colored by that," Arkady conceded.» Or finding Pribluda dead. Or jet lag." '
Bias said, "You have a week more here. You will adjust. It was very enterprising of you to go to Rufo's. Ofelia said you might. She's intuitive, I think."
"I think so, too," Arkady said.
"If what you say is true, Rufo inadvertently killed himself by his own hand during a brief, violent struggle?"
"Accidental suicide."
"Very much so. But that does not answer the ques tion of why Rufo attacked you. I find this very troubling."
"Between us, I'm troubled too."
Bias stopped at the head of a stairway from which rose a sour coolness like the odor of spoiled milk.» The nature of the attack with a knife and a syringe is so peculiar. There was an embalming syringe stolen here yesterday, although I don't understand when Rufo could have taken it. You were with him the whole time, weren't you?"
"I went to the rest room once. He could have taken it then."
"Yes, you're right. Well, it was probably that syringe, although I don't understand why a murderer would choose to use it when he already had a better weapon. Do you?"
Arkady gave the matter some thought.» Did Rufo have any record of violence?"
"I know the opinion of Captain Arcos in this matter, but I have to be honest. Better to say that Rufo had a record of not being caught. He was a jinetero, a hustler. The kind who hangs around tourists and finds someone a girl, changes their money, gets them cigars. Suppos edly very successful with German and Swedish women, secretaries on vacation. May I be direct?"
"Please."
"It is said that he would advertise to foreign women that he had a pinga like a locomotive."
"What is a pinga?" Arkady asked.
"Well, I'm no psychiatrist, but a man who has a pinga like a locomotive doesn't use a syringe to kill someone."
"More likely a machete," Osorio spoke up.
"You can't see many of those. How many people would have machetes in the city?"
"Every Cuban has a machete," Bias said.» I have three in my own closet."
"I have one," Osorio said.
Arkady stood corrected.
Bias asked, "You can't shed any light on this syringe?"
"No."
"Understand I am not a detective, I am not the PNR, I am only a forensic pathologist, but I was trained by my Russian instructors of long ago to think in an analytical fashion. I believe we are not so different, so I will show you something to build your confidence in us. And you may even learn something from us."
"Such as?"
Bias rubbed his hands like a host with a program.» We will start where you came in."
The morgue had six drawers, a freezer and a glass-faced cooler, all with broken handles beaded with condensation. Bias said, "The refrigerators still work. We had an American pilot from the invasion at the Bay of Pigs . He crashed and died, and for nineteen years the CIA said they never heard of him. Finally his family came and got him. But he was in good condition in his own humidor right here. We called him the Cigar."
Bias rolled out a drawer. Inside, the purple body identified as Pribluda was rearranged: skull, jaw and right foot between the legs, a plastic sack of organs where the head should be. Left open, the stomach cavity released a zoo-like bouquet that made Arkady's eyes smart, and the whole body had been placed in a zinc tub to keep the liquefying flesh from overflowing. Arkady lit a cigarette and inhaled deeply. That was reason to smoke right there. So far, Arkady's confidence was not rising.
"We did have funding promised from our Russian friends for a new refrigeration system. You can under stand how important refrigeration is in Havana . Then the Russians said we had to buy it." Bias turned his head this way and that to study the corpse.» Are you aware of any characteristics of Pribluda that are differ ent from this body?"
"No, but I think that after a week in the water and having body parts switched, most people look alike."
"I was instructed by Captain Arcos not to perform biopsies. However, I think I am still
Bias said, "You have a week more here. You will adjust. It was very enterprising of you to go to Rufo's. Ofelia said you might. She's intuitive, I think."
"I think so, too," Arkady said.
"If what you say is true, Rufo inadvertently killed himself by his own hand during a brief, violent struggle?"
"Accidental suicide."
"Very much so. But that does not answer the ques tion of why Rufo attacked you. I find this very troubling."
"Between us, I'm troubled too."
Bias stopped at the head of a stairway from which rose a sour coolness like the odor of spoiled milk.» The nature of the attack with a knife and a syringe is so peculiar. There was an embalming syringe stolen here yesterday, although I don't understand when Rufo could have taken it. You were with him the whole time, weren't you?"
"I went to the rest room once. He could have taken it then."
"Yes, you're right. Well, it was probably that syringe, although I don't understand why a murderer would choose to use it when he already had a better weapon. Do you?"
Arkady gave the matter some thought.» Did Rufo have any record of violence?"
"I know the opinion of Captain Arcos in this matter, but I have to be honest. Better to say that Rufo had a record of not being caught. He was a jinetero, a hustler. The kind who hangs around tourists and finds someone a girl, changes their money, gets them cigars. Suppos edly very successful with German and Swedish women, secretaries on vacation. May I be direct?"
"Please."
"It is said that he would advertise to foreign women that he had a pinga like a locomotive."
"What is a pinga?" Arkady asked.
"Well, I'm no psychiatrist, but a man who has a pinga like a locomotive doesn't use a syringe to kill someone."
"More likely a machete," Osorio spoke up.
"You can't see many of those. How many people would have machetes in the city?"
"Every Cuban has a machete," Bias said.» I have three in my own closet."
"I have one," Osorio said.
Arkady stood corrected.
Bias asked, "You can't shed any light on this syringe?"
"No."
"Understand I am not a detective, I am not the PNR, I am only a forensic pathologist, but I was trained by my Russian instructors of long ago to think in an analytical fashion. I believe we are not so different, so I will show you something to build your confidence in us. And you may even learn something from us."
"Such as?"
Bias rubbed his hands like a host with a program.» We will start where you came in."
The morgue had six drawers, a freezer and a glass-faced cooler, all with broken handles beaded with condensation. Bias said, "The refrigerators still work. We had an American pilot from the invasion at the Bay of Pigs . He crashed and died, and for nineteen years the CIA said they never heard of him. Finally his family came and got him. But he was in good condition in his own humidor right here. We called him the Cigar."
Bias rolled out a drawer. Inside, the purple body identified as Pribluda was rearranged: skull, jaw and right foot between the legs, a plastic sack of organs where the head should be. Left open, the stomach cavity released a zoo-like bouquet that made Arkady's eyes smart, and the whole body had been placed in a zinc tub to keep the liquefying flesh from overflowing. Arkady lit a cigarette and inhaled deeply. That was reason to smoke right there. So far, Arkady's confidence was not rising.
"We did have funding promised from our Russian friends for a new refrigeration system. You can under stand how important refrigeration is in Havana . Then the Russians said we had to buy it." Bias turned his head this way and that to study the corpse.» Are you aware of any characteristics of Pribluda that are differ ent from this body?"
"No, but I think that after a week in the water and having body parts switched, most people look alike."
"I was instructed by Captain Arcos not to perform biopsies. However, I think I am still
Similar Books
