“I don’t want you speaking to her alone,” the sheriff said. He held his hands up to forestall the objection rising in Mendez’s throat. “It’s not that I don’t trust you, Tony, it’s that Steve Morgan is an attorney and you’re already skating on thin ice with him.”

He nodded, impatient to get to her. Something had to be wrong for Sara Morgan to bring herself to the sheriff’s office.

“Fine,” he said. “Vince knows Sara. Just let me ask her if she’s comfortable with that.”

He had already started down the hall before Dixon could answer.

The receptionist had brought Sara into the small waiting area outside of the detectives’ offices, where a sign on the wall instructed all detectives to turn their guns in at the desk. She looked like hell. His first impression was that she had two black eyes, and his temper had already begun to spike before he realized the dark around her eyes was from stress and lack of sleep. She looked thin and fragile, as if a man might be able to snap her in two.

If one had already tried, Mendez was going to kill Steve Morgan with his bare hands.

“Sara? Is something wrong?”

He could see she was trembling as she stood up.

“Can I speak to you privately?” she asked, her voice so small, he could hardly hear her.

“Is this about Steve?” he asked, putting a hand on her shoulder to steady her.

“Yes.”

“Okay. Because of what happened between Steve and me, I’m going to have to have someone else sit in with us. You know Vince Leone. Is it all right if he sits in with us?”

Head down, she nodded.

“All right. We’ll go back here,” he said, letting his hand fall to the small of her back to guide her gently through the office with its small sea of desks, and down the hall to the interview rooms.

“Are you all right?” he asked quietly.

“No,” she said.

“Is there something I can get you before we sit down? Would you like a glass of water or some really bad coffee?”

She tried to smile and shook her head.

“Where’s Wendy? Is she okay?”

“She’s with Anne.”

“Okay. Good. That’s good.”

He looked in the glass inset of the door to interview room one. Vince was already waiting. He stood up as Mendez opened the door and held it for Sara.

“Sara,” Vince said easily. “I understand from Anne that Wendy is visiting Haley this afternoon.”

“Yes.”

“Have a seat, honey,” he said, pulling out a chair for her at the small table. “You look a little shaken up.”

Mendez took the chair on the far side of the table and planted his forearms on the tabletop to keep from reaching over to touch her. That didn’t stop Vince, who reached over and patted her hand.