“Like he wanted to kill himself? No way. And stop thinking like a cop, will you?” Jung’s voice rose. “I knew the guy. He used to be a certified boating instructor, an absolute lunatic for water safety. No one could get anywhere near that bucket without him shoving a life jacket at them. You need to look at the guy here, not the facts. He was pushed, I know it. You have to trust me on this.”

He was hurting and I certainly didn’t want to add to it, but I didn’t think Tim not wearing a life jacket proved anything. Suicides were often happy, elated even, before the act. They gave cherished things away to those closest to them and didn’t always leave parting words or long letters of explanation. Sometimes they just did it, leaving unanswered questions and a lot of regret behind. Or, maybe, it was simpler than that. Maybe it was just as the cops pegged it. Tim got drunk, unwisely took his boat out in inhospitable weather, and fell overboard. I wasn’t exactly sure what I should say to Jung, so I sat there for a moment not saying anything.

“You’ve spoken with the police?”

Jung frowned. “They’ve closed the case already. Just like that. Accidental drowning. I’ll bet the family just wanted the whole thing to go away. ‘Out of sight, out of mind.’ ” Jung placed his hand on the money pile. “I know you can figure this whole thing out. Can I count on you?”

I hesitated. Tim had been drunk. There were no signs of foul play reported. But Jung was too shaken to let any of that get through. He looked haggard, spent. “When’s the last time you slept?” I asked.

He rubbed his eyes. “I don’t need sleep. I need to know what happened to Tim. Now, are you going to help me, or not?”

When I took too long to answer, Jung leaned back against the booth. “Why don’t you just come out and say it? You think I’m full of shit, a flake, some idiot who just delivers sandwiches, right?”

“Of course not . . . but I think you’re looking for answers when there might not be any. If you’d stop and give yourself time to really think—”

Jung interrupted me, bristling at my efforts to settle him. “You can manipulate facts.”

“In this case, who would do that?” Jung didn’t appear to have an answer to that. “If you know something the police don’t, share it with them. Otherwise, I don’t see any daylight here.” I slid the pile of money back toward him. “And I won’t take your money, if I don’t think I can help you.”

Jung turned away from me. He shook his head.

“Go home, Jung. Get some rest. Let things settle.”