a 'whiskey-slanted' note that resulted in a suitcase that triggered the dial of an electronic scanner.
'Poor lamb. He'll feel miserable in the morning.' Alison had come alongside Alex. Together they watched the Jensens take Ferguson out the door.
'I hope he's just a poor lamb who went astray for the night and doesn't make a habit of it.'
'Oh, come on, Alex, don't be old-auntie. He's a perfectly nice young man who's had a pint too many.' Alison turned and looked at the deserted table. 'Well, it seems the party's over, doesn't it?'
'I thought we agreed to keep it going.'
'I'm fading fast, darling; my resolve is weakening. We also agreed to check my luggage with your little magic box. Shall we?'
'Sure.' McAuliff signalled the waiter.
They walked down the hotel corridor; McAuliff took Alison's key as they approached her door. 'I have to see Whitehall in a few minutes.'
'Oh? How come? It's awfully late.'
'He said he wanted to speak to me. Privately. I have no idea why. I'll make it quick.' He inserted the key, opened the door, and found himself instinctively barring Alison in the frame until he had switched on the lights and looked inside.
The single room was empty, the connecting door to his still open, as it had been when they left hours ago.
'I'm impressed,' whispered Alison, resting her chin playfully on the outstretched, forbidding arm that formed a bar across the entrance.
'What?' He removed his arm and walked towards the connecting door. The lights in his room were on - as he had left them. He closed the door quietly, withdrew the scanner from his jacket, and crossed to the bed, where Alison's two suitcases lay alongside each other. He held the instrument above them; there was no movement on the dial. He walked rapidly about the room, laterally and vertically blessing it from all corners. The room was clean. 'What did you say?' he asked softly.
'You're protective. That's nice.'
'Why were the lights off in this room and not in mine?' He had not heard her words.
'Because I turned them off. I came in here, got my purse, used some lipstick, and went back into your room. There's a switch by the door. I used it.'
'I don't remember.'
'You were upset at the time. I gather my room isn't the centre of attention yours is.' Alison walked in and closed the corridor door.
'No, it's not, but keep your voice low... Can those goddamn things listen through doors and walls?'
'No, I don't think so.' She watched him take her suitcases from the bed and carry them across the room. He stood by the closet, looking for a luggage rack. There was none. 'Aren't you being a little obvious?'
'What?'
'What are you doing with my bags? I haven't unpacked.'
'Oh.' McAuliff could feel the flush on his face. He felt like a goddamn idiot. 'I'm sorry. I suppose I could say I'm compulsively neat.'
'Or just compulsive.'
He carried the bags back to the bed and turned to look at her, the suitcases still in his hands. He was so terribly tired. 'It's been a rotten day... a very confusing day,' he said. 'The fact that it's not over yet is discouraging as hell; there's still Whitehall to go... And in the next room, if I snore or talk in my sleep or go to the bathroom with the door open, everything is recorded somewhere on a tape. I can say it doesn't bother me, but it doesn't make me feel any better, either... I'll tell you something else, too, while I'm rambling. You are a lovely, lovely girl... and you're right, I'm compulsive... for example, at this moment I have the strongest compulsion to hold you and kiss you and feel your arms around me, and... you are so goddamn desirable... and you have such a beautiful smile and laugh... when you laugh I just want to watch you and touch your face... and all I want to do is hold you and forget everything else... Now I'm finished rambling, and you can tell me to go to hell because I'm not relevant.'
Alison Booth stood silently, looking at McAuliff for what seemed to him far too long. Then she walked slowly, deliberately, to him.
'Do you know how silly you look holding those suitcases?' she whispered as she leaned forward and kissed him on the lips.
He dropped the bags; the noise of their contact with the floor made them both smile. He pulled her to him and the comfort was splendid, the warm, growing excitement a