Thirty

“I’m an old man now,” Carlos said. “I have as my pleasures good friends, the woman I love, an occasional call from my children and grandchildren when they want money.” He laughed. “I live for these things. They are all that matter to me. That and tango.” He smiled at Hollis.

“I know I’m at the end of my career,” he continued. “It’s been a good one for me, I think. But there have been losses. And there have been betrayals. Some lies are not to be forgiven. And some can be remedied. I hope soon to know the difference.”

“What’s this about?” Teresa said. Her tone was bored, but her eyes were wide, her body tense.

“We are all as one?” Carlos asked.

“Of course,” Silva said. “Like in the old days.”

Carlos looked to Teresa. “Yes,” she said. “As one.”

He only smiled at Finn, then patted Hollis’s shoulder. “Let’s have more wine,” Carlos said, as if nothing had happened. “And fresh glasses.”

The waiter moved quickly. He took the used glasses off the table and brought news ones. He opened two new bottles of wine and poured each person a half glass.

“That’s not enough,” Carlos said. He grabbed a bottle and filled each glass to full. “Let’s make a toast.” He lifted his glass. “To trust.”

“Trust,” Silva said. “Salud.”

Finn and Hollis lifted their glasses, waiting to see what the others would do. Carlos drank. Then Silva. Then Teresa. Hollis put the wine to her lips. It tasted fine. She drank a little, as little as she could. Finn did the same.

“And to the future,” Carlos said.

They each drank again. Hollis felt lightheaded. She knew he was going to do something. She waited for Eduardo and Bryan to make their moves. But there was nothing.

“And to you,” Finn said to Carlos, standing up and raising his glass. “For an evening we will remember with great fondness.”

They all drank again.

“But now we must go,” Finn said. “You brought us here for work, and it’s getting quite late.”

“Of course.” Carlos turned and signaled the gunmen. “Get the car for the McCabes,” he said.

Hollis looked around. All the tension from the room was gone. Carlos was a man who liked to talk, she learned that quickly enough. Maybe he gave speeches like that all the time. Teresa stood up and shook Finn’s hand. Silva finished his wine. When he stood up, he swayed a little.

“Lovely to see you both again,” he said. Then he coughed a little. “Perdóname,” he said.

He coughed again, reaching for a napkin to cover his mouth. Hollis could see there were droplets of blood on the napkin. He looked up at Carlos, surprised. A third cough, heavier than before, brought more blood.

“Lo siento,” Silva said. Then he dropped to the floor.

Hollis reached out to help, but one glance at Finn and she stopped. It wouldn’t have mattered anyway. Silva’s eyes were open, there was blood and foam around his mouth. He twitched a little, then went quiet. Hollis moved toward Finn. She wanted to scream, or run, or something. But she knew she had to stay quiet. Killers, she reminded herself, don’t collapse at the sight of a murder.

Carlos stepped over the body of his old friend. “He had told me that you were pretenders. It was the reason he gave for the very inappropriate way you were brought to this country. I have known Silva my whole life, so I did not know what to think.” He glanced back at the dead man on the floor with no emotion in his face then turned back to Hollis and Finn. “I had to see for myself. To judge for myself. And it’s true that you were not what I expected.”

“But as I got to know you both, I understood that it’s exactly because you were not what I expected that I could see you were the real thing,” he continued. “You are very smart, very charming, but you are also cautious. You are calm, but there is passion in you. These are the qualities for people in our business. Silva was all emotion and excitement.” Carlos laughed. “He told me you were college professors.”

“Why would he say that?” Finn asked.

“He has been jealous of me for many years. He believed I betrayed him once, and it cost him time in prison. I think he sought to betray me now when I am in the midst of a delicate negotiation. Perhaps he thought by kidnapping you, he would anger you enough to keep you from doing your job. Or perhaps he did not trust himself to keep his mouth shut around you. He has not been sober for many years.” He sighed.

He signaled to the waiter, who brought him his wineglass. He finished it in one gulp, then snapped his fingers. The musicians got louder, the dancers started dancing. The waiter unfolded a tablecloth and draped it over Silva’s body.

It was as if it was the most ordinary thing in the world.

“It has been a most wonderful evening for me,” Carlos said. “I hope the same for you both.”

Finn stood silent.

“Lovely,” Hollis said. “You are a wonderful dancer.”

He blushed. “A perfect tango depends on two people in sync. I have felt that with you tonight.”

“And I with you.”

He smiled. “You have chosen to dance with me, and you will stay until the music ends.”

“Of course.”

He kissed her cheek. “Gracias.” He reached his hand out to Finn, who seemed to snap out of his trance. He took Carlos’s hand.

“Thank you,” Finn said. “I’d been saying I wanted a good steak in Argentina and I think you fed me the best one possible.”

“I am sorry to add one more job to your work here, but I hope you will find the compensation I sent to your account more than enough.”

“Of course.”

“You have your instructions, I hope, Señor and Señora McCabe.”

“We’re ready.”

“By Monday this sad business will be behind us. Thank you for returning to me what is mine.”

Hollis didn’t want to, but she found herself looking one more time at Silva’s body, lying at Carlos’s feet. His arms and feet sticking out from underneath the tablecloth.

“We’re happy to help,” she said.

“I have found the right people,” he said. “I think you also are in the business of selling combs.”