Jake snooping in his brother’s condo: Checking the bedroom bureaus and night tables. Finding software magazines and sleeping pills on Eugene’s side, books of all kinds on Rachel’s. Faith and Philosophy. Homeopathic fertility guide. Resist the Clock. Astroglide lubricant underneath Rachel’s NewStyle magazine. A Bible on the floor. A Bible? Interesting. Jewelry box filled with fake pearls, tangled bracelets, and a gold herringbone set. Decoy box. More jewelry stashed in her stockings. Typical ploy. Ah. The good stuff. Sapphire and diamond bracelet, 14k gold. Diamond rings. Nice colors, ranging from one to three carats. Tsk, tsk. Ought to use a safe deposit box. Other drawers containing clothes, underwear—hm, black silk, open crotch, naughty kids. Microsoft boxers. Wait, a joke? Yes. Microsoft Sucks boxers. Eugene and his software company. Very funny. Closets filled with suits, slacks, shirts, dresses, ties—many, many ties—sport coats still in the plastic from the cleaners, belts, leather jackets. Too many clothes. Too many things. Weighing them down. Next room: guest room and library. More books. Software, computers, business, competition, The Art of War, Management for Dummies, Fundamental Financial Analysis, Buffett’s Way, Freeing the Fun Within You, Fertility, Fertility, Fertility. Bought out the bookstore. Philosophy. Why Are You Here? In Defense of God. Existentialism for Beginners. Presocratic Thinkers. The Meaning of This. Photos of Eugene and Rachel. A rubber duck. The next room, an office. Two computers. A stereo system. Whoa. Nice. Must be new. Huge speakers. iPods. Tablets. TV stereo surround sound. Bastard. When did he get this? Satellite TV. The small dish on the balcony. Five hundred channels. Five hundred. DVD library. Movies, documentaries. X-rated movies. Hello. Naughty kids. Wait. Home movies? Tsk, tsk. More framed photos. Strangers. Friends of theirs. Rachel’s family. A few dying plants. The ones near the window turning brown. The ones in the kitchen already dead. Dust balls in the corners. Dishes piled in the sink. Stains and sticky brown spills on the counter. Old beer. Stinking up the place. Newspapers and magazines on the floor and coffee table. Unmade bed, dirty laundry overflowing the hamper next to the closet, mildew in the shower. No toilet paper. Box of tissues on the toilet tank. Toothpaste almost empty. Refrigerator filled with bottled water, beer, soft boxes of old Chinese food. Hardened pizza. Freezer filled with empty ice trays, frost spiking up at the edges. Starving. Finish the cold, tasteless pizza. Stay away from that Chinese food. Rest on the stiff, leather sofa. Watch a little TV. Five hundred channels. What a kick. Rest. Long day. Rest. Long week. Rest. Long month. Rest.