When he stepped outside into the sunlight, he looked up at the cloudless blue sky, marveling at the immensity of creation. God, thank you for the blessing of being alive today, and for leading me out of the darkness of last night. Please guide my steps to do your will. The path ahead is not clear for me, but I will listen for the signs and use the blessings you’ve given me to make this world a better place. Please be with the family of the man who died last night. They are suffering, and I pray that you and Jesus and Mary hear their anguish and comfort them. I pray for them all.

The last of his restlessness faded away, and he was in a better frame of mind when he arrived at the hospital. The men’s ward was a long room with twelve beds on each wall, divided by a wide aisle. Metal chairs separated each bed, and there was no privacy. Ailments ranged from broken bones and blood disorders to a case of shingles.

Liam was the only stabbing victim. His liver had been badly sliced, requiring some internal stitches, plus thirty stitches on his abdomen to patch him back up. The loss of blood made him weak, and the nurses had been bringing him glasses of beef juice mixed with bone marrow to restore his blood.

Liam looked ashen and ghastly as Patrick pulled up a chair and sat. “How are you feeling?”

“Like a dead man,” Liam said weakly, and his gaze flicked to Patrick’s splinted hand. “You?”

“I’ve been better,” he admitted. “It looks like we’re both going to survive.”

If possible, Liam wilted even further against the sheets as his eyes drifted closed. “Yeah,” he finally said. “Thanks for what you did. I’m grateful.”

Liam’s tone was weak and despondent, and Patrick didn’t have any words of comfort because they both understood the implications of what had happened last night. Someone wanted Liam dead, and last night’s attack was probably just the beginning.

Over the coming days, the police investigation into the attack failed to make progress, even though they had the abandoned knife used to attack Liam. It was a hunting knife with a carving of deer antlers on the handle, but no one in Pittsburgh recognized the make of the knife or where it might have been purchased.