Four
I managed to get a few short hours of sleep at the hotel and then took a taxi to the airport. I slept on the plane most of the way to Washington. When I arrived, I took a taxi to the Peraton Hotel. It was a good hotel and it was also the place where Thomas Rako had been staying at the time he disappeared.
I checked into the hotel and was taken up to my room. The bellboy checked everything and then waited to be rewarded. I gave him five dollars. His eyes widened as he saw the number on the bill. He looked up at me and waited. He knew that big a tip demanded extra service.
“How long have you worked here?” I asked.
“Two years, sir.”
“Is there anybody on the staff who was here seven years ago?”
“Yes, sir. The bell captain was and there is one bellhop who’s been here that long. And I
