It’s not until I’m alone in the ER, waiting to be released, when the seriousness of the incident hits home. An unknown individual fired at least four shots into my vehicle. I could have been killed. Was it random? Would the shooter have fired at any vehicle that happened to be driving down that particular road at that particular time? Were they targeting law enforcement? Or were they hell-bent on shooting me?

I’m sitting on a gurney, wearing a gown that looks as if it’s been washed in a wood chipper, when I hear voices in the corridor outside the ER, and I think: Shit. I’d known the sheriff’s department and SHP and about a hundred other agencies would want to talk to me about the incident. I’d only hoped to be out of here and dressed when it happened. There are few things that are quite so unnerving as talking to a bunch of guys when you’re half-naked.

I glance down at my bare legs and feet. “Damn it.” Snatching up the sheet at the foot of the gurney, I quickly snap it open and drape it over my legs.

“Chief? Knock-knock.”

Sheriff Mike Rasmussen’s voice calls out to me from behind the curtain. I roll my eyes and then paste a smile to my face. “I’m right here.”

The curtain is shoved aside. Looking none too happy, the ER nurse offers me a commiserating frown as she walks the curtain around its track, opening my previously private space. “You have visitors,” she says, handing me an ice pack. “I’ll go check on your paperwork.”

The sheriff is flanked by Glock and, of course, Tomasetti. The three men are staring at me, and I resist the urge to pull the blanket up to my chin. Instead, I look directly at Tomasetti and say, “I was just dialing your number.”

“Uh-huh.” Neither the tone of his voice or his expression give away his frame of mind, but I see him studying the bandage on the bridge of my nose. “You okay?”

“I’m fine. No stitches. CAT scan is fine.” I shrug, trying not to wince because my shoulder hurts. “Kind of pissed about the Explorer, though.”

“I put a call in to the mayor.” Glock grins. “I figure I’d save you the headache and break the news.”

I smile back. “You enjoy provoking Auggie.”

“I’ll take the fifth on that.”

Rasmussen clears his throat. “You feel up to answering a few questions, Kate?”

I nod. “Did you get him?”

The sheriff shakes his head. “He beat it out of there quick.”

“Did you find anything at the scene?” I ask. “Brass? Tire tread?”

“A single .22 casing.” Rasmussen nods at Tomasetti. “We brought in BCI. I don’t know if they’ll assign John the case.…” His voice trails as if he’s not exactly sure how to end it. “You know, personal relationships and all.”