And Leon and the Leopards. That made the whole thing worthwhile, right there. I’d have that over him forever.

I turned onto my access road. There was an almost theatrical mist hanging in the air, like something out of a Frankenstein movie. I passed Vinnie’s house. It looked empty. He must have been at the casino still, not yet aware of what had happened out on the bay. I thought he’d probably get a kick out of the whole story, too.

That’s what I thought. And would go on thinking until the next morning.

Then after that…Hell, if I had known…

It seems like an impossible question now, but what were we supposed to do that night, let all three men drown?

I came to my cabin. It was the first of six, all built by my father back in the sixties and seventies. This first one was the one I helped him build myself, back when I was eighteen years old and thought I knew everything, which explains the imperfect fitting of the logs and the cold drafts that come whistling through the walls on a windy night.

When I was out of my truck, I had to wait a few moments while my eyes adjusted to the total darkness. Pine trees, birch trees, an old logging road. A small shed out back and my snowplow sitting up on cinderblocks. And my cabin. That’s all there was.

Nobody there waiting up for me.

I checked the answering machine as soon as I got inside. A green glowing zero on the display. She still hadn’t called.

I didn’t want to think about, didn’t want to wonder where she was at that moment, or what she was doing. It was becoming a routine for me, all the things I tried to keep out of my mind. I was getting pretty good at it.

Until I finally lay down in my bed, and turned out the lights. Then they were all there, the doubts and the worries and the mortal fear, having their way with me until I finally fell asleep.

And then on this night, the dream.