Page 13 of Her Elusive Cowboy Billionaire

Chapter4

Apolice officer got out of the car and walked over.“I’m Officer Jennings.Are you the ones who called in the shooting?”

Meri saw the officer was a young man, perhaps no older than she was.His blonde hair was short and partly hidden by his hat.

“Yes, sir.”Chase held out his right hand.“Chase Harper and this is Meridith Anderson.”

The man shook Chase’s hand.“Where did the shots come from?”

“It came from behind us.”He pointed over his shoulder.“And the man who shot at us came from between those two cars.”He pointed at a blue Chevy Impala and red BMW.“We were on our way to see if anyone needed help when you arrived.”

The officer walked in the direction Chase pointed.

Chase and Meri followed, but not too close.

“Stay back.”The officer held up his left arm, hand bent, palm facing them.

When the police officer stopped, he squatted and pressed his fingers to a man’s throat.Then he reached up to his shoulder and spoke into the radio there.“This is Officer Jennings.Send an ambulance to my location…stat.”He stayed, took off the man’s jacket and pressed it against the chest wound.

The officer looked over his shoulder toward Chase and Meri.“Did either of you know the victim?”

Chase wrapped his arm around her shoulders.“We haven’t seen him.We were on our way here when you came up, but we hadn’t reached here.So we haven’t seen him.“

“Will you both look at him, please?”

They walked to the man on the ground.He’d been shot in the chest, but Meri saw his chest was rising and falling.Thank God he’s not dead.

She took Chase’s hand and squeezed it.

He squeezed hers back.

Taking another look at the man, Meri gasped.“Ihaveseen him.He was in the restaurant.He left just before we did.”

Officer Jennings continued to press on the wound.“Anyone with him?”

She shook her head.“Not when he left.I didn’t see him eat, so someone could have been with him and waited outside.”

The officer nodded.“Could have.I’ll have someone check out the restaurant.You said he left just before you?”

“Yes.”

“Do you have any idea where he might have been sitting?”

“Not really.I saw him approach the door from the opposite side of the restaurant, but that’s also where the bathrooms are located.”

“Okay.If you’ll give me your contact information, Miss Anderson, I’m sure the detective assigned to the case will want to talk to you.”He turned toward Chase.“Mr.Harper, I assume we can contact you at your office?”

“Yes, of course.Whatever you need.”Chase extended his right hand.

Officer Jennings shook it, while keeping his left hand on the victim’s chest.“We’ll be in touch.”He pressed an index finger to the radio on his shoulder.“Officer Jennings here.Where is that ambulance?”

The sounds of sirens approached.

Soon two EMTs were there caring for the wounded man.

Officer Jenning’s approached them.He had a small notebook in his hand.“Ms.Anderson, if you could give me your contact information again, I’d appreciate it.”

Meri nodded.“Certainly.”She rattled off her address and phone number.”