Havana

Chapter 62

"And so he escaped," asked Pashin.

"Yes. He certainly caused a ruckus. What a scandal," said Frenchy Short, "and how lucky, really, he got away, or I'd have had some very awkward explaining to do."

"Remarkable. I'd bet that asshole Speshnev had something to do with it. He has not been seen in days."

"Old men. Tricky old bastards. Too many tricks."

"Their day will come, soon enough. Maybe not this year, but certainly the next."

The two sat at the old bar called the two brothers- Dos Hermanos-down by the waterfront, across from the Customs House. The ferry full of cars from Florida was just pulling in. They were drinking mojitos, because for once there was little to do. It was a Saturday, late in the afternoon, and overhead gulls glided and screamed, and out front the traffic roared along.

"And you are off to West Berlin?" Pashin asked.

"Yes. I thought maybe Plans would renege on his promise when the gangsters failed to get Earl, but I suspect he realizes I know too much and have too much talent. And he'd already been telling people what a find I was, how I was the next him. I could be too, you know."

"I know. You are a formidable young man."

"Of course all this is possible, my friend, because you got me that picture of yourself and poor Roger. Saved the Short bacon but good. That was the Big Noise! Boola-boola! What a stroke of genius!"

"Wasn't it. But it wasn't mine. Speshnev used the same photo to blackmail me, can you believe it? The audacity of the man. He is a classic technician though, one must say."

"So I'm a hero. And for you?"

"Well, the old fox has promised to use his influence on my behalf as well. So with your supervisor believing in you and the current man of the hour Speshnev fulfilling his part of our bargain, I do believe I'll be moving ahead shortly to a better posting. Plus, of course there are family allies working for me in Moscow. So this has worked out very well for both of us, I think. Possibly I'll get to Berlin as well."

"Wouldn't that be a treat! Imagine how much fun we could have!"

"Imagine how far we could go. I'd give you all my colleagues' operations and you'd give me all your colleagues' operations. Yours and mine would flourish, theirs would fail. We'd be chiefs in a year!"

"The future," said Frenchy Short, "has never looked better. Progress is our most important product!"

The two young men raised a toast to their brilliant futures.