, son.” Tom Miller stepped up and patted Sal on the back. “I know the tires were blown out but we don’t know for sure it had anything to do with the boy. She was driving a patrol car. Someone could have been targeting our department in general or the sheriff in particular. Not everyone is in our corner when we arrest people.”
    “Tom’s right.” Liz grabbed hold of the