The man who sat by himself let his napkin drop. He didn’t reach for it. I approached him. He invited me to sit.

"Mr. Recker?"

He nodded swiftly, then asked, "have you brought with you what I asked?"

I gave him an envelope which he opened promptly, verified its content, and put away in his jacket. It contained the keys of your apartment and half of the money I had collected from the safe. He smiled approvingly. He wore a blue suit, a dark green tie on a blue shirt, bluer than the suit. His hair was white. A healthy man in his early fifties.

I followed him out, into the city. He was walking fast. I wished I had time to scan and memorize landmarks, so as to be able to orientate myself in case of necessity, but he was too quick. He stopped in front of a storehouse. Inside, we went past an atelier, into a yard, until we got to a second house in the rear. He rang twice on its doorbell. A woman opened up. She led us to a waiting room. A bottle of brandy and two glasses were disposed on a wooden table. She left us alone.

"So", he said, "when did it happen?"

"Last Monday."

"Where is she now?"

"I left her in the apartment."

"Where exactly?"

"In the bathroom."

He nodded in disapproval.

"Look", I said, "I’m not asking for your appreciation."

"I understand. It’s not that bad. You’ll stay here for a couple of days, I’ll do the rest. In the meantime, Mrs. Recker will look after you. Don’t worry about the hotel, it has been taken care of."

He left me in the waiting room. I poured myself a glass of brandy and lit a cigarette. I was nervous. I waited about a quarter of an hour, then the woman came in. Said she was Mr. Recker’s wife. About forty, harmonious traits, shiny hair which she wore in a bun. Quite attractive.

"I don’t know how to thank you and your husband", I said.

"Don’t. It’s our job", but she said it gently.

She guided me through the house, then showed me my room. Handed me freshly ironed towels. Then we went to the living room, served us tea.