
"It was dis way, boss. Ah was keepin' the cah in town to-night an' de man in de black hat come up to me
when Ah was startin' for de g'rage. He come up jus' 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' heah'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 in the mirror: 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.
"Want your breakfast sent up, sir?" asked the boy. "It's after ten o'clock."