Boudreaux became his old self again, filling in the check without hesitation. Extending it to Tyler, he said, "You withhold respect," and seemed to shrug. "I wonder, though, if I could buy just enough of it for you to stay on and run my horse farm?"
It was Amelia who answered, raising her voice to give him a resounding, "No!"
Neely heard it as quite final and, it would appear, so did Boudreaux, who raised his glass-Neely thought for a moment to offer them luck. But no, he took quite a big drink of whiskey and put the glass down again.
It would seem to be over.
Until Neely noticed a somewhat familiar face. Yes, it was the municipal police investigator, Rudi Calvo, hobbling in with the support of a hickory cane in each hand. He moved past Amelia and Tyler and now they saw him. Tyler said, "Rudi?" and Amelia reached out to him, but too late. He didn't pause or even look at them, he walked up behind Tavalera, who was about to join Boudreaux at the table.
As Neely saw what happened:
There was Tavalera with his hand on the back of the chair to pull it out.
Rudi Calvo lifting the cane in his right hand to hook it on his left forearm. His hand then went inside his coat, Rudi saying, "Major?"
Tavalera turned.
Rudi's hand come out holding a pistol.
The room silent. Not a sound.
Tavalera seemed about to speak, raising his hand as Rudi raised the pistol and shot the Guardia squarely between the eyes.
The report filled the room and no doubt the ground floor of the hotel.
Tavalera fell dead.
Rudi tossed the pistol on the table, picked up his cane from his arm and hobbled out.
Jimelia walked with him through the lobby and held the door open, Tyler a few steps behind, people watching them. Outside, Amelia held on to Rudi's arm, asking him what he would do now, where as he going, if he had a place to hide, telling him to please tale care of himself.
"I have a good friend, so don't worry about me."
It was all he said. Rudi walked from the portico to the edge of the street and raised one of his canes in the air.
There were coaches in line waiting. But the one that came was drawn by a matched pair of palominos. Rudi handed his canes to someone inside and pulled himself aboard. The door closed and the coach drove off.
Tyler raised his arm and placed it around Amelia's shoulder.
He said to her, "Man, this Cuba."
She turned her head. "Yeah?"
"It's gonna take some getting used to."