Part 7 (2/2)
Rafi pressed his chin to his chest looking down, feeling his mid section as though to make sure.
”No, I don't think so. It seems all right.”
”We went up on that roof,” Moran said. ”You were gone.”
”Yes, I hope so. Luci help me to get down. Maybe without her, I don't know, I may not be here. She was the one take me to the hospital.”
The waitress brought Moran's beer, half the bottle poured in a gla.s.s with a foamy head. He said, ”Thanks,” still looking at Rafi and let the gla.s.s stand on the table.
”You know where she is?”
Mary's eyes, mildly curious, moved to Moran and waited for his reaction as she heard Rafi say, ”Luci? I didn't see her after that war. But, I didn't hear anything happen to her either.”
Moran seemed to accept this calmly enough. Mary had thought he'd be sitting on the edge of his chair. He said, ”You knew I was taken prisoner.”
Rafi hesitated, somewhat surprised. ”Is that so? No, I didn't know that. And they release you?”
”The same day,” Moran said. ”I found out later a guy from the Peace Corps worked it out.”
”Ah, that was good.”
”But I got a chance to talk to her. It's funny, I remember I asked about you.”
”Me?”
”She said you were alive and would be okay. She told me your name...”
”Yes?”
”But I forgot it. She brought me a beer...”
Rafi seemed to relax. ”Yes, she was very thoughtful of people. And very brave.” He sipped 107.
his drink, placed it on the table again as though in slow motion, a thoughtful expression on his face. ”You come all the way here to find Luci Palma?”
”No, not really,” Moran said. ”I wanted to see Santo Domingo again. As a tourist this time.”
”It's much bigger now,” Rafi said. ”You live where, in what state?”
”Florida. Pompano Beach. It's about fifty miles north of Miami.”
”Pompano,” Rafi said. ”Is a nice place?”
”George owns the Coconut Palms,” Mary said, ”a very exclusive resort.”
”Yes?” Rafi appeared thoughtful again, nodding. ”I think I heard of it. Like the Fontainebleu in Miami? Very big place, uh?”
”Not as big,” Mary said, ignoring the look Moran was giving her, ”but much cla.s.sier, if you know what I mean.”
Rafi brightened. ”A sw.a.n.ky place, uh?”
”That's it,” Mary said. ”It's got a lot of sw.a.n.k.” She gave Moran, shaking his head slowly, a look of wide-eyed innocence.
Rafi was saying, ”Perhaps I can be of help.” It brought them back. ”Find out for you where Luci Palma is.”
”Well, I doubt if she's still here,” Moran said.
”Yes, if she's still here in Santo Domingo she must know about you. Everyone seems to,” Rafi said. ”So I think she live someplace else. La Romana, Puerto Plata . . . There isn't much mobility among the Dominican people. I can find out for you.”
”I don't want you to go to a lot of trouble though,” Moran said. ”I'm curious about her, that's all. She seemed like a nice girl. Very eager, you know, full of life. I hope nothing happened to her.”
Rafi looked at his watch. ”Let me make phone calls, see what I can do.”
As he finished his drink and got up Moran said, ”Really, it's not that important to me.”
Rafi said, ”Put it in my hands,” gesturing, glancing at his watch again. ”Now I have business to do. I'll call you later.” He gave Mary the hint of a bow. ”And I hope to see the buddy of the Marine again. It was a pleasure.”
He was walking off. Moran rose. He said on impulse, ”How about dinner later? If you're free...”
Rafi made a circle with his thumb and index finger. He waved and was gone.
Moran sat down.
Mary said, ”I'm surprised he didn't click his heels.”
”Your Dominicans are very polite people,” Moran said.
Mary gave him a look. ”Tell me about it.”
”That's right, you have one at home, don't you? You see his Rolex?”
109.
”He'd like you to think it's a Rolex, but it's not.”
”How do you know?”
”I know gold, George. I have some of that at home too.”
He sipped at his beer in silence.
”If she's in Santo Domingo, fine. But I don't want to go chasing all over the country.”
”Then don't.”
”Yeah but, what if he busts his a.s.s, goes to a lot of trouble, finds out she's in Puerto Plata ...I don't want to go to Puerto Plata. I'm really not that hot about taking him to dinner.”
<script>