Feeling rather diminished by being reduced to such an obvious manoeuvre , Sam swung abruptly round a corner , vaulted , as silently as he could , over a low garden wall , and crouched in the prickly refuge of a bush .sx The following footsteps panicked .sx They were almost running .sx Evidently the trailer was a novice .sx Then Sam saw that the footsteps belonged to the man with a straggly beard , the one who had claimed Han's attention at the party .sx Suddenly Sam felt reckless .sx He wasn't going to wait for danger written in the stars .sx He was going to write his own autobiography .sx Without taking any further precautions , Sam followed the follower .sx The man lost his nerve , and turned to face Sam .sx 'Well ?sx ' Sam demanded .sx The straggly beard trembled .sx 'I was trying to catch up with you , sir .sx ' 'What a coincidence !sx for it seems,' Sam pointed out , 'that I have caught up with you .sx ' But the other was recovering his composure .sx 'I was waiting,' he explained , 'till we passed a bar .sx Then I was going to ask you to have a drink with me .sx I asked Han to tell me about you .sx .' 'We'll talk here,' Sam answered , 'Mr .sx . er .sx .?' 'Singh,' said the bearded man as if he were conferring a favour .sx 'My name is Singh , but I wanted to talk to you about Foster .sx ' 'So many names !sx ' said Sam .sx 'Why should you want to talk to me about Foster ?sx It happened before I came to this country .sx ' Singh said , 'I think there is going to be a storm .sx ' The night , certainly , seemed to be loaded with thunder ; and Sam wondered how intolerable the other's social manners could get .sx Were they now going to talk about the weather ?sx Sam was conscious of his muscles absorbing the secrets of flexion .sx There was a tremendous synaptic gathering inside him .sx But would it be worth pulling such a silly little beard ?sx 'I'm glad you know about Foster,' Singh said .sx But one would need a genius for letting the world rip by not to know about Foster .sx Newspapers had bellowed headlines about the settler who'd complained that his native gardener was getting too interested in his wife , and who'd slugged the man so hard that he'd pushed him into eternity .sx Foster had always been hitting his native servants , but with the gardener he had gone too far .sx 'It's only right that Foster should hang,' Singh said curtly .sx 'Yet this New Government may not like to start what they call a New Era with the execution of a white man .sx They may feel that it will bias their relations with other Western Powers .sx So I would like you to sign our petition .sx As a visitor from The States , your signature would mean so much .sx .' But the man had not even troubled to ask Sam whether he believed in capital punishment , whether he thought that vengeance was a dish best eaten cold !sx Of course it was not right that the black men who killed whites should always be punished , while the white men who killed blacks should go free .sx If there was a law , it should be impartial .sx But was capital punishment part of any law that could be justified ?sx Singh would say , Sam was sure , that Sam was standing with the white men when he waved away the petition .sx But surely he was doing more than that ?sx For Sam ought to be prejudiced .sx Sam was as black as night .sx That was why his mother , not knowing his father , had called him Sam Dark .sx 'My name's trash,' she'd said , 'but we'll give you a nice one , so that you can be proud of yourself .sx ' Sam said , 'Mr .sx Singh , I'm going to return to my hotel .sx In the circumstances , perhaps you'd give me ten minutes' start .sx I do not wish to walk with you , or have you on my heels .sx ' After that , there was no tail of footsteps just out of synchrony ; and when Sam passed the first small bar that was open , he took his own solitary footsteps into it .sx The place was utterly undistinguished , but Sam wanted to drink away the taste of Mary Parker and Mr. Singh with his wish to see Foster strung up from the rafters .sx And after he had drunk away the rancid taste , Sam wanted to think of Han .sx He did not know how long he spent drinking , and his thoughts reached no conclusions .sx He left the bar finally because the proprietor begged him to go .sx THERE was no sign of the night porter or of any of the night staff at the hotel .sx Yet Sam wanted one last cool glass before going to his room and the whirling fans .sx After all , Grandad's Soda Pop was paying enough to justify Sam throwing a little weight around .sx Sam , the consultant on market research in relation to coloured citizens in America , who'd been yanked out of the advertising department and sent off as ambassadorial salesman to the New State .sx Sam , the Soda Pop salesman , who kept his finger jammed on the bell ; but the eerie thing was that he felt that nobody would come , that somehow the luxury hotel was adrift and floating away without a crew into the stifling night .sx He looked for another bell , in case the one he had been ringing was at fault .sx When he found it , he jabbed it with a viciousness that surprised him .sx He might have saved his finger ; but obstinacy made him sit himself down in a padded chair .sx Surely sooner or later some servant would have to pass through the foyer ?sx But it was a long term policy , and Sam began to weary .sx He realised that he might acquire a skull cap of dust before anything happened .sx He decided that the hotel had won the round , and he got up and moved over to the lifts .sx But when Sam flipped on the light inside his room , he was no longer alone :sx there was someone on his bed , a woman who had made herself at home and had gone to sleep !sx It was Mary Parker , the bogus fortune teller who " read " the vibrations accumulated on things people had carried around them , the impetus of fate , psychometry .sx Mary wasn't handsome when she was awake , and asleep she looked ghastly .sx Then Sam realised that Mary was dead .sx He saw the penknife .sx His penknife .sx It was plunged into the old woman's heart .sx Sam staggered into his private bathroom and passed a wet sponge over his face .sx Then he unhooked the shaving mirror and took it back to the bedroom .sx He put the mirror over Mary Parker's mouth .sx Mary was dead all right .sx There wasn't much blood , but Sam knew that if he pulled out the knife there'd be plenty .sx Ought he to pull out the knife ?sx It wouldn't help the witch now , and a lot of blood would be awkward if .sx . If what ?sx If he took the body down to the foyer and left it in a chair in that mausoleum .sx A blood trail would be a confession .sx He could recover his knife in the foyer , and let the corpse bleed comfortably into the cushions .sx . Yes , Sam's one obsessive idea was- to get rid of the body .sx What had happened and how it had happened , these were hideous questions which would have to wait .sx Sam would have liked to have complained to the management !sx What damned right had they to give permission to a caller to wait for a guest in his room ?sx Such slipshod security was bound to lead to trouble .sx Even if Mary had given a wink meaning " Sam's expecting " , they oughtn't to have fallen for that flattering assumption of sophistication .sx This was supposed to be a first-class hotel in the New State , and not a brothel under the Old Regime .sx Jesus !sx .. if Mary's body was found in Sam's room with Sam's knife pinning it down to the dimension of eternity .sx . Although Sam wanted to concentrate on getting the body out of the room , he couldn't control his thoughts .sx But he tried to force himself to number off the tasks in hand :sx 1 ) Drag the corpse to the door , 2 ) Look out to see if the coast was clear , 3 ) Get to the lift before the night porter took to operating the damned thing again , 4 ) Get back to the bedroom and change clothes in case of bloodstains , 5 ) Think up a good bluff if some minion came up with a story about showing Mary Parker up to Sam's room .sx But to perdition with trying to think straight .sx What was needed was a little crooked action .sx Sam forced himself back to the bedside , and put out his arms to grab the corpse under the arm pits .sx . 'Dear me , Mr. Dark , I would have thought that any further violence was quite unnecessary .sx .' Sam spun round .sx A small man , who was pushing out his lips as if he wanted to kiss or be kissed , had come silently into the room .sx 'Oh dear,' he said , 'I'm the hotel detective .sx ' Sam goggled at him .sx 'Where the devil have you been ?sx ' he said bitterly .sx 'Why can't you prevent this sort of thing happening ?sx ' 'Do you think I could have done that , Mr. Dark ?sx I can't be everywhere at once , you know .sx We've had trouble with an old lady who lost a valuable brooch .sx I've been interviewing all the staff .sx The old lady insisted on it .sx Of course in the end we discovered that she'd used the brooch for pinning a cheque to her laundry list .sx Old ladies are capable of anything .sx You'd never credit what they'll do without a second thought .sx 'They stick a hat pin into a tiresome dog or leave a valuable brooch in a laundry list , and then forget all about it .sx Whereas you and I , we'd have a twinge of conscience , wouldn't we ?sx or else we'd be a bloody sight more careful .sx ' The little man tried to suck in his lips , but there wasn't much he could do about it .sx 'My name is Ralph Chand,' he said , 'and you ought to be pleased to see me .sx Perhaps I've prevented you from doing something foolish .sx We do get flustered , don't we , in a crisis ?sx ' Sam was speechless .sx Do hotel detectives talk like nursery governesses ?sx We must eat up all our bread and butter before we have any cake , mustn't we ?sx Then Sam tensed .sx Perhaps this imbecile was the murderer who'd come back to gloat and perhaps to do some more damage ?sx Chand said conversationally , 'Stabbed , isn't she ?sx But if you prefer it , she could be poisoned or strangled .sx We must suit your personality .sx But you are a man who carries a knife , aren't you ?sx ' Sam felt his eyes swelling like bubbles .sx 'Will you say that again ?sx ' he demanded faintly .sx 'Perhaps , Mr. Dark,' Chand said brusquely , 'you are finding it hard to believe in me ?sx Do you think I ought to be holding a gun in one hand and a pair of handcuffs in the other ?sx Here is my warrant .sx You will verify , I hope , that it is perfectly in order .sx ' It looked real 'And now,' said the hotel detective , 'I will have to ask you to accompany me .sx ' Sam stepped back .sx 'Oh no,' he retorted , 'I'll wait here till the real police take charge .sx I don't want to be locked in the kitchen and told I've got to wash dishes for the rest of my life .sx ' The detective succeeded in getting his lower lip under his upper teeth , and then he released it again .sx It sprang back to the bulge as if to attack .sx 'Sir,' Mr. Chand said firmly , 'what you want is a lawyer .sx After this unfortunate incident , he'll be waiting for us .sx The best lawyer in town , Mr. Dark ; and he's our acting President while Bassanto is in Nyamba .sx I could not take you to a higher authority .sx ' Sam lifted the telephone , and to his amazement it was answered almost immediately .sx Anyone would think the hotel was running to orderly schedule .sx Sam said , 'Give me police headquarters .sx ' The girl on the switchboard did not seem to be surprised .sx