Hardscrabble Road (54 page)

“It’s going to turn out to be John Jackman,” he said, to the air. Then he reached out to the night table and pushed the play
button.

“Mr. Demarkian?” a woman’s voice said, the wrong woman’s voice. “This is Alison Standish. I’m at 555–4295. That’s home. I’m
sorry. I’m a little addled here. I just wanted to say thank you for everything, and especially for the heads-up about Dr.
Tyler. It’s made all the difference in the world. Thank you again.”

The machine went dead. Gregor stared at it. A woman’s voice, but the wrong woman’s voice, or just the wrong voice. He wondered
where Bennis was now, and what reason she had for not calling. He had her schedule someplace. Women didn’t make any sense
to him, and they never had.

He could hear Tibor on the other side of the apartment, banging around coffee mugs and the big teakettle. He needed to get
a sweater on and get up and out of here and have something to eat. He needed to think, but this was the kind of thing he wasn’t
good at thinking about.

Bennis’s schedule wasn’t “someplace.” It was on the night table next to the answering machine. He picked it up and looked
at it. There was the date, and the hotel in Salt Lake City, and the time the signing started at a bookstore whose name he’d
never heard before. All he had to do was call.

He picked up the phone, put it in his lap, and put the schedule down next to him on the bed. Then he picked up the receiver
and dialed 555–4295.