Elliott frowned. "Somebody else did too. Somebody else was asking me things."
Her heart pounded a little faster. "When was that, Mr. Elliott? Do you remember?"
"Last month. No, no, just the other day. Wait, I remember--it was today, little while ago." He focused on her. "It was a girl. Boyish. Looked a lot like you. Wait, maybe it was you."
He squinted.
Rune felt that he was on the verge of something. She didn't say anything for a moment. Like the times she and her father would go fishing in rural Ohio, playing the heavy catfish with the frail Sears rods. You could lose them in a wink if you weren't careful.
"Bobby Kelly," she tried again. "When he came to visit, what did he ask you about the movie?"
The eyes dropped and the lids pressed together. "The usual, you know. Are you his daughter?"
"Just a friend."
"Where is he now?"
"He's busy, he couldn't make it. He wanted me to say hello to you and tell you that he had a great time talking to you last month. You talked, he told me you talked all about ... what was it again?"
"That place."
"What place?"
"That place in New York. The place I sent him. He'd been looking for it for a long time is what he told me."
Rune's heart thudded hard. She turned her head and looked directly into his milky eyes.
"He was happy when I sent him there. You should have seen his face when I told him about it. Oh, he was real happy. Where's Bips?"
"Just playing, Mr. Elliott. I'm looking after him. Where did you send Bobby Kelly?"
"He was real anxious to find it and I told him right off, I'm sure I did."
"Do you remember now?"
"Oh, one of those places ... there are lots of them, you know."
Rune was leaning forward. Please try to remember, she thought. Please, pleasepleaseplease... Didn't say anything.
Silence. The old man shook his head. He sensed the importance of her questions and there was frustration in his eyes. "I can't remember. I'm sorry." He rubbed his fingers together. "Sometimes I think I'm going loony. Just loony. I'm feeling pretty tired. I could use a nap."
"That's okay, Mr. Elliott." She tasted her disappointment. But she smiled and patted his arm, then moved away quickly when she felt how thin it was. Thought of her father. "Hey, don't worry about it."
Rune stood up, wal
ked behind him and took the white plastic handles of the chair. Undid the brakes. She started to wheel the chair toward the sidewalk. Elliott said suddenly, "The Hotel Florence. Five fourteen West Forty-fourth. At Tenth Avenue."
Rune froze. She dropped into a crouch next to him, her hand on the frail bone of his arm. "That's where you sent him?"
"I ... I think so. It just came to me."
"That's wonderful, Mr. Elliott. Thank you so much." She leaned forward and kissed his cheek. He touched the spot and seemed to blush.
Richard appeared and stepped up toward them, starting to speak. Rune held up her hand to him. He stopped.
Raoul Elliott said, "I want to take a nap now. Where's Bips?"
"He's playing, Mr. Elliott. He'll be here soon."