Read Online Havana Gold by Leonardo Padura - Free Book Online Page A

of the coin. Apart from
the one old debt and their years as friends, the Count muttered, as he downed a big gulp of luscious rum.
    â€œThis place is real quiet, isn’t it?”
    â€œThey gave a house to the people in the front room and it’s quieter than a morgue. Just listen to that silence, pal.”
    â€œJust as well.”
    â€œWhat’s up then?” asked Candito leaning back in his chair.
    The Count downed another big gulp of rum and lit a cigarette, because it was the usual scene: he never knew how to broach with Candito the fact he wanted him to act as his informer again. He knew that despite friendship, discretion and the business of doing an old friend a favour, his jobs went against the strict, street ethics of a guy like Red Candito, born and bred in that dicey tenement where macho values excluded from the onset any kind of collaboration with a policeman: with any sort of police. So he decided to put out a few feelers.
    â€œDo you know a young lad by the name of Pupy, who lives in the Settlers Bank building and rides a motorbike?”
    Candito looked in the direction of the kitchen curtain.
    â€œI don’t think so. You know, Conde, there’s two worlds in this place, rich little boys and street kids, like me. And it’s rich little boys who drive Ladas and ride motorbikes.”

    â€œBut it’s only three blocks away.”
    â€œI may know him by sight, but he don’t ring any bells. And don’t measure life in blocks: those people live the life of Riley while I have to try every trick in the book to get my wad. Don’t put me in the shit. You know what the street’s like. Anyway what’s this fellow been up to?”
    â€œNothing so far. It’s to do with a crime and a half I need to solve. An ugly crime. Murder,” he said finishing his drink.
    Candito poured out some more and the Count decided to get to the point: “Red, I need to know if there’s a drug scene at Pre-Uni, marijuana, specifically, and who’s supplying it.”
    â€œIn our Pre-Uni?”
    The Count nodded and lit up.
    â€œAnd they’ve done someone in?”
    â€œA teacher.”
    â€œNasty . . . And what’s the deal?”
    â€œWhat I said . . . The night they killed her they smoked at least one joint in her house.”
    â€œBut that’s got nothing to do with Pre-Uni. I expect they got it somewhere else.”
    â€œFucking hell, Red, who’s the policeman here?”
    â€œEasy, pal, take it easy. I’m just telling you: I don’t reckon Pre-Uni has anything to do with this.”
    â€œThe connection is she lives near here, about eight blocks away, and Pupy was her boyfriend, though it
seems he was falling out of favour. I tell you: if someone’s pushing dope in the barrio, it can get to kids at Pre-Uni.”
    Candito smiled and indicated he’d like another cigarette: his fingers were now crowned by long, sharp nails as befitted a cobbler.
    â€œConde, my Conde, you know every barrio has its pushers and it’s not only dope that’s in the air . . .”
    â€œNaturally, my friend. Find out from people in the barrio if anyone at Pre-Uni is buying: a woman teacher, a pupil, a caretaker, whoever. And find out if Pupy smokes pot.”
    Candito lit his cigarette and took two drags. Then stared into the Count’s eyes, stroked his moustache, and smiled.
    â€œSo pot hits Pre-Uni? . . .
    â€œYou know, Candito, that’s another thing I wanted to ask you: was it around in our day?”
    â€œAt Pre-Uni? No. There were two or three hotheads snorting lines in those parties when the Gnomes or the Kents were playing, or people popped pills and knocked back rum – remember how those parties ended up? It was sometimes around, but one joint between a hundred. Blond Ernestico handled some in his barrio.”
    â€œErnestico, you’re kidding?” the Count reacted in a state of shock as he recalled