“That’s far enough,” the father said, but the girls kept diving down and getting the coins. I didn’t think the father had anything to worry about; I doubted that the boy could throw the coins far enough to get to the deep end of the pool, but he tried. After his father told him far enough another time, he flung them with all his strength, all at once. A couple of the coins made it into the water, but a few hit the side of the pool and rolled around on the concrete deck. The girls dived and retrieved the coins and the father ordered his son to go and find the ones that rolled. The boy had no idea where to look. No one helped him. They all stood at the other end, watching him search in vain.

Finally, the father told him to forget it. “Let’s go,” the father said. I had watched one of the coins and knew exactly where it was. I got out of my chair and went and picked it up and handed it to the boy, along with another coin I had in my pocket. The boy didn’t even say thanks. He ran back to his father and proudly showed him the coins in his open hand. The father took the money and put it in his pocket. The mother draped a towel over her son’s shoulders and they left. I had wanted to be alone, but now that they were gone, I didn’t want to be by the pool. I felt like more of a creep now than before.

I sat and looked at the empty pool for a while more and I figured out what to do. Or at least where to begin. If Frank was still in the city, like I thought he was, I thought I knew what he was doing. Or at least what he’d done.

—

I drove back to the target house. I watched for a while until I knew no one was home. I got out of the car and walked down the street. I walked back and went directly to the back door. The window was still unlocked. Who leaves a window unlocked after they’ve been robbed? Most people lock everything up tight after the fact, after it would have done some good. Everybody does what they should have done, long after it would have mattered. I went back to the car and watched the house some more. The son came home from school and disappeared inside. The mother came home a few hours later, and the husband an hour after that. I watched until all the lights went out, then I went and got some takeout Chinese and drove back and watched some more.