The girl was near tears. “But, Bobby, it feels so funny. I never saw it before. Not like that. All trimmed and shaved so that everything sticks out.”
“It’s supposed to, you idiot,” Bobby shouted. “What did you think we were going to take pictures of? Your eyeballs?” He turned away in disgust. “Oh, shit.” He saw me. “We’ll never get through.”
“Take five,” I said. “And come with me.”
“Take five,” he called over his shoulder and followed me up the beach. “What is it?”
I looked at him. His face was flushed with the heat, and the perspiration was dripping down his forehead. “How long you been out there in that sun?”
“Two hours maybe.”
“How do you feel?”
“Hot. I’ve never been so hot in my life.”
“How do you think the girls feel?”
He stared at me silently for a moment. “But we need the sun.”
“If you keep them out in it much longer, you’ll all wind up in the hospital.”
“I’ll never finish the set.”
“You can always get them in the studio. When’s King Dong coming in?”
“This afternoon’s flight.”
“You can shoot that tomorrow. That’s something you can’t do in the studio. Have you made arrangements for the costumes?”
“He’s bringing them down with him.”
“You’re all set then.”
“Yes. We leave at seven tomorrow morning for the Retreat.”
“The Retreat?” I didn’t know what he was talking about.
“My father’s mission. It’s about seventeen miles from here on the edge of the jungle.”
“That’s a strange place for a mission. Who do they convert? The Indians?”
He laughed. “It’s not that kind of mission. It’s more like a school. This is where candidates for the second plane take instruction to qualify as teachers. It’s called the Retreat because it has absolutely no communication with the outside world, no radio, no telephone. Only the supply trucks that go back and forth.”
His expression changed. A troubled look crossed his face. “Was I terribly awful, Gareth?”
“You’ve just had too much sun.”
“I’m sorry. I just get so involved.”
“That’s all right. Just remember. People aren’t cameras, and models aren’t just pieces of equipment.”
He nodded and went back to the setup. His voice floated back to me. “Wrap it up. We’re finished for the day. Seven o’clock call tomorrow morning.”
Lonergan caught up with me as I walked on to the cottage. “You didn’t have to do that,” he said.
I played innocent. “Do what?”
“You know. Have that naked girl wipe my feet. It was very embarrassing. What if someone had taken a picture?”
“Damn! I knew I forgot something,” I said in mock chagrin.
“I don’t know why I bother with you.”
“I do.” I held the cottage door open for him. “Do you know of anyone else who would make it possible for you to fulfill a childhood dream and walk barefoot in the surf?”
Verita was waiting for me, a margarita in her hand. “You took the long way back from lunch.”
“Lonergan wanted to walk in the surf,” I said. “You’re finished early.”
“It was simple. Murtagh was right. Everything was laid out for me. No tricks. Everything open. The books verify their claim. Both as to cost and losses.”
“But you still look uncertain.”
“It just doesn’t make sense. Everything in order like that. It’s not Mexican.” She took a sip of the cocktail. “After I finished the books, I took a stroll down to the airstrip and talked to some of the mechanics.”
The butler came in. I ordered a scotch on the rocks, Lonergan his usual dry martini. When the butler had gone, she went on. “Do you know that about thirty private planes use that airstrip every week?”
“No.”
“About half of them belong to landowners around here.”
“The other half?”
“Transient. Land, refuel and take off. They rarely stay on the ground more than an hour.”
“Any idea of where they come from?”
“The Baja Peninsula, the mechanics say. But that doesn’t make sense. La Paz is closer for them. This is two hundred miles farther away. Another thing, they’re all flying one way. North. None of them ever lands on their way down.”
“They keep records down at the airstrip?” I asked.
“No. They do it the Mexican way. They keep a cashbox and just throw whatever money they collect into it. Landing fees, fuel, things like that.”
“Is there a Mexican customs officer there?”
“No. Only a local policeman. And he was sleeping all the time I was there.”
I turned to Lonergan. “What do you think?”
“Dope, probably. But that doesn’t mean that the von Halsbachs are in on it. If they were, they wouldn’t be so eager to unload. There has to be more money in that than there is in running the hotel. More than enough to cover any losses.”
“How do we find out?”
He looked at Verita. “They had private investors. Do the books give us any information on them?”
“No. They put up part of the money themselves. The rest came from a syndicate.”
“Can we get any information on who is in the syndicate?” I asked.
Lonergan shrugged. “Swiss banks.”
I looked at Verita. “Do you think Julio might know?”
She finished her drink. “You can ask him when we get back to Los Angeles.”
But I didn’t have to wait that long. He was there for the reception that afternoon. And so was Eileen.
***
The cocktail party was almost over when they arrived. I had just finished thanking the governor for his interest and for taking time from his busy schedule to see me.
“No, Señor Brendan,” he protested in almost accent-free English. “It is we who are indebted to you for your interest. We feel we have one of the most beautiful vacation lands in the world here and with the efforts of you and people like you it can become a veritable paradise. I pledge you our cooperation.”
“Thank you, Excellency. At the moment my only concern is when the casino will be permitted to open. Without it, it would be impossible for my kind of operation to succeed.”
“All the local approvals have been obtained. Now we must wait for approval from the federal government.”
“How long do you think that will take?”
“We are bringing all the pressure we can to bring it about.”
I wouldn’t let him off the hook. “Without a definite date, Excellency, there is no way I can undertake an investment of this magnitude.”
“I will do all I can to give you a quick answer,” he said smoothly. “Now, unfortunately, I must go. I am due in La Paz for an important dinner.”
“Thank you again, Excellency.”
He bowed and held out his hand. “Hasta la vista, Señor Brendan.” It was a politician’s handshake and had a certain kind of phony warmth. He bowed again, then made his way through the room, saying goodbye to the others. He was followed by his two silent bodyguards, whose tight suits didn’t hide the bulges made by the guns under their arms.
I walked over to Lonergan. “No commitments,” I said in answer to his unspoken question. “But lots of promises.”
He didn’t answer. His eyes went to the door. I followed his gaze and saw Eileen and Julio, who were just entering.
The governor stopped in apparent surprise; then the two men embraced and shook hands. They spoke a few words to each other; then Julio continued on into the room as the governor turned down the corridor.
Julio seemed to know everyone there. I watched as he stopped to chat on his way through the room. And there was something else: the way they reacted to him. It was as if he were a king. They were deferential and wanted to be sure that he saw
them. It was more of a fuss than they had made over the governor.
Eileen reached me. She leaned forward so that I could kiss her cheek. “Surprise!” she whispered.
I laughed.
She turned to Lonergan. “Hello, Uncle John.”
He smiled and kissed her cheek. “My dear.”
Her eyes zeroed in on Marissa, who was talking to Dieter and two other Mexicans. “Is that the cunt?” she whispered to me.
“Hey!” I said. “You know the rules. You don’t ask me, I don’t ask you.”
“She’s beautiful.”
I knew the look on her face. Every now and then a girl would come along. This was one of those times. She was hooked. I groaned. “Not again? Why does it always have to be one of my chicks?”
She smiled. “I told you before. We have the same tastes.”
I gestured toward Julio, who was stuck in the middle of the room. “When did you find out he was coming down?”
“Not until I got on the plane. I thought I would be able to play pilot with King Dong’s joystick all the way down here, but it didn’t work out that way. Julio was in the seat next to me.”
“What did he have to say?”
“Nothing much. Did you know that he came from here? That his whole family still lives here?”
“No.”
“That’s strange. I thought Verita might have mentioned it.”
“It never came up.”
She took me by the arm. “Your girlfriend is looking at us. Don’t you think it’s time we met?”
CHAPTER 35
I was sitting in a warm bathtub with bubbles up to my nose, smoking a joint and thinking lovely thoughts, when Eileen came into the bathroom. I looked up at her. “It can’t be time for dinner. We just finished the cocktail party.”
“You have company. Julio and the von Halsbachs, père et fils.”
“Shit. I’m too stoned to talk to them.” I slid further into the tub. “Tell them I’ll see them at dinner.”
She nodded and went out. A moment later she was back. “Julio says it’s very important.”
“Damn.” I got to my feet. “Find out if Uncle John can join us. I’ll be out in a minute.”
I stepped under a cold shower. It took five minutes before I felt my head clear. I dried myself. Then, wrapped in one of those European-style terry-cloth towel robes, I went out into the living room.
Uncle John was completely dressed and was sipping his martini when I entered. The others were drinking tequila. I went behind the bar and got myself a glass of ice water. Eileen had disappeared. I leaned on the bar. “Okay, Julio, what’s so important?”
“Verita told me she is already finished with her examination of the books and that she is satisfied that everything is straight.”
“That’s right.”
“What do you think?”
“Of what?”
“The proposition.”
“I’m still thinking about it.”
“You have all the information. What more do you need to know?”
I glanced at Lonergan. His face was impassive. “Nothing else really. But I must admit to a little curiosity. How do you fit into this?”
Julio’s voice was bland. “I’m the Swiss bank.”
I nodded.
“You don’t seem surprised.”
“It figured. I just didn’t realize you had that kind of money.”
“I work very hard.”
I met his eyes. “Then why did you piss it away down here?”
He flushed. “My family comes from here. All poor campesinos. This was a chance to bring business down here and do them some good.”
“It would have been cheaper to send them each a hundred bucks a month.”
“We are a very proud people,” he said stiffly. “We don’t want charity.”
“Family isn’t charity,” I said. I took a sip of the ice water. “I’m beginning to feel this is too rich for my blood.”
“It will be a gold mine when gambling comes.”
“Julio, we’ve known each other a long time. Did I ever shit you?”
“No, Lieutenant, never.”
“Then don’t shit me. We both know that gambling is not going to come here. At least not before it comes to all Mexico. Do you think Acapulco is going to let you grab it off before they do?”
“But we have promises. From the highest officials.”
“Those are promises. I’ll believe them when I see them. The governor himself told me that he was awaiting approval from the federal government.” The grass had left my mouth dry. I took another sip of ice water. “Without gambling, this place isn’t worth burning down.”
Julio was silent.
The old count spoke for the first time since the meeting. “It could pay with all the tourist plans you told me about.”
“If they all worked. But not with the cost as it stands now. And at best, I would be lucky to just cover expenses.”
“Are you saying that you’re not interested?”
“I’m saying that I’m still thinking about it. Meanwhile, if you have another interested party, please feel free to talk to them.”
The count rose to his feet. “Thank you for speaking so honestly, Mr. Brendan. We will meet again when you have come to a decision.”
“Yes.”
Dieter got up and followed his father to the door. Julio didn’t move from his chair. “I’ll stay a few more minutes,” he said. He waited until the door closed behind him, then turned to me. “Okay, Lieutenant, we can talk.”
“I don’t buy that family shit, Julio. You got to have a better reason than that to lay down four million.”
“Like what?”
“Like fifteen private planes a week. All moving north.”
He was silent. He lifted his glass and took another belt of tequila. There was a smile on his lips, but his eyes were cold. “Where did you hear that?”
“You can’t stop people from talking. You know that.”
“Talk like that can get people killed.”
“Talk like that can put me out of business if I buy into this place.”
“The hotel hasn’t anything to do with the traffic on the airstrip. They don’t even own it.”
“Who does?”
“The local government.”
I laughed. “Then the von Halsbachs aren’t even in on the gravy? You really let them go down the path.”
“They built the hotel. I didn’t.”
“Who led them to believe that they would get gambling? You have a lot of friends here. I could see that at the party.”
“There would have been none of this if Dieter hadn’t let his fag friends bum rap the place. It would have worked out fine.”
“There’s nothing you can do about that now.”
Julio turned to my uncle. His voice was very respectful. “What is your interest in this, Mr. Lonergan?”
“I’m just an observer. I’m not interested in your business. You know I don’t deal.”
Julio turned back to me. “If you do buy into this place, where do I fit in?”
“You don’t. The Swiss bank can stay in, but those private planes can’t come anywhere near here.”
“That means a lot of money to me.”
“That’s a decision you’ll have to make before I make mine.”
Julio got to his feet. “We both have a lot of thinking to do.”
“That’s right.” When he had gone, I turned to my uncle. “Well?”
“I don’t know. He’s got to be dealing with a million a week wholesale. He’s not going to give it up that easily.”
***
“Julio is very upset,” Verita said at the dinner table. “He feels you do not like him.”
“I like him fine. I just don’t want any part of his business around me.”
“You did not invite him to dinner.”
Suddenly I understood. Face. It all had to do with face. After all, we were old friends, we’d been in the army together.
“Where is he?”
“In his room.”
“Call him and ask him to come down. Tell him I assumed that he would be joining us and that’s why I didn’t say anything.”
She nodded and left the table.
Eileen looked at me. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing.”
She looked at Lonergan. “Why don’t you tell him to stick to the magazines, Uncle John? He really doesn’t need all this.”
“He never listened to anyone when he was young. Why should he begin now?”
Verita came back. “He’ll be right down. He’s very happy.”
He showed up five minutes later, resplendent in a white tropical suit, all smiles. “Forgive me for being late,” he said.
A few minutes later Dieter and Marissa joined us and we had another superb dinner, from which we all rose sated.
“There is a mariachi show and native dances on the beach tonight if you care to attend,” Dieter said.
“I’m not as young as all of you,” Lonergan said. “I’ll just go back to my bed.”
I looked at him. In Los Angeles he never went to bed before five in the morning and it was now only midnight. “Are you feeling all right?” I asked.
“Just fine. I’m just not used to all this sunshine and fresh air.” He said his goodnights and went back down the path.
Dieter led the way and we followed him to the beach. A bonfire was blazing and there were blankets scattered on the sand. Next to the fire a five-piece group was playing “La Cucaracha.” We grabbed a few blankets, pulled them together and sat down. Other guests filtered onto the beach.
Dieter took out a gold cigarette case and offered it around. “Smoke?”
It was dynamite shit and in no time at all I was flying. I looked at the girls. They felt it, too. So did Dieter. But Julio just puffed at his joint. It seemed to have no effect on him at all.
The dancers began. They were amateur, mostly staff from the hotel, but they obviously loved it. We hit on the rhythm. Suddenly Marissa was on her feet, dancing with them, then Verita and, after a moment’s hesitation, Eileen. Julio watched them, smiling. Verita leaned over and pulled him to his feet.
Julio and Verita were so good that after a while everyone stopped dancing to watch them. I leaned back on the blanket.
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