Chapter 3 of The Paramedic’s Choice is the chapter that turns this book into more than an urban fantasy series sequel — it becomes a legal thriller with supernatural stakes. Dean’s former partner Zach, the same paramedic who once tried to recruit him into the anti-Unusual hate group, is found dead in Dean’s old apartment. And every circumstantial detail points directly at Dean.

Readers who search for “urban fantasy with a murder mystery subplot” or “paranormal fiction with a wrongful accusation plot” will find this chapter delivers exactly that combination, executed with real procedural tension. Brynne, overhearing herself on the phone with James Lee, admits something chilling: if she didn’t know better, she would think Dean did it. The setup, she says, looked solid.

The “loyal mentor doubles as legal coach” trope readers love

What makes this chapter work so well is Brynne’s role. She does not simply comfort Dean — she coaches him through the single most important decision of the scene: say nothing, and ask for a lawyer. When the police arrive, Brynne’s terse, practiced instructions (“Don’t say anything, just request an attorney and then shut up”) read like someone who has clearly seen this kind of situation handled badly before. For readers who enjoy mentor characters whose competence extends beyond their professional specialty — who can navigate a crisis outside their usual expertise — Brynne’s handling of the police interrogation is a standout moment.

Detective Ricketts and the pressure tactics readers recognize

The arriving detective, Ricketts, uses the classic interrogation pressure tactic: insisting that requesting a lawyer “only serves to make you look guilty.” Readers who enjoy procedural accuracy in their crime fiction will appreciate that Dean’s instinct to defend himself is repeatedly and correctly overridden by Brynne’s experience. It is rare for an urban fantasy novel to handle a police procedural sequence with this much genre-accurate tension, and it pays off by making Dean’s arrest feel inevitable rather than contrived.

The stakes of being marked twice over

Dean is now navigating two overlapping threats: a hate group targeting Unusuals, and now a murder charge that conveniently removes him from circulation just as that conflict intensifies. Readers who love layered urban fantasy plots — where a personal crisis and a larger conspiracy turn out to be connected — will find the seeds of that connection planted carefully here, well before the chapter confirms anything outright.

✚  Find out if Dean can clear his name — get The Paramedic’s Choice now.Get the Book →

CHAPTER TEXT

The Paramedic’s Choice — Chapter 3

Dean left the ambulance after Brynne backed it into the ambulance bay, and started pacing back and forth in the garage behind the emergency vehicle. What was he supposed to say when he called Ashley? How had this happened? Who killed Zach in his apartment? There were too many questions swirling around in his head for him to figure out what was going on. He turned and went into the squad room to find Brynne finishing up a conversation on her cell phone.

“I will keep him here, James,” she said. “You get him a lawyer, a good one. This is going to be tough to beat. The set up looked pretty solid. If I didn’t know any better, I would think he did it.” She looked up and saw Dean standing there. “Uh, look, I gotta go. Call me back when you have a lawyer for him and a plan.”

“Did you mean what you said?” Dean asked. “That you could believe that I did this?”

“That’s not what I said, Dean,” Brynne replied. “I stated that if I didn’t know otherwise, I would think you were a suspect. Believe me, if I thought you had done this, I would have reported you to the police right there on the scene.” She glanced down at the phone in his hand and asked, “Did you call Ashley?”

“No, not yet,” Dean admitted. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to tell her.”

“Tell her you’re likely to be framed for Zach’s murder and that you expect the police to come looking for you any moment,” his partner said. “But, remember, don’t leave a voice message if she doesn’t pick up. Just hang up the phone.”

Dean pulled up Ashley on his phone and pressed the send button to call her. He waited to hear her voice. She would know how to calm him and ease his anxiety. She always did. He waited and waited, and then it went to voicemail. He did as Brynne said and hung up rather than leave a message. Her smartphone would show he had called, so that was enough. She would call him back.

“Not picking up?” Brynne asked. “Okay, I’ll text her and tell her to call me right away.”

There was a knock at the station door, and Dean flinched. Brynne went over and looked out the window into the parking lot. Dean waited for her to tell him who it was. She turned and looked a little pale.

“It’s the police, Dean,” she said. “I’m going to let them in. Don’t say anything, just request an attorney and then shut up.”

“But why don’t I just tell them I didn’t do it?” Dean asked. “We work with these guys all the time at accidents and other emergency scenes. They know us.” The police outside knocked on the door again.

Brynne headed to the door. “You don’t say anything. They could twist anything you say to mean something different. Just stay quiet. Request an attorney. That’s it.” His partner held his gaze for a moment to let what she said to sink in, then turned to walk across the squad room to the parking lot door.

Brynne opened the door and stepped back as two uniformed police officers, and a plain-clothes detective with his badge on a lanyard around his neck entered the room. Dean recognized the two uniformed officers from the scene, and he knew them as the police officers from the law enforcement version of Station U.

The detective spoke up as he came in. “Dean Flynn? I don’t think we’ve met before. I’m Detective Ricketts. I’d like to ask you a few questions. We are all a little curious as to why you didn’t identify yourself as the resident of that apartment to the officers on the scene when you responded back there?”

Dean started to answer the question, to defend himself, but caught Brynne’s quick shake of her head out of the corner of his eye and stopped himself. “Uh, I’d like to have a lawyer present before I answer any questions,” Dean said quickly. Brynne nodded and gave a little smile of encouragement.

The detective seemed to notice the byplay. “If that’s the way you want to do this. You know that asking for a lawyer only serves to make you look guilty in our eyes. It will go better if you just tell us what happened back there at your apartment.”

Dean couldn’t resist. “How would I know? I didn’t even stay there last night.”

“Well that might be true, but your landlord,” the detective paused and pulled out a notepad and glanced at it. “A Mrs. Baxter, says that you were there just a few hours ago. She saw you go upstairs this morning around five thirty AM. Would you care to explain that? I could understand if you surprised a burglar. It could all just be self-defense.”

“Dean, don’t say another word,” Brynne cautioned. “Wait for your lawyer like I said.”

“Ma’am, I’ll ask you to stay out of this,” the detective interjected. “I have questions for you, too. I wondered why you didn’t remain on the scene longer? I was surprised when you weren’t still there when I arrived. It seems that you may have a part in this, too, since you tried to hide evidence.”

“What evidence?” she shot back. “I only pronounced the victim dead. That was why we were called to the scene. Once that is done, we’re obligated to put our unit back in service. We usually hang out on the location for a while when we have nothing better to do, but nothing says we have to.”

“Did you recognize the victim?” the detective asked her. “O’Malley here says he does. Isn’t the deceased your former partner at this ambulance station?”

“He is. But you didn’t ask for his identity,” Brynne replied. “I was just doing my job pronouncing death. I will let you all do the police work.”

The detective sighed and motioned to the two officers. “Okay, if that’s the way you two want to handle things. Dean Flynn, you are being taken into custody for questioning in the death of Zachary Castle. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can, and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you by the court. Do you understand these rights as I have recited them to you?”

Dean nodded as O’Malley and his partner came over and put a pair of handcuffs on him, pulling his hands behind his back.

“Dean,” O’Malley said quietly, almost apologetically, as he led him toward the door. “Don’t say anything else. Listen to your partner.”

Dean looked back at Brynne as the officers walked him out into the parking lot. She held his gaze, gave a single sharp nod, and mouthed the words: “I’ve got this.” It was the only reassurance he had as the squad car door closed behind him.

✚  Get The Paramedic’s Choice — Book 3 in the Extreme Medical Services series by Jamie Davis.Get the Book →