GREEN LIGHTS GLOW
IT was late the next afternoon. Cleve Branch was sitting in a hotel room. He was himself again; but tonight he would assume the personality of Hugo Barnes — perhaps for the last time.
Cleve was confident that his work in San Francisco was nearing its completion.
Ling Soo had told Hugo Barnes to be cautious in his actions until the meeting time. Cleve had taken those instructions to heart.
With Ling Soo, he had secretly agreed that the less seen of Hugo Barnes the better. So immediately upon leaving the abode of Ling Soo, he had shambled away in Hugo Barnes style, and had stolen into the shop of Moy Chen.
Cleve had not required the services of Moy Chen to remove the traces of Hugo Barnes. Cleve had done that himself, wiping away the make-up with a thorough application of cold cream. Himself, again, he had sauntered from the side entrance of the Hoang-Ho Cafe.
Indifference had gripped Cleve on his way to the hotel. As Cleve Branch he could not be identified with Hugo Barnes, member of the Wu-Fan. Cleve had decided to rest and to forget. He had slept late in the morning; he had eaten his meals in his room. Now, with dinnertime approaching, he was ready to go forth.
He glanced at himself in the mirror. Due to the dimness of the room, Cleve saw only the outline of his face — not its details. He chuckled to himself. With this game of Branch and Barnes, it was sometimes difficult to remember which he was.
Had the lights been on in the room, Cleve might have noticed something unusual about his face. But, as it was, Cleve had not seen his mirrored reflection closely since he had left Ling Soo’s the night before!
A door was ajar across the hall. Cleve did not notice it as he left the room. When he reached the lobby, he left his key at the desk and strolled to the barber shop.