Arbogast remembered Will had said that the two pirates had stayed at a motel the night Jack disappeared, but never said which one. For the rest of that day and into the next, the detective drove around, searching local motels for clues to Jack's whereabouts.

Norman sat on the porch of the Bates Motel, outside the office, eating candy from a bag. A car drove up, and Arbogast got out. Norman greeted the detective.

"Good evening," Arbogast said.

"Evening."

"I almost drove right past."

"I'm always forgetting to turn the sign on, but we do have a vacancy," Norman said. "Twelve, in fact. Twelve cabins, twelve vacancies." Holding out the bag of candy, he offered some to the detective.

"No, thanks," Arbogast said. "Uh, the last two days, I've been to so many motels that my eyes are bleary with neon, but, you know, this is the first place that looks like it's hiding from the world."

"Well, I'll tell you the truth," Norman said. "I didn't really forget to turn the sign on. It just doesn't seem like any use anymore, you know?"

"Oh?"

"You see, that used to be the main highway right there. Well, do you want to come in and register?"

"No, no. Sit down. I don't want to trouble you. I just want to ask you a few questions."

"Oh, that's no trouble. Today's linen day. I always change the beds here once a week, whether they've been used or not. Hate the smell of dampness, don't you? It's such a… I don't know, creepy smell. Come on."

The detective was led into the office.

Norman continued, "You, uh, you out to buy a motel?"

"No."

Norman was confused for a moment. He turned on the desk lamp and took bed sheets out of the closet where he got the mop and broom to clean up Cabin One.

"Reason I asked, you said you'd seen so many in the past couple of days, I thought maybe you, uh… What, uh, what was it you wanted to ask?"

Arbogast said, "Well, you see, I'm looking for a missing person. My name's Arbogast. I'm a private investigator." He pulled out his ID.

"Oh?" Norman asked.

"I've been trying to trace a pirate that's been missing for, oh, about a week now. From Tortuga, or possibly Port Royal. It's a private matter. The friends and crew, and a scientist-inventor, want to forgive him. He's not in any trouble. Or, at least, not now."

"I didn't think the police went looking for people who aren't in trouble," Norman said, confused.

"Oh, I'm… I'm not the police."

"Oh, you're…"

"We have someone that was with him that said he came along this way and may have stopped in the area. Did he stop here?" Arbogast pulled out a picture of Jack, a small photocopy of the Count Jackula movie poster.

Norman's mind flicked to Will's face. He quickly put this thought out of his mind.

"Well, no one's stopped here for a couple of weeks," he lied.

"Would you mind looking at the picture before committing yourself?"

Norman smiled. "'Commit myself?' You sure talk like a policeman!"

Laughing, Arbogast continued, "Well, look at the picture, please."

Norman took the photo, leaned in slightly, and squinted a bit to look at it better. "Nuh-uh."

"Well, he, or the friend he was with, may have used an alias. Captain Jack Sparrow is the missing man; William Turner is the friend. Those are their real names," Arbogast said. "But, they could've registered under different ones."

"Well, I'll tell you, I don't even much bother with guests registering anymore. You know, one by one you drop the formalities. I shouldn't even bother changing the sheets, but old habits die hard. Which reminds me…"

Norman turned and flipped on the switch to power the motel sign outside.

"What's that?" asked Arbogast.

"It's the light, the sign."

"Oh."

"We had a couple last week said if the thing hadn't been on they would have thought this was an old deserted…" Norman started.

Arbogast smiled and interrupted, "Well, you see… and that's exactly my point! You said that nobody'd been here for a couple of weeks, and there's a couple came by, and they didn't know that you were open."

"Yeah."

"Well, as you say, old habits die hard. It's possible these pirates could have registered under other names. Do you mind if I look at your book?"

Norman agreed and took out the register book.

"Thank you," the detective said. He craned over the register. "Now, let's see. Now, here's the date somewhere… hmm."

"There's nobody…"

"Let's see now. I have a sample of his handwriting here…" Arbogast took out a slip of paper and compared it to the book on the counter. "Oh, yes, here we are…

Norman continued to eat his candy as he looked into the book as well.

"Captain Jack Sparrow," Arbogast said. "That's him. But why did his friend register under the name Orlando Bloom? No matter, I'll ask him later."

"So it is him?" Norman asked. "For sure?"

"Yeah, yeah, I think so…" He pushes the photo back towards Norman. "Was he in disguise, by any chance? Want to check the picture again?"

Norman started to become extremely nervous. "Look, I-I wasn't lying to you, mister. It's just that…"

Arbogast interrupted, "Oh, I know that. I know you wouldn't lie."

"You know, it's tough keeping track of the time around here…"

"Oh, I know, I know," Arbogast interrupted again.

Norman leaned in to get a better look at the picture, taking it. "Ohhh, yeah! Well, it, it was raining, and, uh, his hair was all wet. His friend's, too." He gave the picture back. "I tell you, it's not really a very good picture of Jack, either."

"No, I guess not. Now, tell me all about the two of them."

"Well, uh, they arrived, uh, rather late one night, and they went straight to sleep and, uh, left early the next morning."

"Well, how early?" asked Arbogast.

"Oh, ex… very early."

The private detective's suspicions were triggered. Will Turner may've been an early riser, but Captain Jack was a different matter…

"Uh-huh," Arbogast continued. "Which morning was that?"

"Uh, the, uh… th-th-th-th-th-th-th-the next morning. Sunday."

"I see. Uh-huh. Uh, did anyone meet Jack and his friend here?"

"No."

"Did Jack arrive with someone other than Will? As in a third person?"

Norman thought a minute. "Mm, no."

"Uh-huh. Did he, did Jack, make any phone calls, or talk any to Will, or…?"

"No."

"No calls locally?"

"No."

"Did you spend the night with him?"

Norman was shocked by the question. "No!"

"Well then, how did you know he didn't make any phone calls?"

Norman had to quickly recover from the slip. "Oh, we… W-well, Jack's friend Will was very tired, and, uh, see, I… Now I'm starting to, uh, remember it. I'm making a mental picture of it, in my mind. You know, if you make a mental picturization of something…"

"That's right, that's right," Arbogast interrupted. "Take your time."

"Uh, he was... He and Will were sitting back there… No, no, they were standing back there with sandwiches in their hands, and Will said, uh… They had to go to sleep early because they, uh, a long d-d-d-dr-drive, uh, ahead of them."

"Uh-huh. Back where?"

"Back, uh, where they came from."

"No, no," Arbogast said. "You said before that they were sitting back…"

"Oh, uh…"

"…Or, standing back there…"

Norman interrupted, "Yes, b-back in my, uh, my parlor there. They were hungry, or, Jack was hungry, and I made the two of them sandwiches. And then his friend said they were tired, and they had to go, uh, back to bed."

"Oh, I see. How did they pay you? Cash? Check?"

"I don't think Jack expected to pay, since he's a pirate, but Will paid cash before he left."

"Oh, cash, huh? Uh-huh. And after they left, they didn't come back?"

"Nuh-uh," Norman replied. "Well, why should they?"

"Yeah."

"Well, Mr. Arbogast, uh, I guess that's about it, eh? I've got some work to do, if you don't mind."

Arbogast was beginning to become annoyed at the fact that Norman seemed all too eager to get rid of the detective. "Well, to tell you the truth, I do mind. You see, if it doesn't jell, it isn't aspic. And this ain't jelling. It's not coming together. Something's missing."

Norman nodded understandingly. "Well, I-I don't know what you ex… could expect me to know. People just come and go, you know?"

"That's right. Jack isn't still here, is he?"

Norman laughed. "No."

"Uh-huh. If I wanted to, uh, check the cabins… all twelve of them… I'd need a warrant, wouldn't I?"

Norman replied good-naturedly, "Listen, if you don't believe me, come on. Come on with me, and you can help me change the beds, OK?"

"Oh, oh, well, no thanks."

Arbogast followed Norman out of the office. Norman started to go into Cabin One, hesitated, and continued on down the line. The detective turned and noticed the house on the hill… and someone sitting in a lit window on the second floor.

Out of nowhere, Norman returned and asked, "Oh, uh, changed your mind? You know, I think I must have one of those faces you can't help but believing."

"Is anyone at home?" asked Arbogast.

"No."

"Oh? Well, there's someone sitting up in the window."

"No, no there isn't."

"Oh, sure there is! Take a look!"

Norman started automatically, without so much as glancing at the window, "Oh, that, th-that must be my mother. She's an in-i-valid… an invalid. Uh, it's practically like living alone." He knew it was a poor excuse, but he hoped the detective bought it.

"Oh, I see. Now, if this pirate, Captain Jack Sparrow, were here, you wouldn't be hiding him, now would you?"

"No."

"Not even if he paid you well, even more than he must've been paying that Will Turner fellow?"

"No," Norman laughed.

"Let's just say, just for the sake of argument, that he wanted you to gallantly protect him. You'd know that you were being used? You wouldn't be made a fool of, would you?"

"But I'm, I'm not a fool…"

"Well, then…"

"…And I'm not capable of being fooled, n-not even by a pirate."

"Well, this is not a slur on your manhood. I'm sorry."

Norman sighed. "No, let's put it this way. Jack might've fooled me, but he didn't fool my mother."

Arbogast caught this latest slip-up. "Well, then, your mother met him! Could I talk to your mother?"

"No. As, as I told you, she's, she's confined."

"Yes, but just for a few minutes, that's all. There might be some hint that you missed out on. You know, sick old women are usually pretty sharp…"

"Uh, mis… Mister…"

"Just a moment. I wouldn't disturb her."

"Mr. Arbogast, I-I think I've… I think I've talked to you all I want to."

"Yes, but just for…"

"So I think it'd be much better if you left now. Thanks."

"Uh, all right, all right. You sure would save me a lot of leg work if you'd let me talk to her about…" Norman shook his head as Arbogast continued, "Would I need a warrant for that, too?"

"Sure."

"Uh-huh. All right. Thanks anyway."

As Arbogast got in the car and drove away, Norman held the bed sheets out in front of him, a smile slowly spreading across his face. He thought he'd finally gotten rid of the detective for good.