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way for the holidays。 To Vince； it seemed wrong that the criminal underworld would take off for Christmas and New Year's as if they were schoolteachers。
But the fifth man； Anson Van Dyne； was at work in the basement beneath his topless club； Hot Tips； and at five…thirty； December 26； Vince found what he was after。 Van Dyne looked at the photograph of Travis Cornell； which Vince had obtained from the back…issue files of the Santa Barbara newspaper。 〃Yeah； I remember him。 He's not one you forget。 Not a foreigner looking to bee an instant American like half my customers。 And not the usual sad…assed loser who needs to change his name and hide his face。 He's not a big guy； and he doesn't e on tough or anything； but you get the feeling he could mop up the floor with anyone who crossed him。 Very self…contained。 Very watchful。 I couldn't forget him。〃
〃What you couldn't forget；〃 said one of the two bearded boy wonders at the puters； 〃is that gorgeous quiff he was with。〃
〃For her； even a dead man could get it up；〃 the other one said。
The first said； 〃Yeah； even a dead man。 Cake and pie。〃
Vince was both offended and confused by their contributions to the conversation； so he ignored them。 To Van Dyne； he said； 〃Is there any chance you'd remember the new names you gave them？〃
〃Sure。 We got it on file；〃 Van Dyne said。
Vince could not believe what he had heard。 〃I thought people in your line
of work didn't keep records？ Safer for you and essential for your clients。〃
Van Dyne shrugged。 〃Fuck the clients。 Maybe one day the feds or the locals hit us； put us out of business。 Maybe I find myself needing a steady flow of cash for lawyers' fees。 What better than to have a list of a couple of thousand bozos living under phony names； bozos who'd be willing to be squeezed a little rather than have to start all over again with new lives。〃
〃Blackmail；〃 Vince said。
〃An ugly word；〃 Van Dyne said。 〃But apt； I'm afraid。 Anyway； all we care about is that we are safe； that there aren't any records here to incriminate us。 We don't keep the data in this dump。 Soon as we provide someone with a new ID； we transmit the record of it over a safe phone line from the puter here to a puter we keep elsewhere。 The way that puter is programmed； the data can't be pulled out of it from here； it's a one…way road； so if we are busted； the police hackers can't reach our records from these machines。 Hell； they won't even know the records exist。〃
This new high…tech criminal world made Vince woozy。 Even the don； a man of infinite criminal cleverness； had thought these people kept no records and had not realized how puters had made it safe to do so。 Vince thought about what Van Dyne had told him； getting it all sorted out in his mind。 He said； 〃So can you take me to this other puter and look up Cornell's new
ID？〃
〃For a friend of Don Tetragna's；〃 Van Dyne said； 〃I'll do just about anything but slit my own throat。 e with me。〃
Van Dyne drove Vince to a busy Chinese restaurant in Chinatown。 The place must have seated a hundred and fifty； and every table was occupied； mostly by Anglos rather than Asians。 Although the joint was enormous and was decorated with paper lanterns； dragon murals； imitation rosewood screens； and strings of brass wind chimes in the shapes of Chinese ideograms； it reminded Vince of the kitschy Italian trattoria in which he had murdered the cockroach Pantangela and the two federal marshals last August。 All ethnic art and decor…from Chinese to Italian to Polish to Irish…were； when boiled down to their essence； perfectly alike。
The owner was a Chinese man in his thirties； who was introduced to Vince simply as Yuan。 With bottles of Tsingtao provided by Yuan； Van Dyne and Vince went into the owner's basement office； where two puters stood on two desks； one out in the main work area and the other shoved into a corner。 The one in the corner was switched on； though nobody was working at it。
〃This is my puter；〃 Van Dyne said。 〃No one here ever works with it。 They never even touch it； except to open the phone line to put the modem in operation every morning and to close it at night。 My puters at Hot Tips are linked to this one。〃
〃You trust Yuan？〃
〃I got him the loan that started this business。 He owes me his good fortune。
And it's pretty much a clean loan； nothing that can be linked to me in any way； or to Don Tetragna； so Yuan remains an upstanding citizen who's of no interest to the cops。 All he does for me in return is let me keep the puter here。〃
Sitting in front of the terminal； Van Dyne began to use the keyboard。 In two minutes he had Travis Cornell's new name： Samuel Spencer Hyatt。
〃And here；〃 Van Dyne said as new data flickered up。 〃This is the woman who was with him。 Her real name was Nora Louise Devon of Santa Barbara。 Now； she's Nora Jean Aimes。〃
〃Okay；〃 Vince said。 〃Now wipe them off your records。〃
〃What do you mean？〃
〃Erase them。 Take them out of the puter。 They're not yours any more。 They're mine。 Nobody else's。 Just mine。〃
A short while later； they were back at Hot Tips； which was a decadent place that revolted Vince。
In the basement； Van Dyne gave the names Hyatt and Aimes to the bearded boy wonders who seemed to live down there around the clock； like a couple of trolls。
First； the trolls broke into the Department of Motor Vehicle puters。 They wanted to see whether； in the three months since acquiring new identities； Hyatt and Aimes had settled down somewhere and filed a change of address with the state。
〃Bingo；〃 one of them said。
An address appeared on the screen； and the bearded operator ordered a printout。
Anson Van Dyne tore the paper off the printer and handed it to Vince。 Travis Cornell and Nora Devon…now Hyatt and Aimes…were living at a rural address on Pacific Coast Highway south of the town of Carmel。
5
On Wednesday； December 29； Nora drove into Carmel alone for an appointment with Dr。 Weingold。
The sky was overcast； so dark that the white seagulls； swooping against the backdrop of clouds； were by contrast almost as bright as incandescent lights。 The weather had been much the same since the day after Christmas； but the promised rain never came。
Today； however； it came in torrents just as she pulled the pickup into one of the spaces in the small parking lot behind Dr。 Weingold's office。 She was wearing a nylon jacket with a hood； just in case； and she pulled the hood
over her head before dashing from the truck into the one…story brick building。 Dr。 Weingold gave her the usual thorough examination and pronounced
her fit as a fiddle； which would have amused Einstein。
〃I've never seen a woman at the three…month mark in better shape；〃 the doctor said。
〃I want this to be a very healthy baby； a perfect baby。〃
〃And so it shall be。〃
The doctor believed that her name was Aimes and her husband's name was Hyatt； but he never once indicated disapproval of her marital status。 The situation embarrassed Nora； but she supposed that the modern world； into which she had fluttered from the cocoon of the Devon house； was liberal…minded about these things。
Dr。 Weingold suggested； as he had done before； that she consider a t