The doctors were all very nice to me, and the police wanted to hear what I had to say about the intruder. My fists clenched up when I told them that the intruder had wanted to have a couple of minutes alone with Jessica. I explained that I couldn’t let that happen. They told me that they were going to lock the guy up and throw away the key. He had broken out of jail and somehow found his way onto my property. It was a case of bad luck. Jessie had already given her statement while I was in surgery. The nurse told me that Jessie went home to take care of the animals. I checked out as soon as they would let me. My neighbor picked me up and drove me home. He told me that Jessie was gone. He told me he had been taking care of the cows for me. I thanked him and went into the house. She had cleaned it up before she left. All signs that she had ever been here were gone. The house was so empty. I couldn't bear it, so I went out to the barn. The animals looked fine. Jessie's car was gone. Her suitcase was missing, and money was lying on my desk.
