Doug watches me. “You’re not considering calling him, are you?”

“Why not?”

“You really need me to tell you?”

“Someone out there is after me, and I have no idea why. The cops aren’t doing a thing about it.”

“Give them time.”

“How much time?” I ask. “I can’t walk out my front door without looking over my shoulder. My wife is scared. My marriage is falling apart. I can’t sit around and wait for the police.”

“It’s playing with fire. Gabby will want something in return, and you know it.”

“Not with me. He’ll help if I ask.”

Doug pauses. “Yeah, I guess he might.”

“Doesn’t matter anyway. I told Diane I wouldn’t call him. She wants to leave it to the police.”

“Good,” he says. “I understand your frustration, but wait and see what happens. The cops might surprise you.”

I laugh. “No, they won’t.”

The waitress comes over with our drinks. She sets them on the table, says, “Help yourselves to the buffet.”

We both watch her walk away.

“You eating?”

“Not hungry. Go ahead.”

“In a minute.” Doug leans forward. “Listen to your wife, Jake. Trust her. She knows you, and she loves you.”

“All she knows is what I put in the book, that’s it.”

“There’s more?”

“Some.”

“She never asked?”

“She wanted to know more about my dad. I told her what I remembered about him and about my mother’s suicide. That’s about it.” I pick up my beer and take a drink. “We made a deal before we were married to keep the questions to a minimum.”

“You two must like surprises.”

“I’m not hiding anything from her. She read the book. The worst of it’s in there.”

“Then trust her,” Doug says. “It’s her love for you that’s going to get you two through this, despite all your shortcomings. I know it.”

“We’ll see.”

Doug slides out of the booth and motions toward the buffet. “Sure you’re not hungry?”