bleeding.â CJ planted his hands on his hips.
I touched the bump gingerly. A pain seared through my head that made my eyes water.
âYou winced,â CJ said.
âIâll just have the EMTs take a quick look before they leave.â
I pushed by CJ and went into the living room. A few officers stood around, chatting in low tones. Juanita sat on my couch, with EMTs on either side of her. She looked pale but otherwise okay. It seemed she, too, was refusing to go to the hospital.
âIâm so sorry,â I told Juanita.
âIâm the one whoâs sorry,â she said. âI donât know where he came from. Like thin air. I didnât hear him on the stairs behind me.â
CJ held up a hand to stop her from talking. He grasped my arm and led me toward my bedroom. I smiled at Juanita as I left the living room. Her brown eyes looked tired and sad.
âWhat? Whyâd you bring me in here?â I asked when we reached my bedroom. âI want to talk to Juanita.â
âWe need to take her statement. Check her out.â
âYou think she had something to do with this?â I shook my head and winced again. It felt like a spring thunderstorm had taken over my brain. âShe was attacked, too.â I replayed the assault over in my mind. It made me shiver. I wanted to pull the throw off my bed and wrap it around me, but I didnât want to look like a victim.
CJ picked up the throw and settled it around my shoulders, as if heâd read my mind or maybe it was the shivering. âIâll be right back.â He returned with one of the two female EMTs. âCheck her out,â CJ said. âTalk her into a quick trip to the hospital.â He stepped out of the room.
âCJ, wait.â
Instead of answering me, he closed the door. The man could be completely frustrating.
The EMT sat down next to me, and she started a concussion examination. She talked in a calm, soothing voice as she ran through questions and checked me out. She told me what to watch for. âYou donât have signs of a concussion, but you really should go to your doctor. Your blood pressure is slightly elevated.â
âIâm fine. My blood pressure probably has more to do with my ex than anything else.â I flicked my head toward the door and regretted it as another bolt shot around in my head.
As the EMT was leaving the room, CJ and Pellner walked in.
âPellner will take your official statement,â CJ told me. âWe can do it here or down at the station, wherever you feel more comfortable.â
âHere, please,â I said.
CJ left the room and closed the door behind him again.
While my bedroom wasnât that big, it wasnât uncomfortable. I gestured toward the only chair. Pellner eyed it.
âItâs sturdier than it looks,â I said.
I had found it on the side of the road last fall and had re-covered the seat with a delicate blue-and-white toile fabric that complemented my blue-and-white comforter. Airy white curtains hung at the single window, which overlooked the town common and the tall white Congregational church. The bare branches of the trees waved frantically in the wind, and the sounds of the church bells seemed more like clangs than rings today.
âYou donât want me to hear what Juanitaâs saying, do you?â I asked. âDo you think one of us is lying?â
Pellner sat on the chair and pulled out a notebook. I perched on the end of the bed.
âHow do you know Juanita?â Pellner ran a hand through his military-short dark hair.
It was obvious Pellner wasnât going to answer any of my questions, so I gave up. âSheâs a member of the virtual garage sale site I run.â
âSo you donât know her personally?â
âI do now.â
Pellner frowned at me. âWalk me through what happened, starting with why she was here today.â
I scooted back on the bed and leaned back