Wow you know what that is—wow. Did not see that coming at all. Reinhard has absolutely no notion I am supposed to be dead and tragically Lucille is in his house right now with you know something of a brief like an instruction and the worst thing is that I can’t really change that. I mean I can change that but—

“Mr. Reinhard I—gosh I am just so sorry. I should really have had Doc or Charlie make this call.”

“They are very charming Jack but—”

—

There is a noise that Lucille makes when he hugs. Nothing else makes the noise that that makes. I hear it now and I wish I hadn’t. It is not a noise you ever want to hear but somehow I never quite manage to not listen.

Reinhard says something. I hope it was a really amazing thing. Reinhard was kind of chipper but you know he was a professional but once he heard my voice he knew I was alive—well you know, operationally speaking, that can’t be allowed at this time.

I mean we could have kidnapped him I guess that would actually have been—

I am so off my game I should really have considered the possibility that it was not him. That is totally on me. Waste of resources but you know I am sad right now.

Well okay what’s done is done.

That leaves two.

THREE

LEAVE BEFORE DAWN. SAUL COMES TOO. I like Saul he is like having a really huge scary support animal. We talk about old-time TV, which is to say I talk about old-time TV and Saul says he prefers old-time radio, like apparently Richard Diamond is his jam. I say Peter Gunn is better and he says no it is not better it is the same stories on TV but with Craig Stevens.

Train to the west and south. Guard has a nose piercing and sits down to talk about Spanish politics. His mother is Spanish Catalan. She is conflicted. Madrid is wrong but so are the separatists. None of it is what matters. What matters is that his brothers cannot find work and people are saluting Franco’s bones. I say that only a total asshole would have an ongoing dialogue with the skeleton of a dead monster and the guard says yes I have a clear understanding and Europe right now is full of such assholes.

I say that is very bad and I do not say that Saul has a sawed-off shotgun in his luggage because that sort of thing often offends. Sawed-off like at both ends like pistol short. It’s a murder stick not a marksman’s tool and it would be a huge disappointment in any sort of gunfight but as a discussion piece like face-to-face it is super persuasive.