Alexander picks up the package from the table, goes into his office, and opens it. It's a folder containing various security camera photos. There's also a CD on which Strauss recognizes Tadeus, dressed formally, walking through the crowd at the airport until he boards a plane. The video goes black until Tadeus reappears, exiting a boarding gate where a couple of men approach him, and then at the airport exit where the three of them get into a black van. Next, there is a video from a hotel lobby where Tadeus receives a key. He looks lost as he exits the elevator until he opens a room door. The video goes black again for a few seconds until footage reappears of him leaving half an hour later, ending with the exit of a man in a suit about ten years older, with shoulder-length hair and a thick beard.
Alexander tries to get more information about that man, but Claire has no answers. Robert hears a loud crash from the kitchen and decides to peek into his boss's office to make sure he's okay when he notices the crack in the glass door.
The first thing he sees when he slides open the door is a cell phone with a cracked screen lying on the floor; then he looks up to see Mr. Strauss with both hands resting on the desk, reviewing a stack of documents — Robert, please ask Tadeus to come down immediately.
— Right away.
Tadeus watches Alexander walk around the office for a few seconds until he takes a couple of steps and manages to see what's on the desk — Did you want to talk?
— Room 609 — says Alexander. Tadeus looks at him, somewhat confused — I want you to explain this to me.
— I didn't do it to make you suffer.
— Does that mean you have a reason?
— I don't remember anything about that night.
— You're unbelievable — says Alexander with a look of disgust, unable to stop the tears from spilling from his eyes as he sighs. Tadeus starts tearing up some of the photos — Stop it, what are you doing! Who is that man, huh? — Alexander grabs Tadeus by the neck with his left hand and tries to take the photo away with his right — Is he your boss? — He can't stop the destruction, so he uses his right hand to help strangle him — What's your relationship with that man? Answer me! — Alexander notices that Tadeus is blinking slowly and the grip on his wrists is loosening, so he decides to let go. Tadeus falls to his knees on the floor, where he breathes deeply and coughs for several seconds until his vision adjusts enough to make out his surroundings.
— I love you so much that I could forgive your lies. I'm trying but the fact that you shared your breath with someone else disgusts me to the core!
— No… I didn't — he says as he gets up from the floor — I promise you I'd never do something like that to you; it wasn't something I enjoyed doing — Tears fall as he cups Alexander's face in his hands; he closes his eyes, trying not to flinch when he feels Alexander's hands on his chest.
— I wish I didn't love you so much… — Alexander grips Tadeus' shirt with both hands and rests his forehead against his chest to cry because he doesn't have the courage to try again.
— Please… Forgive me, my love — sobs Tadeus, embracing him — Don't suffer, don't waste your tears… I promise I love you.
Alexander pulls his face back slightly to look him in the eyes without breaking the embrace. Tadeus nods, wiping away the trail of tears with his thumbs, and gives him a quick kiss on the lips. Alexander looks down, to which Tadeus responds by kissing his forehead a couple of times and hugging him again.
"One of these days he's going to kill me."
<><><> MAY <><><>
Yenedith wipes the last dish and puts it on the shelf — I really appreciate your help, but I think it's okay if you stop coming.
— Mrs. Fount…
— You don't owe us anything. We know what kind of job our son had, and it hurts me to remember it every time you come here — says the woman.
— Oh…
— I don't mean to offend you.
— Don't worry, I'm leaving now — Yenedith grabs her purse and leaves the house, holding her breath — To the Puerto Espejo residence, please.
— Yes, miss — Edgar replies as he starts the car.
The young woman opens the apartment door, enters the room, and lies down on her brother's bed, crying until she falls asleep.
The next morning, Alexander pulls up in front of the residence, rolls down the car windows, takes a cigar out of the glove compartment, and starts looking for the lighter. — I was hoping you'd come with me — says Tadeus before opening the door. Alex grumbles with the lighter in hand, to which Tadeus says — Fine, then come back in a couple of hours.
Alexander nods — I'll be out here waiting for you.
— That long?
— What, are you waiting for someone?
Tadeus sighs wearily and gets out of the car. When Alexander sees him walk past the gate, he dials Claire's number to meet her in the park behind the apartment complex. — Did you find anything?
— He used a card with the ID number of someone who died years ago to check into the hotel. The people Tadeus is involved with must be in a similar position to you if they have access to that kind of information.
— I want you to give me that man's name, Claire. I don't give a damn what name he used to sleep with that son of a bitch!
— So now it's my fault that an escort let you down?
— He wasn't an…
— Yeah, right — She laughs. Alexander looks away and exhales sharply through his nose — Strauss… What did he tell you? — He shakes his head and looks away. She notices the tears welling up in his eyes.
— I feel like he's telling me the truth, but in bits and pieces.
— If you really thought he'd been honest with you, you wouldn't still be looking for answers.
— He's scared.
— You're the one who's terrified of accepting that man used you when the opportunity arose… in fact, maybe it was all a ploy from the start.
— Focus on getting everything you can from the man at the hotel.
— I wasn't finished speaking — says Claire, pointing to her briefcase and beginning to show some photographs of the man conversing at what appear to be parties — He goes by the name Jade. I ran his photo through some contacts in Scotland, and it seems he's a mafia boss in several cities in France. He also runs a human trafficking ring in Switzerland.
— Did you say Switzerland?
— I managed to find out what he was doing at Necker by talking to some Italian bosses — when Claire says this, Alexander remembers seeing the journalist exchange a few words with that man after dancing in the center of the room. Indeed, one of the group photos taken that night of several people shows Tadeus in the background in his gypsy costume, chatting with Jade — He was also at the auction accompanied by some dancers who later reported him for abuse because of the bite marks he left on both of them. Didn't you say Tadeus had similar marks?
Alexander exhales through his nose and holds his breath for a few seconds as his tears well up again — But… — he sighs, taking a deep breath to control his expression as emotion spills from his eyes.
— You can't keep denying his connection to the Swiss mafia.
— Not now, Claire — he says, rising from the bench.
— There are videos of him looking for something at your old house, Alex! And right after that, Dove suddenly disappears, the only one who could have seen him on the cameras before the incident, cameras that, by the way, we never recovered. She was silenced. Leonard might have discovered something. Didn't you say he saw Tadeus once when he went to your house?