The Salt Lake Tribune from Salt Lake City, Utah • 94

11 1110111r1 lie had followed an honest impulse this man who waited in dread for a knock on his door What happened to him could happen to anyone it who waited in What hap byMarc Brandel lituatrated by Frederick Smith tot 1t -1 1 1 1 t0 A r' 2 -1 VI A 4 4 4 4' '4 A' -1 -eit-ra'' '-7 44 I i tz i t-t i 4 It i 4 fiPib' k4- 4 "4151thik yti A 0 1 --) 4 II I illli 1 of 1 I 0 1 1 I 1 0 14 01 -v ti I 0 OW 0P 1 firl 11011101ASIIImit i (: 'It'Ir 1 1 41111111111 1 I 16'')i i tt vt I rdati- ---4 r- I 1 ii -f I I se- f- 1 1 "fr- et) -4 i AL 'i -1 1 1 AltAWSIP i x- i Ni''''A -Z' I 6" 0 -'01A11- 4 di '-4 4 4410311160 mocra 40 1 4'f tilt I 4st I :1 (13 flf i '-r I '4 cf A 14 14 1 1 A a i' s--e 1 i 1''''' ir' 4 1 1 keeNt e4 1 i ks 41k li 4 4 1 't mos- "i 4 at 1 rs 1 rvis 0 'r r'4 4111 1--' INtstt Nt see 4 "ii i '34 --ii 144 4 a 4' 4 -sk -ft- -Ylawlaw Aa 14- eir 'N a 1 11 to 110 0 2 I 1 ri 4 ii 1444i -'''4N '14 r' -14'---r749441- ti i 4 "I don't know what your racket is" I acid "And I don't wont to" I CI- I WANT to make this clear FICTION I right away: I didn't get mixed up in this thing on purpose I'm not one of those slick hard-boiled characters mystery authors like to write about As a matter of fact I'm timid I'm not ashamed to admit it Until today I had never been mixed up in anything more farfetched than the Quartermaster Corps back in Forty-three Until an hour ago I had never worried about anything more serious than losing my job And now I'm sitting 'here sweating It's cold in the apartment too I think that new superintendent just nervousness that's making me perspire I'm bewildered and scared and confused and I don't know what to do There doesn't seem to be anything I can do except wait Wait for the phone or the doorbell to ring Wait for whoever he is And yet I can't see how I deserved to get into this mess I can't see how it was really my fault It could have happened to anyone It all started this morning or rather at lunch time and all because it was raining If it hadn't been raining I'd have had lunch as usual at Chester's Restaurant The hot roast-beef sandwich is very good there But it's five blocks to Chester's from the advertising agency where I work so I put on my raincoat and dashed across the street to Pierre's instead I WA FICTION mixed purpose I'm not one a boiled characters myste write about As a matte I'm not ashamed to adm Until today I had rtet9 anything more farfetchel master Corps back in Fo Until an hour a I had anything more serious th And now I'm sitting cold in the apartment new superintendent drink nets that's making me 1 dered and scared and a know what to do There anything I can do except phone or the doorbell to ever he is And yet I can't see ho into this mess I can't se my fault It could have ha It all started this ma lunch time and all bea If it hadn't been raining as usual at Chester's roast-beef sandwich is ye it's five blocks to Chester ing agency where I wor raincoat and dashed a( Pierre's instead and even after the coffee I still felt sort of free and not reckless exactly but not at all timid either That's when I first saw her as I was finishing my coffee She must have been eating in the other room or I would have noticed her before She was very noticeable She was the kind of girl who might have been an assistant editor on a chit fashion magazine she had on one of those coy hats and those long white gloves people on fashion magazines wear except that she was just a little too spectacular Her hair was too blond her complexion too perfect her clothes too expensive THE funny thing was she was walking straight toward me and she was smiling the way my boss does when he's meeting a new sponsor "Why hullo" she called when she was still a yard or two away "Where have you been hiding yourself?" I glanced over my shoulder There was nothing behind me but the wall She was talking to me I stood up' "Hullo" I said She was even more breathtaking close to I fumbled with the chair beside me and she sat down "I can only stay a moment" she said "But it's so wonderful to see you again" She took my hand and squeezed it in her cool white gloves I'd never seen her in my life I should have told her so at once of course But you know how it is You go along through life meeting the kind of girls you're naturally cut out forsnd then one day you have two Martinis before lunch and something like this happens to you I squeezed her hand hack "Peter's with me" she said sort of wrinkling her eyes I looked up She was right There was a young man standing right behind her "Peter" she said "Yotj remember Jim" That startled me even more thari the young mart's sudden appearance had Because the strange thing is that although my name's Charles there had been a time years ago PIERRE'S is one of those shiny places with tables around the walls and a man who meets you in the lobby It isn't the kind of place I can afford very often so I thought I might as well make an occasion of it and have a cocktail before lunch I checked my raincoat at the little box in the hall followed the manager to a table near the kitchen and ordered a Martini I had two of them That was my real mistake suppose It probably had quite a lot to clo with what happened next because the Martinis didn't make me hungey the way they're supposed to In fact I had a very light lunch PIERIIE'S is one of thos tables around the walls al you in the lobby It isn can afford very often as well make an occasic cocktail before lunch I checked my raincoat the hall followed the near the kitchen and or had two of That I suppose It probably with what happened nex tinis didn't make me hun supposed to In fact I hr TW-2-34-51.