‘You remember the notation in Lavander’s book about Midas? It said ‘lgr. Ghawar.’ Remember that?’
O’Hara nodded.
‘O’Hara, Ghawar is the largest oil field in the world. It’s in Saudi Arabia. Maybe Midas is an oil field and the ‘lgr.’ means larger than. Larger than Ghawar.’
‘Which would make Midas the largest oil field in the world.’
‘Right!’
‘Well, where is it?’
‘I don’t know the answer to that one.’
‘You just can’t hide the largest oil strike on earth.’
‘Maybe the Magician’s turned something up,’ she said. ‘I’ll check the message desk.’
‘Wait,’ O’Hara said. ‘When you find the Magician, I just want you both to get out of Tokyo. Get the Howe satellite van and drive down to Kyoto tonight. I’m going on ahead by train.’
‘Can’t we all go together?’
He shook his head. ‘I’ve made arrangements to talk to Hooker. The sooner I get there, the better.’
She touched the bruises on his throat. ‘You’re sure you’re all right?’
‘I’m okay. I just want you two out of Tokyo. Besides, the answers aren’t here, they’re at Dragon’s Nest.’
She kissed him lightly on the lips. ‘Look, I’ll just check the desk...’
‘I’ve got to go,’ he said, ‘or I’ll miss the train.’
‘But—’
‘I’ll make reservations for you at the Royal Hotel. You should be there by morning.’
‘But—’
‘Just check out the van, round up the Magician and do it.’ He kissed her on the cheek.
‘But—’
He was gone.
God, she thought, he’s maddening the most impulsive man I’ve ever met. She went to the desk and checked both her messages and O’Hara’s. There was an urgent message to meet the Magician at a street whose name she could not pronounce. She rushed out to try and stop O’Hara, but he was gone.
‘Shit,’ she said aloud and hailed a cab.
The place was near the waterfront, do.vn a dirty rut road that led across the railroad tracks and past a coal shack. The place was a dump, an overgrown lean-to with a red, white and blue sign that said ‘Harry T. ‘s.’ Rusting metal beer signs pockmarked the place, while behind it the sprawling Bridges shipyard obscured the bay.
The Magician was standing near the door of the place with his hands in his pockets looking forlorn. The sleeve of his Suit was torn loose and there was a large rent in his pants.
‘My God,’ said Eliza, ‘you look like an eighteen-wheeler backed over you.’
‘Worse,’ he said.
‘Worse?’
‘Worse. I got attacked by a bear.’
‘By a bear?’
‘I’ll tell ya all about it. Where’s the Sailor?’
‘He got this hot flash. He went to Kyoto. We’re supposed to meet him there tomorrow night.’
‘Shit. What am I doin’ here?’ the Magician said to nobody in particular and looked off into space shaking his head. ‘The last thing I needed was that fuckin’ bear, I’ll tell you that.’
‘Magician, what in hell are you talking about?’
‘What happened is, I was doin’ these waterfront bars down here tryin’ ta get a lead on Red Bridges. I mean if there’s one, there’s fifty bars down here. I was just hopin’ to, you know, luck into something, I am, after all, a piano player, not fuckin’ Front Page Harry.’
‘Maybe the next time there’ll be something you can do on the piano.’
‘I can piss on it, if it’s anything like the piano in there,’ he said, jerking his gloved thumb toward Harry T’s. ‘Anyway, they’s a lot of American sailor types around here, workin’ these yards, and everybody is telling me if I want info on Bridges, I need to talk to Kraft American.’
‘Who?’
‘Kraft American.’
‘Is that somebody’s name or what you had for lunch?’ “It’s the guy’s name, okay? What do I know. So that’s how I wound up here.’
‘Why here?’ asked Eliza.
‘Because Kraft American owns the joint.’
