"What?" the operator said.
"Never mind," Malone said. "Just ring it."
"Yes, sir." The screen went blank.
The screen stayed blank for a long time.
And then the operator was back. "I'm sorry, sir," she said. "That room doesn't answer."
"You're sure?" Malone said.
"Certainly."
"Try it again," Malone said.
The operator did so. She returned with the same answer.
Malone frowned and hung up. It didn't sound right. Even a dream was supposed to make more sense than this was making. There was something wrong.