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19
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Mort returned to his hotel room and sat down at the desk. He set his book bag on the surface and opened it. Mort reached his hand inside and pulled out 'The Nine Gates' and a magnifying glass. He set both on the desk and then put his bookbag on the floor.
Mort looked at the book for a few moments and thought about what Liana Telfer had said before. You could stage a theft. I'm sure your client is well insured.
Mort slid his hand down the book's smooth, black cover. He couldn't do it. He opened the drawer of the desk and pulled out the mysterious paper that 'John Shooter' had left him and set it on the desk's surface next to the book with the side of the engraving facing up.
Mort flipped through the pages of 'The Nine Gates' until he reached the engraving that showed the hermit with the keys in his hand. He picked up the magnifying glass, held it up to his eye, and looked at the hand with the keys from the book. Then he looked at the hand with the keys from the photocopy. The hands were different.
"Shit," Mort muttered aloud. Chico walked into the room and sat by Mort's feet.
Mort re-examined the case one more time just to be sure it wasn't all in his head. Nope. It wasn't all in his head. The hands were different. He closed 'The Nine Gates', rubbed his face and breathed in.
Suddenly, he desperately needed a smoke. He searched through his desk drawer and found an old bag of Doritos. He put the Doritos back inside and closed the drawer and then opened another one. After some rummaging, he turned up a pack of cigarettes.
He glanced towards the doorway and saw no one. He smiled at Chico, then plopped a cigarette into his mouth. "I don't know what I'm doing," Mort said to the dog.
The dog simply stared at him.
Mort became annoyed, "What?" He asked, impatiently.
The dog looked down.
"Mr. Corso!" a woman called from the other room.
"Mmm?" Mort replied, nervously, wondering who was in his room. He lowered the cigarette so it was out of view.
Mrs. Garvey came into the room he was in. Mort eased up a bit in seeing her. But he still didn't want her in his room.
"I'm all done," Mrs. Garvey said.
"Really?" Mort said. Smoke puffed out of his mouth. "So soon?" He asked. He nodded. "I'll see you next time."
"Mr. Corso... There's something I want to say," Mrs. Garvey began.
"Oh, no," Mort muttered.
Mrs. Garvey continued, "Some women don't know a good thing when they got it."
Mort nodded, "Mm."
Mrs. Garvey continued, "Some women don't know that they got the whole world and it's right in front of their nose."
Mort nodded again. "Mmhmm.." He said, quietly.
"There. That's it," Mrs. Garvey said. She began to leave the room, then stopped. She peeked her head into the doorway. "Not another word from me," she said, and left the room. Mort watched her leave bitterly, then resumed smoking.
"Mr. Corso," Mrs. Garvey called again, and came back into the room.
"Hm..?" Mort asked, hiding his cigarette.
"Can I make you something to eat?" Mrs. Garvey asked him.
"No. I ate. Well.. earlier. I'm going to eat later. And I'll make it myself," Mort replied. He wanted her out. Right now!
"You're a good man, Mr. Corso," Mrs. Garvey said, nodding at him.
"You too, Mrs. Garvey," Mort replied. He watched her leave the room again, frowned, and continued his smoke.