“I got plenty of room,” Harp said right away. “He can stay with me.”

The doctor looked skeptically at Logan’s father, his eyes glancing briefly at the new bandage on the side of Harp’s head.

“What?” Harp asked. “It’s just a cut. You saw it yourself.” He tapped the bandage with his hand. “See? Doesn’t even hurt.”

“Harp’s fine,” Barney said to Dr. Mayer. “But I’ll check in on both of them a few times a day, too.”

“Okay,” the doctor said, looking only semi-reassured. “I’ll have him released. He should be out in just a bit. But…”

“But what?” Harp asked.

The doctor paused, then said, his tone even more serious than before, “It’s procedure for us to report crimes of violence.”

Logan shot his dad a quick told-you-so look.

“Since it happened in Cambria, I understand that falls under the Sheriff’s jurisdiction,” Dr. Mayer went on. “They’re sending someone over, but I don’t believe they’re here yet. So we’d appreciate it if you could hang around until they can talk with Mr. Myat.”

“Of course,” Harp said. “No problem. But, uh, Tooney doesn’t have to wait in back until they show up, does he?”

The doctor smiled. “Not at all. I’ll send him out as soon as he’s ready.”

“Thanks, doc. Appreciate it.”

After the doctor left, Harp eyed his son nervously. Logan was content to remain quiet, knowing it wasn’t helping his dad’s state of mind.

Tooney was wheeled out ten minutes later. Everyone smiled and told him he looked great and was going to be fine. The second part was hopefully true, but the first wasn’t even close. With a nasty bruise on his cheek and a couple of cuts—one on his nose and one near his temple, Tooney looked like a man in a lot of pain.

As the reunion ebbed, Logan caught his father’s eye, silently suggesting that now might be a good time for that talk he promised. Harp sighed, then nodded, and said, “Tooney. Logan’s having a hard time understanding the…uh…mugging issue. Thinks we probably should tell the truth when the Sheriff’s department shows up.”