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Chapter 40

Two days later, my sewer was finally fixed, and everything was working just like new. As far as the yard, yeah, it was pretty torn up. But that, I decided, was something to worry about later.

Like spring.

Spring would be good.

At noon, I left the house for yet another job interview and returned later that afternoon to a surprisingly quiet house. The brothers were nowhere in sight, but on the kitchen counter was something I hadn't seen before – a sturdy-looking portable safe, not much bigger than a small microwave.

I gave the safe a closer look. It was dark gray with a classic combination lock. I couldn't be sure, but the safe looked brand new. What it contained, I had no idea.

Obviously, it belonged to the brothers, but for the life of me, I couldn't figure out what valuables they'd want to secure, or why they'd leave the safe just sitting there, out in the open.

When they showed up a couple of hours later with yet more pizza, I pointed to the safe and asked, "Is that yours?"

Steve set the pizza boxes on the nearby counter and said, "Yeah. For now."

I gave him a perplexed look. "What does that mean?"

"Eh, nothing," he said. "But leave it there, will ya?"

I looked to Anthony for a better explanation, but all he said was, "And when he says don't move it, he means don't move it. Like not at all."

I wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea. "For how long?"

"As long as it takes," Anthony said.

"But you're leaving in just a couple of hours."

"I know," Anthony said. "That's why we're leaving it."

The more they talked, the less I understood. By now, I should be used to this sort of thing, but I couldn't stop myself from saying, "So you're not taking it with you?"

Steve gave me a look. "Why wouldwewant it?"

"Well, itisyours, isn't it?"

Steve said, "For now."

And there we were – full circle. Again, I looked to Anthony. "Why shouldn't I move it?"

He said, "It's sort of fragile."

"It doesn'tlookfragile."

"Well yeah," Anthony said, "I'm not talking about the safe. I'm talking about what'sinsidethe safe."

I made a forwarding motion with my hand. "Which is…?"

He grinned. "Fragile."

Well, I should've seen that coming.

After several more attempts, I finally gave up. Buttheydidn't. Somehow, they managed to wheedle a promise out of me that I wouldn't touch the safe until they came back for it.

The promise had barely left my mouth when I thought better of it. "Wait a minute," I said. "When you say you'll come back for it, youdomean in a couple of days when you stop by to pick up backhoe." I gave the safe another glance. "Right?"

Anthony said, "I don't think it'll be that quick."