Havana Bay

under a cantilevered entrance by a statue of, perhaps, a seahorse and siren carved from the largest of all whale bones. John O'Brien had visited before, judging by the doormen's zeal.

'The Riviera,' O'Brien explained in a hush to Arkady, as if they were about to enter the Vatican.» The American Mafia built other hotels here, but the jewel was the Riviera.'

Arkady asked, 'What does this have to do with me?'

'A little patience, please. It all fits.'

O'Brien removed his cap as a mark of respect before they climbed the stairs and entered glass doors to a low lobby of white marble under inset ceiling lights spaced as irregularly as stars. Sofas as long as boxcars reached across the floor toward a skylit grotto of elephant-ear ferns. Along one side was the tidal murmur of a bar, at the far end a staircase suspended on wires wound around a stabile of black stone, and a bright haze that was plate glass leading to a pool. O'Brien glided at a reverent pace across the lobby, tassels of his shoes flopping.» Everything deluxe. Kitchen like a cruise ship, beautifully appointed rooms. And the casino?'

One step ahead of O'Brien, Walls opened the brass doors to a convention hall emblazoned with the colorful, forceful logos of Spanish, Venezuelan, Mexican banks. Knockdown displays and charts on easels forecast Caribbean economic trends. Business cards and four-color brochures littered the carpet. O'Brien stopped at a particularly outsized booth with a row of chairs facing a giant monitor.

'It's pathetic,' O'Brien said.» Market projections, rates of interest, capital protection, all languages spoken. Look at this.' He tried to turn on the monitor at the screen.» Hell, it doesn't even work.'

'Maybe this does.' Arkady picked up a remote control from the booth counter and pushed on. At once, images of serious men and women in expensive suits marched across the screen. Dollars, pesetas, deutsche-marks flowed from them like lines of electricity.

'Right,' O'Brien said.» They know how to put your money to work for your benefit around the world, sure they do. The only trouble, this isn't the world. This is Cuba. You know what Fidel says about capitalists. First, all they want is the tip of your little finger, then the finger, then the hand, then your arm and piece by piece all the rest of you. He's made up his mind. So the banks didn't come all this way to make their presentations to Fidel, think about that. Thank you, Arkady.'

Arkady turned the remote off.

'Anyway,' O'Brien said, 'the banks have it backwards. Nowadays people are not interested in a slow accrual of assets. What they want is a jackpot, the lottery, payday. Look around, you can still see it.' He called Arkady's attention to walls of baroque cream and gold, pointing out how the dropped ceiling hid the dome overhead. They were in the painted dome they had seen from outside. If the Riviera was the Vatican, this was the Sistine Chapel. As O'Brien removed his dark glasses and made a slow, complete turn a small miracle happened, the lines on his fine-as-an-eggshell forehead seemed to smooth away and Arkady saw a hint of the redhead O'Brien once had been.» The Gold Leaf Casino. You have to imagine the way it was, Arkady. Four roulette tables, two seven-eleven, one baccarat, four tables for blackjack with mahogany rails, the nap brushed twice a day. Not an ash. Pit manager on a bishop's chair. It was a meeting of two classes, the rich and the mob. The French have a word for it: frisson. A little charge and, by God, it sparkled. Chandeliers lit like bubbling champagne glasses. Women wearing diamonds from Harry Winston, I mean rocks. Movie stars, Rockefellers, you name it.'

'No Cubans?'

'Cubans worked here. They hired Cuban accountants and made them into croupiers and dealers. Taught them grooming, bought them suits, paid them well to keep them honest. Of course, they were still vacuumed for chips at the end of the day.'

Arkady had seen casinos. There were casinos in Moscow. The Russian Mafia loved to strap leather jackets over uncomfortable holsters so they could belly up to a table and lose money loud and big.

'Mind, there was always gambling in Havana,' O'Brien said.» The Mafia just made it honest, with a fair split for President Batista. Batista and his wife got the machines, the Mafia got the tables and there was no more honest operation in the world. Plus, biggest names in entertainment, Sinatra, Nat King Cole. Beautiful beaches, best deep-sea fishing and the women were unbelievable. Still are.'

'It's hard to believe there was a revolution.' 'You can't please everyone,' O'Brien said.» Let me show you my personal favorite, though. Smaller but more historical. America's last stand.'

On the way, as soon as they left the Riviera, they drove by picturesquely rotting houses, the sort Arkady might have expected to find in a mangrove swamp, the pavement rolling over banyan roots.

Arkady asked, 'So, what kind of business have you been doing here? Investing?'

'Investing, consulting, whatever,' O'Brien said.» We solve problems.'

'For example?'

Walls and O'Brien glanced at each other, and Walls said, 'For example, Cuban trucks here need spare parts because the Russian factory that used to produce them is turning out Swiss Army knives now instead. What John and I did was find a Russian truck factory in Mexico, and buy the whole thing just for the parts.'

'What did you get out of that?'

'Finder's fee, costs. You know, I used to think because I was a Marxist that I understood capitalism. I didn't know anything. John plays it like a game.'

O'Brien said, 'I have always noticed that people from the socialist camp take money far too seriously. You should have fun.'

'It's like a second college education being with John.'

'Yes?' Arkady was ready to be educated.

'Like boots,' said Walls.» The Cubans ran out of boots. We found out that the U.S. was getting rid of surplus boots at a dollar a pair. We bought all of them, which is why the Cuban army is marching in American combat boots.'

'You must be appreciated here.'

'I'd like to think that George and I are,' said O'Brien.

'But how do you do that from Cuba? I would think you'd need a third party.'

'In a third country, of course.'

'In Mexico, Panama?'

O'Brien twisted in his seat.» Arkady, you've got to stop being such a cop. Over the years, I have helped a lot of police in your situation, but it's a matter of give and take. you want to know this and you want to know that, but you have yet to give me a believable explanation how you came to stand on the dock of the Havana Yacht Club.'

'I was just visiting places where Pribluda might have been.'

'What made you think he might have been there?'

'There was a map in his apartment and the club was circled.' Which was true, although not as true as the photograph.» It was an old map.'

'Just an old map? That's how you heard about the Havana Yacht Club? Amazing.'

The Hotel Capri was a pocket version of the Pviviera, a high rise but off the Malecon, and no dome or spiral stairs, instead a simple lobby of glassy sounds and chrome furniture. Cubans were not allowed upstairs; they sat and nursed colas as they waited for appointments to materialize, ready to wait all day. The air-conditioning eddied around potted plants.

'I can't get over the coat,' Walls told Arkady.» Do you mind if I try it on?'

'Go ahead.'

Although Arkady didn't want other people even touching the coat, he helped Walls in. The coat stretched a little over Walls's shoulders. He ran his hands along the cashmere outside, the silk lining in, felt the pockets inside and out.

O'Brien watched the fashion show.» What do you think?'

'I think he's a man with empty pockets.' Walls returned the coat.» But nice. You got this on an investigator's pay? Good for you.'

'A good sign for us all.' O'Brien led the way off the lobby and through the doors into a small, darkened theater. Arkady could barely see the stage, steps, speakers and overhead lights with colored eels.» La Sala Roja. It wasn't a cabaret then. It was a better show. Use your imagination and you can see red drapes, red carpet, red velvet lamps. In the center, four blackjack tables and four roulette. In the corners, seven-eleven and baccarat. Girls