The doctor and the nurses went over to Don and looked him over.
"Alex?" Don was very surprised. Alex didn't leave, he realized. He went out to get me a doctor.
"Don't say anything," Alex answered. "Let's just get you that surgery."
He felt a little bad that he had stormed out of the room without saying anything. But Daisy's pleading had made him furious that the hospital wouldn't operate on Don. That was why he had left and gone straight to the nurse's station to ask for the best surgeon in the hospital. The cost didn't matter, since he had the bank card that the Moon girls had given to him.
The nurses looked carefully at Don's wound, and then the doctor ordered him to be prepared for surgery. As they rolled his bed out of the room and down the hallway, Alex and Daisy went over to a group of chairs and sat down.
"Thank you, Alex," Daisy said with gratitude. "Thank you for saving him. I promise I'll pay you back." She looked him in the eye, and his eyes sparkled with joy.
"Don't worry about it. Don is my friend. He needs help. That's all that matters." He smiled at her.
"That's kind of you," Daisy responded, and her face grew serious. "But you and Don have the same job. I know what you make. How could you afford it? I'll pay you back, I promise."
"We can talk about it later," Alex said with a bitter smile. After Don's injury has healed, he thought, I'll tell them everything.
A doctor came walking up to them. He seemed nervous. "Sir, would you please come with me? I have some documents for you to sign."
"All right," Alex said. "Wait here, Daisy. If you're tired, take a rest. I'll go and check on Don afterwards."
He stood up and followed the doctor down the hallway. When they went around a corner toward the doctor's office, he walked straight into the barrel of a gun. It was pointed right at his face.
"Don't move," said the woman holding the gun. She was wearing a plaid shirt, and she glared at him with ink-black eyes. Her face was hard and determined. Somehow, Alex knew that she would not hesitate to shoot him.
He didn't move. He just stood there and looked quietly at her.
Behind her, two men in police uniforms came walking up to him and restrained him. They put handcuffs on his wrists behind his back. The woman put the gun away, and the two policemen searched him. "He doesn't have a gun on him, ma'am," one of them reported.
"Alex Ambrose, you're under arrest for the shooting of Julian Duvant," the woman said. "We're taking you back to the police station for interrogation."
Unbeknownst to Alex, Chris had called the Baltimore police and told them that Alex and Saul had broken into Julian's house and shot him. Officer Chelsea Wood had been sent to find them, and she had quickly learned that Alex had gone straight to the hospital. Knowing his name, she had found him easily, and she had asked one of the doctors to lure him away from other people.
"I didn't shoot him, officer," Alex protested. "It had nothing to do with me. Saul did it alone."
"So, it's somebody else's fault? How convenient." Chelsea gave Alex a contemptuous look. In her experience, the more the suspect protested and tried to shift the blame, the more likely he was to be guilty.
"Alex?" Daisy asked as she came around the corner. When she saw that he was being detained, she grew animated. "What are you arresting him for? He's a good man. This is a mistake."
"Don't worry," Chelsea told her. "If he's innocent, he'll be released. But if he's guilty, I'll take him to prison myself." She turned to the two policemen. "Take him away."
The policemen nodded and escorted Alex out of the building.
As they walked away, Daisy was left standing alone in the hallway. She was worried and confused, but there was nothing she could do. Her brother was still in surgery, and she had to wait for him.
The policemen escorted Alex out of the building and shoved him into a police car. They got in and sat on each side of him, while a third policeman drove them back to the police station. Chelsea sat in the passenger seat in the front.
"You've really gone and made a mess for yourself," one of the officers said. "Julian Duvant was taken straight to the emergency room. He's still in surgery. You'd better hope he pulls through."
"I told you, I didn't shoot him," Alex protested.
"We'll find out soon enough," said Chelsea, who glared at him through the rear-view mirror. "Don't get worked up. It'll only make things worse for you."
Something about her gave Alex a sense of relief. She seems like an honest and fair-minded person, he thought. If she's in charge of my case, at least I'll get a fair hearing. He stopped talking and looked out the window for the rest of the drive.
In a few minutes, they arrived at the police station. Alex was directly taken to the interrogation room and was asked to sit down at the table. Chelsea and another officer sat down on the other side.
"Why did you shoot Julian Duvant?" the male officer asked. He looked at Alex as if he had already decided that he was guilty.
"I didn't," Alex responded. "It was a man named Saul who shot him."
"If you don't come clean now, you'll only make it worse," the officer said and stared at Alex. "I would advise that you confess. You know, the guys you attacked are well-known in this town. Good, upstanding people. We want to solve this thing as quickly as possible."
"Dwight," Chelsea exclaimed. "Don't bring your personal feelings into this."
Dwight got worked up. "Come on, Chelsea. He's obviously guilty."
Chelsea gave him a stern look. "You're no use in here right now. Go have a cigarette and calm down. I'll handle this on my own."
He looked indignant. "You think I can't do my job? I'm not professional enough?"
"Exactly! Now get out. That's an order." Chelsea pointed to the door. From her tone, it was clear that she would not tolerate anyone questioning her orders.
Dwight looked at her. Her treatment of him had made him very angry, but he didn't dare to disobey her. The rumor was that Chelsea came from an influential family. Even the captain of the precinct was hesitant to reprimand her. He rose and stormed out of the interrogation room.
Once he was gone, Chelsea turned back to Alex. "Now, tell me honestly. What's this all about?"
Alex thought about it for a moment, and then he told her everything that had happened since that afternoon.
Chelsea took notes the whole way through. When he was done telling his story, she put her pencil down on the table and looked at him. "So, you're saying that Saul shot Julian on his own?"
"Yes, and there's proof," Alex responded. "If you examine the gun, you'll find three sets of fingerprints. Mine, Saul's, and Julian's. But mine won't be on the trigger. I picked the gun off the floor, but I never fired it. Only the other two did."
"We're collecting evidence right now," Chelsea told him. "We'll find out whether you're telling the truth." She paused. "But from what you've just told me, you've still committed a crime. You coerced Saul into shooting Julian when he wasn't a threat to you. I'll still have to charge you."
"Julian ordered Saul to kill me and my friend," Alex protested. "I stopped him, and then he brought me to Julian's house. He took out his gun and almost killed me, so I told Saul to shoot him. It was self-defense!"
"No, it wasn't. Making someone else shoot an unarmed man isn't self-defense. And besides, your story doesn't hold up. I know who Saul is. He's a fierce fighter, and you say you just subdued him. And then you tell me that you were shot at, and just got out of the way. Twice! It's like a fairy-tale."
"I told you, I'm not a liar."
"Whatever you are, we'll find out soon," Chelsea said and closed her notebook. "We need to detain you until the truth comes out."
She stood up, and Alex followed her lead. Her eyes suddenly flashed, and her right hand came flying in a wide arc right for Alex's neck.
Alex was startled, but he had time to lower his head and let her hand pass safely through the air above him.
Chelsea looked surprised that he had been able to dodge her blow, and she immediately went for his face again. Alex leaned backwards, and the blow grazed his nose. Then he pushed the table forward with his legs. It slid across the floor and hit Chelsea in the thighs.
She cried out in pain and took two steps back.
When he saw her wincing in pain, Alex was overcome with remorse. "I'm sorry," he said.
Chelsea had only wanted to find out whether Alex could really have subdued Saul. If this is how he does with handcuffs on, she thought, then perhaps he's telling the truth. But she still wasn't sure.
She held up her fists and rushed toward Alex. Once again, she aimed for his nose.
Alex stayed calm. In his mind, her fighting skills were nothing to be concerned about. He twisted his body to avoid Chelsea's fist and moved toward her. She lifted her knee to kick him in the side, but he was quicker. He lifted his right leg and pinned her leg between his. She couldn't move.
"Let me go!" she shouted. She grew angry, and she wriggled to get out of his grip. She lost her balance and fell backward onto the table. She pulled Alex down with her, and he fell on top of her. When they landed, he accidentally kissed her on the lips.