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Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas :: Thompson Hunter S.
Страница: 185 из 255"I just got the message from thedesk. She's at the Americana, room 1600… and she wants us to call."
He stared at me… and just then the phone rang.
I shrugged and picked it up. There was no point trying to hide. She had found us, and that was enough.
"Hello," I said.
It was the room clerk again.
"Mister Duke?"
"Yes."
"Hello, Mister Duke. I'm sorry we were cut off a moment ago…, but I thought I should call again, because I was won dering..
“What?" I sensed things closing down on us. This fucker was about to spring something on me. What had that crazy bitch aid to him? I tried to stay calm.
"We're watching the goddamn news!" I screamed. "What the fuck are you interrupting me for?"
Silence.
"What do you want? Where's the goddamn ice I ordered? Where's the booze? There's a war on, man! People are being killed!"
"Killed?" He almost whispered the word.
"In Vietnam!" I yelled. "On the goddamn television!"
"Oh… yes… yes," he said. "This terrible war. When will it end?"
"Tell me," I said quietly. "What do you want?"
"Of course," he said, snapping back to his desk-clerk tone. "I thought I should tell you… because I know you're here with the Police Convention… that the woman who left that message for you sounded very disturbed."
He hesitated, but I said nothing.
"I thought you should know this," he said finally.
"What did you say to her?" I asked.
"Nothing. Nothing at all, Mister Duke. I merely took the message." He paused.
"But it wasn't that easy, talking to that woman. She was… well… extremelynervous. I think she was crying."
"Crying?" My brain had locked up. I couldn't think. The drug was taking over. "Why was she crying?"
"Well… ah… she didn't say, Mister Duke. But since I knew the nature of your work I thought… "
"I know," I said quickly. "Look, you want to be gentle with that woman if sheever calls again. She's our case study. We're watching her very carefully." I felt my head unwind ing now; the words came easily: "She's perfectly harmless, of course… there'll be no trouble… this woman has been into laudanum, it's a controlled experiment, but I suspect we'll need your cooperation before this thing is over."
"Well… certainly," he said. "We're always happy to cooperate with the police… just as long as there won't be any rouble… for us, I mean."
"Don't worry," I said. "You're protected. Just treat this or woman like you’d treat any other human being in trouble.
He stared at me… and just then the phone rang.
I shrugged and picked it up. There was no point trying to hide. She had found us, and that was enough.
"Hello," I said.
It was the room clerk again.
"Mister Duke?"
"Yes."
"Hello, Mister Duke. I'm sorry we were cut off a moment ago…, but I thought I should call again, because I was won dering..
“What?" I sensed things closing down on us. This fucker was about to spring something on me. What had that crazy bitch aid to him? I tried to stay calm.
"We're watching the goddamn news!" I screamed. "What the fuck are you interrupting me for?"
Silence.
"What do you want? Where's the goddamn ice I ordered? Where's the booze? There's a war on, man! People are being killed!"
"Killed?" He almost whispered the word.
"In Vietnam!" I yelled. "On the goddamn television!"
"Oh… yes… yes," he said. "This terrible war. When will it end?"
"Tell me," I said quietly. "What do you want?"
"Of course," he said, snapping back to his desk-clerk tone. "I thought I should tell you… because I know you're here with the Police Convention… that the woman who left that message for you sounded very disturbed."
He hesitated, but I said nothing.
"I thought you should know this," he said finally.
"What did you say to her?" I asked.
"Nothing. Nothing at all, Mister Duke. I merely took the message." He paused.
"But it wasn't that easy, talking to that woman. She was… well… extremelynervous. I think she was crying."
"Crying?" My brain had locked up. I couldn't think. The drug was taking over. "Why was she crying?"
"Well… ah… she didn't say, Mister Duke. But since I knew the nature of your work I thought… "
"I know," I said quickly. "Look, you want to be gentle with that woman if sheever calls again. She's our case study. We're watching her very carefully." I felt my head unwind ing now; the words came easily: "She's perfectly harmless, of course… there'll be no trouble… this woman has been into laudanum, it's a controlled experiment, but I suspect we'll need your cooperation before this thing is over."
"Well… certainly," he said. "We're always happy to cooperate with the police… just as long as there won't be any rouble… for us, I mean."
"Don't worry," I said. "You're protected. Just treat this or woman like you’d treat any other human being in trouble.