"because i might be running an elaborate scam," i said, "where i go around paying fifty dollars to gain access to rooms of people who don't own anything."

he wasn't happy, but he went out into the hall and i closed the door, and used the hook-and-eye gadget to keep him out. then i got to work looking for anything jack might have tucked away where it wouldn't be easy to find.

a piece of carpeting covered most of the floor. it was a bound remnant, and it hadn't been tacked down, so it was easy enough to roll it up after i'd moved a couple of pieces of furniture. and it was almost as easy to replace everything after i'd established that the carpet hadn't been hiding anything.

the next place i looked was the dresser, a dark wood chest of drawers, its top scarred by neglected cigarettes. i took out each drawer in turn, stacking its contents on the floor, turning over the empty drawer to check its bottom, then putting everything back. one drawer, the wood warped with age, didn't want to come out, but i coaxed it, and had no more luck with it than with the one before it, but the next drawer, just one up from the bottom, was the charm. there was a 9