The colonel turned away from the window and walked back to his desk. García was still sitting in his chair, not moving, his hat on his lap. The colonel lit a cigarette. As usual, he didn’t offer one.
“What do you think Luciano Manrique was looking for?”
“Don’t know. Seems like it was some kind of warning. Like he wanted to let me know about something. But he didn’t have time to give me the message.”
“With you, they never have time for anything.”
“So it seems.”
“What message was it?”
“Could have been a warning, to let me know I was investigating something dangerous, to tell me not to get between the horse’s legs. And they sent me that message the same night I was assigned to the job.”
“I see. What else?”
“That message had nothing to do with the Chinese at Café Canton, or with the half a million dollars. It was something else.”
“What?”
“To convince us that the Chinamen really do have evil plans, when, maybe, just maybe, it’s someone else who does.”
“I see.”
The colonel was smoking in silence. Spoken out loud like that, the whole thing sounds pretty stupid, but I think that’s just the point, we’re starting to see that rat’s tail. I would have loved to go with Marta to Palacio de Hierro. Buy this, Marta. And this one, too. Don’t look at the price tag; if you like it, just buy it, don’t look at the price. That’s what we all do in life. We don’t see what things cost.
“Could be,” the colonel said, as if talking to himself, “that somebody, maybe even the Russians or some gringos, found out about the rumor and thought it would be the perfect opportunity to assassinate the president and blame the Chinese.”
“Something like that, Colonel.”
“Keep investigating.”
“Yes, Colonel.”
“And try to leave somebody alive for me to interrogate.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“One more thing, García.”
García had stood up and was starting to walk away, then stopped.
“You will report only to me. Understood?”
“Yes, Colonel.”
He left and closed the door behind him. The colonel kept flipping the gold lighter between his fingers.
The hustle and bustle of the day was starting up on Dolores Street — shops were opening, the trash of the night was being taken away. Santiago was drinking a cup of tea.
“You want, Mr. García?”
“Thank you.”
“Why you here so early in the street, Mr. García? Looking for bad guy?”
“Just passing through, Santiago.”
“In China we say bad man never sleep because good man no let him.”
“There’s something to that.”
“Have some tea, Mr. García.”
“Any news around here?”
“Some, some.”
Santiago leaned over to whisper in his ear. He smelled of garlic and opium.
“Honorable Mr. Liu very angry, very sad. .”
“What’s wrong with him?”
“Marta. You remember Marta, Mr. García?”
“Yes.”
“She Mr. Liu wife.”
“His wife?”
“Second wife, as we say in China. And she run away. Since a few night, when you here, Mr. García.”
“You don’t say. .”
“Maybe you find her, Mr. García? Mr. Liu very very sad. Today he no open shop and he no talk to nobody.”
“That’s what you get for having two women, and at his age.”
“Oh, this Chinese custom, very old Chinese custom, and very honorable. When wife very old, man take second wife so first wife can rest. Very honorable Chinese custom.”
Santiago suddenly smiled, showing his few yellow teeth.
“You like Marta, Mr. García? Marta very pretty, very pretty.”
“Did she have a sweetheart?”
“No, Mr. García. Honorable Mr. Liu never let her go out
nowhere.”
“But she did go out.”
“Seem so, Mr. García. She leave and no come back.”
“Have they looked for her?”
“Mr. Liu no want to speak to nobody. No want to open shop. Very sad, Mr. Liu, very sad.”
“Maybe he’s playing the part a little?”
“Maybe he love her, Mr. García. No good for man to put love into woman. Love like that for children, but no for woman, woman not loyal.”
“That’s why he’s so sad?”
“To tell you truth, we no understand either, Mr. García. Juan Po and unhappy man talk last night. We no understand. But it like that. Maybe honorable Mr. Liu, after so many year here, he take some feeling from you people.”
“Maybe.”
“Drink your tea, Mr. García, tea from China, very good.”
He took a sip. Fucking Chinamen. So you shouldn’t love your woman, only your children, and those of us who don’t have children, we’re just screwed.
“Poor Mr. Liu do everything to make happy his women, but Marta very young and he more than fifty year old. This no good, Mr. García. Young people with young people.”
“Yes.”
“But, please, Mr. García, try to find Marta. It hurt to see feeling of honorable Liu and how he lose face in front of all honorable men because he have feeling. You look for her?”
“We’ll see. Listen, Santiago, tell everybody to be very careful for a few days, to shut down the betting and the smoking. .”
“Danger?”
“Yes. I’ll tell you when you can reopen.”
“Much danger?”
“It’ll pass, as always. But be very careful. See you soon.”
“Goodbye, Mr. García, very honored for your visit, very honored.”
He started walking toward the cantina. First Santiago acts like Liu’s the offended one and then, just like the gringo and the Russian, he starts investigating Marta. Might be pure love, might be pure distrust. Sounded like he was telling the truth. Fucking Liu! Maybe it’s really tough on him that I took her away. He can go to hell. A girl like Marta shouldn’t be with a man who’s fifty. Maybe that’s why I’m turning into a faggot. Maybe these fucking Chinks cast a spell on me, gave me the evil eye. And now all I can do is whisper sweet nothings in her ear. What will she buy? Maybe she’s afraid to spend all those pesos. She doesn’t know I’m on the trail of more of the same. 3-5-9-9-0-8. That’s where the dough is, and I’m the only one who knows. Pretty clever.
He stopped at a tobacconist and dialed a number:
“Is this 3-5-9-9-0-8?”
“Yes.”
“Mr. Wang?”
“There’s no Mr. Wang here.”
“This isn’t his house?”
“No.”
“Is this 3-5-9-9-0-8?”
“Yes.”
They hung up. Very discrete, like they didn’t want to say whose house it was. And it was a kid who answered. That’s not a private home, and that wasn’t a maid.
He dialed another number.
“Gomitos? García here.”
“What’s up, Captain?”
“I need you to find me an address.”
“Orders from?”
“The colonel. It’s the address with the phone number 3-5-9-9-0-8.”