Smith walked away from the counter and glanced at his key—Room 11. Faded and worn from countless fingers handling the large key, Smith could only decipher a V and the letter T as part of the motel’s name.
He passed Room 11 without stopping and headed straight for the first of the three occupied rooms to track down Stepp and the girl whose name was obviously next on the hack-of-a-detective’s list.
“Tony!” Smith whispered as he stood outside Room 13, listening to two guests caught in the throes of passion. “Come on out.”
Smith’s bantling appeared next to him in the hallway.
“Go in there and see if that’s Stepp’s and the dame’s room.”
Tony chirped and clapped and disappeared from Smith’s sight.
Smith placed his ear to the door but kept his gaze down the hallway as a lookout. The male an
