“Ask away, Cap’n. Another tequila, Raymundo!”
“You studied at the university and received your law degree.”
“In 1929. If you want, I can show you my certificate. I must have it around, somewhere.”
“With all that, your studies and your degree, it doesn’t seem like you’ve gotten very far, have you?”
“That hurt your feelings, didn’t it, what I said before?”
“No, it’s not that. But I’ve heard that you know everything there is to know about the law.”
“Summa cum laude. But it didn’t do me much good, did it? Thanks, Raymundo. This one’s to your health, Cap’n. Maybe it was true what my father said. He was also a lawyer: ‘What nature doesn’t give, Salamanca won’t provide.’”
He finished his tequila in one gulp. When he spoke again there was a strange sadness in his voice.
“My father was a lawyer and a supporter of Porfirio Díaz. Always wore a bowler hat and a suit. He was a judge and they said he’d be a magistrate. Don Porfirio was his friend. But he didn’t become a magistrate; he didn’t become anything. You know why, Cap’n?”
“Because of the Revolution?”
“No. Many like him, including one of his closest friends, joined the Revolution. But my father remained loyal. He resigned. He wouldn’t serve a rebel government of mutinous officers and the masses. He resigned and then he wasn’t nothing or nobody. He could recite the laws in Latin and he spoke French and German, but he wasn’t nothing or nobody, because he wanted to remain loyal. The old fool.”
“Don’t talk like that, Professor.”
“But I started working as a lawyer during the time when the military was in charge. The days of men like you, Cap’n. The military and the law don’t get along very well. More important than knowing all the articles of the Code, and all the Latin phrases my father taught me, was getting in good with some general, with one of our many heroes. Because there’s one thing you learn from military men: being right isn’t worth shit, what matters is having buddies. Just look at the case of Luciano Manrique.”
“He’s dead, Professor.”
“That’s right — he got unbuddied. But as it turns out, a lawyer who’s nobody’s buddy is one lawyer too many in this buddiocracy. Now that I think about it, my father was loyal to Don Porfirio, but I couldn’t be loyal to the law I studied. Instead of justice, I was looking for buddies. It’s what would’ve happened to you, Cap’n, if you’d been young when there were lots of laws in the land.”
The professor grew quiet. A stupid smile hovered over his lips. Fucking professor! It’s like he’s pulling my leg. With this guy you never know. He has absolutely no fear, but he doesn’t have any balls, either. Maybe because he’s a drunk. Or because by now he doesn’t give a rat’s ass. And the Russian said he was going to come at noon. For all I know he won’t come because they already told him I’m no expert. He’s probably busy doing something with all his technology. With his international intrigue. Waiting for messages from the far reaches of Outer Mongolia. Fucking Outer Mongolia!
The professor raised his hand to get Raymundo’s attention.
“Another tequila, Raymundo. And as time passed, Cap’n, I learned to make buddies, but I didn’t forget the law. And since you didn’t have to go to the university to make buddies, just the cantina, I became a drunk. But you, Cap’n, you had lots of opportunities when you were young, so you never became a drunk. And now that we’re living in a lawyerocracy, I’m already too buddified to be worth anything to anybody. Cheers, Cap’n.”
“Cheers, Professor.”
He drank the shot of tequila that had been placed in front of him. A small shot, like for a bird.
“And in order to live, I have to work with my buddies, with people like you, like the ones from my early days. In this way, I’m just like my father who remained loyal to Don Porfirio. I’m loyal to all of you. And that’s why, like my father, I’m so screwed.”
Laski entered the cantina. García signaled to him to come over, and he let the professor know he should move to a different table. The professor picked up his glass, put back on his stupid and complacent smile, and went over to the bar. Laski approached.
“What’s up, Filiberto, my friend?”
“I thought you wouldn’t come.”
“Because you’re no longer working on our case? You have a very poor concept of friendship, Filiberto.”
“What happened to all that crap about feelings?”
“That is true. We have no feelings. But we can greet our good friends.”
He sat down and ordered a beer.
“It’s going to be very bad for me,” he said.
“Why drink it, then?”
“One thing I’ve learned in Mexico: cantinas have very bad milk. Yet another proof of how ancient Mexican culture is.”
Laski tasted his beer.
“Any more news from Outer Mongolia?”
“No. But I’m very interested in your theory about the Cubans and the Chinese, Filiberto?”
“Really?”
“And I’m thinking it’s time we leave in the efficient hands of our friend Graves the protection of his president and we, Filiberto, my friend, we investigate to find out whatever truth might be behind your theory.”
“Why me? I think I will also leave in your capable hands the defense of Russian interests in Cuba. I’ve got other things to do.”
“Like going to Cuautla with Miss Fong?”
“Among other things.”
“And you don’t want to find out if your theories are correct?”
“I already know.”
“You don’t want to know where all those dollars are?”
“They’re not mine. They belong to the Chinese. . and you people.”
“But they’re there and there’s no clear owner.”
“You knew that money was for carrying out a coup in Cuba, didn’t you?”
“We considered that possibility. Don’t you want to work with us, Filiberto?”
“I’ve already got a job.”
“You have to go to Cuautla with Miss Fong.”
“That’s none of your business.”
“You haven’t slept in two nights and you’re tired, Filiberto. But I want you to consider my proposition. As well as the five hundred thousand dollars hanging around, somewhere, with no owner.”
“There’s no reason to consider either, Ivan Mikhailovich. I’m sick and tired of this shit about Outer Mongolia and Constantinople and the whole damn business. I’ve never had anything to do with international intrigue, and I don’t want to start now.”
Laski sat staring at him. There was great sadness in his eyes.
“Filiberto, my friend, tovarich, I know what’s going on with you. We offended you the other night, when Graves and I were talking about our old adventures. But I assure you, our intentions were not to. . to embarrass you, let us say. I know that some of your adventures leave all mine in the dust, and that’s why we want your help.”
“I have a job.”
“For example, what you did there in that training camp that had been set up in Chiapas. .”
“What do you know about that?”
“We were very upset about the whole affair. That camp could have become very important, and you destroyed everything. We never thought anybody could find it, but we didn’t count on your nose and your courage, Filiberto. And we thought that you would only, at the worst, arrest the boys. Why did you kill them?”
“Because I don’t like to be the dead one. Did you train those men?”
“They were good infiltrators. When you killed them, certain people in the highest places considered putting you on a list of those to be liquidated. Good thing we didn’t.”