“Only after he was clean. I’m not even sure they’re superstitions. He had to know how everything was, you know, had to see all the pieces on the board, so he could try to figure out his next move.”

“That’s right.”

“You think he saw this move?” Casey said.

“Did you?”

“I know enough to know that you never know what’s going to get someone off the wagon, but I would never have seen this coming. He was in a good place. I’m telling you. He talked about traveling, the two of you going off somewhere, Greece or Italy. He was looking forward.” She paused and gave it another thought. “That doesn’t mean anything, though. You know that. There are a lot of people who look forward and still fall back, you know.”

“I know,” I said, “but I don’t know if that was Frank. I’m not convinced of that.”

“You have to let that go,” she said.

I couldn’t look at her. I couldn’t let it go, and I couldn’t let her think that about her brother. “What if I told you that I don’t believe he took that shot himself?”

I didn’t want to tell her. I don’t know why I did. I’m usually better about keeping my mouth shut. She shook her head, not wanting to hear, but I kept talking anyway. “I saw him,” I said. “I saw him after they’d brought him in. His arm looked like a pin cushion. He didn’t do that to himself. Someone else had been jabbing at him.”

“Who?”

“That’s what I’m going to find out.”

“You want me to help.”

“No,” I said. “That’s not why I’m telling you. I just needed to tell someone, you know. The person I would usually tell, well, you know. Besides, I’m not sure where to start with any of it.”

“Well, you know what Frank would say.” I knew. She said it anyway. “Start with what you know and go from there.” It was good to be reminded.

18

THE THING

FRANK WASN’T TALKING. He stood in the hotel room, looking at the images on the muted television, but not watching them. He didn’t want to talk.

“What’s the dumbest thing we ever took,” I said, trying to get him out of it, away from his own head.

“None of its dumb,” he said, “not to the people who want the stuff.” Then he thought about it. “But it’s all dumb, if you think about it long enough.”

“But the dumbest. I mean, we stole a houseplant once.”

“That houseplant was worth twelve thousand dollars,” Frank said.

“You don’t want to talk about it.”

“I want it out of our hands as soon as possible,” he said.