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tipping forward so that he looked at Evan from beneath his eyebrows.
    Evan chuckled. “You’re a ham.”
    When they were done eating, he left Shaun on the porch, reclining his chair enough so the boy could comfortably fall asleep if he wanted to. In the kitchen he gathered the bread, turkey, cheese, and mayonnaise and opened the fridge to put them away.
    The stench hit him like a baseball bat.
    Rotten, molded food soaked in its own juices. Containers and bags filled with unrecognizable contents sat on each shelf. A single milk carton looked normal, but the crisper held nothing but a brown soup.
    “Fuck me,” Evan said, and stepped back, covering his mouth and nose.
    He stared at the inside of the fridge, almost tasting the rot on his tongue. The sandwich in his stomach made a leap for the back of his throat, but he swallowed, forcing it down. He glanced at the temperature setting, noting it was a little warm, but not enough to cause the decay before him.
    Evan shoved the door shut to cut off the smell. He moved back until his ass hit the counter beside the sink, watching the fridge as though it were some feral animal crouched in the corner. Without thinking about it, he dug his cell phone from his pocket and made his way to the porch. Shaun dozed in the chair, the breeze ruffling his light hair.
    When he glanced at the phone only one bar was visible for service. “Shit.”
    He walked through the living room. As he neared the windows overlooking the lake, the signal gained another bar, and he hit Jason’s number. It rang only once before there was a click on the other end.
    “Make it okay?” Jason said.
    Evan heard the murmur of other people in the background. “Yeah. Hey, can you talk right now, or is it not a good time?”
    “Sure, I’m good. Just left a board meeting . What’s up?”
    Evan paced to the front door and then back again, shooting a look at the kitchen. “Something’s off here.”
    “What do you mean, ‘off’?”
    “Who was this last guy you had in the house?”
    A pause. “Why?”
    “Well, for one, he left his watch and a paperback in the guest room, which isn’t a big deal. But the fucking fridge is full of rotten food, man. When I opened it up the smell about knocked me over.”
    “Really? Was it unplugged?”
    “No.”
    “What the hell? Yeah, I mean, his name was Bob something ... Garrison? Something like that, anyway. He was a normal guy. Single, lived in Colorado before he moved here, did some handyman stuff to get by. Never had a problem with him until this spring.”
    “You said he quit —what happened?”
    Another pause. “Well, to be honest , he stopped answering my calls—not that I called him all the time. I gave him a ring in late March, and then again in mid-April. When he didn’t get back to me the second time, I had Jacob go out there and check it out. He said that the place was empty and everything was fine, but no sign of Bob. He cashed the last check I sent him in March, so I thought he got sick of being there and jetted.”
    Evan chewed at the inside of his cheek . The house looked slightly different now. Not quite as open and bright as before.
    “It looks like he up and left everything sitting here, like he just took off. If he left in March, that would explain why the fridge is so nasty. But how the hell did he leave? Both boats are still here.”
    “I’m guessing he hoofed it across the lake since it was still frozen in early April.”
    Evan shook his head. “Weird.”
    A ding of an elevator came from Jason’s end.
    “I don’t know what to tell you, my friend, people are loopy. I’m sorry you guys have to deal with the shitbag’s mess. How’s everything else, though ? Jacob get you there okay?”
    “Yeah, yeah, he was great, didn’ t even charge us for the ride.”
    “That’s how he is . He was Dad’s best friend, good guy, except he’s Irish.”
    “I’m Irish, you asshole.”
    “I know.”
    Evan laughed. “I’m sorry, man, I’m not