"I read the papers, I watch TV," Garcia said. "Your name was familiar to me."
"I want to find Cordova, talk to him."
"Not arrest him?"
Stone shook his head. "The police don't consider him a suspect. I just want to find out what he knows about that night."
Garcia nodded sagely. "There are some difficulties here," he said.
The waiter arrived with their lunch.
"What difficulties?" Stone asked.
"Tijuana is a difficult place, even for someone with my connections. And maybe Senor Cordova doesn't want to talk to you. That would make him harder to find."
Stone read this as a nudge for more money. "Can you find him?"
"Probably, but it will take time and effort."
"I'm quite willing to pay for your time," Stone said.
Garcia pushed a huge forkful of lobster into his mouth and chewed reflectively. Finally, he swallowed. "And if I find him, then what?"
"Arrange a meeting," Stone said.
Garcia chuckled. "You mean a nice lunch, like this?" He waved a hand.
"I just want an hour with the man."
"How, ah, hard do you wish to talk to him?"
"I don't want to beat answers out of him, if that's what you mean."
"Are you willing to pay him to sit still for this, ah, conversation, then?"
"Yes, within reason."
"I am not reasonable," Garcia said. "I will require five thousand dollars for my services, half now and half when you see Cordova."
"I don't have twenty-five hundred dollars on me," Stone said. "I can give you a thousand now and the rest in cash when we meet Cordova."
Garcia nodded gravely. "For a friend of Rick's that is agreeable."
Stone took a stack often one-hundred-dollar bills from his pocket, folded them and slipped them under Garcia's napkin. "When?"
"Within a week or so, I think," Garcia replied, pocketing the money.
"You have my number."
Garcia suddenly looked at his wristwatch. "Oh, I have to run," he said, standing up. "I will be in touch." He turned and walked back into the hotel without another word.
Stone finished his lunch and paid the check.
Chapter 29
As Stone walked back into the Calder bungalow at Centurion, he could see Betty in her office, leaning back in her chair and waving the phone. "It's Joan Robertson, in New York," she called out.
Stone went to Vance's office, picked up the phone, and spoke to his secretary. "What's up?" He asked.