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“He heard that a fisherman from Playa el Morrillo was catching fish off a wreck in this harbor. When my father heard of a wreck he would go to investigate. It didn’t matter how far.”
Hooker went to the refrigerator and got a beer. “Anyone?” he asked.
Bill took a beer. Maria and I declined.
“If I brought the gold up while I lived in Cuba it would do me no good,” Maria said. “The government would come and take it. And they might throw me in prison like my father. So I came to Miami and I looked for someone to help me.”
“That would be me,” Bill said.
Maria smiled at Bill. “An unlikely hero.”
Bill slid a protective arm around Maria, and she leaned into him. It was a simple gesture, but it was surprisingly tender.
“I’m in love,” Bill announced to Hooker and me.
I smiled at Bill and Maria, and I mentally wished them well, but I’d heard this a lot. Bill fell in love easily. And often. Bill was four years old the first time he made this announcement. Carol Lazar had allowed him to take a peek at her panties and Bill was in love. And Bill has been peeking at girls’ panties and falling in love ever since. I think it would be nice if Bill could find the right woman and commit, but in the meantime, at least his sex life wasn’t without love.
Hooker smiled at Bill, too. Hard to tell if Hooker’s smile was cynical or wistful.
“To love,” Hooker said. And he took a pull on his beer.
“What was the scream about at the end of your phone call to me?” I asked Bill.
“We were casting off and the night watchman showed up with a gun. I guess he thought we were stealing the boat.”
“Imagine that,” Hooker said.
“The night watchman is dead,” I said to Bill. “Knifed an hour after you took off. Both of your apartments have been searched, twice. Once by two Cuban guys. And once by two Caucasians. One of the Caucasians always wears black and has slicked-back hair. The slicked-back-hair guy threatened to kill me and Hooker if we kept looking for you. I was attacked by a mutant named Hugo, who I prefer to call Puke Face. Puke Face tried to kidnap me with hopes of trading up to you. Puke Face works for Salzar. And Puke Face’s message was that you were in possession of Salzar’s property. I imagine he was talking about Maria. Oh yeah, and they called Mom and left a message for you. Those are pretty much the high points.”
“And then there’s your computer,” Hooker said to Maria. “With the gold and the warhead research. The gold I get. Maybe you should tell us about the warhead.”
“It was part of the rumor. That besides the gold, there was some new weapon on board my grandfather’s ship. My mother said my father was afraid it was true. My father told her there was a canister not far from the gold. He said it looked like it might be a bomb. He didn’t want Castro gaining control of this weapon, so he wouldn’t talk. When they came to take him away, he told my mother he would never reveal the wreck. My mother told me some of the markings on the canister, and I tried to identify it on the Internet, but I couldn’t find anything.”
“You’ve been diving,” Hooker said. “Is the canister down there?”
Maria nodded. Solemn. “Yes.”
“Do we know the connection between Salzar and Calflex?” I asked Bill.
“There was a rumor a while back that Salzar was brokering a Cuban land deal for Calflex. Not sure if it’s true.”
“A better question,” I said. “How does Salzar know about the wreck?”
“He’s originally from Cuba, no?” Maria said. “He’s of an age where he might have heard the rumors.”
“Seems like he’s investing a lot of energy in a rumor,” Hooker said. “I can be a pretty aggressive guy, but I don’t think I’d kidnap someone on the basis of a rumor.”
“There could be others who would know the ship’s cargo,” Maria said. “My grandfather’s partner would know. My mother spoke of him sometimes. His name was Roberto Ruiz. And he could have told people. The men on the Russian ship might know. Someone had to put the gold and the canister on board the fishing boat. And Castro would know. Maybe some of his aides.”
“Salzar could be working for Castro,” Bill said. “They’re supposed to be buddies.”
“Why is Salzar going after you now?” I asked. “Why did he wait so long? You’ve been in Miami for four years.”
“I don’t know. Maybe he just found out. Not long ago, there was an article in the newspaper about the cigar factory with my picture and my name in it. The newspaper man spoke to me because I am the youngest of all the women who roll the cigars.”
Another plane flew overhead.
“You’re reflecting light through the trees,” Hooker said to Bill.
