“She didn’t tell me,” Randy said. He had a throaty smoker’s voice. He pulled up a chair next to the bed and sat, the seat drooping under his weight. “You think I’m a dumb-fuck, Peter? Mom calls and tells me you broke your arm, you’re coming for a visit.” He shook his head. “That don’t make no sense. You don’t visit your parents when you just got married and had the good luck to break an arm. You stay at home and fuck the daylights out of your wife. You visit your parents when you’ve seen your life flashing before your eyes, know what I’m talking about?”

“I know what you’re talking about.”

“I ate it three different times and every single time I told you right away.” Randy hit Decker on his right arm—his good one. “Whatchu keeping secrets from your brother, huh?”

“I didn’t want to worry you.”

“You didn’t want to worry me, huh?” Randy hit him again. “What worried me is when Mom told me you were coming down. I didn’t know where the fucker plugged you. When Rina told me it was only your arm and your shoulder, I was relieved. Hey, you got your three B’s—your brain, your back, and your balls. You’ll be fine.”

“What a guy!”

“Yeah, well, I’m not making light of it or anything. I’m just saying it could have been a lot worse.”

“You’re right.”

Randy bounced his leg up and down. “Guy’s dead, huh.”

“He’s dead.”

“That’s good. Nice and clean. Otherwise, it eats you up, you know. You start thinking crazy. That don’t help anyone.”

Decker nodded.

“Where’d you plug him?” Randy said.

“Between the eyes.”

“Where else?”

“What do you mean?”

“You musta emptied the chamber in him.”

Decker raised his eyebrows. “A chamber and a clip.”

Randy laughed. “See, I know the story. Get him in the balls, Peter?”

“No,” Decker said. “I probably would have if I’d been able to aim.”

“A chamber and clip, huh?” Randy said. “Turned him into Swiss cheese. How’d you explain that to the department?”

“Department’s been okay,” Decker said.

Randy said, “That’s good. Last thing you need is the department breathing down your neck. How you really doin’?”

“I’ll be okay.”

“Department set you up with a shrink?”

“I went through Nam,” Decker said. “I don’t need a shrink.”

“Talk to the shrink, Peter. First of all, anything that you can stick to the department, you take. Second, lots of the shrinks are good-lookin’ women. Not so bad to spend an hour talking about yourself to a good-lookin’ woman, huh?”

“I’ll see.”

“Do me a favor, okay?” Randy said. “Do it for your brother.”

“I’d do anything for my brother.” Decker’s voice cracked.

“Yeah, same here.”

They embraced gently. Randy noticed Decker grimacing.