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Authors: David Morrell
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spouts called canales. An adobe house had no sharp edges; every corner was rounded. Its entrance often had a column-supported overhang called a portal. The windows were recessed into thick walls.
Leaving the distinctive dwelling whose sandy texture and clay color blended wonderfully with the orange, red, and yellow of its high-desert surroundings, the announcer made some concluding comments about craft and heritage while the camera panned across the neighborhood. Amid mountain foothills, surrounded by junipers and piñon trees, there were adobe houses in every direction, each with an eccentric variation, so that the impression was one of amazing variety. But, as the announcer explained, in a sense, adobe houses were unusual in New Mexico, because they were present in force in only one city.
Decker found that he was leaning forward to hear the name of that city. He was told that it was one of the oldest settlements in the United States, dating back to the 1500s and the Spanish conquest, still retaining its Spanish character: the city whose name meant holy faith, these days nicknamed the “City Different,” Santa Fe.
2
Decker was right to be suspicious—two men were waiting for him in the lobby. The time was just after 8:00 a . m . He turned from the checkout counter, saw them, and knew that there wasn’t any point in trying to avoid them. They smiled as he crossed the busy lobby toward them. At least, the right men have been chosen for the assignment, Decker thought. Their controllers obviously hoped that he would let his guard down, since he knew both of them, having served with them in military special operations.
“Steve, long time. How you been?” one of the men asked. He and his partner were close to Decker’s height and weight— six feet, 190 pounds. They were also around Decker’s age— forty. Because they had gone through the same physical training, they had a similar body type—narrow hips and a torso that broadened toward solid shoulders designed to provide the upper-body strength essential in special operations. But there, the resemblance with Decker ended. While Decker’s hair was sandy and slightly wavy, the man who had spoken had red hair cut close to his scalp. The other man had brown hair combed straight back. Both men had hard features and wary eyes that didn’t go with their smiles and their business suits.
“I’m fine, Ben,” Decker told the red-haired man. “And you?”
“Can’t complain.”
“How about you , Hal?” Decker asked the other man.
“Can’t complain, either.”
No one offered to shake hands.
“I hope the two of you didn’t have to keep watch all night.”
“Only came on at seven. Easy duty,” Hal said. “Checking out?” He pointed toward Decker’s suitcase.
“Yeah, a last-minute change of plan.”
“Where you headed?”
“La Guardia,” Decker said.
“Why don’t we drive you?”
Decker tensed. “I wouldn’t want you to go to any trouble. I’ll catch a taxi.”
“No trouble at all,” Hal said. “What kind of buddies would we be if, after all these years of not seeing you, we didn’t put ourselves out for you. This won’t take a minute.” Hal reached into his suit coat, pulled out a thin cellular phone, and pressed numbers. “You’ll never guess who we just bumped into,” he said into the telephone. “Yeah, we’re talking to him right now in the lobby. Good, we’ll be waiting.” Hal broke the transmission and put the phone away. “Need help with your suitcase?”
“I can manage.”
“Then why don’t we go outside and wait for the car?” Outside, traffic was already dense; car horns blaring. “See,” Ben said. “You might not have been able to get a taxi.” He noticed a uniformed doorman coming toward them. “Everything’s under control,” he told the man, motioning him away. He glanced toward the overcast sky. “Feels like it might rain.”
“It was forecast,” Hal said.
“The twinge in my left elbow is all the
Leaving the distinctive dwelling whose sandy texture and clay color blended wonderfully with the orange, red, and yellow of its high-desert surroundings, the announcer made some concluding comments about craft and heritage while the camera panned across the neighborhood. Amid mountain foothills, surrounded by junipers and piñon trees, there were adobe houses in every direction, each with an eccentric variation, so that the impression was one of amazing variety. But, as the announcer explained, in a sense, adobe houses were unusual in New Mexico, because they were present in force in only one city.
Decker found that he was leaning forward to hear the name of that city. He was told that it was one of the oldest settlements in the United States, dating back to the 1500s and the Spanish conquest, still retaining its Spanish character: the city whose name meant holy faith, these days nicknamed the “City Different,” Santa Fe.
2
Decker was right to be suspicious—two men were waiting for him in the lobby. The time was just after 8:00 a . m . He turned from the checkout counter, saw them, and knew that there wasn’t any point in trying to avoid them. They smiled as he crossed the busy lobby toward them. At least, the right men have been chosen for the assignment, Decker thought. Their controllers obviously hoped that he would let his guard down, since he knew both of them, having served with them in military special operations.
“Steve, long time. How you been?” one of the men asked. He and his partner were close to Decker’s height and weight— six feet, 190 pounds. They were also around Decker’s age— forty. Because they had gone through the same physical training, they had a similar body type—narrow hips and a torso that broadened toward solid shoulders designed to provide the upper-body strength essential in special operations. But there, the resemblance with Decker ended. While Decker’s hair was sandy and slightly wavy, the man who had spoken had red hair cut close to his scalp. The other man had brown hair combed straight back. Both men had hard features and wary eyes that didn’t go with their smiles and their business suits.
“I’m fine, Ben,” Decker told the red-haired man. “And you?”
“Can’t complain.”
“How about you , Hal?” Decker asked the other man.
“Can’t complain, either.”
No one offered to shake hands.
“I hope the two of you didn’t have to keep watch all night.”
“Only came on at seven. Easy duty,” Hal said. “Checking out?” He pointed toward Decker’s suitcase.
“Yeah, a last-minute change of plan.”
“Where you headed?”
“La Guardia,” Decker said.
“Why don’t we drive you?”
Decker tensed. “I wouldn’t want you to go to any trouble. I’ll catch a taxi.”
“No trouble at all,” Hal said. “What kind of buddies would we be if, after all these years of not seeing you, we didn’t put ourselves out for you. This won’t take a minute.” Hal reached into his suit coat, pulled out a thin cellular phone, and pressed numbers. “You’ll never guess who we just bumped into,” he said into the telephone. “Yeah, we’re talking to him right now in the lobby. Good, we’ll be waiting.” Hal broke the transmission and put the phone away. “Need help with your suitcase?”
“I can manage.”
“Then why don’t we go outside and wait for the car?” Outside, traffic was already dense; car horns blaring. “See,” Ben said. “You might not have been able to get a taxi.” He noticed a uniformed doorman coming toward them. “Everything’s under control,” he told the man, motioning him away. He glanced toward the overcast sky. “Feels like it might rain.”
“It was forecast,” Hal said.
“The twinge in my left elbow is all the
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