on any and all occasions, she could be living in a four-room suite in the best hotel in town, but she wasn’t.
I crossed the street and walked into the lobby. A few discouraged looking palms formed unnecessary shade from a huge cut-glass chandelier with half of its bulbs missing. There were a dozen or so tourists and traveling men sprawled on the worn leather chairs. Back on the desk, an elderly night clerk was checking the entries at the dog track against the record of their past performances. There was a big slotted key and mail rack behind him. I leaned both palms on the deck and said:
“Pardon me. Do you happen to know if the day clerk gave Miss Tarrent the note I left for her?”
He turned around and felt in box 301. “Yeah. I guess he did,” the clerk said. “Lou probably picked it up when she came in.”
He went back to his dogs. I stood for a moment, looking at the covers of the magazines in the rack next to the cigar counter. Then I rode the creaking elevator up to the fourth floor. No one asked where I was going. No one cared. It was that kind of a hotel.
Room 301 was in front, on the right-hand side of the hall. I could hear water running on the other side of the door. I ran my knuckles across the wood.
“Who is it?” Lou called.
I told her, “Mr. Doakes.”
11
THE sound of running water stopped. A moment of silence followed. Then a key turned in the lock and Lou opened the door.
Beads of water glistened on her satin flesh. She stood holding a bath towel to her chest. Her green-gray eyes were sullen.
“What do you want?” she asked.
I exhaled slowly. At least she hadn’t screamed. The chances were Lou hadn’t heard the newscast. She didn’t know May and Mr. Kendall were missing. She didn’t know what a dirty dog I was suspected of being.
I said, “I want to talk to you.”
She stepped back from the door. I closed and locked the door behind me. Lou looked at me a long moment, then turned and walked into the bathroom. When she came out again, she’d put on a light cotton housecoat and was having trouble with the zipper. A piece of goods was caught in the track. I pushed her hands away, cleared the track, and zipped up the front.
“Thank you,” she said, primly.
“Think nothing of it,” I said. “I’m an old hand with stuck zippers.” I sat on the edge of the bed and hung my hat on one knee. “How sore at me are you, Lou?”
Her hair was still damp from her shower. She lifted crisp curls away from her neck, refusing to meet my eyes. “Well, you hurt my feelings.”
I said, “Look, Lou. I don’t want to fight with you. God knows that’s not what I’m here for.” I didn’t have to lie. “I’ve always thought you were pretty nice. I still do. But our getting together like we did wasn’t like you told me, was it? It wasn’t accidental. I didn’t just happen to bump into you. Mr. Kendall engineered the whole thing. Didn’t he?”
Lou chewed at her lower lip. Then, suddenly, she nodded. “Yes. And I’ve felt rotten about it ever since. It was the first time I’d ever done such a thing. I mean, take money to check into a hotel with a man. Do you believe that?”
“Yes,” I said. “I do. Why taking money makes it different I don’t know. But it does. And I do know you aren’t that kind of a girl.”
I thought for a minute she was going to cry. “Thank you, Jim,” Lou said. She sat on the bed beside me. “I like you, too. That’s why I felt like hell when I sobered up and realized what I’d done.”
Lou laid her hand on mine. Her fingers were soft and small. Like May’s. I had to inhale deeply to keep from going to pieces completely. Thinking about May. May was somewhere with Kendall. Kendall had May somewhere.
Lou was puzzled. “Why, you’re trembling, Jim,” she said.
I said, tight-lipped. “We’ll come to that. How much did Kendall give you, kid?”
Lou said, “Fifty dollars.”
“Please,” I said quietly. “Tell me just how it happened.
I crossed the street and walked into the lobby. A few discouraged looking palms formed unnecessary shade from a huge cut-glass chandelier with half of its bulbs missing. There were a dozen or so tourists and traveling men sprawled on the worn leather chairs. Back on the desk, an elderly night clerk was checking the entries at the dog track against the record of their past performances. There was a big slotted key and mail rack behind him. I leaned both palms on the deck and said:
“Pardon me. Do you happen to know if the day clerk gave Miss Tarrent the note I left for her?”
He turned around and felt in box 301. “Yeah. I guess he did,” the clerk said. “Lou probably picked it up when she came in.”
He went back to his dogs. I stood for a moment, looking at the covers of the magazines in the rack next to the cigar counter. Then I rode the creaking elevator up to the fourth floor. No one asked where I was going. No one cared. It was that kind of a hotel.
Room 301 was in front, on the right-hand side of the hall. I could hear water running on the other side of the door. I ran my knuckles across the wood.
“Who is it?” Lou called.
I told her, “Mr. Doakes.”
11
THE sound of running water stopped. A moment of silence followed. Then a key turned in the lock and Lou opened the door.
Beads of water glistened on her satin flesh. She stood holding a bath towel to her chest. Her green-gray eyes were sullen.
“What do you want?” she asked.
I exhaled slowly. At least she hadn’t screamed. The chances were Lou hadn’t heard the newscast. She didn’t know May and Mr. Kendall were missing. She didn’t know what a dirty dog I was suspected of being.
I said, “I want to talk to you.”
She stepped back from the door. I closed and locked the door behind me. Lou looked at me a long moment, then turned and walked into the bathroom. When she came out again, she’d put on a light cotton housecoat and was having trouble with the zipper. A piece of goods was caught in the track. I pushed her hands away, cleared the track, and zipped up the front.
“Thank you,” she said, primly.
“Think nothing of it,” I said. “I’m an old hand with stuck zippers.” I sat on the edge of the bed and hung my hat on one knee. “How sore at me are you, Lou?”
Her hair was still damp from her shower. She lifted crisp curls away from her neck, refusing to meet my eyes. “Well, you hurt my feelings.”
I said, “Look, Lou. I don’t want to fight with you. God knows that’s not what I’m here for.” I didn’t have to lie. “I’ve always thought you were pretty nice. I still do. But our getting together like we did wasn’t like you told me, was it? It wasn’t accidental. I didn’t just happen to bump into you. Mr. Kendall engineered the whole thing. Didn’t he?”
Lou chewed at her lower lip. Then, suddenly, she nodded. “Yes. And I’ve felt rotten about it ever since. It was the first time I’d ever done such a thing. I mean, take money to check into a hotel with a man. Do you believe that?”
“Yes,” I said. “I do. Why taking money makes it different I don’t know. But it does. And I do know you aren’t that kind of a girl.”
I thought for a minute she was going to cry. “Thank you, Jim,” Lou said. She sat on the bed beside me. “I like you, too. That’s why I felt like hell when I sobered up and realized what I’d done.”
Lou laid her hand on mine. Her fingers were soft and small. Like May’s. I had to inhale deeply to keep from going to pieces completely. Thinking about May. May was somewhere with Kendall. Kendall had May somewhere.
Lou was puzzled. “Why, you’re trembling, Jim,” she said.
I said, tight-lipped. “We’ll come to that. How much did Kendall give you, kid?”
Lou said, “Fifty dollars.”
“Please,” I said quietly. “Tell me just how it happened.
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