“We’ll give it to Froehmer and then it will be his trouble.” I put the statue back in the bag and put it in the backseat. “This isn’t any trouble at all. Not for us.”

Frank nodded but he wasn’t convinced. And the trouble came that proved me wrong.

—

We were about four blocks from the house, halfway through an intersection when I saw the car out of the corner of my left eye, coming through the stop sign, speeding right for us. Frank saw it too and I felt him hit the gas, but it was too late. The car collided with us, hitting us squarely at the rear tire, pushing us in an arc through the street that was over in a matter of seconds.

“You all right?” Frank said, after we came to a full stop.

“I’m all right.”

“Stay here,” Frank said and got out of the car. He walked toward the car that had hit us. I looked over my shoulder but couldn’t see much except the airbag in the other car and Frank standing by the driver’s door. He wasn’t gone for more than a few seconds and came back and leaned in and told me what to do.

“Take our stuff and I’ll meet you back at the hotel,” he said. He looked up and down the street. There weren’t any gawkers, yet. “Go on,” he said. “I’ve got this.”

I grabbed our two bags and walked away, not really knowing where to go or how exactly to get back to the hotel. I wasn’t thinking. I wasn’t thinking about the right things, and before I knew it I had turned down the street where we’d just come from, down the street where the house was. I turned back and kept walking. I could hear the sirens approaching. Frank would deal with all that. I just had to get back to the hotel.

I walked for a good twenty minutes before I saw a cab. By the time I got back to the room, Frank had texted me. “The rental has a broken back wheel/axle. Waiting for a tow. Everything else is good.”