9
Houston, Texas:
As Karl Markham slowly walked toward the booth, he noted that the restaurant was small and decorated with a wide assortment of what some interior designer would probably have called New Age Art Deco. In the corner, a man was strumming out songs on his guitar about love, war, and finding a voice in the sea of faces. He passed the booth, sticking the adhesive side of his dime-sized listening device to the underside of the table as he went by. He continued on to the bathroom without pause.
A few minutes later, Karl was sliding into another of the quaint restaurant booths and picked up the menu the waitress had placed on the table in front of him. He scanned the unappetizing menu, then idly looked out the window, watching the people strolling along the brightly lighted str
