«Okay,» I said. «'Thanks. Return.»
There seemed a moment of hesitation, but my will proved sufficient without a more formal command. She retreated back across my hand, rewound herself about my wrist, and faded.
I finished up in there and returned to the bar. I passed Luke his ring as I seated myself, and took a sip of beer. «How'd you get it off?» he asked.
«A bit of soap,» I answered.
He wrapped it in his handkerchief and put it in his pocket. «Guess I can't take your money for it, then.»
«Guess not. Aren't you going to wear it?»
«No, it's a present. You know, I hardly expected you to make the scene here,» he commented, scooping a handful of peanuts from a bowl that had appeared in my absence. «I thought maybe you'd just call when you got my message, and we could set something up for later. Glad you did, though. Who knows when later might have been. See, I had some plans that started moving faster than I'd thought they would - and that's what I wanted to talk to you about.»
I nodded.
«I had a few things I wanted to talk to you about, too.»
He returned my nod.
I had decided back in the lavatory definitely to refrain from mentioning Martinez yet, and the first things he had said and implied. Although the entire setup did not sound as if it involved anything in which I had any interest any longer, I always feel more secure in talking with anyone, even friends - when I have at least a little special information they don't know r have. So I decided to keep it that way for now.
«So let's be civilized and hold everything important till after dinner,» he said, slowly shredding his napkin and wadding the pieces, «and go somewhere we can talk in private then.»
«Good idea,» I agreed. «Want to eat here?» He shook his head…
«I've been eating here. It's good, but I want a change. I had my heart set on eating at a place around the corner. Let me go and see if they've got a table.»
«Okay.» He gulped the rest of his drink and departed.
…And then the mention of Amber. Who the hell was Martinez? It was more than a little necessary that I learn this, because it was obvious to me that he was something other than he appeared to be. His final words had been in Thari, my native tongue. How this could be and why it should be, I had no idea. I cursed my own inertia, at having let the S situation slide for so long. It was purely a result of my arrogance. I'd never anticipated the convoluted mess the affair would become. Served me right, though I didn't appreciate the service.
«Okay,» Luke said, rounding the corner, digging into his pocket, and tossing some money on the table. «We've got a reservation. Drink up, and let's take a walk.»
I finished, stood and followed him. He led me through the corridors and back to the lobby, then out and along a hallway to the rear. We emerged into a balmy evening and crossed the parking lot to the sidewalk that ran along Guadaloupe Street. From there it was only a short distance to the place where it intersected with Alameda. We crossed twice there and strolled on past a big church, then turned right at the next comer. Luke pointed out a restaurant called La Tertulia across the street a short distance ahead.
«'There,» he said.
We crossed over and found our way to the entrance. It was a low adobe building, Spanish, venerable, and somewhat elegant inside. We went through a pitcher of sangria, orders of pollo adova, bread puddings, and many cups of coffee, keeping our agreement not to speak of anything serious during dinner.
During the course of the meal Luke was greeted twice, by different guys passing through the room, both of whom paused at the table to pass a few pleasantries.
«You know everybody in this town?» I asked him a bit later.
He chuckled. «I do a lot of business here.»
«Really? It seems a pretty small town.»
«Yes, but that's deceptive. It is the state capital. There're a lot of people here buying what we're selling.»
«So you're out this way a lot?»
He nodded. «It's one of the hottest spots on my circuit.»
«How do you manage all this business when you're out hiking in the woods?»
He looked up from the small battle formation he was creating from the things on the table. He smiled.
«I've got to have a little recreation,» he said. «I get tired of cities and offices. I have to get away and hike around, or canoe or kayak or something like that - or I'd go out of my gourd. In fact, that's one of the reasons I built up the business in this town - quick access to a lot of good places for that stuff.»
He took a drink of coffee.
«You know,» he continued, «it's such a nice night we ought to take a drive, let you get a feeling of what I mean.»
«Sounds good,» I said, stretching my shoulders and looking for our waiter. «But isn't it too dark to see much?»
«No. The moon'll be up, the stars are out, the air's real clear. You'll see.»
I got the tab, paid up, and we strolled out. Sure enough, the moon had risen.
«Car's in the hotel lot,» he said as we hit the street. «This side.»
He indicated a station wagon once we were back in the parking lot, unlocked it, and waved me aboard. He drove us out, turned at the nearest corner, and followed the Alameda to the Paseo, took a right leading uphill on a street called Otero and another onto Hyde Park Road. From then on traffic was very light. We passed a sign indicating that we were heading toward a ski basin.
As we worked our way through many curves, heading generally upward, I felt a certain tension going out of me. Soon we had left all signs of habitation behind us, and the night and the quiet settled fully no streetlights here. Through the opened window I smelled pine trees. The air was cool. I rested, away from S and everything else.
I glanced at Luke. He stared straight ahead, brow furrowed. He felt my gaze, though, because he seemed to relax suddenly and he shot me a grin.
«Who goes first?» he asked.
«Go ahead,» I answered.
«Okay. When we were talking the other morning about your leaving Grand D, you said you weren't going to work anywhere else and you weren't planning on teaching.»
«That's right.»
«You said you were just going to travel around.»
«Yep»
«Something else did suggest itself to me a little later on.»
I remained silent as he glanced my way.
«I was wondering,» he said after a time, «whether you might not be shopping around - either for backing in getting your own company going, or for a buyer for something you have to sell. You know what I mean?»
«You think I came up with something - innovative and didn't want Grand Design to have it.»
He slapped the seat beside him.
«Always knew you were no fool,» he said. «So you're screwing around now, to allow decent time for its development. Then you hunt up the buyer with the most bread.»
«Makes sense,» I said, «if that were the case. But it isn't.»
He chuckled.
«It's okay,» he said. «Just because I work for Grand D doesn't make me their fink. You ought to know that.»
«I do know it.»
«And I wasn't asking just to pry. In fact, I had other intentions completely. I'd like to see you make out with it, make out big.»
«Thanks.»
«I might even be of some assistance - valuable assistance - in the matter.»
«I begin to get the drift, Luke, but -»
«Just hear me out, huh? But answer one thing first, though, if you would: You haven't signed anything with
