were surprised to see me.
I frowned at him, and his expression changed quickly in response, instantly becoming serious, somber.
'Hank,' he said. 'I'm here to make a tiny withdrawal.' Then he giggled, unable to hold it back. He wiped his mouth with his glove. I could smell the alcohol on his breath.
'Go home, Lou,' I said. 'Turn around and go home.' A steady stream of cold air came in through the open doorway and poured across my bare feet, making them ache.
'It's freezing out, Hank,' he said. 'Invite me in.'
He pressed his body up against the door, and -- when I involuntarily retreated -- stepped inside. He shut the door behind him, a big grin on his face.
'I've decided it's time to split it up, Hank. I want my share.' He rubbed his gloves together and glanced around the entranceway, as if he were expecting the duffel bag to be just sitting there, right out in the open.
'The money's not here, Lou.'
'Is it in the garage?'
'Even if it were here, I wouldn't give you any.'
He reared back in indignation. 'Just because you have it doesn't mean it's yours. Part of it's mine.' He tapped his finger against his chest.
'You made an agreement,' I said sternly.
He ignored me. He leaned to the side and looked down the hallway into the kitchen. 'Is it in the bank?'
'Of course not. It's hidden.'
'I just need some cash, Hank. I need it right now.'
'The only way we keep the money is if we stick to the agreement.'
'Come on, Mr. Accountant,' he said, his voice soft and insinuating. 'Be a sport.'
'Who's in the car?'
'In the car?'
'Waiting for you.' I gestured past the front door.
'Car's empty. It's just me.'
'I saw someone in the car, Lou. Is it Nancy?'
He smiled a little. 'You been watching me all this time?' He seemed to find this funny, and his smile deepened.
'Nancy and who else?' I asked. 'Is Jacob there?'
Lou shook his head. 'Just Nancy.' He paused and then, when he saw me frown, smiled again, like a child caught in a fib. 'Nancy and Sonny,' he said.
'Sonny Major?' I asked, surprised. I hadn't thought that they were friends.
He nodded. 'He came over for the rent, and Nancy and me invited him out.' His grin stretched into a leer. 'That's why I need the money, Mr. Accountant. I'm taking my landlord out drinking.'
'You tell them about the plane?'
He snorted with disgust. 'Course not. I told them you owed me some money.'
I frowned. The house made a creaking sound around us in the darkness, settling into its foundation.
'All I'm asking for is what's rightfully mine,' he said. He wobbled a bit back and forth on his feet, and, watching him, I felt an overwhelming wave of impatience. I wanted him to leave. I wanted him to leave immediately.
'It doesn't even have to be all of it,' he said. 'Just give me one of the packets. I can come back later for the rest.'
I spoke very slowly, keeping my voice low and quiet. 'If you ask me again,' I said, 'I'll go and burn the money first thing tomorrow. Is that clear?'
He snickered at that. 'Bluff,' he whispered. 'B-L-U-F-F.'
'Call it then. See what happens.'
He snickered again. 'I know a secret, Mr. Accountant. Jacob told me a little secret.'
I stared at him.
'I know what happened to Dwight Pederson.'
I stiffened, just for a moment; then I stopped myself. I stayed surprisingly calm. My mind was thinking very quickly, darting this way and that, but my body didn't betray it. Jacob had told him about Pederson: I was stunned, I hadn't expected this at all.
Lou grinned at me. I forced myself to look him directly in the eyes. 'Dwight Pederson?' I said.
His smile widened, taking up his whole face. 'You killed him, Mr. Accountant. You and Jacob.'
'You drink too much, Lou. You don't know what you're saying.'
He shook his head, still smiling. 'I'm not going to let you burn the money. It'd be like stealing from me. I'll tell if you do it.'
The clock in the living room chimed the hour, a single, deep toll. After it died away, the hallway seemed darker and quieter than before.
I put my hand against Lou's jacket, right at the center of his chest. I exerted no pressure; I simply rested my palm there. We both looked down at it. 'Go home, Lou,' I whispered.
He shook his head again. 'I need the money.'
I stepped over to the hall closet. I felt around inside my jacket until I found my wallet. I took two twenties from it and held them out to him.
He hardly even glanced at them. 'I want one of the packets,' he said.
'They aren't here, Lou. I've hidden them away from the house.'
'Where?'
'Take the twenties.' I shook them at him.
'I want my share, Hank.'
'You'll get it this summer, like we agreed.'
'No. I want it now.'
'You aren't listening to me, Lou. I can't give it to you. It's not here.'
'I'll come back in the morning then. We can go get it together.'
'That's not what we agreed on.'
'Be a shame if someone wrote a note to the sheriff, saying there might be something a little suspicious about Dwight Pederson's accident.'
I gave him a cold stare. I was overcome by a desperate desire to hurt him. I wanted to take my fist and smash his crooked teeth down the back of his throat. I wanted to break his neck.
'Take the twenties,' I said.
'I mean, he just drove off that bridge? You believe that?' Lou shook his head in mock disbelief. 'Seems pretty strange to me.' He paused, grinning. 'Weren't you two out that way on New Year's morning?'
'You'd never do it.'
'I'm desperate, Hank. I'm broke, and I owe people money.'
'If you turned us in, you'd lose it all.'
'I can't wait till summer. I need it now.'
'Take the twenties,' I said. I held the bills out toward him.
He shook his head. 'I'm coming back in the morning. I need at least a packet.'
I began to panic, but only briefly. Then I saw a way out. 'I can't go in the morning,' I said. 'It's a day's drive away. I can't go until after Sarah has the baby.'
Lou didn't seem to know if he should believe me. 'A day's drive?'
'It's at a storage place up in Michigan.'
'What the fuck is it doing up in Michigan?'
'I didn't want it near us. In case we came under suspicion for some reason. I wanted it far away.'
I could see him debating inside his head. 'When's she supposed to have it?' he asked.
'In a couple weeks.'
'And we'll go then?'
'Yes,' I said. I just wanted him to leave.
'You promise?'
