“So, you were asleep on the couch and then what happened?” Grady pressed.
“A noise woke me. At the time, I couldn’t place it, but now, I think maybe it was the sliding glass door closing. It makes a weird sound. I was dizzy, and I heard Cas whimpering and scratching, but it was far away. That’s when I realized he was outside on the balcony.” He clutched the dog tighter, kissing his head. “I got scared. I thought somebody must be in the house.”
The detective leaned forward. “Why didn’t you call the police?”
Robby’s hand fluttered into the air as he shook his head. “I don’t know. All I could think was that I had to get Cas off the balcony before he fell. I was drunk.”
“When did you grab the cheese knife?”
A cheese knife? Seriously?
Calder massaged the boy’s knee, hoping it helped somewhat.
“I grabbed it from the coffee table as I walked toward the back door. I couldn’t see anything. Somebody had turned all the lights off. I thought someone was lurking in the shadows.”
When Robby didn’t continue, the detective prompted, “And they were?”
“Well, yeah, but not in front of me. Behind me. I was bending down to pick up Cas. He tried to hit me with this giant ugly stone sculpture my designer picked up in Peru, but he missed. It startled me, and I turned and swung my hand and”—he shuddered—“then I felt it.”
“It?” the detective asked.
“The knife blade sinking into his skin.” The boy paled. “It made this wet sound and—” Robby jerked from the table, shoving Casanova at the lawyer before he lurched to hover over a small rubber trash can, losing the contents of his stomach. Calder went to crouch beside him, rubbing his back as the kid heaved over and over again. Oof. He was not lying about the red wine.
“Can he get some water or a soda or something?” the attorney asked.
The detective left and came back with a ginger ale and a paper cup. Once Robby was no longer green, they continued the interview. “Mr. Shaw, do you know the man who broke into your apartment?”
Robby shook his head. “No.”
Grady leaned back in his chair, rubbing the back of his neck. “Anybody you know might want to hurt you?”
Robby started to shake his head but then froze, staring at the wall long enough for Calder to exchange a confused glance with Fields.
“No,” Robby finally said, but it lacked any strength.
“If you know something, you need to tell them, angel face,” Calder urged.
“I don’t know that he’d hurt me exactly, but he’d definitely make somebody come get me and try to bring me back.”
“Who?” Calder asked, earning a glare from Grady.
“My dad.”
Grady stared down Robby. “Now, why would your father have somebody break into your home to ‘come get you’?”
“Because he thinks he can get me back into the fold now that he saw me kiss a girl,” Robby said as if that made a lick of sense to anybody in the room.
“I’m going to need you to speak plainly,” Grady snapped.
Calder agreed but he didn’t appreciate the man’s tone. He turned furious eyes on Grady, but Fields spoke first. “My client has been through a very rough night. Somebody broke into his home, and he defended himself. We’re under no obligation to answer your questions unless you plan on arresting my client. Give him a minute.”
Calder relaxed but placed a hand on the back of Robby’s neck, massaging gently.
“My father is Jeb Shaw.” At everybody’s puzzled looks, he said, “The leader of the Church of Magnus Dei.”
“That’s not a church. It’s a cult,” Grady spit.
“Yes,” Robby confirmed.
