immediately, slamming the door in the other fellow’s face as the cab sped off. I saw him wink at me through the dirty window, and wave. And then he and his taxi were gone.
I was sick with confusion. I stood there unable to move. The night for all its coldness was busy and full of the mingled voices of the passing tourists, of cars slowing as they passed the square. Without intent, without words, I tried to see it as it might be in the sunshine; I tried to imagine the heavens over this spot that shocking vague blue.
Then slowly I turned up the collar of my coat.
I walked for hours. I kept hearing that beautiful cultured voice in my ears.
It’s not merely the blood you steal from them, it’s their lives. I’ve never stolen anything that valuable from anyone. The body, yes, but not the blood and the life.
I couldn’t have faced Louis. I couldn’t bear the thought of talking to David. And if Marius learned of this, I was finished before I’d begun. Who knew what Marius would do to me for even entertaining such an idea? And yet Marius, with all his vast experience, would know if this was truth or fancy! Ye gods, had Marius never wanted to do it himself?
At last, I went back to my apartment, and turned out the lights and sat sprawled on the soft velvet sofa, before the darkened glass wall, peering out at the city below.
Remember, please, if you harm me, you’ll throw away this opportunity forever … Use me or you’ll never know what it’s like to be a human being again … You’ll never know what it’s like to walk in the sunlight, to enjoy a full meal of real food, to make love to a woman or a man.
I thought about the power of rising out of one’s material form. I didn’t like this power, and it did not happen to me spontaneously, this astral projection, as it was called, this spirit traveling. Indeed, I had used it so few times I could have counted them on one hand.
And in all my suffering in the Gobi, I had not tried to leave my material form, nor had I been propelled out of it, nor had I even thought of such a possibility.
Indeed, the idea of being disconnected from my body—of floating about, earthbound, and unable to find a door to heaven or hell—was absolutely terrifying to me. And that such a traveling, disembodied soul could not pass through the gates of death at will had been plain to me the very first time I’d ever experimented with this little trick. But to go into the body of a mortal! To anchor there, to walk, to feel, to see, as a mortal, ah, I could not contain my excitement. It was becoming pure pain.
After the switch you will have all of Wednesday night and the full day Thursday. The full day Thursday, the full day …
Finally, sometime before morning, I called my agent in New York. This man had no knowledge of my Paris agent at all. He knew me under two names only. And I had not used either of these in many a moon. It was very unlikely Raglan James had any knowledge of these identities and their various resources. It seemed the simplest route to pursue.
“I have some work for you, very complicated work. And it must be done immediately.”
“Yes, sir, always, sir.”
“All right, this is the name and address of a bank in the District of Columbia. I want you to write it down … ”
NINE
THE following evening I completed all the necessary papers for this transfer of ten million in American dollars, and sent these papers by messenger to the bank in Washington, along with Mr. Raglan James’s photo-identification card, and a full reiteration of instructions in my own hand, and with the signature of Lestan Gregor, which for various reasons, was the best name to be used for the entire affair.
My New York agent also knew me by another alias, as I have indicated, and we agreed that this other name would in no way figure in this transaction, and that should I need to contact my agent, this other name, and a couple of new code words, would empower him to make transfers of money on verbal instructions alone.
As for the name Lestan Gregor, it was to disappear utterly from record as soon as this ten million went into the possession