Jonas and Kelsey had just dragged him ashore when Liam met them there. He had his phone out, and he dialed in for emergency assistance.
His phone slipped from his hands as he reached the three upon the beach. “Kelsey, I’ve got the training!” he told her, pulling her from Avery’s prone body so that he could begin CPR. He could hear her sobbing softly behind him, and he knew that Jonas had his arms around her, trying to reassure her. He tried to block out the sounds of life around him and give his total attention to the man before him, counting out, breathing in, pressing down, breathing out. Nothing.
Then, after he did his best to breathe life into the man, Avery suddenly coughed and spit out a stream of water. He inhaled.
He was breathing.
He twisted Avery, trying to make sure he didn’t choke on the water, and by then, the emergency technicians had arrived.
He stood up. He felt Kelsey move against him, trying to get to Avery, sobs shaking her body.
“Good work, Lieutenant,” one of the EMTs said. “He’s alive.”
“Why isn’t he moving?” Kelsey asked.
“He…might have suffered a concussion, if he fell off the dock,” the EMT said. “We’ll get him airlifted to the hospital.”
“I’m coming with him,” Kelsey said.
“Of course.”
She was dripping wet.
“Go, Kelsey, they’ll airlift you. I’ll get there in the car,” Liam said.
The emergency medical technicians had a stretcher and two of them were positioning it to lift Avery’s muscle-bound and heavy body upon it. While they were doing so, Liam knew he had to get some answers.
“What happened?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” Kelsey said. “I saw Jonas running—”
“I was watering the plants in front. I heard a scream. I came tearing over,” Jonas supplied.
Liam looked at Jonas, hoping that the raw anger and suspicion he was feeling wasn’t written all over his face. “And what did you see?”
“Nothing. He was in the water.”
“Kelsey?”
“I saw Jonas racing out to the water. I followed him. I saw Avery.”
“He was facedown,” Jonas said.
“You didn’t see how he got that way?” Liam asked.
Both Kelsey and Jonas shook their heads.
“But you arrived first?” Liam asked Jonas.
“I saw Jonas race past a window, and I came after him,” Kelsey said. “I was a split second behind him.”
“I told you, I heard a scream,” Jonas said.
“But you didn’t hear the scream?” he asked Kelsey.
“I was inside—all the windows are closed and bolted,” she said.
“We’re ready,” one of the med techs said.
“Go,” Liam told Kelsey. “Stay with him. I’ll be on the phone with you, and I’ll be there as fast as I can drive up. They have to get to the airport, and get him in emergency transportation. I won’t be that far behind you.”
Kelsey nodded jerkily. “Oh, my God, if Avery isn’t all right,” she whispered.
“He’ll be fine,” Liam assured her. Of course, he didn’t know that at all.
Kelsey started to follow the med techs around the side of the house.
“Kelsey, grab your purse and a sweater,” he said. “Your phone, you’ll need your phone,” he told her.
She nodded again and went through the house. He followed her; Jonas Weston followed him.
He lowered his head and bit his lip.
Kelsey said that she saw Jonas go by the window. She’d reached the water area just a split second behind him.
Jonas couldn’t have caused this.
“You want to hear something odd?” Jonas asked him.
“What?” Just inside the back door, Liam spun to face him.
Jonas backed away, his jaw tight. “I came over and helped save that man,” he said.
“Sorry. I’m sorry. What?” Liam asked.
“It looked like there was something in the water. Something big. It was right beneath him,” Jonas said.
“Like what?” Liam asked.
“I don’t know. It’s nearly dusk. The water is dark. It—it just looked like a dark shadow.” He tried to offer a weak smile. “Well, you got the man breathing. I’m sure when he comes to, he’ll be able to tell us exactly what happened.”
What the hell had happened? Avery Slater was a well-built, coordinated man who didn’t seem the type to slip off a dock.
“Thanks, Jonas. Thank you. I’m sure Avery is going to be very grateful as well. I’m glad you were here for Kelsey,” he said.
He tried to keep sincerity in his voice.
He wanted the man to leave.
He had to get a few things together for Kelsey and get up to the hospital. No matter how quickly he moved, it was going to take some time to get there. Screw it.
He would call the station and say that he’d need his own helicopter.
“Thank you, Jonas,” he said again pointedly.
“Right. Right,” Jonas said, backing out the door. “Call me. Call me, please, and let me know how he’s doing.”
“Of course,” Liam promised as Jonas finally left.
Liam called the station and ordered his helicopter. He asked for a crime-scene unit to be sent out to the Merlin estate again.