The ghost inn is described as a "shell human al gila or ii fem" , which means "the shell of a human" or "the ghost of a woman" . The narrator says that he has a bad feeling about the whole thing. He mentions the ghost in the chief's report to him, and he's finally on his way to the special economic zone, which the chief has booked for them. He tells the narrator that the man they brought to the chief was a "sex male age 37 birth date sep 29 oh . right . . the Ministry of Foreign Affairs." The narrator wonders if the black snake in the port is venomous. The consulate general says that there's no evidence of bites on the body. He's afraid that the only clue they have is the image burned into the man's brain. He says that it's like the man was trying to figure out a way to explain his death. They're leaving in two hours, and they don't have enough time to say goodbye to their daughter. They have to go through the desert. The chief decided this was the best route. It's "ya honey moon," the narrator says, and it makes him wonder if the whole continent is "about makin' rifts among people." He hopes that the chief doesn't throw his pride in it away.