“Bottled or tap?”
He didn’t answer. I fetched a bottled water from the mini-bar and held it to his lips while he drank. He emptied it in about four swallows.
“Okay,” I said. “I gotta make a phone call. Try to remember what you can.”
I picked up the phone and dialed room service. It rang about fourteen times before somebody picked up.
“What?” they shouted.
“I’d like to order some breakfast,” I said.
“Kitchen closed!” And they slammed the phone down.
I got up and looked in the bathroom mirror. The boils had popped open during my nap. I splashed some warm water on my face and yelped, clawing for a towel. The water burned like acid.
I came back to the bed.
“You know, I sat in that briefing listening to everybody discuss where Mike might have gone, and it never occurred to me that I might know exactly where he’s gone. It’s the obvious place, like Director Merryweather said. Too obvious, and that’s why he went there. He knew it was obvious and he knew you knew it was obvious, so he went there knowing its obviousness was what made it un-obvious. So I’ve got one more call to make. You okay? You need to go to the bathroom or anything?”
He shook his head.
“Okay.”
I dialed 411 and got the number I needed. Then I dialed the number and told the person who answered that I needed to talk to Mr. Needlemier right away. They put me on hold. The Beatles were singing “Yesterday.”
“I am a priest,” he said suddenly.
“Not anymore,” I told him.
“No?”
“Now you’re a demonologist working for OIPEP.”
“OIPEP?”
“The Company. Only you may be unemployed because I’m not sure OIPEP exists anymore. I’m not sure what exists anymore.”
The music stopped and the line crackled with static.
“Hello? Hello?”
“Mr. Needlemier,” I said. “This is Alfred Kropp.”
“Alfred Kropp!”
“You know, Mr. Samson’s son.”
“I know who you are, Alfred . . . Alfred, where have you been? And where in heaven’s name are you now?”
“Chicago, but not in heaven’s name.”
“Chicago!”
“Mr. Needlemier, I don’t have time to explain everything, but here’s the important thing: I need to get a plane back to Knoxville ASAP.”
“ ‘Giddyyap to Knoxville’? Alfred, I can barely hear you . . .”
“I said I need a plane! Pronto!” I shouted into the receiver. “Tonto?”