The young man could only nod his head in sympathy for the loss, for he knew WHO was in his flat and WHAT had happened to it. A few hours later he realised something else as well: the manuscripts had burned along with the flat – all that he had left behind after those terrible events at the Ecklie house. It was easy to guess the reason for what had happened – they had gotten to him, they were very close.
There was no time to think about it. Wilmarth did not want to spend the night in town, although neighbours and good acquaintances suggested it. But he could not go to his brother's house either – he did not have enough money. So there was only one way out: the Lang Inn. After collecting what was left of his possessions (namely, the documents he had kept in the safe and a couple of books with burned spines), and taking a shabby shotgun from a neighbour, the young man gathered his will and headed for the outskirts of town. Taking a shabby shotgun from a neighbour, the young man gathered his will and headed for the outskirts of town.
Yes, anything could happen, but he had to survive the night.
Chapter 2
Wilmarth sat on the windowsill, gazing up into the night sky. In his right hand he held a shotgun, in his left a glass of cheap whiskey from Lang's bar. The room was silent, only the ticking of the clock on the wall challenged its authority. There was shouting from downstairs – the young couple couldn't decide who would sleep against the wall and who would sleep on the edge of the bed.
Wilmarht grinned – people are willing to argue to the last minute to prove their point. How low, how down-to-earth… He turned away from the window and stared at his hands. They hadn't shaken like that in a long time. One could tell by the ripples on the golden smoothness of his temples. The young man did not know what to do next; moreover, he was not sure what would happen in the next five minutes either. On arrival at the hotel he had time to send a letter to his brother in California, hoping that he could accept it for the time being until Willmarth could work out what to do next. Continuing to teach at the university was not a good idea – THEY had to know his place of work, so… The young man bit his tongue painfully and tears came to his eyes. The poor man was really desperate.