like a ghost. Yas, he did, sah."
"He says to me: 'Boy, Ah wants a ride. It's all right; Ah know who you is,
an' Ah knows Mr. van Dyke, an' here's one hundred dollahs. Ah must find a friend
o' mine.'
"So Ah drives him all ovah, an' as we crosses the bridge, he says, 'Stop,'
an' the nex' Ah knows he has you-all in de cah with him. An' he had said befo'
dat when he gets his friend, Ah was to drive aroun' little streets until he taps
the window - den Ah was to come heah. Dat's all Ah knows, boss, 'deed it is."
Vincent could see the truth in the man's worried story, so he dismissed the
car and watched the huge Supra as it moved down the foggy street. Even the
license number would be no clew. He entered the hotel and strolled to the desk.
Then he began to worry about identifying himself.
"Room reserved for Harry Vincent?" he asked.
He was in suspense as the clerk turned away for a moment; then came the
reassuring reply:
"Fourteen-nineteen, Mr. Vincent," said the clerk. "That was the room you
wanted? Funny, we didn't catch your name when you called up from Philadelphia
this morning, but when you called again, ten minutes ago, we put everything
right. Will you register, please?"'
Vincent signed his name and supplied Philadelphia as his place of
residence. The stranger must have called the hotel after leaving the car, he
imagined.
Vincent wondered about that as he rode up in the elevator with the bell
boy. The stranger must have imitated his voice; he certainly would not have
talked in that weird whisper.
The room was a large one, equipped with the most modern hotel furnishings.
The bell boy pointed to a valise, resting on a stand.
"That's your bag, isn't it, sir? It was marked for this room when it came
in this evening."
Vincent acknowledged the bag. He was curious to know what it contained. He
fumbled in his pocket. His total wealth consisted of two half dollars, a nickel,
and eight pennies, so he gave the bell boy one of the larger coins and waited
until the door closed behind the attendant.
Then he opened the suitcase. It held a pair of pajamas, comb and brushes,
neckties, and a few other articles. Also there was a black leather wallet.
Vincent removed this and opened it, to find two hundred dollars in bills of
various denominations.
He studied himself in the mirror. Here, in a comfortable hotel, with good
surroundings and money, and with promise of future supplies, life seemed
strangely new. He studied his reflection: tall, and well-featured. Here he was,
a man under thirty, who had acknowledged himself beaten and who had tried
suicide. Well, things were different now.
He took a drink of ice water, and decided to retire for the night. Despite
the many things that puzzled him, he was sleepy. He needed rest. He draped his
clothes over the chair, donned the pajamas, and got into bed. In ten minutes he
was sound asleep.
A knock at the door awakened him. It was morning. A bell boy awaited him
with a large package.
