We sat like that for a long moment, rocking slowly. I watched Derek, whose eyes were narrowed in thought.
Finally Robin eased away and looked at me, then Derek. “Who would do that? Why? In my house? How did they . . . ? Oh, God. They were in my house.” Her face contorted into a mask of disgust and pain and dread. Her entire body shivered as more silent tears fell.
“I’m sorry, sweetie.” I squeezed her hand, wishing for things I had no control over. “We really need to call the police now.”
“Yes,” Derek said, standing. “We’ve already let too much time pass.” He was clearly anxious to get the police involved. He couldn’t help himself, having been on the proper side of law enforcement his entire life. “We’ll put clothes on, get Robin bundled up and in the car; then I’ll call Inspector Lee on the drive over.”
Robin grabbed my hand. “They’ll think I did it. But I didn’t do it. You believe me, don’t you?”
“Of course you didn’t do it,” I said indignantly. “You’re the victim here.” And there was Alex, I amended silently. I met Derek’s gaze again to telepathically convey the message that I expected him to make sure the police didn’t do something stupid, like arrest Robin.
His mouth twisted into his version of a determined grin as he telepathically assured me back that he would do his best. His best was pretty darn good, so I was satisfied with that.
Robin’s gaze darted around my living room; then she stared at her hands in dismay. “Can I take a shower first?”
“No, honey,” I said gently. “You might destroy evidence, and the more evidence we destroy, the worse it’ll look to the police.”
Derek’s expression of surprise almost made me laugh. Believe me, it was a shock to hear myself say that, too, because, you know, been there, done that, tried to wash off the evidence. But I guess I’d learned a little something from being involved in so many murders over the past six months. I wouldn’t say I was starting to think like a cop, but at least I was no longer doing the kinds of stupid things that invariably led to my name being put at the top of the suspect list.
“There’s one thing we can do,” Derek said, looking at me. “If you have a clean cloth to spare, I’ll wipe the blood off Robin’s hands and give the cloth to the police.”
“Thank you,” Robin whispered.
“Perfect,” I said, flashing a grateful smile at Derek.
He took care of washing off her hands, then left the room to change into street clothes. I took his place on the coffee table and leaned forward to grab hold of Robin’s arms. “I want you to know you won’t go through this alone. Things will get better eventually, but it’s going to be slow and awful for a while.”
“I know you’ll be there for me,” she said softly, her voice tinged with sadness. “That’s why I came here.”
“Oh, come on,” I teased. “You came here because you knew Derek would be here.”
“Well, that, too. I’m really glad he’s here.”
“Me, too.”
Her smile faded. “You know what’s awful?”
“What’s that?”
“I was too flipped out to put on shoes. My feet are filthy. I hate that.”
“I’m sorry. As soon as we talk to the police you can shower everything away.”
She giggled. I wasn’t sure why. It was a sweet sound—or it would’ve been, if not for the fact that Robin rarely giggled like that for no reason. Was this just another way of dealing with the stress and shock? Or was she coming unglued?
I couldn’t say it to her face, but I was going to need her to snap out of this soon. I couldn’t take it when she wasn’t strong and firing on all cylinders. It was as if the balance of power in the universe was askew, and I didn’t like that one bit. And when had this become all about me and my wants and needs?
Robin rested her head against the couch, and I felt my eyes mist up as I contemplated the hell she’d be going through over the next few days.
Derek slowed the elegant black Bentley, then pulled into an available parking space two doors down from Robin’s flat on Elizabeth Street. The police had not arrived yet.
I got out of the car and stared up at Robin’s building, wondering what the police would see when they got inside. Everything looked deceptively calm and quiet from here, but I knew that wouldn’t be the case for long.
The Noe Valley duplex was designed in the classic San Francisco style, with a small two-door garage on the street and a set of stairs on the side that led up to a wide outdoor landing with two doors. One door opened into Robin’s flat on the second floor, and the other door opened to another set of stairs that led up to her neighbors’ apartment on the third floor.