Page 16 (1/2)

"Well, that explains it The cells in your body change completely every seven years Isn't that what they say?"

"That's what they say"

"So your cells and my cells had neverevery seven years What the hell does it ot it several years later"

"Or a tattoo The cells change but the ink stays between them"

"How does it kno to do that?"

"I don't know"

"That's what I can't figure out How does it know? You don't have any tattoos, do you?"

"No"

"And you call yourself an alcoholic Isn't that when people get them, when they're tanked?"

"Well, it never struck me as the reasoned act of a sober h percentage of murderers are heavily tattooed Have you ever heard that?"

"It sounds fa to do with self-ie?"

"Tattoos, you dimwit"

"Sorry Did he have any tattoos? I don't reht to know, you sawme I don't remember any tattoos He had scars on his back Did I tell you about that?"

"Not that I remember"

"Bands of scar tissue across his back He was probably physically abused in childhood"

"It happens"

"Uh-huh Are you sleepy?"

"Sort of"

"And I', it wakes women up and puts men to sleep You're an old bear and I won't let you hibernate"

"Ulad you don't have any tattoos I'll let you alone now Good night, baby"

I slept, and so, and then the dream had slipped away beyond recall and I ake Her body was drawn close toher s the wonderful smoothness of her skin, and the suddenness of my own physical response surprised me

I filled my hands with her and stroked her, and after a moment she made a sound not unlike a cat's purr and rolled onto her back, shifting to accommodate me I eased onto her and into her and our bodies found their rhyth

Afterward she laughed softly, in the darkness I asked her as so funny

" 'Repeatedly,' " she said

In theI slipped out of bed and showered and dressed, then woke her to let me out and lock up after me She wanted to make sure I had the sketch I held up the cardboard core from a roll of paper towels, Galindez's effort coiled within

"Don't forget I want it back," she said

I told her I'd take good care of it

"And of yourself," she said "Promise?"

I promised

I walked back to my hotel On the way I found a copy shop that hadn't closed for the weekend and got them to run a hundred copies of the sketch I dropped inal, which I'd rolled and reinserted in its cardboard sleeve I kept a dozen or so copies and took along a batch of business cards, the ones Jim Faber had printed up for me, not the ones fro else

I took the Broadway local uptown and got off at Eighty-sixth My first stop was the Bretton Hall, Motley's last known address at the tiistered there under his own name, but I tried his picture on the man behind the desk He studied it sole with one ofin it for you," I said "If you can help me out"

I workedthe residential hotels on Broadway itself and on the side streets Then I crossed to the other side and did the sahty-sixth and continuing on down to around Seventy-second Street I stopped for a plate of black beans and yellow rice at a Cuban-Chinese lunch counter, then worked the east side of Broadway back up to where I'd started I passed out et rid of all but one of the copies of the sketch and wished I'd brought more They'd only cost me a nickel apiece, and at that rate I could have afforded to paper the city with them

A couple of people told me Motley looked familiar At one welfare hotel, the Benjamin Davis on Ninety-fourth, the clerk knew him immediately

"He was here," he said "Man stayed here this summer"

"What dates?"

"I don't know as I could say He was here more than a couple weeks, but I couldn't tell you when he came or when he ht could, if I recollected his name"