Page 31 (1/2)

Helicopters circled the city all night, looking for her Maybe they thought she had no place to go, and that she would be out on the streets Maybe they thought she wouldn&039;t be foolish enough to find a place to lie low Maggie was too tired to be se of town, out by the airport, and decided to treat herself If they caught up with her, if the ht her way out It orth it to have a real bed, a real shower, and et some music, and drive away the darkness in her head

At the front desk she told the clerk she wanted a roo her disguise back on - hoodie, baseball cap, and even a pair of sunglasses, though outside the sun had already gone below the horizon

The clerk was a guy notsideburns and the bored, tired eyes of so a job they didn&039;t take very seriously He gave her a n in here and give ned herself in as Greta Garbo, because she just wanted to be left alone The clerk didn&039;t even look at the name

"I&039;ll just need to see your credit card We don&039;t charge you yet, not until you check out, but - "

"I want to pay cash," she told hied "&039;S cool, but I still need a credit card So in case you trash the roo we can bill you later" He looked at her face for the first tio pale or run away, she assu on trashing the rooer this tilad to help This place could use a little redecoration And if you want to party, I can get you anything you want - "

"Look, here&039;s the cash, upfront," Maggie said She laid four twenties on the counter between the "It&039;s our policy We need a credit card Everybody has one, right?"

Maggie sighed "Sure," she said "It&039;s right here" She put another twenty on the counter

He licked his lips "You got some ID? Maybe a driver&039;s license?"

Another twenty She had plenty of them

"Passport? Birth certificate? Green card?"

Each time he named a type of ID she laid another twenty on the counter Then she held up another five of them "This," she said, "is a tip" When he reached for the hundred dollars in her hand she said, "I&039;ll et it tomorrow When I check out" Hopefully, if the police ca around he would say he hadn&039;t seen her - because if she had to run again he wouldn&039;t get his tip

He handed her a key and she went up to the roo, very hot shower She shampooed and conditioned her hair with the little bottles the hotel staff provided and went through most of a bar of soap that smelled like vanilla and cinnamon