No. It's called statistics. Just how dangerous is he?
Wells shrugged. Compared to what? The bubonic plague? He's bad enough that you called me. He's a psychopathic killer but so what? There's plenty of them around.
He was in a shoot-out at Eagle Pass yesterday.
A shoot-out?
A shoot-out. People dead in the streets. You dont read the papers.
No sir, I dont.
He studied Wells. You've led something of a charmed life, havent you Mr Wells?
In all honesty I cant say that charm has had a whole lot to do with it.
Yes, the man said. What else.
I guess that's it. Were these Pablo's men?
Yes.
You're sure.
Not in the sense that you mean. But reasonably sure. They werent ours. He killed two other men a couple of days before and those two did happen to be ours. Along with the three at that colossal goatfuck a few days before that. All right?
All right. I guess that will do it.
Good hunting, as we used to say. Once upon a time. In the long ago.
Thank you sir. Can I ask you something?
Sure.
I couldnt come back up in that elevator, could I?
Not to this floor. Why?
I was just interested. Security. Always interesting.
It recodes itself after every trip. A randomly generated five digit number. It doesnt print out anywhere. I dial a number and it reads the code back over the phone. I give it to you and you punch it in. Does that answer your question?
Nice.
Yes.
I counted the floors from the street.
And?
There's a floor missing.
I'll have to look into it.
Wells smiled.
You can see yourself out? the man said.
Yes.
All right.
One other thing.
What is that.
I wondered if I could get my parking ticket validated.
The man cocked his head slightly. This is an attempt at humor I suppose.
Sorry.
Good day, Mr Wells.
Right.
When Wells got to the hotel the plastic ribbons were gone and the glass and wood had been swept up out of the lobby and the place was open for business. There was plywood nailed over the doors and two of the windows and there was a new clerk standing at the desk where the old clerk had been. Yessir, he said.
I need a room, Wells said.
Yessir. Is it just yourself?
Yes.
And for how many nights would that be.
Probably just the one.
The clerk pushed the pad toward Wells and turned to study the keys hanging on the board. Wells filled out the form. I know you're tired of people asking, he said, but what happened to your hotel?
I'm not supposed to discuss it.
That's all right.
The clerk laid the key on the desk. Will that be cash or credit card?
Cash. How much is it?
Fourteen plus tax.
How much is it. Altogether.
Sir?
I said how much is it altogether. You need to tell me how much it is. Give me a figure. All in.
Yessir. That would be fourteen-seventy.
Were you here when all this took place?
No sir. I only started here yesterday. This is just my second shift.
Then what is it you're not supposed to discuss?
Sir?
What time do you get off?
Sir?
Let me rephrase that. What time is your shift over.
The clerk was tall and thin, maybe Mexican and maybe not. His eyes darted briefly over the lobby of the hotel. As if there might be something out there to help him. I just came on at six, he said. The shift is over at two.
And who comes on at two.
I dont know his name. He was the dayclerk.
He wasnt here the night before last.
No sir. He was the dayclerk.
The man who was on duty the night before last. Where is he?
He's not with us anymore.
Have you got yesterday's paper here?
He backed away and looked under the desk. No sir, he said. I think they threw it out.
All right. Send me up a couple of whores and a fifth of whiskey with some ice.
Sir?
I'm just pulling your leg. You need to relax. They're not coming back. I can pretty near guarantee it.
Yessir. I hope to hell not. I didnt even want to take this job.
Wells smiled and tapped the fiberboard keyfob twice on the marble desktop and went up the stairs.
He was surprised to find the police tape still across both of the rooms. He went on to his own room and set his bag in the chair and got out his shavingkit and went in the bathroom and turned on the light. He brushed his teeth and washed his face and went back into the room and stretched out on the bed. After a while he got up and went to the chair and turned the bag sideways and unzipped a compartment in the bottom and took out a suede leather pistolcase. He unzipped the case and took out a stainless steel .357 revolver and went back to the bed and took off his boots and stretched out again with the pistol beside him.