Washington

Madame Z kicked off her shoes and sat on the edge of the bed. "I wonder what those policemen downstairs in the lobby were doing." She glanced at the bellhop. "What were they doing? It looked like they were showing a picture to people."

The bellhop put two large suitcases on the end of the other bed. He stood there and slowly extended his hand.

"Here’s two dollars for bringing the bags up," Martha said. She held her wallet open. "Of course, you’ll get more when you answer Madame Z’s questions."

The bellhop shifted his gaze and stared at the woman sitting on the bed. "Madame Z? What is she? A mind reader? A fortuneteller? Can she make things happen with her mind?"

Martha pulled out a five-dollar bill. "All of the above. Madame Z has worked with the police from Moscow to Tokyo and all places in between." She paused and frowned at the bellhop. "Now, what are the police doing downstairs in the lobby?"