City of Glass

The days therefore came and went. Stillman did not appear. Qui

It was some time in mid-August when Qui

Qui

He did not have enough money to take the bus. For the first time in many weeks, then, he began to walk. It was odd to be on his feet again, moving steadily from one place to the next, swinging his arms back and forth, feeling the pavement under the soles of his shoes. And yet there he was, walking west on 69th Street, turning right on Madison Avenue, and begi

At 84th Street he paused momentarily in front of a shop. There was a mirror on the facade, and for the first time since he had begun his vigil, Qui

He continued uptown for several more blocks, then turned left, crossed Fifth Avenue, and walked along the wall of Central Park. At 96th Street he entered the park and found himself glad to be among the grass and trees. Late summer had exhausted much of the gree

Halfway through the park Qui

His watch said that it was nine-thirty, and he cringed to think of the time he had lost. Qui

He emerged from the park at 96th Street and continued west. At the comer of Columbus Avenue he saw a telephone booth, which suddenly reminded him of Auster and the five-hundred-dollar check. Perhaps he could save time by collecting the money now. He could go directly to Auster, put the cash in his pocket, and avoid the trip to the post office and the bank. But would Auster have the cash on hand? If not, perhaps they could arrange to meet at Auster's bank.

Qui

"Qui

He heard a groan on the other end. "Where the hell have you been hiding?" There was irritation in Auster's voice. "I've called you a thousand times."

"I've been busy. Working on the case."

"The case?"

"The case. The Stillman case. Remember?"

"Of course I remember."

"That's why I'm calling. I want to come for the money now. The five hundred dollars."

"What money?"

"The check, remember? The check I gave you. The one made out to Paul Auster."

"Of course I remember. But there is no money. That's why I've been trying to call you."

"You had no right to spend it," Qui

"I didn't spend it. The check bounced."

"I don't believe you."

"You can come here and see the letter from the bank, if you want. It's sitting here on my desk. The check was no good."

"That's absurd."

"Yes, it is. But it hardly matters now, does it?"

"Of course it matters. I need the money to go on with the case.

"But there is no case. It's all over."

"What are you talking about?"

"The same thing you are. The Stillman case."