Topaz - Leon Uris [126]
The most violent part of the speech was directed against the “treachery” of the Organization of American States and he swore to inflame revolution throughout Latin America.
“Even now!” Castro cried, “our beloved compadre and the most trusted lieutenant of the revolution, Rico Parra, is on a secret mission somewhere in the Caribbean.”
Parra’s absence, already speculated upon by the journalists present, further brought their attention to the conspicuous absence of one of Cuba’s leading figures. “Also missing from the demonstration was an intimate of Rico Parra, Juanita de Córdoba, known throughout Cuba as ‘The Little Dove.’ ”
Michael Nordstrom cleared Customs. “Let’s get in to Paris,” he said grimly to André.
“No,” André answered firmly. “I want to know it now. I borrowed an office here.”
Mike procrastinated. He seemed trapped and unwilling ... a man who had rehearsed a speech during his flight over and over.
“I know the worst has happened,” André said abruptly.
“Yes.”
“I could almost hear her cry out to me two nights ago in some kind of terrible agony. I haven’t slept much since I returned from Cuba. I didn’t at all last night. It was as though I knew your message was coming and I had to wait up for it.”
“All right,” Nordstrom said. “Let’s get it over with for God’s sake.”
Mike sat on the edge of the desk in a small office gesturing with his hand, rubbing his face and sighing over and over again. André closed the door, shutting out the hollow echoes bouncing off the marble floors and the whine of the jets. He settled in the only extra chair and waited for Mike.
“You know the Casa de Revolutión?” Nordstrom asked.
“Yes. On the Bahía del Sol. It once belonged to the De Fuentes family. You remember Pedro de Fuentes. He was one of the best ballplayers who ever came out of Cuba. He was the one who first interested me. Anyhow, Rico Parra took the villa away from the family.”
“André,” Mike sputtered, “you don’t know how rough the rest of this is going to be.”
“Damn it, Mike. I know Juanita and Parra were together there and they weren’t playing Chinese checkers. Now, let’s hear it.”
“Muñoz got orders to do away with Parra for complicity in allowing you to escape Cuba. Further orders, to make Juanita de Córdoba talk. You know Muñoz. Nothing clean and merciful about that butcher. The Casa was turned into a prison with two prisoners, Juanita and Parra.”
Mike related just what had taken place. André hovered close to collapse until Mike’s words became unreal ... dreamlike.
“One of the G-2 men by the name of Jesús Zapata became revolted by Muñoz’s brutality. He searched around Havana for a contact on our side. Zapata felt the story had to be known. Do you know Karel Vasek?”
“Heard the name ... I don’t remember ...”
“Vasek is a Czech engineer. Been in Cuba over a year in charge of a bridge-building program. He started working with British Intelligence six months ago. Vasek and Zapata set up their future meeting places.
“Parra was a tough cookie,” Nordstrom continued. “His brains were so scrambled from the beating he reverted to idiocy. In the end he never knew what was happening. Juanita was half-crazy from being forced to watch the atrocities on Parra. I don’t have to spell out what Muñoz did to him.”
“No ...”
“With Rico dead, Muñoz was going to start on Juanita. With a knife. Zapata came into Havana desperate. Vasek gave him a cyanide capsule. He was able to slip it to her. It was the only merciful thing to do. Before Muñoz could lay a finger on her, she died instantly and peacefully.”
“Thank God for that....”
“André, are you going to be all right?”
“Yes ... I ... I am. You see, Mike, if that beautiful woman’s life meant