Crimson Harvest

Two days after the attack, Jake was still listed in critical condition. The stab wound had narrowly missed his heart; nevertheless, it had done enormous internal damage to other organs. Jeanetta was stable in spite of a lot of blood loss, but the attack had been brutal, leaving her with a long wound from her right temple down her cheek to her jaw line. She was fortunate, the doctor had said, that it had missed her eye and only minor plastic surgery would probably be necessary. Her doctor had also said that she would probably be fit to be discharged the next day.

Heather, of course, had been traumatized by the attack. She would not even think of returning home, not that Kevin or Jeannie had wanted her to. So she had remained with her parents in the hospital, mostly in her mother’s room, but going to visit her father in the CCU during its brief half-hour slots three times a day.

The police had been active, thoroughly interviewing Kevin and Heather. Detective Sharptwig had taken a statement from Jeannie and reported to Kevin that they had collected statements also from neighbors, too, who may have seen the crime. But, he said, there was a strange lack of consistency in their accounts. None of the descriptions supplied by those who thought they had seen the men concurred with those given by Kevin, Heather, and Jeanetta.

Sharptwig visited two or three times each day, checking in and reassuring Kevin that they were still looking for the suspects.