ace of night, part 4: the wind and the rain

by horace p sternwall

illustrated by roy dismas

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there were no messages for me when i got inside the hotel. not that i was expecting any, but i always check. just like i always look both ways and behind me when i cross the street. you got to gamble, but you can't be too careful. i walked up the three flights of stairs to my room. i don't like elevators. did i ever tell you what happened to me in an elevator in budapest in 1944? but that is another story. i walked down the corridors. one thing about the place, it was quiet. i stood outside the door of the hotel room. how many doors outside how many rooms in how many hotels in how many cities in how many continents had i stood like this - my sixth sense told me everything was all right. i still wished i had a gun. i needed a lot of things - that was high on the list. i put the key in the door and opened it and went in. i switched on the light. nothing. just like i expected. my powers of prediction were still working pretty good. good enough, anyway. i needed some sleep but i knew i wasn't going to get any. i had gotten pretty wet, so i got my suitcase out and changed my clothes. i could hear the wind and rain outside. i couldn't stop thinking about the dame in the cab - what did she call herself? miss lost lamb. i went and looked out the window, it was raining harder than ever. i hoped miss lost lamb hadn't gotten too wet getting out of the cab. she was right across the street. so close, so close. i could say, she might as well be a million miles away. but i know better. fate has a way of stepping in. especially if you know how to handle it. i got a cigarette out of my pack and started to light it with my lighter. then i remembered the matchbook. davenport 7 - 5297. i went over and sat on the bed and picked up the phone. the line was dead. not too surprising, in a dump like this. but now i was curious. and i wasn't going to sleep anyway. i didn't feel like going back out in the rain. i figured i'd go down to the front desk, use the phone down there. yeah, that is what i'd do. davenport 7 -5297 it had a certain ring to it. 5. carla