I checked them all for vitals and recovered my pistol that Howell’s crew had taken. Then I called the sheriff. I wasn’t about to call the Pineapple Bay PD or 9-1-1.
I joined Catalina, and I soon realized the blood on her dress was not from her father. She’d been caught with a stray bullet from his wild spray when she shot him.
Her skin went pale, and her strength faded. She collapsed.
My stomach twisted.
I applied pressure to the wound in her abdomen. "Hang in there, Catalina. Help is on the way.”
She looked up at me with sad eyes. "I'm sorry."
"Just hang on!"
The distant sounds of sirens warbled as they drew near. I hoped the sheriff’s department would be the first on the scene.
53
First responders swarmed. EMTs and paramedics triaged Catalina. They got her stabilized, then transferred her to a gurney and wheeled her out of the warehouse. She was stuffed into the back of an ambulance and taken to the Pineapple Bay Hospital.
The local medical examiner arrived.
Hordes of media gathered in the parking lot outside the warehouse.
The PBPD arrived, along with their Internal Affairs Division. There was quite a bit of tension between departments.
Sheriff Daniels drove up from Coconut Key. It took him about a half hour driving full out.
Of course, the Pineapple Bay Police Department tried to spin this as Diego Navarro shooting innocent cops. But I wasn't about to let anybody paint these guys as innocent cops. That didn't make me popular among the PBPD. I didn't keep my mouth shut when it came time to talk to the press.
At the county substation, I filled out an after-action report and surrendered my duty weapon to the sheriff. I was put on administrative leave once again. This time, I figured I'd take a few days for myself to regroup.
I got the sheriff to give me a ride back to where I left my sportbike. Before I climbed out of his patrol car, he said, "You alright?”
"I'm good."
"I mean, are you alright?”
I took a deep breath. “Yeah. I will be."
"You want to ride with me back to Coconut Key?”
"No. I'll take the bike. I don't feel like coming back up here to get it, and I need to make a stop before I go."
"She got under your skin, didn't she?”
"A little bit.”
"It happens.”
I chuckled. "Yeah, it does."
I told him I'd catch up with him in Coconut Key, then I climbed out of the squad car and straddled the bike. I headed to the Pineapple Bay Hospital to check on Catalina.
I pushed into the emergency room and flashed my badge to the receptionist at the front desk. "I need to know the status of Catalina Navarro."
She hesitated for a moment, tapped the keys, and surveyed the screen. Her face tightened. "Can you hang on for just a moment?"
She pushed away from the desk, stood up, and disappeared into the back. I waited a few minutes.
