Hydra Head

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AT EXACTLY 8 a.m. Felix Maldonado arrived at the Sanborns on Madero. Years had passed since he had set foot inside the famous House of Tiles. It had gone out of style like all of downtown Mexico City, the historic center Hernán Cortés had ordered built upon the ruins of the Aztec capital after personally drawing up the plans. This was in Felix’s mind as he pushed the wood-and-glass revolving door, made a full turn, and emerged again into the street. He felt guilty about arriving late for an appointment. He was known for his punctuality. He was the most punctual official in the entire Mexican bureaucracy. Easy, some said, no competition. Extremely difficult, Felix’s wife, Ruth, said, easier to let yourself drift with the current in a country governed by the law of least resistance.

This morning Felix could not withstand the temptation to waste a couple of minutes. He paused on the sidewalk across the street and for a long moment admired the magnificence of the blue- and white-tiled façade of the ancient colonial palace, with its wooden balconies and churrigueresque cresting outlining the flat roof. Again he crossed the street, quickly entered Sanborns, hurried through the sales area, and pushed open the beveled glass door leading to the translucent glass-roofed patio restaurant. One of the tables was occupied by Professor Bernstein.

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