He shook his head again. “No, I don’t really mean anything. I shouldn’t have said it. You don’t know what’s wrong. But be still for a moment, please. I want to tell you something else. You have to believe it. When you came out before, when I had the gun in my hand, I didn’t know what I know now. I was running a test, exactly as I said. Do you understand that? Get it straight in your mind now, so you don’t ever get confused. I did that first, as a test, and then I went through the papers and made the calls.”

She searched his eyes. “You didn’t need the gun, did you?”

“There are people in the background. I was thinking of them, no matter what I said to Mike about Roberts. I was very upset. That’s no confession. You knew it when you looked at me. You have to trust me to know whether I’m upset or not now. I’m not, I swear to you.”

“You should see yourself, Joe. You should have seen yourself when you came into the room.”

“I can explain that. The question is control—if I have it. I know that I do.”

“You’re being careful with your words again. Precise. Okay.” She looked tired. She swung her legs to the floor. “What do you want me to do? Are we going out? Do I have to get dressed?”

He put his arms around her. Her skin was warm from the blanket. She did not respond to him, but, finally, she rested her head against his shoulder. “I don’t want anything to happen to us now. We’ve come too far.”

“I know. There’ll be no danger.”

“Then you’ll be leaving the gun here.”

“No.”

He could feel her body stiffen. She tried to control her voice. “I want more of an explanation, Joe.”

“I can’t give it to you. Not now.”

She turned to him. “You are testing me! You’re terrorizing me!”

“I need your help, Karen. Please.” He could not attempt to say more. Unless he told her everything, she would think that he was going out to shoot someone. He was right about what he knew, and there was no danger there, but he was very afraid of what was still hidden to him. If he told everything, she would try to keep him from finishing. He was not sure himself why he wanted to take it further. It was his view of what had already happened that had him believing that he would find something more.

“If I do this for you, what are you going to do for me?”

“What do you want?”