He desires to promote me a few coverage. ” He hung up, regarded up the variety of seventy one in his little black ebook, referred to as it. an odd voice replied. Shane acknowledged: “Is Nick there? … Is Pedro there? … by no means mind—what i need to grasp is what’s Thelma’s final identify? Thelma, the cigarette lady? … Uh-huh… . by no means brain who I am—I’m certainly one of your top clients… . Uh-huh… . How do you spell it? … B-u-r-r… . You haven’t acquired her cell quantity, have you ever? ” The receiver clicked, Shane smiled, hung up. He stumbled on Thelma Burr’s handle within the phone listing: a bunch on West Seventy-fourth, off Riverside force. He obtained up and went to the desk and took a number of cigars from the humidor, positioned all yet one in every of them within the blue leather-based case. He lighted the cigar and stood a short time at one of many home windows, observing the tiny lighting within the constructions uptown. Gusts of rain beat opposed to the window and he shuddered unexpectedly, involuntarily. He went to a cupboard and took out a sq. brown bottle, a pitcher, poured himself a stiff drink. Then he went out, downstairs to the 16th ground. He knocked numerous instances on the door of 1611, yet there has been no resolution. He went to the elevator, all the way down to the foyer. The evening clerk stated: “That’s correct, sir—1611, yet i believe pass over Johnson went out presently sooner than you got here in. ” Shane went to the home mobilephone, spoke to the operator: “Did leave out Johnson get any calls after I talked to her round ten-thirty? … correct after I called—huh? … thank you. ” He went out to a cab, gave the driving force the quantity on Seventy-fourth highway. It grew to become out to be a slim, five-story residence residence at the north aspect of the road. Shane instructed the motive force to attend and went up steps, via a heavy door right into a darkish corridor. there have been mailboxes on either side of the corridor; he lighted a fit and began at the left part. the second one from the final field at the left bore a reputation scrawled in pencil that him: N. Manos—the house quantity used to be 414. He went directly to the ideal facet of the corridor, discovered the identify and the quantity he used to be trying to find, went up slender creaking steps to the 3rd ground. there has been no resolution at 312. After a short while, Shane went again downstairs. He stood within the darkness of the corridor for a number of mins. Then he went again as much as the fourth ground, knocked at 414. there has been no solution there both. He attempted the door, came across it to be locked, went back off to 312. He stood within the dim gentle of the hallway your time together with his ear on the subject of the door. He heard the surface door downstairs open and shut, voices. He went midway down the stair. waited until eventually the voices had long gone away down the hall at the first flooring, went again to the door of 312 and attempted numerous keys within the lock. The 6th key he attempted grew to become just about all the way in which; he took carry of the knob, lifted and driven, forcing the major while. The lock clicked, gave manner, the door swung open. Shane went into the darkness, closed the door and lighted a fit. He stumbled on the sunshine change, pressed it. A flooring lamp with a colourful and tasteless batik color; a smaller desk lamp with a black silk handkerchief thrown over it, lighted.