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“I can’t let her go,” I snapped. “She needs the pressure.”
“I’ve got her,” Asher promised. “Let me do my job. She needs to be taken to hospital.”
He pulled at my arms gently, and I shifted away from her, tremors wracking my body.
“Will she survive?” I asked as Asher replaced me at Grace’s side and began assessing her.
“You know I can’t make promises.” His tone was all business, but I understood. When dealing with something this personal, people needed to disconnect from their emotions in order to get through it. “She has a good chance though. It’s a good thing you got here so soon.”
Not soon enough. I should have gone to her the instant Mendel was released.
Asher and the other paramedic lifted Grace onto a stretcher and carried her out. I started to follow, but Patton intercepted me.
“Sarge, should we begin questioning Mendel?” he asked.
I watched Grace disappear around the corner, wanting to be with her more than anything. I struggled to get my thoughts in order. I couldn’t help Grace right now, but I could figure out who’d done this to her.
“You and Mehrtens can question him. I’ll observe.” I couldn’t be part of the interrogation. Not when I was emotionally compromised and had such a strong conflict of interest.
A few seconds after Grace went out of sight, Summer appeared in the doorway. She was panting, and if I had to guess, I’d say she’d run from the car.
“What happened?” she demanded.
“Grace was stabbed.” I tried to sound as detached as Asher had, but my voice was rough. I gestured toward Duke. “He’s been injured too.”
She followed my motion and gasped. “Who would hurt a puppy?” She rushed to him and knelt, then carefully palpated his body. He raised his head weakly. “I think he’ll be okay.” She released a sigh of relief. “I’ll take him to the clinic, but Nate, I want to hear whether Grace is all right the second you get any news.”
“I’ll let you know,” I said.
“Great.” She scooped the puppy into her arms, and I was surprised to see no sign of strain on her face. Duke was hardly a lightweight.
I faced Patton again. “Head to the station now. Get Mehrtens to call a crime scene team. There’s too much for her to process on her own, and we need her at the interview.”
He nodded. “On it.”
I waited until he’d left, then made a quick call to my parents to ask them to go to the hospital so Grace wouldn’t be alone if she woke. Mum was hysterical, but she promised she and Dad would collect Desdemona and leave immediately. It was a weight off my mind to know they’d be there for her. Her own parents may have abandoned her, but mine never would.
I made my way to the police station in a haze, but all of my senses sharpened as I entered the interview room and claimed a chair in the corner.
Patton stated the time, date, and who was present for the recording. “Do you understand your rights?” he asked Mendel.
“Yes.” Mendel sounded as exhausted as I felt.
“You are choosing not to have your lawyer present?”
“Against his advice, yes.”
I cocked my head. Perhaps he really hadn’t had anything to do with the stabbing, but considering I’d found him standing over her, questions had to be raised.
Patton asked Mendel to describe the events leading up to when I’d found him in Grace’s kitchen.
“I went there to talk to her,” Mendel said. “I knew Nate would tell her the truth about who I was, and I wanted her to hear it from me first.”
“Where was she when you arrived?” Patton asked.
“In the kitchen.”
“You let yourself into the house?”
