Gone Tomorrow

‘I have asked her many times, as you can imagine. She’s reluctant to say.’

‘But you think Sansom isn’t actually involved?’

‘No, not at all. That was a joke that got out of hand. That’s all. Unless, of course, it really is a million to one thing. Which would be extraordinary, don’t you think? To joke about something and have it turn out to be true?’

I said nothing.

Lila Hoth said, ‘Now may I ask you a question? Did Susan Mark give you the information intended for my mother?’

Svetlana Hoth smiled and nodded again. I began to suspect she recognized the words my mother. Like a dog that wags its tail when it hears its name. I said, ‘Why would you think Susan Mark gave me information?’

‘Because the people I hired here told me you told them that she had. Computerized, on a USB memory stick. They gave me that message, and transmitted your photograph, and resigned their commission. I’m not sure why. I was paying them very well.’

I moved in my chair and stuck my hand in my pocket.

Scrabbled down past the disassembled phone and found the Radio Shack stick. I felt the soft pink neoprene sleeve against my fingernails. I pulled it out and held it up and watched Lila Hoth’s eyes very carefully.

She looked at the stick the way a cat looks at a bird.

She asked, ‘Is that really it?’

Theresa Lee moved in her chair and looked at me. Like she was asking, Are you going to say it, or am I? Lila Hoth caught the glance and asked, ‘What?’

I said, ‘The whole thing looked very different to me, I’m afraid. Susan Mark was terrified on the train. She was in big trouble. She didn’t look like a person coming to town to meet a friend for dinner and a show.’

Lila Hoth said, ‘I told you at the beginning, I can’t explain that.’

I put the memory stick back in my pocket. Said, ‘Susan didn’t bring an overnight bag.’

‘I can’t explain it.’

‘And she dumped her car and approached by subway. Which is weird. If you were prepared to book a room for her, I’m sure you would have sprung for valet parking.’

‘Sprung?’

‘Paid for.’

‘Of course.’

‘And she was carrying a loaded gun.’

‘She lived in Virginia. I heard it’s compulsory there.’

‘It’s legal there,’ I said. ‘Not compulsory.’

‘I can’t explain it. I’m sorry.’

‘And her son is missing. Last seen leaving a bar, with a woman of your age and roughly your description.’

‘Missing?’

‘Disappeared.’

‘A woman of my description?’

‘A total babe.’

‘What does that mean?’

‘A good-looking young woman.’

‘What bar?’

‘Somewhere in LA.’

‘Los Angeles?’

‘In California.’

‘I haven’t been to Los Angeles. Never in my life. I have only been in New York.’

I said nothing.

She said, ‘Look around you. I have been here in New York three days on a tourist visa and I occupy three rooms in a commercial hotel. I have no crew, as you call it. I have never been to California.’

I said nothing.

She said, ‘Looks are subjective. And I’m not the only woman my age. There are six billion people in the world. Trending young, for sure. Half of them are fifteen or younger. Which means there are still three billion people sixteen or older. Following the curve, perhaps twelve per cent of them are in their middle twenties. That’s three hundred and sixty million people. About half are women. That’s a hundred and eighty million. Even if only one in a hundred of them might be judged good-looking, in a bar in California, then it’s still ten times more likely that John Sansom was my mother’s friend than I had anything to do with Susan Mark’s son.

I nodded. Arithmetically, Lila Hoth was right on the money. She said, ‘And it’s probably true that Peter is away somewhere with a girl, anyway. Yes, I know his name. In fact I know all about him. Susan told me. On the phone. We talked about all our problems. She hated her son. She despised what he is. He is everything she disliked. He is just a shallow fraternity boy with immature altitudes. He rejected her in favour of his father. And do you know why? Because he was obsessed with his ancestry. And Susan was adopted. Did you even know that? Her son thought of her only as a person conceived out of wedlock. He hated her for it. I know more about Susan than anybody. I talked to her many limes. I listened to her. She was a lonely, isolated woman. I was her friend. She was excited to come here and meet me.’

At that point I sensed that Theresa Lee needed to get going and I certainly wanted to be out of there before young Leonid showed up again. So I nodded and shrugged as if I had nothing more to say and no further issues to pursue. Lila Hoth asked if I would give her the stick that Susan Mark had given to me. I didn’t say yes and I didn’t say no. I didn’t answer at all. We just shook hands all around once more, and then we made an exit. The door closed behind us and we walked through the silent corridor and the elevator chimed open. We stepped in and we looked at each other in the mirrored walls and Lee said, ‘Well, what did you think?’

‘I thought she was beautiful,’ I said. ‘One of the most beautiful women I have ever seen.’