The first person to call Theo Sloan violent was the paramedic who found his pregnant mother unconscious on the kitchen floor.

In the fluorescent-lit holding room of the downtown precinct, nine-year-old Theo sat in a chair that was far too big for him. His feet dangled several inches above the scuffed linoleum. His gray eyes stared fixedly at the metal leg of the table.

Detective Miller sat opposite him, holding a plastic evidence bag containing the square patch recovered from the bedroom floor.

“Theo, look at me,” Detective Miller said, softening his tone slightly. “Your mother is in the hospital. The doctors are trying to save her life and the baby’s. I need you to tell me why you attacked her.”

“I didn't attack her,” Theo whispered, his voice small but steady.

“The paramedic saw you bite her hand, Theo. There's blood on her skin.”

“She was dying,” Theo insisted, finally looking up. His gray eyes were dry, burning with a terrifying clarity. “The patch made her sleep. It smelled like the old classroom. The chemical that hurt me before. Grandma brought it.”

The door opened quietly. Judith Whitmore slipped into the room, her beige coat spotless, her posture rigid. She placed a gloved hand on Theo’s shoulder.

“Detective, you must excuse him. The boy has severe neurological deficits and sensory integration dysfunction. He experiences violent delusions when he is startled,” Judith said, her voice smooth and authoritative.

Detective Miller frowned, looking between Judith and the boy. “Mrs. Whitmore, he’s talking about a chemical patch found on his mother. The hospital says it contained a synthetic paralytic agent not listed in her medical history.”

Judith’s eyes narrowed just a fraction, though her voice remained steady. “A tragic misunderstanding. Grant and I arranged for a mild herbal transdermal patch through a private wellness clinic to help with her pregnancy back pain. The boy must have panicked when he saw it, hallucinated a threat, and attacked his mother while she was dizzy.”

Theo stood up abruptly, knocking his chair backward. “It wasn't herbal! It smelled like industrial solvent! Grandma gave it to her because she wants the baby!”