Chapter 29 Summary
Steven Schroeder wakes up in City View Medical Center in Austin, still groggy from surgery to repair injuries caused during the attack at his home. Officer Kate Williams, a red-haired, fair-skinned officer with piercing blue eyes, sits vigilantly by his bedside, having investigated the scene of his attack and found little physical evidence besides water on the floor and a dislodged shower curtain. Steven struggles to remember the events, only recalling the fear and the threatening voice of his attacker, but not the attacker’s face.
Kate carefully guides him through his fragmented memories and then calls medical staff to clarify the surgical procedures. Dr. Rosenthal explains that both ankles required open reduction and internal fixation, leaving metal hardware in place for long-term stabilization. Kate asks whether Steven’s inability to identify the attacker could stem from trauma or the anaesthesia, and the doctor confirms that PTSD and fear may have blocked the memory. However, further details may emerge once he has fully recovered from the anaesthesia. The chapter closes with the chilling implication that Steven may either be too frightened or too loyal to reveal the identity of the man whose voice still haunts him.
