“I was thinking how you lost your Stetson. A friend of mine has a shop around the corner. Come on—we’ll pick you a new hat.”

“I don’t want to trouble you.”

“No trouble.”

Gold struggled discreetly. Keeping a grip on him was like squeezing a beachball.

“I have a call to make.”

“Right around the corner. Just take a second.”

“Joe! Over here!”

It was Anna’s voice. She stood on the far curb, and was wearing the turquoise necklace he had given her; in her hair was the silver pin he’d seen on the portal, and in her hands was the black pot that Augustino had been admiring. With her Hawaiian shirt, she achieved a Pueblo-Hebrew-Polynesian beauty. She also had a Maytag’s bag. It was the weekend; why wouldn’t Anna be in town shopping? She crossed the street behind a tour bus as it pulled in front of the hotel. The FBI agent behind her waited to cross; she wouldn’t be hard to follow.

“It’s a pot of Sophie’s.” She showed the contented smile people wear when they suddenly take possession of a new town, when they’ve decided they will stay awhile and, against all odds, are comfortable. She paid no attention to Gold, the porters or the people hopping down from the bus.

“Go to the bar,” Joe told her. “I’ll be right there.”

“See what else”—she carefully put the bowl into the bag and took out a record: Billie Holiday’s “Lover Man”—“my American education.”

Gold got one hand free and gave it to Anna. “Harry Gold.”

Joe was trying to steer Anna toward the La Fonda when Oppy came out of the hotel and took in the trio on the curb with a strained grin. His eyes looked out from wells of exhaustion.

“Where the hell have you been, Joe? I’ve been waiting for half an hour.”

“Harry Gold,” Gold said, and offered Oppy his hand.

“Am I interrupting your private business and affairs?” Oppy asked. He disregarded Anna and ignored Gold’s hand. “Santa told me you were out here. You went for a walk, a drink, a little spree?”

“Can you wait a minute?” Joe asked.

Cleto inserted himself in front of Gold and presented an arm draped with necklaces. “Two dollar.”

People from the bus gathered around Cleto and pushed Gold aside.

“I have to make an appointment with a sergeant?” Oppy asked. “With my own driver? And where were you last night? I went by your room and you weren’t there.”

“I went out for a second.”

“I came by twice,” Oppy said. “I looked all over and couldn’t find you. In the Army isn’t that called AWOL?”

“Ask me where he was,” Anna said. Oppy flushed as if she’d slapped him across the face.

The tour bus pulled away and Cleto moved on.

“Please ask me,” Anna insisted.