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Canidy looked at him.

Well, hell, it’s just for one night. Who knows what miserable place I’ll be sleeping in tomorrow night, or the next.

Canidy was about to open his mouth when Victor leaned forward.

Quietly he said, “I do believe that for a regular guest such as yourself I can offer one of the singles on twelve if you’ll allow me to upgrade you to a suite for the same rate.”

Canidy’s eyebrows went up. “That would be very nice. Thank you.”

“My pleasure.”

Victor watched as Canidy began writing his name on the registration card. The clerk turned his head, almost touching his left ear to his left shoulder, as he tried to read the card so that it was not upside down.

“‘Canidy’?” Victor said, looking thoughtful.

“Richard,” he confirmed, looking at him.

The clerk turned to the cubbyholes and from one with a brass tag stamped MISC he pulled out an assortment of odd-sized pieces of paper. Canidy recognized some of them as being message notes like the first man in line received when Canidy joined the line.

The clerk pulled one of the message sheets from the stack, put the bulk of the papers back

in the cubbyhole, then turned to Canidy.

“This came for you”—he glanced at the line on the form where the time had been handwritten—“twenty minutes ago.”

What the hell? Canidy thought, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. No one knew I was coming here.

Hell, I didn’t know until an hour ago.

He looked around him, checking the lobby. He saw nothing but the same mix of harmless-looking guests going about their business.

He quickly took the form from Victor, somewhat offending the clerk with his brusqueness, and scanned it.

All that was written on it, on the appropriate lines, was: “3/6, 2:05, Mr. Canidy, WOrth 2-7625.”

Canidy looked at Victor. “There’s no name on the ‘from’ line. Any idea who called?”

Victor reached out for the form, looked at it, then looked at Canidy.

“No, sir,” he said. “I’m sorry. I didn’t take this. The operator did.”

“Where’s WOrth?”

Victor looked again at the message. “That would be a number for the Lower East Side, down around the fish market.”

Canidy nodded. “Thank you. Can I get that room key now?”

[ FOUR ]

Suite 601

Gramercy Park Hotel

2 Lexington Avenue

New York City, New York

1445 6 March 1943