As the train pulls into the big bright interior of the Contemporary Resort Hotel. And the doors open. And Mary Cottle, coming up empty, hastily lowers her skirt over her bare thighs and her awry panties and leaves the monorail.
Pretending to be searching for something she’s dropped, she crouches behind the wide-flung doors and waits until Colin and the kids clear the platform, are out of sight.
Then she goes down to the desk and rents that room.
3
dunno,” Colin Bible said. “I dunno what happened. Maybe he’s bent.”I
“He’s a little kid. He was spooked. He was afraid of the ghosts,” Bale said.
“It was before we ever got inside. It was before he ever even seen any ghosts. We was still in the queue.”
“You waited in the queue?”
“They don’t want special treatment, Mister Bale.”
“Eddy,” Eddy said.
“Jeez, ‘Eddy’s’ hard, Mister Bale. No disrespect, but ‘Eddy’s’ hard for me. You’ve got to remember that Liam was my patient.”
“You don’t think I remember that?”
“I’ve hurt your feelings.”
“Nonsense.”
“I’ve hurt your feelings. It was all right to call Liam by his first name. He was my patient but he was a kid. It’s just not on to go all intimate with a patient’s family. You can ask Mister Moorhead regarding the ethicals of all this.”
“Mary Cottle calls me Eddy.”
“If Liam had lived it’d be a different story.”
“Oh? Yes?”
“If Liam had lived, you, me, and your missus could have gone off to the boozer, bought pints all around, tossed darts into the cork, and toasted one another’s health. It’d’ve been, ‘Here’s to your health, Colin.’ And turn and turn about I’d have picked up my mug and replied, ‘And ’ere’s to your own, Eddy!’ And Liam’s, of course. And Ginny’s — Mrs. Bale as was. If Liam had lived.”
“We could have been mates? If Liam had lived?”
“We’d have come through something important, don’t you see.
“And of course, if Liam had lived, you’d have had no reason to keep your distance.”
“I don’t think of it as a question of distance, Mister Bale.”
“Don’t you? You know, Colin, I was rather surprised you let me recruit you on this enterprise. I should have thought you could have made more money if you’d stayed on in England.”
“I’m paid well enough. Higher than regular.”
“Still,” Eddy said.
“What, didn’t you know that?”
“Higher than higher than regular,” Eddy said.
“Anyways, I wouldn’t want you to think I’m here for the money. These kids, these kids are condemned and convicted. They’ve been found guilty. Mister Bale. They’ve been put on the index. There’s a price on their heads. I’m a nurse. It’s my professional duty. Still, if my friend hadn’t given his blessing I shouldn’t have come.”
“Yes,” Eddy said, “it’s your ‘friend’ we’ve been talking about.”
Which was when Eddy thought the now flushed, embarrassed, and unforgiven man seemed to lose his temper. Colin glared at him and Bale thought, Won’t call me Eddy but’d strangle me easily enough. Though when he spoke, Colin’s voice was meek, the put-upon tones of patient, humbled injury muffling it like carpet, heavy drapes. “I’m not aware,” he said, “that we’ve ever discussed my friend, Mister Bale.”
“Liam brought him up,” Bale said.
“Liam? Liam did?”
“Oh, please,” Eddy said, “I saw you hugging at Heathrow. I know all about it. How you promised my son he’d go into the waxworks when he died.”
“I was cheering him up.”
“Liam didn’t believe you were cheering him up. Liam thought you meant every word. He believed it on his deathbed.”
“He didn’t seem a religious boy, our Liam. I was sounding him out like, Mister Bale. He seemed to take to the notion, so I encouraged him to believe I could arrange it.”
“What? To think he could be turned into some great wickless candle?”
“Candle? Candle? We’re talking about art, Mister Bale. That’s art what my friend does.”
“Oh, your friend again! That gave you his blessing. That told you, ‘Certainly, Colin. Go for it, darling. Take the Brownie along, why don’t you? Maybe we can get all of them in the picture.’”
“We could!” Colin snapped. “We never discussed it but we could! No one stands in the way of art. Oh, I don’t say what you’re doing isn’t well meant, even heroic in some proper charlie sort of way, but if it’s all to end up in the boneyard what difference does it make?”