"Is there any danger of you telling me what you're thinking?" Officer Henry asked his young partner. They were driving back to the station and his partner hadn't said anything at all to him since they had left the hospital.

Officer Williams said nothing for another few moments but then eventually she nodded, "Okay, right, forget your obsession with this being the husband for a moment and picture this. Let's say that Stephanie's brother has some reason to want her dead. He knows where she will be on Monday night so he flies somewhere not too close but also not too far away, like L.A. To avoid showing up on any airline records he drives all the way to the arena, you said what, five hours from L.A to here?"

"Yeah, I'd guess five or six hours," Henry said, considering what she was saying.

"So, he drives over here and calls her and tells her what time to meet him in the parking lot. He buys a cheap cell phone from somewhere and then when he gets to the parking lot he uses it to call her so that his number isn't the last call that she received. She walks out there to talk to him or confront him or whatever and he comes from behind and hits her. He steals her underwear to make it look like a sex attack. Who would suspect the brother in an apparent sex attack? Then he clears out before anyone can see him. Either by luck or design he does all of this out of sight of the CCTV in the parking lot. I can't believe they only have one camera out there, nearly half of the parking lot not even covered by it."

Henry nodded slowly, "It's possible I suppose. He could have driven back to L.A that night and then flown back over here the next day, but we have nothing to prove any of it. We don't even have any idea why he might want to kill his sister."

"I know," Williams sighed. "It's so frustrating. He admitted that no one could verify that he was in the hotel but that still proves nothing. Hopefully she makes it easy on us and remembers what was happening that night and who did this to her."

"If not I don't think we're going to make anyone for this. There's no evidence, no video footage and no witnesses. We're fucked. We'll keep questioning the husband and the brother and we'll have someone talk to the ex girlfriend but unless we luck out this is dead in the water."

Pain, Stephanie thought as she began to regain consciousness. Jesus, so much pain. Why does my head hurt so badly? I need to take something for this, this is unbearable. First I need to open my eyes. I'm not sure that I can even do that, it hurts so much.

She opened one eye slightly and immediately closed it again. My God, that hurt, she thought. Why is it so bright in here? Our bedroom doesn't get this bright. Maybe I have a migraine? I need to try again.

She managed to force herself to open both eyes briefly but she had to close them again against the pain. Where is this place? She thought, beginning to panic. This isn't our house. Where am I and why am I in so much pain? Instinctively she attempted to move her hand to her head but it didn't move.

She had no idea why but someone else did. Her hand didn't move because Paul was holding it. He felt her try to move it and stopped reading the internet browser on his phone that he held in his other hand and his head snapped round to focus on her. Her eyes were still closed but he asked, "Steph? Can you hear me honey?" He'd been told that she would wake today at some point and had refused to leave her bedside when everyone else had gone to get lunch. He saw her eyes open briefly but then they closed again. "I'm here sweetheart, can you open your eyes for me?"

Forcing her eyes open again, Stephanie squinted at him. He dreaded to hear what she was about to say as he faced the possibility of her not knowing who he was but she croaked, "Paul?"

He was overcome with relief. Stephanie recognised him, she remembered him. He felt a lump forming in his throat. "Yes Steph it's me," he managed to say. "You're in hospital honey, you got a bang on the head but you're going to be okay. Oh God, I love you so much."

"My head," Stephanie mumbled as she closed her eyes again.

"I'll get the doctor," Paul said. "I'll be right back." With that he charged out of the room and saw a nurse walking in his direction along the hallway. "Hey," he yelled, "She's waking up. Get Doctor Clarke in here now."

He hurried back into the room and sat back down next to Stephanie as she mumbled, "Where am I?"

The question worried Paul as he had already told Stephanie where she was. "You're in hospital honey, you got a nasty bang on the head but you're going to be okay. Can you open your eyes for me?"

"No it hurts," Stephanie croaked.

Paul took her hand again. "The doctor will be here in a minute. The girls will be so glad to hear that you're awake."

Actually the girls had no idea what was going on, Paul was testing to make sure that Stephanie remembered them. "Where are they?" She mumbled. "I want to see them."

At least she didn't say something like 'what girls?', Paul thought. Maybe her memory isn't damaged at all? Maybe she knows who did this to her?

He sat there for a few minutes trying to talk to Stephanie but only getting very limited, mumbled responses. Eventually Doctor Clarke walked in. "Can you give me a few minutes Paul?" She asked.

"Yeah I'll go find everyone else," he said. "They've gone to get something to eat." He realised that the doctor wasn't listening to him as she was speaking to Stephanie and shining a light into one of her eyes. He left her to it and hurried towards the cafeteria to find Vince, Shane and Linda.

"I'm sorry I don't remember," Stephanie told the young female police officer for the second time. Being asked these questions was confusing and it made the pain in her head worse. She shifted on the bed, it wasn't comfortable to lie on. At least with the top part raised she was able to see around the room. She looked at all of the flowers and cards that were accumulating around it. I need to read all of these, she thought. Something else to think about. I can't think about...

She was distracted as Paul spoke to the police officer irritably, "She's not ready for this."

Officer Williams began, "The doctor says that it's okay to..."

"Well I say that it isn't," Paul growled.

Stephanie squeezed his hand, "They're going their job Paul, calm down."

Understandably Paul didn't calm down but he did shut up. It was torture for him to see Stephanie confused and in obvious pain despite the medication that she was being given. He heard another question fired at her by the young police woman, "So you remember nothing that happened during the attack and you don't remember walking out there. What about the phone call you received just before you went out there?"

Stephanie tried to think for a long moment but there was nothing apart from pain. There was nothing about Monday night at all. "I can't..." She shrugged in frustration.

"Try really hard for me," Williams urged.

Paul jumped up and yelled, "She's trying damn it! Just get out!"

"Please calm down sir, I'm sorry. It's just that if you can't remember anything Stephanie we don't have much to go on to catch whoever did this."

Stephanie fought the confusion and the pain, "He's going to get away with this?"

"We don't know that this was a man Stephanie. We have no witnesses and there was nothing on the CCTV so unfortunately without something from you we're struggling. We have a few suspects but..."

"Yeah me for a start," Paul raged. "You've got some nerve..."

Stephanie managed to raise her voice a little, "Get out. Everyone get out. I can't deal with this."

Officer Henry spoke for the first time from his position standing against the wall at the back of the room, "Call us if you do remember anything." As the two officers left the room and headed along the hallway he took pleasure in chirping at his partner, "Nice job in there."

"Shut up," Williams huffed. "She didn't remember anything, so we're screwed."

"I noticed that the husband made a point of denying that it was him when it wasn't necessary to do so."

Williams disagreed, "If this was anyone we've spoken to it's the brother."

"We'll have to wait and see what happens with the ex girlfriend."

Stephanie's attacker had realised something.

Wait, she didn't tell Paul. She had two days and she didn't tell him. The shit would have hit the fan by now if she had.

My plan was actually really stupid, if she had told Paul how would I have gotten away with it? It would have been obvious that it was me. Why didn't I think of this sooner? Even if she remembers what she saw...

If I get away with this it will be a miracle. Even then I'll still have to kill her before she remembers, and how the hell will I do that and get away with it? Paul will be watching her like a hawk now. Shit!

All you had to do was listen Steph, but no, not little miss perfect. Bitch.