“Meche?” I asked. God, I was certain it was her!
“Manny, help me,” she pleaded, “I’ve been lost for so long! Why didn’t you look for me?”
“I did,” I said helplessly. “You ran off. Why?”
Her shoulders heaved up and down in a huge sigh. “Because you said I was no good.” I felt a chill in my marrow. I had replayed that interview in my office over and over in my mind. There was so much in her body language that I had missed. I didn’t realize then what effect I was having on her. All the guilt I had felt seemed confirmed. “I’ve been all alone in the world for a whole year,” she continued, tears in her voice. I came closer and the figure turned fully toward me. “And it’s all because of you!” the voice shrieked.
I jumped back as the demon raven launched itself from the coin-operated binoculars. I ducked as it swooped over me. It wheeled and dove over the cliff. I ran and looked over the edge. I saw a little speck moving toward the docks used by the Nada Mañana cruise line. I fumbled in my pockets for a coin and dropped it into the binoculars. I swept the docks and picked up the raven. I followed it as it glided past a steamship loading passengers. I gasped and forgot about the bird as I turned back to the people still on the dock. There was Domino… with Meche.
I sprinted away from the club and got down to the base of the cliff as fast as I could. Unfortunately, I was fighting the night crowds as I ran to the docks. By the time I got there the ship was already pulling away, the last gangway being drawn up. I leapt across the gap and managed to grab the edge. Meche appeared in the hatchway as I struggled to get my legs up. “Hey,” I began as she hefted a champagne bottle and hurled it at me. I seemed to go blind when it hit me in the head. I lost my grip and dropped into the sea. The next thing I remember was Velasco pulling me out.
He took me back to his office and got me into some dry clothes. Then he poured me a glass of rum and asked, “Is this how you celebrate the Day of the Dead, Manny? You toss your bones into the drink and I fish ’em out?” He laughed at his own joke.
“I don’t plan on making a tradition out of it, Velasco,” I said, gulping the dark rum down. “As soon as I find out where that liner’s going, I’m after it.”
Velasco laughed again. “That ship’s going to Puerto Zapato! And it’ll be the last one for a while. Why, there ain’t no ships going out that way now but the ol’ Limbo here, but…”
“But nothing!” I said. “If the Limbo’s my only hope, then I’m already on board!”
Velasco snatched the glass away from me like I’d already had too much. “Manny, Manny, Manny,” he said with a shake of his skull, “the Limbo’s not a passenger ship! She’s small cargo, son, and every hand on board works!”
“I’ll work,” I insisted.
“I told you, she’s not a passenger ship. They don’t need a baccarat dealer.”
“What? You think I’ve only got one talent? C’mon, Velasco, I’ve got to get on that ship. I can’t let Meche get away from me!”
“Look,” Velasco said sympathetically, “I know how you feel son. Once I lost a very special lady m’self. I waved to her from the docks as she sailed out of port… and I never saw her again.”
I’d never heard Velasco talk about his past this way before. “What was her name?” I asked.
“The SS La Mancha was her name. But don’t make me talk about her ’cause I… I just can’t do it.”
Figures ‘she’ would be a ship.
“Well, I’m sorry for your big loss, but I gotta get on that ship! Don’t you have some kind of authority around here?”
“I can’t make a captain to take on crew he don’t need!” Velasco snapped. Then he sighed. “The Limbo’s gonna be around for a couple more days. Crew’s takin’ shore leave while we do some work on ’er engines. Something might open up. I’ll let you know.”
“OK,” I said. “I guess that’ll have to do.”
“You said it, son. Now go get some of your own damn clothes on. I’m gonna need those overalls sometime.”
Talking Limbo
I went back to my hotel and changed into my other tux. I still had a club to run even if suddenly my ‘heart’ wasn’t in it. I arranged to have Velasco’s overalls sent back to him.
Lupe did a double take when I walked in wearing different clothes. “Hey…!” she exclaimed.
“Had a little accident,” I said and left it at that.
She shrugged and said, “I’ve got a telegram for you.”
“Yeah? OK.” I tore it open and read the good news.
BEWARE MANUEL FOR YOU ARE IN GRAVE DANGER STOP SOMEHOW RUMOR HAS SPREAD ON THE STREETS OF EL MARROW OF YOUR PRESENCE IN RUBACAVA STOP IF THIS INFORMATION REACHES HECTOR LEMANS HE SURELY WILL SEND HIS EVIL OPERATIVES AFTER YOU STOP YOU MUST GIVE UP YOUR SEARCH FOR MERCEDES FOR THE TIME BEING AND PLEASE BE OUT OF RUBACAVA ON THE NEXT SHIP
He was probably exaggerating the danger. But on the other hand, was it coincidence that Domino turned up with Meche just when Salvador got wind of trouble? Maybe not. Suddenly I felt like an idiot for putting my name up on the big sign.
I looked in on the restaurant. It was empty now except for Glottis, who was still at the piano working on a song he’d been writing for a while. I got straight to the point.
“I just had a run-in with Domino and Meche,” I said. “We’re leaving town as soon as we can.”
“Wha’?” Glottis exclaimed. “How?”
“Domino’s got Meche. We’re going after them.”
“But what happened?”
“I saw Domino dragging Meche onto a cruise ship. She didn’t have a chance to get away.”
“Sure they weren’t dancing?” Glottis asked.
“What?” I exclaimed in surprise. “Why would they be dancing?”
“’Cause they were happy? Maybe she wanted to go with him.”
I felt mad enough to bust something. “They weren’t dancing, OK!?”
Glottis blinked a couple of times before saying, “Sure, Manny. OK.”
I took a deep breath to calm down. “Look, Velasco might be able to get us jobs on a cargo ship. We’ve got a couple of days. Get your affairs in order and be ready to go.”
“Check.”
“Good.”
One of my regulars suddenly came boiling out of the casino. “Bogen!” he snarled as he stomped past.
I felt my temper rising again. “OK, that’s it!” I turned to go to my office.
“What’re you gonna do?” Glottis asked worriedly. I just kept going.
Hidden in my office was a little gadget that let me monitor the casino and, shall we say, influence events. It was also the tool that Bogen took advantage of. I switched off his luck and listened to the fireworks.
“This is an outrage!” Bogen said, his voice made tinny by a very small speaker, when the ball fell it’s own way. “I bet on number two! Why didn’t it come up number two?” There was some laughter in the background. I chuckled, too, at Bogen’s childish complaint.
“Ah Monsieur, je suis vraiment désolé, I do not pick the winners,” the croupier said. “These things are all controlled by the man upstairs.” I winced at his poor and unfortunately far-too-accurate choice of words.
“Well,” Bogen said huffily, knowing full well who had queered his luck, “please tell the ‘man upstairs’ that Police Chief Bogen was very upset when he left, and when he returns he would prefer to have better luck!”