It was one in the morning, which translated to seven in the evening in Washington. Was it possible Jakes might still be at his office? The man certainly kept odd hours, and Jeffrey debated quietly with himself before deciding to try standing. If that went well, he would attempt to find a telephone — using the room phone was a sucker bet. He carefully unclasped his watch and placed it under his pillow, then swung his legs over the side of the bed. At least he didn’t have to contend with unhooking any machines — he’d obviously been stable enough to be relegated to the non-critical ward, which made him feel a little better about his condition.
His feet touched the cool floor and a wave of dizziness passed through him, but after a few seconds everything normalized and he felt stable, if weak. He was wearing an open-back gown, and he tried walking to the small closet and was heartened when he made it without blacking out. His shirt and pants were hanging inside, having been cleaned by a conscientious staff — typical Swiss efficiency.
Two minutes later he was dressed, and he crept to the partially open door, ears straining for any hint of movement in the corridor on the opposite side. Nothing greeted him, and after several moments he eased the door wider and stepped out into an empty, brightly lit hall. Jeffrey checked in both directions and then opted for the right, and found himself in a large main area at the end of the passage, a nurse’s station on the far side with a solitary nurse talking on the phone, her back to him. He inched past and then came to a bank of elevators, their oversized doors facing him like silent sentries.
When he arrived at the ground floor there was more activity, and an attendant at the information desk looked up from reading her paperback novel and in response to his one-word question pointed to a bank of pay phones near the bathrooms. He thanked her with a muttered “Danke” and shuffled over to them, feeling suddenly worse for wear, the exertion not a great idea so soon after the head injury.
After a few tries he connected to an operator, who put him through to an international operator for the collect call. Jeffrey recited Jakes’ number and his last name, then waited as the phone rang, its tone hollow in his ear. When Jakes answered, his unmistakable voice distinctive even thousands of miles away, the operator announced Jeffrey’s name and he grudgingly accepted the call.
“Collect from Switzerland? You do lead an interesting life,” Jakes growled when the operator had dropped off the line.
“I got mugged. They got my cash, and I haven’t had a chance to get back to the hotel and reload. I’m in the hospital. Concussion.”
“Are you all right?”
“I’ll be okay if I don’t stroke out first. Did you get a chance to follow up on Monica?”
A long pause echoed across the chasm, seconds building with tension before the PI cleared his throat.
“Maybe this should wait until you’re feeling better,” Jakes started, and Jeffrey’s heart dropped, dreading what was coming.
“No. I need to know what you learned.”
“You sure? Let’s just say it’s not good.”
“I got that from your bedside manner. Just tell me. I can take it.”
“You’re the boss. The arrest? She was busted for prostitution when she was seventeen. No further collars since then, but generally speaking, you have to have been hooking for a while before you get caught. It’s a little like drunk driving — it’s never the first time that gets you arrested, you know?”
“Prostitution. You’re absolutely sure?” Pained defeat colored Jeffrey’s words.
“No doubt. Which brings me to what she’s been doing since we picked her up yesterday. I’ll spare you all the details. The short version is she had a date. A professional one, judging by the age of her companion. So either she was having dinner with Dad, who she’s very, very fond of, or she was making some money while you were out of the picture.”
“What do you mean, a date? She went to a restaurant? That’s it?”
“No. She went to a restaurant and then to a hotel, where she stayed for two and a half hours before departing just after midnight.”
Jeffrey was suddenly reeling, his worst fears coming out of the handset he clutched to his ear. He gripped the small steel counter beneath the phone for support and leaned against the edge of the glass panel separating it from its twin.
“Are you still there?” Jakes asked hesitantly.
“God. I’m such an idiot…”
“No, you aren’t. You smelled a rat, and you hired me. So your instincts were good. Look, you aren’t the first guy with a few bucks who’s gotten involved with a pro who wanted to get out of the biz, and maybe wasn’t completely forthcoming about her résumé. Don’t beat yourself up. You’re not omniscient, and there’s no way you could have known, given that she misrepresented everything about herself.”
Jeffrey felt like he was choking, and didn’t trust himself to speak. He badly wished he could confide in the investigator, but that wasn’t an option. Best case he could ask him some questions and get ideas.
The line hummed. In the lobby behind him, a woman coughed. Jeffrey began to regain his composure as he digested the news about Monica — news that he’d feared, but also was better off knowing.
“Jakes, it might not be that simple. Listen, I want to ask you a few professional questions. Hypothetical things I’ve been playing with… for a book I’m penciling out. Could you help me with them, and not read too much into it?”
“You want to ask me hypothetical questions at ten bucks a minute from Europe, where it’s gotta be two in the morning?” Jakes asked tonelessly.
“One a.m., not to put too fine a point on it.”
“No better time, then, huh? Hey, it’s your dime. Shoot.”
Jeffrey spent the next five minutes grilling Jakes on counter-surveillance, how to best evade tracking devices, how to move around without leaving a trail. By the time the investigator finished responding, neither man felt particularly talkative.
“I’ll be back in a few days, Jakes. I appreciate this. I’ll settle up once I return,” Jeffrey assured Jakes, fatigue setting over him like a blanket.
“Yeah. You do that. And some words of advice — the kind of book you’re thinking of writing? The heroes usually wind up dead in the real world. So you’ll want to keep the protagonist out of too much danger, or it could go badly for him.”
“Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.”
Jeffrey hung up, Jakes’ words clamoring in his skull like an anvil chorus. He turned from the phones and walked slowly to the stairwell, preferring not to wait for the elevator in full view of the lobby, just in case anyone was checking — his whole perspective now changed, on alert for signs he might have missed until talking to Jakes. The man obviously knew his craft, which made Jeffrey feel even worse. What chance did he have against professionals of at least that caliber?
He barely made it to the second floor and staggered to the elevators, winded, his breathing raspy and uneven as he waited for a car to arrive. He’d pushed it too far, and he would be lucky if he didn’t collapse while trying to slink back to his wing. It had been a stupid decision, but it was too late now, and when the elevator arrived he stepped in gratefully and leaned against the side wall.
The nurse was away on rounds when he returned to his floor, and moments later he was back in his room and stripping off his clothes, anxious to be asleep when she next came to check on him. He pulled on the thin gown and hung up his pants and shirt, taking care to make them look untouched, and it was all he could do to get to the bed before his knees buckled and he slumped onto the thin mattress, his nocturnal adventure and the realization that he was completely and absolutely alone in the world having drained him of his slim remaining energy.