thunter.fearloathinglasvegas-第24章

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ee　seconds　at　a　time。
　　My　attorney　put　down　the　phone　after　making　several　calls。　〃There's　only　one　place　where　we　can　get　fresh　salmon；〃　he　said；　〃and　it's　closed　on　Sunday。〃
　　〃Of　course；〃　I　snapped。　〃These　goddamn　Jesus　freaks！　They're　multiplying　like　rats！〃　He　eyed　me　curiously。
　　〃What　about　the　Process？〃　I　said。　〃Don't　they　have　a　place　here？　Maybe　a　delicatessen　or　something？　With　a　few　tables　in　back？　They　have　a　fantastic　menu　in　London。　I　ate　there　once；　incredible　food　〃
　　〃Get　a　grip　on　yourself；〃　he　said。　〃You　don't　want　to　even　mention　the　Process　in　this　town。〃
　　〃You're　right；〃　I　said。　〃Call　Inspector　Bloor。　He　knows　about　food。　I　think　he　has　a　list。〃
　　〃Better　to　call　room　service；〃　he　said。　〃We　can　get　the　crab　looey　and　a　quart　of　Christian　Brothers　muscatel　for　about　twenty　bucks。
　　〃No！〃　I　said。　〃We　must　get　out　of　this　place。　I　need　air。　Let's　drive　up　to　Reno　and　get　a　big　tuna　fish　salad。。。hell；　it　won't　take　long。　Only　about　four　hundred　miles；　no　traffic　out　there　on　the　desert。。。〃
　　〃Forget　it；〃　he　said。　〃That's　Army　territory。　Bomb　tests；　nerve　gas…we'd　never　make　it。〃　We　wound　up　at　a　place　called　The　Big　Flip　about　halfway　downtown。　I　had　a　〃New　York　steak〃　for　1。88。　My　attorney　ordered　the　〃Coyote　Bush　Basket〃　for　2。09　。　。　。　and　after　that　we　drank　off　a　pot　of　watery　〃Golden　West〃　coffee　and　watched　four　boozed…up　cowboy　types　kick　a　faggot　half　to　death　between　the　pinball　machines。
　　〃The　action　never　stops　in　this　town；〃　said　my　attorney　as　we　shuffled　out　to　the　car。　〃A　man　with　the　right　contacts　could　probably　pick　up　all　the　fresh　adrenochrome　he　wanted；　if　he　hung　around　here　for　a　while。〃　I　agreed；　but　I　wasn't　quite　up　to　it；　right　then。　I　hadn't　slept　for　something　like　eighty　hours；　and　that　fearful　ordeal　with　the　drug　had　left　me　pletely　exhausted。。。tomorrow　we　would　have　to　get　serious。　The　drug　conference　was　scheduled　to　kick　off　at　noon。。。and　we　were　still　not　sure　how　to　handle　it。　So　we　drove　back　to　the　hotel　and　watched　a　British　horror　film　on　the　late　show。
　　
　　　6。　Getting　Down　to　Business。。。Opening　Day　at　the　Drug　Convention
　　
　　〃On　behalf　of　the　prosecuting　attorneys　of　this　county；　I　wele　you。〃　We　sat　in　the　rear　fringe　of　a　crowd　of　about　1500　in　the　main　ballroom　of　the　Dunes　Hotel。　Far　up　in　front　of　the　room；　barely　visible　from　the　rear；　the　executive　director　of　the　National　District　Attorneys'　Association…a　middle…aged；　well…groomed；　successful　GOP　businessman　type　named　Pat　rick　Healy…was　opening　their　Third　National　Institute　on　Narcotics　and　Dangerous　Drugs。　His　remarks　reached　us　by　way　of　a　big；　low…fidelity　speaker　mounted　on　a　steel　pole　in　our　corner。　Perhaps　a　dozen　others　were　spotted　around　the　room；　all　facing　the　rear　and　looming　over　the　crowd。。。so　hat　no　matter　where　you　sat　or　even　tried　to　hide；　you　were　ways　looking　down　the　muzzle　of　a　big　speaker。
　　This　produced　an　odd　effect。　People　in　each　section　of　the　Lroom　tended　to　stare　at　the　nearest　voice…box；　instead　of　watching　the　distant　figure　of　whoever　was　actually　talking　up　front；　on　the　podium。　This　1935　style　of　speaker　placement　totally　depersonalized　the　room。　There　was　something　is　and　authoritarian　about　it。
　　Whoever　set　up　that　system　was　probably　some　kind　of　Sheriff's　auxiliary　technician　on　leave　from　a　drive…in　theater　in　Muskogee；　where　the　management　couldn't　afford　individual　car　speakers　and　relied　on　ten　huge　horns；　mounted　ontelephone　poles　in　the　parking　area。　A　year　earlier　I　had　been　to　the　Sky　River　Rock　Festival　in　rural　Washington；　where　a　dozen　stone…broke　freaks　from　the　Seattle　Liberation　Front　had　assembled　a　sound　sys　tem　that　carried　every　small　note　of　an　acoustic　guitar…even　a　cough　or　the　sound　of　a　boot　dropping　on　the　stage…to　half…deaf　acid　victims　huddled　under　bushes　a　half　mile　away。
　　But　the　best　technicians　available　to　the　National　DAs'　convention　in　Vegas　apparently　couldn't　handle　it。　Their　sound　system　looked　like　something　Ulysses　S。　Grant　might　have　triggered　up　to　address　his　troops　during　the　Seige　of　Vicksburg。　The　voices　from　up　front　crackled　with　a　fuzzy；　high…pitched　urgency；　and　the　delay　was　just　enough　to　keep　the　words　disconcertingly　out　of　phase　with　the　speaker's　ges　tures。
　　〃We　must　e　to　terms　with　the　Drug　Culture　in　this　country！。。untry　。　。　。　country　。。。〃　These　echoes　drifted　back　to　the　rear　in　confused　waves。　〃The　reefer　butt　is　called　a　'roach'　because　it　resembles　a　cockroach　。。ckroach　。。。　cockroach　。。
　　〃What　the　fuck　are　these　people　talking　about？〃　my　attorney　whispered。　〃You'd　have　to　be　crazy　on　acid　to　think　a　joint　looked　like　a　goddamn　cockroach！〃　I　shrugged。　It　was　clear　that　we'd　stumbled　into　a　prehis　toric　gathering。　The　voice　of　a　〃drug　expert〃　named　Bloomquist　crackled　out　of　the　nearby　speakers：　〃。　。。　about　these　flashbacks；　the　patient　never　knows；　he　thinks　it's　all　over　and　he　gets　himself　straightened　out　for　six　months。。。and　then；　darn　it；　the　whole　trip　es　back　on　him。〃　Gosh　darn　that　fiendish　LSD！　Dr。　E。　R。　Bloomquist；　MD；　was　the　keynote　speaker；　one　of　the　big　stars　of　the　conference。　He　is　the　author　of　a　paperback　book　titled　Marijuana；　which…according　to　the　cover…〃tells　it　like　it　is。〃　（He　is　also　the　inventor　of　the　roach/cockroach　thoery。。。）　According　to　the　book　jacket；　he　is　an　〃Associate　Clinical　Professor　of　Surgery　（Anesthesiology）　at　the　University　of　Southern　Cllfcruia　School　of　Medicine〃　。　。　。　and　also　〃a　well　known　authority　on　the　abuseof　dangerous　drugs。：　Dr。　Bllomquist　〃has　also　appeared　on　national　network　television　panles；　has　served　as　a　consultant　for　government　agencies；　was　a　member　of　the　mittee　on　Narcotics　Addiction　and　Alcoholism　of　the　Council　on　Mental　Health　of　the　American　Medical　Association。〃　His　wisdom　is　massively　reprinted　and　distributed；　says　the　publisher。　He　is　clearly　one　of　the　heavies　on　that　circuit　of　second…rate　academic　hustlers　who　get　paid　anywhere　from　500　to　1000　a　hit　for　lecturing　to　cop　crowds。　Dr。　Bloomquist's　book　is　a　pendium　of　state　bullshit。　On　page　49　he　explains；　the　〃four　states　of　being〃　in　the　cannabis　society：　〃Cool；　Groovy；　Hip　&　Square〃　…　in　that　descending　order。　〃The　square　is　seldom　if　ever　cool；〃　says　Bloomquist。　〃He　is　'not　with　it；'　that　is；　he　doesn't　know　'what's　happening。'　But　if　he　manages　to　figure　it　out；　he　moves　up　a　notch　to　'hip。'　And　if　he　can　bring　himself　to　approve　of　what's　happening；　he　bees　'groovy。'　And　after　that；　with　much　luck　and　perseverence；　he　can　rise　to　the　rank　of　'cool。〃'　Bloomquist　writes　like　somebody　who　once　bearded　Tim　Leary　in　a　campus　cocktail　lounge　and　paid　for　all　the　drinks。　And　it　was　probably　somebody　like　Leary　who　told　him；　with　a　straight　face；　that　sunglasses　are　known　in　the　drug　culture　as　〃tea　shades。〃　This　is　the　kind　of　dangerous　gibberish　that　used　to　be　posted；　in　the　form　of　mimeographed　bulletins；　in　Police　Department　locker　rooms。
　　
　　Indeed：　KNOW　YOUR　DOPE　FIEND。　YOUR　LIFE　MAY　DEPEND　ON　IT！　You　will　not　be　able　to　see　his　eyes　because　of　Tea…Shades；　but　his　knuckles　will　be　white　from　inner　tension　and　his　pants　will　be　crustedwith　semen　from　constantly　jacking　off　when　he　can't　find　a　rape　victim。　He　will　staggerr　and　babble　when　questioned。　He　will　not　respect　your　badge。　The　Dope　Fiend　fears　nothing。　He　will　attack；　for　no　reason；　with　every　weapon　at　his　mand…includtng　yours。　BEWARE。　Any　officer　apprehending　a　suspected　marijuana　addict　should　use　all　necessary　force　immedately。　One　stitch　in　time　（on　him）　wil　usually　save　nine　on　you。　Good　luck。
　　
　　The　Chief。
　　Indeed。　Luck　is　always　important；　especially　in　Las　Vegas。。。and　ours　was　getting　worse。　It　was　clear　at　a　glance　that　this　Drug　Conference　was　not　what　we'd　planned　on。　It　was　far　too　open；　too　mixed。　About　a　third　of　the　crowd　looked　like　they'd　just　stopped　by；　for　the　show；　en　route　to　a　Frazier…Ali　rematch　at　the　Vegas　Convention　Center　across　town。　Or　maybe　a　benefit　bout；　for　Old　Smack　Dealers；　between　Liston　and　Marshal　Ky。
　　The　room　fairly　bristled　with　beards；　mustaches　and　super…　Mod　dress。　The　DAs'　conference　had　obviously　drawn　a　goodly　contingent　of　undercover　narcs　and　other　twilight　types。　An　assistant　DA　from　Chica