| s-101
| I have no idea what you're talking about. |
| s-102
| Quinn told him. |
| s-103
| He began at the beginning and went through the entire story, step by step. |
| s-104
| The pressure had been building up in him since Stillman's disappearance that morning, and it came out of him now as a torrent of words. |
| s-105
| He told of the phone calls for Paul Auster, of his inexplicable acceptance of the case, of his meeting with Peter Stillman, of his conversation with Virginia Stillman, of his reading Stillman's book, of his following Stillman from Grand Central Station, of Stillman's daily wanderings, of the carpetbag and the broken objects, of the disquieting maps that formed letters of the alphabet, of his talks with Stillman, of Stillman's disappearance from the hotel. |
| s-106
| When he had come to the end, he said, Do you think I'm crazy? |
| s-107
| No, said Auster, who had listened attentively to Quinn's monologue |
| s-108
| If I had been in your place, I probably would have done the same thing. |
| s-109
| These words came as a great relief to Quinn, as if, at long last, the burden was no longer his alone. |
| s-110
| He felt like taking Auster in his arms and declaring his friendship for life. |
| s-111
| You see, said Quinn, I'm not making it up. I even have proof. |
| s-112
| He took out his wallet and removed the five-hundred-dollar check that Virginia Stillman had written two weeks earlier. |
| s-113
| He handed it to Auster. You see, he said. |
| s-114
| It's even made out to you. |
| s-115
| Auster looked the check over carefully and nodded. |
| s-116
| It seems to be a perfectly normal check. |
| s-117
| Well, it's yours, said Quinn. |
| s-118
| I want you to have it. |
| s-119
| I couldn't possibly accept it. |
| s-120
| It's of no use to me. Quinn looked around the apartment and gestured vaguely. |
| s-121
| Buy yourself some more books. Or a few toys for your kid. |
| s-122
| This is money you've earned. |
| s-123
| You deserve to have it yourself. Auster paused for a moment. |
| s-124
| There's one thing I'll do for you, though. |
| s-125
| Since the check is in my name, I'll cash it for you. |
| s-126
| I'll take it to my bank tomorrow morning, deposit it in my account, and give you the money when it clears. |
| s-127
| Quinn did not say anything. |
| s-128
| All right? Auster asked. |
| s-129
| Is it agreed? |
| s-130
| All right, said Quinn at last. |
| s-131
| We'll see what happens. |
| s-132
| Auster put the check on the coffee table, as if to say the matter had been settled. |
| s-133
| Then he leaned back on the sofa and looked Quinn in the eyes. |
| s-134
| There's a much more important question than the check, he said. |
| s-135
| The fact that my name has been mixed up in this. |
| s-136
| I don't understand it at all. |
| s-137
| I wonder if you've had any trouble with your phone lately. |
| s-138
| Wires sometimes get crossed. A person tries to call a number, and even though he dials correctly, he gets someone else. |
| s-139
| Yes, that's happened to me before. |
| s-140
| But even if my phone was broken, that doesn't explain the real problem. |
| s-141
| It would tell us why the call went to you, but not why they wanted to speak to me in the first place. |
| s-142
| Is it possible that you know the people involved? |
| s-143
| I've never heard of the Stillmans. |
| s-144
| Maybe someone wanted to play a practical joke on you. |
| s-145
| I don't hang around with people like that. |
| s-146
| You never know. |
| s-147
| But the fact is, it's not a joke. |
| s-148
| It's a real case with real people. |
| s-149
| Yes, said Quinn after a long silence. |
| s-150
| I'm aware of that. |
| s-151
| They had come to the end of what they could talk about. |
| s-152
| Beyond that point there was nothing: the random thoughts of men who knew nothing. |
| s-153
| Quinn realized that he should be going. |
| s-154
| He had been there almost an hour, and the time was approaching for his call to Virginia Stillman. |
| s-155
| Nevertheless, he was reluctant to move. |
| s-156
| The chair was comfortable, and the beer had gone slightly to his head. |
| s-157
| This Auster was the first intelligent person he had spoken to in a long time. |
| s-158
| He had read Quinn's old work, he had admired it, he had been looking forward to more. |