Mark returned to the backdoor of the motel. He opened the door silently and slipped inside. He quickly went to the laundry room and returned the key to it’s rightful place. Then left the way he’d come in.

As he walked back to his room he whistled a tune without a name; but part of the refrain was, ‘tonight we die’. He got back to his room at just under the ten oclock curfew. He took a shower, shaved and went to bed. He knew they wouldn’t be able to find him until some time tomorrow. He slept like a baby.

Merle awoke at six, like he always did. He ran the tap water until it was hot enough to desolve his instant coffee. As he sipped the coffee he took down the box containing the real Colt pistols and laid it on the table. He removed the guns from the box, and put the pseudo weapons in their place. He replaced the box in the closet. With the Colts loaded he slipped them into the holsters.

It was six forty when Mark stepped out into the morning mist.