Rue had already bellied up to the bar and ordered two bottles of ale. He sat facing the door and planned to rib Cannon as soon as he walked in for driving like an old lady.
That car has serious horsepower, and he could have beaten me here if he’d tried.
After he’d downed his beer, Devon glanced at his watch. It wasn’t like Mitch to be so late. He pulled the beer meant for Cannon toward him and took a gulp.
What the hell? I better call him and find out what’s going on.
Devon tapped Cannon’s name on his phone and listened as it rang until the voicemail finally picked up. When prompted, he left a message.
“Where are you, buddy? Change your mind or what? Call me back.” Rue’s eyes were laser focused on the door. He willed Mitch to walk in, but he didn’t. “Son of a bitch.” Rue lifted his phone off the bar and tapped Marie’s name. He waited as it rang on her end.
“Devon, hi. What’s up?”
He felt relieved. Marie sounded upbeat, so nothing could be wrong. Could it?
“Hey, Marie. Sorry to bother you, but did Mitch change his mind about having a beer with me?”
“Not that I’m aware of. He called me nearly a half hour ago and said you two were going out for a bit.”
“Meaning he didn’t come home instead?”
“Devon, you’re scaring me.”
“I have to go, Marie. I need to call the station.” Devon hung up and dialed Patrol’s dispatch operator.
“Patrol department dispatch.”
“Darlene, this is Detective Rue from Homicide. Have there been any accidents reported in the last half hour between the Habersham station and Sparky’s?”
“Yes, there have. A rear-end collision resulting in a T-bone crash. Three people involved and all injured. It happened on State and Lincoln.”
“Damn it. I’m pretty sure one of those injured is Detective Cannon.”
“Oh no! Patrol is there, and Fire Station 3 has medics on site.”
“Thanks, Darlene.”
Rue hung up, paid for the beer, and raced out of the bar. The scene of the accident was only six blocks from Sparky’s. He would be there in five minutes.
From two blocks away, Devon saw the flashing lights of the fire department’s rescue vans. Squad cars blocked the street to through traffic. There was no way in except on foot. After finding a parking spot along the curb, Devon ran to the scene.
“Hey!” an officer yelled out when Devon dipped under the yellow tape.
Devon held up his hand. “I’m Detective Rue from Homicide. I think one of the injured people is my partner, Detective Cannon.”
“Yep, right this way, sir. The paramedics are tending to him as we speak.”
Devon caught a glance of the vehicles involved as he made his way to the gurney Cannon was on. He was being loaded into the back of the rescue vehicle.
The EMT stiff-armed Rue. “Please, sir, back away from the vehicle.”
Rue pulled away. “That’s my partner, Detective Cannon. Is he okay?”
“He’s unconscious but stable. We need to get him loaded, so please.”
“Where are you taking him and the others?”
“To Mercy.”
Devon stepped back and looked around. The scene was so new it was doubtful that anything had been touched or moved other than the car’s occupants. He yelled out to the officers on site. “Don’t let anyone move things from this accident. We need to establish what actually happened. Any witnesses who stuck around?”
The nearest officer shook his head. “The 911 call that came in was transferred to Patrol. We were dispatched to the scene and got here within minutes. Nobody other than a few bystanders were here.”
Rue scanned the area. “Did any of them actually see the crash?”
“We haven’t had time for interviews yet. Looks like only those three people on the sidewalk stuck around. Don’t know if they witnessed the accident or are just gawkers.”
“What about the vehicle that smacked into the back of the Corvette?”
“When we arrived, the only vehicles here were the two involved in the crash, Detective Rue.”
“Damn it. Okay, I have to make some calls.” Devon stepped up onto the sidewalk and made the first call to Royce. He pinned the phone to his ear as he pulled his notepad from his pocket. He jotted down the time and what he was looking at as Royce’s phone rang in his ear. The sergeant finally picked up.
“What’s up, Rue? I was just heading out.”
“Mitch was involved in an accident, Boss. I don’t know his condition other than the EMT saying he was stable. They’re taking him to the hospital as we speak.”
“What the hell happened?”
“I don’t know. We were going to knock back a few at Sparky’s, but Mitch never showed up. I contacted Patrol, and they told me about the accident. Two cars involved—Mitch’s Corvette and a minivan that T-boned him.”
“T-boned? How could that happen unless one of them blew through a stoplight or stop sign?”
“Neither. The back end of the Corvette is smashed in.”
“So what did that driver say?”
“That driver is in the wind, and all I know is that Mitch and the two occupants in the other vehicle are all injured and heading to Mercy. I haven’t talked to anyone yet, and there’s only a few bystanders on the sidewalk. Don’t know if they witnessed the accident or are just watching out of curiosity.”
“Okay, I’ll be right there. Start talking to people and keep that scene cordoned off. I’ll get Forensics out there too.”
“Roger that.” Devon had one more call to make and that was to Marie. He couldn’t have her come to the scene. There was nothing there for her to do anyway. He would explain that Mitch had been in an accident and say little else. It was all he really knew. He tapped her name from his contact list and sucked in a deep breath. Worrying her wasn’t his intention, but she needed to know.
Marie picked up on the second ring. “Devon, did you get ahold of Mitch? He doesn’t answer his cell.”
“Hey, Marie. No, I didn’t, but he was involved in an accident. Please don’t yell or anything for the sake of your kids and your mom.”
“Uh-huh. What do you know?” Her voice quivered.
“I got there as the paramedics were loading Mitch into the rescue vehicle. There were three people involved in the accident, Mitch and two others in the minivan that T-boned him. I was told that he was unconscious but stable, and they were taking all of them to Mercy.”
“So, we need to go there.”
“That’s what I would suggest. It’s up to you if all of you go or if you go alone. Whatever you think is best.”
“Shit, Devon, I don’t know.”
“Well, I have to stay at the scene and talk to people. What I’m looking at doesn’t make sense, but Forensics will figure it out.”
“I need to go. I’ll call you after I talk to someone at the hospital.”
“Thanks. Keep it together, Marie. I don’t think Mitch is in any serious danger, but his car is totaled.”
“Shit. Okay, I’ll talk to you soon.”
Rue ended the call. Marie would have to do whatever was best for them. Devon needed answers, and hopefully, one of the people on the sidewalk had seen something.