The clock read 10:20 p.m.—my guess was that the agency was supposed to be open for another forty minutes but that the biff behind the counter was trying to duck out early. Behind me, a steady trickle of passengers flowed back and forth through the terminal. None were renting cars—most were headed for the taxi stands outside. A constant babble of announcements competed with muzak for my attention, but the counter girl seemed adept at tuning it out.