enough.”
“Just tell me this, if he wasn’t around, what would you do?”
Reyes took out a cheroot from the silver case and lit it.
“I thought you’d given up.”
Reyes made a face. “I’ve been under a lot of stress lately.”
“You still haven’t answered my question.”
“If he wasn’t around? If he wasn’t around, I’d chase her to the ends of the earth and try one more time.”
“Well you are in a sumbitch situation then, aren’t you, fella?”
“What would you do?”
“I never found anyone I ever thought about ten minutes after she got out of bed. I guess I’m not a romantic like you.”
“Fuck you,” Reyes said.
“No, I mean it. I’m almost jealous, Reyes. I never felt like that, not even once.”
“Well, I wouldn’t recommend it, not when it gets screwed up.”
“You were the one that screwed it.”
“No, I had help.”
“But you could have gone back, years ago.”
“I guess.”
“So why didn’t you?”
“I didn’t like feeling that way, Walt.”
“What way?”
“She scared me. I knew she could hurt me.”
“She did hurt you.”
“Well I didn’t want to live like that, wanting someone that bad. It’s like walking through a minefield every day. I had my life the way I wanted it. Until she came back into it, I was doing just fine.”
“Well, sounds like the problem’s solved then, because according to you, she ain’t coming back. So what’s next?”
“I don’t know, I’m thinking maybe I’ll head back to the States.”
“You want to do me a favour before you go?”
“Whenever I do a favour for you, it starts to get expensive.”
“Then think of it as doing something for your country.”
“I don’t have a country, I have a passport.”
“Look, you know me, Reyes, I’m not like some of these other bastards here, it’s not a fucking crusade it’s just a job. And there’s times I get troubled by the things I see and hear.”
“What is it you want me to do?”
“Angel Macheda. Can you play him?”
“Why?”
“You know him, right? He knows you.”
“It’s not like a friendship, Walt.”
“Do you know why Angel is here?”
“You’re the intelligence service, I’m just an unemployed barkeep.”
“I hear it’s about the eight keys of scag that went missing. But is that the only reason? I need sources close to him, Reyes.”
“The Salvatore family were going to help you kill Fidel. They’re your friends, not mine. Why don’t you call Bobbo up for a pizza and ask him?”
Walt shrugged. “Well, I tried.”
“The one you should talk to is this Connor guy.”
“The one who married your ex?”
“He’s writing a book about the whole mess over here. Maybe he’s got some leads you can use. He sounds like he’ll do anything to bring Utopia a day closer.”
“He won’t work with us, you know that.”
“I can’t help you, Walt. I don’t know why he’s here. I find out anything I’ll let you know.”
Reyes finished his coffee. “Damn, that’s good coffee.”
“The secret is using good bourbon.”
“You should open a cafe.”
“The VC would blow it up.”
“Yeah, there’s always a downside to everything,” Reyes said and clapped his friend on the shoulder as he went out. Actually he thought he already knew why Angel was in Saigon and he guessed that Walt did, too. But getting the proof was the dangerous part and the fact of it was, he was through with putting his neck on the block for anyone anymore.
At three in the morning the air was still stifling. He felt a trickle of sweat run down his back. It was still another hour before the end of the curfew, but the rumble of military convoys moving through the empty streets seemed never-ending.
When he had first come to Saigon there was no curfew and the roar of trucks and tanks moving through the streets didn’t wake him up at night. It still looked like a little France then with boulevards of tamarind and lime trees and painted stucco villas
“Just tell me this, if he wasn’t around, what would you do?”
Reyes took out a cheroot from the silver case and lit it.
“I thought you’d given up.”
Reyes made a face. “I’ve been under a lot of stress lately.”
“You still haven’t answered my question.”
“If he wasn’t around? If he wasn’t around, I’d chase her to the ends of the earth and try one more time.”
“Well you are in a sumbitch situation then, aren’t you, fella?”
“What would you do?”
“I never found anyone I ever thought about ten minutes after she got out of bed. I guess I’m not a romantic like you.”
“Fuck you,” Reyes said.
“No, I mean it. I’m almost jealous, Reyes. I never felt like that, not even once.”
“Well, I wouldn’t recommend it, not when it gets screwed up.”
“You were the one that screwed it.”
“No, I had help.”
“But you could have gone back, years ago.”
“I guess.”
“So why didn’t you?”
“I didn’t like feeling that way, Walt.”
“What way?”
“She scared me. I knew she could hurt me.”
“She did hurt you.”
“Well I didn’t want to live like that, wanting someone that bad. It’s like walking through a minefield every day. I had my life the way I wanted it. Until she came back into it, I was doing just fine.”
“Well, sounds like the problem’s solved then, because according to you, she ain’t coming back. So what’s next?”
“I don’t know, I’m thinking maybe I’ll head back to the States.”
“You want to do me a favour before you go?”
“Whenever I do a favour for you, it starts to get expensive.”
“Then think of it as doing something for your country.”
“I don’t have a country, I have a passport.”
“Look, you know me, Reyes, I’m not like some of these other bastards here, it’s not a fucking crusade it’s just a job. And there’s times I get troubled by the things I see and hear.”
“What is it you want me to do?”
“Angel Macheda. Can you play him?”
“Why?”
“You know him, right? He knows you.”
“It’s not like a friendship, Walt.”
“Do you know why Angel is here?”
“You’re the intelligence service, I’m just an unemployed barkeep.”
“I hear it’s about the eight keys of scag that went missing. But is that the only reason? I need sources close to him, Reyes.”
“The Salvatore family were going to help you kill Fidel. They’re your friends, not mine. Why don’t you call Bobbo up for a pizza and ask him?”
Walt shrugged. “Well, I tried.”
“The one you should talk to is this Connor guy.”
“The one who married your ex?”
“He’s writing a book about the whole mess over here. Maybe he’s got some leads you can use. He sounds like he’ll do anything to bring Utopia a day closer.”
“He won’t work with us, you know that.”
“I can’t help you, Walt. I don’t know why he’s here. I find out anything I’ll let you know.”
Reyes finished his coffee. “Damn, that’s good coffee.”
“The secret is using good bourbon.”
“You should open a cafe.”
“The VC would blow it up.”
“Yeah, there’s always a downside to everything,” Reyes said and clapped his friend on the shoulder as he went out. Actually he thought he already knew why Angel was in Saigon and he guessed that Walt did, too. But getting the proof was the dangerous part and the fact of it was, he was through with putting his neck on the block for anyone anymore.
At three in the morning the air was still stifling. He felt a trickle of sweat run down his back. It was still another hour before the end of the curfew, but the rumble of military convoys moving through the empty streets seemed never-ending.
When he had first come to Saigon there was no curfew and the roar of trucks and tanks moving through the streets didn’t wake him up at night. It still looked like a little France then with boulevards of tamarind and lime trees and painted stucco villas
Similar Books
