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Marilyn Monroe had stayed there, and Liz Taylor, Fred

Astaire, Jack Nicholson, Nicole Kidman, Brad Pitt,

Johnny Depp, and others whom he forgot because he wasn't

paying attention to the bellman, who could see he wanted to

be alone and watched him leave quickly without the custom-

ary grand tour.

To the bellman, the guest looked confused and disheveled.

His only bag was a briefcase. But they got all types of rich

druggies and eccentrics, and for a tip, the mumbling fellow

had stripped a hundred off a wad so it was all good.

Mark woke up, disoriented after a deep sleep, but despite

the cannon fire in his head, he quickly snapped to reality

and closed his eyes again in despair. He was aware of a few

sounds: the low hum of an air conditioner, a bird chirping

outside the window, his hair rubbing between the cotton

sheets and his ear. He felt the downward draft from a ceiling

fan. His mouth was so desiccated, there didn't seem to be a

molecule of moisture to lubricate his tongue.

It was the