III
Apprehensively, you poke your head into the hotel room at the Mirage next to the Ice Machine. You discover the aftermath of a several day stand: The bed is a rumpled mess, lipstick stains all over the pillow cases; but...oddly...no sense of a female presence. The stench of yesterday's excess. A broken makeshift glass pipe on the floor. Hung sloppily on the back of the chair is a tacky blue silk shirt, with the monogram BC on the chest and cuffs. You step deeper into the room, looking for Branch's keys. The room is quiet and still. Then...from the bathroom...you hear a stifled moan...you just want to find the keys and get out...