Walking through the heart of the banking district, known as La City, Lascano feels alienated, as if Buenos Aires didn’t belong to him, as if an army of headless suits had taken over. The invaders are around thirty years old; they wear grey suits and loud ties. They keep their eyes peeled straight ahead of them, speak only to each other, have cords hanging out of their ears, and wouldn’t move aside even if their dying grandmother were trying to get through. Who are all these people, where did they come from all at once, and what happened to them? They go in and out of huge glass buildings. Some wear colourful backpacks, many haven’t shaved for a couple of days, most take refuge behind large sunglasses, all of them are in a hurry. They are insolent, shout when they speak and call each other boludos, or morons. As he walks down 25 de Mayo toward the business centre of the city, the crowd of boludos becomes denser and denser, more compact. He’s looking for the address he wrote down on a piece of paper; it must be one of these glass monoliths. In the lobby are two dark-skinned toughs dressed up in sheriff costumes, the little star badge and all. They look at all the men as if they want to punch them and at all the women as if they were about to rape them, but nobody looks at them, except others with the same colour skin. One of the cowboys is guarding a row of turnstiles in front of the elevators. Lascano watches as they all open the turnstile with the card they wear hanging off their waists. Modern shackles for these corporate slaves, he muses. The Turnstile Sheriff points him to a round counter where there’s someone who looks like the marshal in a Hollywood Western — though this one’s a Mapuche Indian. After a brief exchange and several longish pauses, he gives him a pass card and tells him to return it when he leaves, as well as a piece of paper on which he must get the signature of the person he is going to see. Now he’s absolutely certain: this is a prison. He gives the guard at the turnstile a smile, but the other makes no sign of having received it; he must be studying how to be a boludo. The card lets him through and he enters the elevator, where five uncomfortable-looking boludos have already taken up residence. One of them looks him up and down, as if wondering what this guy is doing here. Finally, the elevator vomits him out into a hot, carpeted corridor lit by small lightbulbs. On the wall is a huge reproduction of the bank’s logo. He walks up to the door and rings the bell, another light turns on and above his head a tiny closed-circuit TV camera focuses in on him.
Good morning. Lascano here to see Mr Fermin Martinez. Please come in.
As he opens the door he notices that it is much heavier than it seems. There to greet him is a girl dressed in a blue suit that matches the carpeting and the wallpaper. She’s gorgeous and, in spite of how very young she is, she’s known it for quite some time. She was probably born knowing it. She invites him to follow her, much too conscious of the effect of the swinging of her hips when she walks. She leaves in her wake an invisible cloud of imported perfume one could easily plunge into and sail away to one’s final destiny. Turning around like a model on a catwalk, she points to some blood-red real-Russian-leather chairs and asks him if he would like something to drink. Perro says no and stares at her as she walks over to her desk, where she sits down, crosses her legs and checks to make sure she is being admired. She regales him with the mere hint of a smile that looks a bit like polystyrene. There’s a small lamp above the armchair where Lascano sits down, which seems to have been placed there expressly to fry his brain, his feet grow warm through the carpet, ambient music comes faintly to him from somewhere, and every once in a while, a little peep…
Mr Martinez will see you now.
He opens his eyes to the vision of the torso and upper legs of the girl who is standing over him and smiling. He feels ashamed. If he knew he’d been waiting for half an hour, he’d be cross.
Forgive me, I fell asleep. I wish I could do the same. Follow me, please.
The office overlooks the renovations going on at the docks. The Rio de la Plata stretches out beyond: brownish grey, slow, treacherous. Fermin is standing next to a man with bright white hair, who’s sitting at the desk looking at something Fermin is showing him on a piece of paper.
Come in, Lascano, come in. I’d like to introduce you to Mr Makinlay.
The white-haired man stands up and reaches his hand out as Perro approaches the cherry-wood desk. His clothes alone are worth not a penny less than five thousand dollars, without counting the gold cufflinks, the watch and all the other trinkets. He speaks in a very refined voice, the voice of a man accustomed to dealing with kings; he himself looks like royalty. And he smiles as if he were on vacation in the Bahamas.
Mr Lascano, Fermin has spoken very highly of you. I understand you are a police superintendent. I was. Not any longer. Even better. He also tells me you are the best detective of the Federal Police. Tell me what you need and I’ll tell you if I can do it. Agreed. Let’s get straight to the point, then. Please do. There was a robbery at one of our branches. Uh-huh. The assault failed… partially. One of the robbers is dead, another is in prison and one or two escaped. If the assault failed, I don’t see why you need me. I said it failed partially. One of the ones who escaped did so with one million dollars. You call that a failure? Officially, yes. I don’t understand. That million dollars wasn’t supposed to be at that branch. It was a misunderstanding between the accountant and the armoured truck company. In other words, you can’t report it and so the insurance won’t cover it. To tell you the truth, sir, I’d rather not have anything to do with dirty money. Why do you assume it’s dirty money? Because if it weren’t dirty, you’d report it and the insurance would cover it. I don’t think you’ve understood me. Please explain. The insurance company requires us to keep track of all the cash at each branch. Because of an accounting error, this money didn’t get recorded, the accountant left it for the following day. He was negligent. Report the accountant. I can’t. Why not? Because he’s my son. And you’re sure your son isn’t an accomplice of the robbers? I’d like to be able to suspect him of that, but the poor boy is so stupid he wouldn’t even be capable of it. You’ve got to have some talent to rob a bank. If you say so… What do you want me to do? I need to find that robber and, if possible, the money. The essential thing here is that my son never comes under suspicion. What do we know about the robber? Almost nothing. And the one they arrested? You can interrogate him whenever you like, but he hasn’t let out a peep. What’s his name? No idea. You can speak with our contact in the police department. Who is he? Deputy Superintendent Sansone. I know him well. What are you offering? Three thousand now. If you find the robber, fifty thousand and ten per cent of the money you recover. And if I don’t recover anything? Too bad for you. And if I don’t find him? Also, too bad for you. And how will you know that I don’t just take the three thousand and do nothing. I don’t, but I pride myself on being able to read a person’s character, and you don’t seem like somebody who would do that. Anyway, if you were a con artist, Fermin wouldn’t have recommended you and, finally, Lascano, I know a little about your situation, and I don’t think you are in any position to make more enemies. Wouldn’t you agree?
Perro nods. Makinlay picks up the telephone and talks to his secretary. An instant later, the girl comes in, places an envelope on the desk and leaves.
This is for you. Do we have a deal? I guess so. From now on you’ll communicate only with Fermin. Whatever you need or have to say, you tell him. Understood? The one who pays, makes the rules.
Fermin hands him his card, takes his arm and walks him to the door.
At the corner of 25 de Mayo and Mitre there’s a cafe with a curved bar to sit at and drink coffee on the fly. It’s empty, too late for breakfast and too early for lunch. Perro sits down, asks for a double espresso with cold milk and a croissant. While the kid is preparing the coffee he goes over to the public phone and looks through the front pages of the phone book for the central switchboard of the police department. He sticks a coin in the slot and dials.
Good morning, this is Superintendent Lascano… I’d like to speak with Deputy Superintendent Sansone, please… Thank you… Lascano. How’re you doing?… As they say, only the good die young… Fine… Yes, I know… A mess, eh?… You bet… I need to see you… The guy you’ve got there from the bank heist… Yeah, I talked to that Lord somebody… Who is it?… Now?… Okay, if it’s got to be now, I’m on my way… In about an hour… Don’t mention my visit to anybody… No worries… That’s fine, I’ll call you when I’m almost there… Done deal… thanks… Bye.
He eats the croissant in two bites and drinks the coffee in three gulps. It hits him like a punch from Coggi the Whip who knocked out Gutierrez in the first round. Once he’s out on the street again, a shiver runs up and down his spine. He’s about to walk straight into the belly of the beast. Again. He’s sick of danger, but he goes anyway.
Sansone lets Lascano in through a small side door on Virrey Ceballos. Sansone is short and energetic, an unrepentant grouch, but a straight shooter. He leads him down dark, narrow, damp and empty corridors. They end up in a kind of reception room surrounded by barred doors. A beer-bellied sergeant stands up when he sees them and opens one of the doors, lets them through, then closes it behind him. He leads them to a cell door, opens it and steps aside to let them pass. They enter, and the sergeant returns to his desk. The man in the cell has his head wrapped in a bandage. When the door opens, he looks up, on guard. Perro has known him for ages; it’s Dandy Benavidez, a bank robber from Miranda the Mole’s gang. He’s pale and in a cold sweat. He shows all the signs of having been seriously roughed up.
What happened, Dandy? I thought you retired. What’s up with you, Perro? As you see, visiting my old friends in trouble. I’ve got a lawyer. I know, but have I ever touched you? I just want to talk. I don’t have nothing to say. Who’re you working with, Dandy? Mickey Mouse. Not Miranda the Mole, by any chance? Mole’s in jail. Don’t bullshit me, Dandy, he just got out. You don’t say? I hadn’t heard.
Dandy seems to be speaking in slow motion, and it seems like he’s about to start to cry. He tries to hide the tremor in his hands by pressing them together, but it doesn’t work. Lascano nods at Sansone and they walk out of the cell.
Do me a favour. What? Go to the storeroom and ask them to give you a little boric acid. What’s that? It’s a chemical they use to kill cockroaches. What do you want it for? If you want a canary to sing, you’ve got to give him his favourite birdseed. How much do you need? Not much, a handful. You’re not going to poison him, are you? Not to worry.
A few minutes later Sansone returns and hands Lascano a little paper envelope filled with white powder.
Do you smoke, Sansone? Don’t even mention it, I quit a year ago. How about the sergeant? Let’s ask.
They take a few steps over to the officer, who’s dozing at his desk.
Hey, Medina, do you smoke? Yes, sir. Do you mind showing me your pack of cigarettes?
Medina takes a pack of half-crushed Particulares out of his jacket pocket and hands it to Lascano, who empties the contents out onto the desk. The two policemen watch him, intrigued. Perro pulls out the foil, puts it aside and returns the cigarettes to the box. He shakes out the foil and brushes off all traces of tobacco with his hand. He smoothes it out on the edge of the desk, blows on it, lays it down with the foil side facing up and pours some of the boric acid into it. He folds the paper carefully, fashioning a small envelope. He thanks the sergeant, motions to the deputy superintendent and they return to the cell. Lascano sits down in front of Dandy; Sansone sits to one side and watches. The prisoner’s eyes are irresistibly drawn to the little envelope on the table. He squirms in his chair. Lascano opens the envelope, just enough to give him a glimpse of the white powder.
I brought you some candy. Wouldn’t a snort right about now be nice, Dandy? Don’t fuck with me, Lascano. I’m not. I’m making you a business proposition. What? You give me information and I give you a little blow. You give me nothing and I snort it all myself. I’m not selling out to nobody…
Dandy’s entire body betrays the urgency he feels for the coke. Nothing would feel better right now than sucking that anaesthetic in through his nostrils. Lascano observes him carefully — the prisoner has eyes only for the powder — takes a shiny new banknote out of his pocket and begins to roll it into a straw. Dandy starts to get desperate as Perro takes out the card Fermin gave him at the bank and traces two equal and parallel lines of powder on the foil.
I’m not giving nobody away, understand, Perro? But Dandy, I’m not asking you to say anything. I’m just going to ask you a few questions and you’re just going to answer me with your head, yes or no.
Dandy looks at him and nods. Lascano smiles.
Mole planned the whole thing, right?… Very good, Dandy, that’s the way. He ran off with the money, right?… We’re doing great, any minute now you’ll win the lottery, but now you’re going to have to make a big effort. Where’s Mole hiding?… You’re not going to say? Okay, watch me, I’m taking away the stuff, Dandy… Give me the name of a place. Haedo… A street. I don’t know. You’re going to lose it. I told you everything I know. Anything else?…
Lascano doesn’t need to know anything else and Dandy doesn’t have any more information. As Lascano stands up, he pretends to stumble and drops the envelope. The white powder flies through the air, falling slowly to the ground in front of Dandy’s desperate eyes. Lascano doesn’t realize he’s left Fermin’s card on the table.
As they walk away down the corridor, they hear Dandy’s shouts, cursing Lascano and demanding vengeance, echoing against the walls. The noise stops the second the sergeant goes to the cell and opens the door.
Still laughing, Sansone and Perro leave the building together and walk down Entre Rios toward the House of Congress.
Oh, before I forget, Pereyra is looking for you. Who? Pereyra. I don’t know him. He’s the prosecutor in the Third Court. A young guy. Do you know what he wants? He’s working on an old case of yours. He said the name… but I can’t remember it. Give him a call. Did you say the Third? Yeah, the Third.
At Rivadavia, they each go their separate ways. Lascano continues along Callao, the name Haedo still echoing in his head. He now remembers that’s where Eva’s parents lived.
The envelope keeps Lascano’s chest warm. Until a few hours ago he was alone, aimless and broke. Now he has three grand, a job — to find Miranda the Mole — and a desire — to find Eva. He feels that life is beginning to take a turn in the right direction, that just maybe all the setbacks and bad luck are moving to one side and a luckier season is about to begin. It’s odd, but he feels optimistic, which is much easier to do when you have three grand in your pocket. But that feeling summons another, which leads him to a rather shady locale in a run-down shopping arcade on Calle Bartolome Mitre, where you can purchase a gun, no questions asked, as long as you know how to ask for it.