When Janelle woke the next morning, late as usual, it was Saturday and she knew her husband would already be up and likely informed of Stephanie's attack. It was important that she kept a straight face, acted natural, and played as dumb as possible.
Sure enough, when she entered the living room, Steven eyed her curiously. She smiled to herself and wished she could brag about her evil deed in her journal but instead, she would later be sure to write that she was just as clueless as anyone else, offering her “guesses” as to who could have done it.
“Perhaps the boyfriend organized it since most guys don't seem very interested in having kids and he had an alibi,” she wrote.
She nodded a greeting to Steven, not wanting to seem too obvious by asking what was up. She got her coffee and cigarette and joined Steven in the living room. He sat in a recliner across from the TV and she sat on the couch in between. She took a sip of her brew, waiting for him to break the news. She was a little surprised by how long it took, not knowing if he was waiting to see if she would bring it up first since she was the number one suspect before she even knew she was.
“Got some news this morning.” Steven finally said.
“Yeah?” Janelle said, keeping her eyes on the TV and trying to appear no more or less interested than normal.
“It's Stephanie.”
“Yeah?” She glanced at her husband. “She had the baby?”
“No, not exactly.”
Janelle glanced at the TV and then back at her husband, expecting him to go on. When he didn't she asked, “What do you mean?”
“She lost it,” Steven said leaning his chin in the palm of his hand, elbow on the arm of the plush chair. His expression was that of sadness and suspicion.
Janelle feigned surprise “Wow, this late in the game? Wasn't she due soon?”
“Well, she was, ‘til someone tried to kill her.”
“What?” Janelle said, fixing her gaze more intently on Steven. He didn’t go on. Janelle hated it when he paused without elaborating. “So you gonna tell me what happened or what?”
“I was just waiting to see if you could tell me first.”
“Tell you what?”
“What happened to Stephanie.”
“How would I know? I haven't seen her in months.” More silence passed and then Janelle prompted her husband. “What the hell is this?”
“Is what?”
“What are you getting at?”
“Well…”
“Dude, what is it you don't want me to know?”
“Well, let's just say that someone attacked her and she lost the baby.”
“My God! When did this happen and who did it? The boyfriend?”
“Not likely. He was at work at the time.”
“Damn. Is Stephanie okay?”
“Not really. She's in a coma but she’s expected to eventually come around and be able to say who did it.”
“Well, that much as good,” Janelle said, terrified by the thought of that happening. “So was it someone she knew or just some random psycho? Where was she at the time?”
“Home alone.”
“Damn. As much as I never liked her, damn.”
“Yeah?”
Janelle nodded. “They say that in cases like this, it's usually the spouse or lover.”
“Yeah, but as I just told you, he was working and many people can vouch for that.”
“Someone he hired?”
Steven shrugged.
Janelle quietly sipped her coffee, not wanting to appear overly curious, suspecting that her husband suspected her. She was sure the rest of the family and the pigs did too and would therefore be subjected to scrutiny and maybe even interrogation. She resolved in her mind then and there that she would never give in. No matter what she was taunted with, bribed with, or threatened with, she would never tell them what they wanted to hear. She knew absolutely nothing about it. Nothing at all. She just hoped she wouldn’t be asked to take a lie detector test. In that case, she’d be screwed.
A knock then came at the door.
That was fast, thought Janelle, determined to remain calm despite the fact that her heart began to race. But then a pregnant woman had been beaten into a coma and lost her kid because of it, she reminded herself. They weren't about to wait a week or a month to investigate.
Janelle and Steven looked at each other. When Steven didn't make a move toward the door, Janelle said, “Why don't you get it? I'm not exactly dressed.” She pulled her robe tighter around her.
As if annoyed by her request, Steven rose from his chair and opened the door. Not surprisingly, two detectives were present, one black and one white, asking if they could come in and ask some questions about Stephanie.
“Sure,” Steven said and held the door open for them.
Janelle didn’t like how Steven made a sweeping gesture toward her with his arm as if she was the one they would want to talk to because she had information to give.
“Hello,” Janelle said, not recognizing either of the detectives despite all the run-ins she’d had with the law.
Ignoring Steven completely, the black one asked, “Are you Janelle Stone?”
“I am,” Janelle said. “Excuse my appearance. I just got up,” she said setting her coffee mug on the table beside the couch.
“That's okay, we just want to ask some questions.”
“Yes?”
“Do you know Stephanie McNeil?”
“We do,” Janelle said, even though the question was directed at her only, and her use of the word we seemed to annoy Steven.
“Are you aware that Miss McNeil was attacked yesterday afternoon?”
“My husband was just telling me about it. It's awful.”
“How well did you know her, ma’am?”
“Not very well. I've seen her a handful of times when visiting Steven’s family.”
“Would you say you two got along?”
“I would say that Stephanie never seemed to care for me and that she could be a bit rude at times but that was the extent of it.”
“So no problems between you two?”
“No,” Janelle said shaking her head. “Not that I'm aware of.”
“None that you're aware of?”
Janelle shrugged. “We haven't seen her in months. At least I haven't.”
“Why is that?”
“Because I'm not at the house as often as he is,” Janelle said motioning toward Steven.
“So is there anything you could tell me that we should know?”
“No, I don't think so.”
“You don't have any idea who might have done this?”
“No, I’m afraid not.”
When the detectives didn't say anything more Janelle said, “I hope they catch the guy and that Stephanie pulls through.”
“How do you know it’s a guy?”
“I don't. Figure of speech.”
“Oh, yeah,” the detective said with a chuckle. “Mind my asking where you were yesterday afternoon?”
Janelle stared at the detective and then blinked. “Are you serious?”
“M-hm,” the detective said with a nod. “It’s just a matter of routine.”
“Well, I was right here, and my husband was at work.”
“Okay, Mrs. Stone, we'll be in touch. Thank you for your time.”
“Now what the hell was that all about?” Janelle asked her husband when the detectives were gone.
“I don't know,” her husband said walking into the other room, something Janelle also hated when they were having a discussion.
She got up from the couch and followed him. “Why is it that they questioned me and not you?”
Steven looked at her as if to ask, “Are you serious?” Instead, he said, “Well, I know you don't think so, but you did attack a pregnant woman once.”
“You're right. I don't think so because I didn't attack anyone,” Jannelle said making air quotes when she spoke the word attack. “I defended myself from potential bodily harm. Besides, I was acquitted, remember?”
Her husband gave her his famous shrug and she continued with, “Makes me wonder what kind of crap your sister and your aunt might have put into their heads,” Janelle said referring to the police.
Another shrug.
Janelle shrugged in return. Then she did it again. And again, mocking her husband, irritation evident in her expression.
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