Shortly, the bartender came up to me. He recalled me from last night, also, because he asked whether Bill was around.
I had a beer from him and retired with it to the most secluded table, where I sat and nursed it, my back to the wall, glancing occasionally at the clock, watching the room's two entrances between times. If I tried I could feel Fiona's presence.
Ten o'clock came and went. So did a few patrons, new and old. None of them seemed particularly interested in me, though my own attention was drawn to an unescorted young lady with pale hair and a cameolike profile, which ends the resemblance because cameos don't smile much and she did the second time she glanced at me, right before she looked away. Damn, I thought, why did I have to be wrapped up in a life-and-death situation? Under almost any other circumstances I would have finished the beer, walked over for another, passed a few pleasantries, then asked her whether she'd care to join me. In fact...
I glanced at the clock.
10:20.
How much longer should I give the mystery voice? Should I just assume it had been George Hensen, and that he'd given up on tonight when he'd seen me fade? How much longer might the lady hang around?
I growled softly. Stick to business. I studied the narrowness of her waist, the swell of her hips, the tension of her shoulders . . .
10:25.
I noticed that my mug was empty. I took it over for a refill.
Dutifully, I watched the progress of the mug.
"I saw you sitting there," I heard her say. "Waiting for someone?"
She smelled strongly of a strange perfume.
"Yes," I said. "But I'm beginning to think it's too late."
"I've a similar problem," she said, and I turned toward her. She was smiling again. "We could wait together," she concluded.
"Please join me," I said. "I'd much rather pass the time with you."
She picked up her drink and followed me back to the table.
"My name's Merle Corey," I told her, as soon as we were seated:
"I'm Meg Devlin. I haven't seen you around before."
"I'm just visiting. You, I take it, are not?" She shook her head slightly.
"Afraid not. I live in the new apartment complex a couple of miles up the road."
I nodded as if I knew where it was located.
"Where are you from?" she wanted to know.
"The center of the universe," I said, then hastily added, "San Francisco."
"Oh, I've spent a lot of time there. What do you do?" I resisted a sudden impulse to tell her that I was a sorcerer, and instead described my recent employment at Grand Design. She, I learned in turn, had been a model, a buyer for a large store, and later manager of a boutique. I glanced at the clock.
It was 10:45. She caught the look.
"I think we've both been stood up," she said.
"Probably," I agreed, "but we ought to give them till eleven to be decent about it."
"I suppose."
"Have you eaten?"
"Earlier."
"Hungry?"
"Some. Yes. Are you?"
"Uh-huh, and I noticed some people had food in here earlier. I'll check."
I learned we could get sandwiches, so we got two, with some salad on the side.
"I hope your date didn't include a late supper," I said suddenly.
"It wasn't mentioned, and I don't care," she replied, taking a bite.
Eleven o'clock came and went. I'd finished my drink and the food, and I didn't really want another.
"At least the evening wasn't a total loss," she said, crumpling her napkin and setting it aside.
I watched her eyelashes because it was a pleasant thing to do. She wore very little or very pale makeup. It didn't matter at all. I was about to reach out and cover her hand with my own, but she beat me.
"What were you going to do tonight?" I asked her.
"Oh, dance a bit, have a few drinks, maybe take a walk in the moonlight. Silly things like that."
"I hear music in the next room. We could stroll on over."
"Yes, we could," she said. "Why don't we?"
As we were leaving the bar, I heard Fiona, like a whisper:
"Merlin! If you leave the scene on the Trump you will be out of range to me."
"Hold on a minute," I answered.
"What?" Meg asked me.
"Uh - I want to visit the rest room first," I said.
"Good idea. I'll do the same. Meet you in the hall here in a couple of minutes."
The place was vacant, but I took a stall in case anyone wandered in. I located Fiona's Trump in the packet I corned. Moments later, I reached Fiona.
"Listen, Fi," I said. "Obviously, no one's going to show. But the rest of the evening promises to shape up nicely, and I might as well have a little fun while I'm here. So thanks for your help. I'll just wander on back later."
"I don't know," she said. "I don't tike you going with a stranger, under the circumstances. There may still be danger around there for you, somewhere."
"There isn't," I replied. "I have a way of knowing, and it doesn't register for her. Besides, I'm sure it was a fellow I'd met here and that he gave up when I trumped out. I'll be all right."
"I don't like it, " she said.
"I'm a big boy. I can take care of myself."
"I suppose so. Call me immediately if there are any problems."
"There won't be. You might as well turn in."
"And call when you're ready to come back. Don't worry about waking me. I want to bring you home personally."
"Okay, I'll do that. Good night."
"Stay wary."
"I always am."
"Good night, then."
She broke the contact.
A few minutes later we were on the dance floor, turning and listening and touching. Meg had a strong tendency to lead. But what the hell, I can be led. I even tried being wary occasionally but there was nothing more threatening than loud music and sudden laughter.
At eleven-thirty we checked the bar. There were several couples there, but her date wasn't. And no one even gave me a nod. We returned to the music.
We looked again a little after midnight with similar results. We seated ourselves then and ordered a final drink.
"Well, it was fun," she said, resting her hand where I could cover it with my own. So I did.
"Yes," I replied. "I wish we could do it more often. But I'm going to be leaving tomorrow."
"Where are you headed?"
"Back to the center of the universe."
"A pity," she said. "Do you need a ride anywhere?"
I nodded. "Anywhere you're going."
She smiled and squeezed my hand.
"All right," she agreed. "Come on over and I'll make you a cup of coffee."
We finished our drinks and headed out to the parking lot, pausing a few times to embrace along the way. I even tried being wary again, but we seemed to be the only people in the lot. Her car was a neat little red Porsche convertible with the top down.
"Here we are. You care to drive?" she asked.
"No, you do it and I'll watch for headless horsemen."
"What?"
"It's a lovely night, and I've always wanted a chauffeur who looked exactly like you."
We got in and she drove. Fast, of course. It just seemed to follow. The roads were deserted and a feeling of exhilaration swept over me. I raised one hand and summoned a lighted cigar from Shadow. I took a few puffs and tossed it away as we roared over a bridge. I regarded the constellations, which had grown familiar to me these past eight years. I drew a deep breath and let it out slowly. I tried to analyze my feelings and realized that I was happy. I hadn't felt that way in a long while.