The trick with solitaire was to remember to pick up all of the cards well before you had to leave. That meant making certain that you had plenty of time to deal with surprises, your profile was obviously as low as possible, and you had a concrete window to move on your target.

Leonard views the card he has just drawn, and remembers a colleague - one he had gone to the "HVAC" conference with - who he had seen turn up on the news, betrayed by a single fingerprint on the 8 of hearts. He glowers for a moment, then reflexively relaxes his face.

He sits now in a motel room, waiting. He never slept well before a job, which was bad for his long-term prospects in the business. One of the speakers had been very clear on the statistical significance of sleep hygiene on "execution of the duties of the role." A small smile played across his face for a long moment. It was a droll event. Maybe in a few years, he'd present some research on his methods.

Another round lost. It's no good to end on a loss.

The low light was making him sleepy, he thought. He wandered over to the light switches, went through every combination before getting the desired light level, then sat again at the cheap desk. He went over the plan in his head. "Observe, visualize, execute" - they really liked that word. It was good advice. 

At 4:15 AM, he had to be on set, as "Tucker Sheffield," playing the illustrious, theatrical role of "Background Zombie 3." He would then go to costuming and makeup, which might take a while, so he would have to be ready with conversation. For the first two takes, he would play his role correctly, follow stage direction, and observe the target's movements. The target, conveniently, had to pretend to be injured in the fight. The third take was where the magic would happen. He'd break through the line, attack the star, then head for the hills.

At this point, the plan broke down a bit, but that was normal. Leonard always had a gift for getaways, so that part was boring. The HVAC workers' union would disapprove.

It was 2AM now. He counted up his cards, stowed them in a little box, and went over the plan again.