Chapter 20: The Beginning of the End

Alex swallowed hard and asked, "When did this happen?"

The prison warden replied, "According to the coroner, it happened after midnight yesterday. The inmates support this, saying they found him like this when they woke up at dawn today."

Alex inquired, "Any witnesses?"

"None."

"Didn't any of the inmates hear any sounds, shouting, or anything?"

"No."

"Any suspects?"

"None."

Alex muttered through gritted teeth, "Damn, this was done by professionals." Just then, he heard a commotion behind the prison door, which soon burst open, revealing Maya, trembling with shock.

She paid no attention to Alex or the warden, rushing instead to a bed in the corner. Standing before it, she shakily lifted the white sheet. She gasped in pain as she saw Kal lying there, staring blankly upward, his pillow stained red from the bullet lodged in his forehead. She remained frozen for minutes, then gently closed his eyes with her fingers, ignoring the warden's orders not to touch the body. Without a word, she left the room, leaving Alex puzzled by her behavior.

Alex opened his car door and got inside. As he was about to start the engine, his phone rang. He dropped the keys and reached into his jacket for the phone, answering, "Yes?"

He heard Bernard's voice on the other end, "Alex, where are you?"

"I just left the central prison building."

"Then come to the hospital."

Alex's voice filled with fear, "What's wrong?"

Bernard replied quietly, "Bob is hurt."

Alex shouted, "What do you mean, hurt?!"

Bernard explained nervously, "Don't worry! He was just beaten up. He has several cuts and bruises on his body, and his right hand is broken. But the doctor said he'll be fine. They'll stitch up the deeper wounds and set the fracture."

Alex sighed, feeling sorry for Bob, then asked, "Why was he attacked?"

Bernard answered, "From what I gathered before Bob lost consciousness, Maya asked him to keep an eye on a thirteen-year-old girl. Today, while he was watching her, a few men showed up and beat him, warning him to stay away from the girl."

After a brief silence, Bernard added with uncertainty, "Does Maya know what happened to Bob?"

"Of course. She came to the hospital a little while ago, insisting on seeing Bob herself to make sure he was alive. Then she left just as quickly as she arrived. But there's something strange about her, Alex. She isn't the Maya we know. What happened to her?"

Alex replied coldly, "Kal was killed today."

Bernard repeated, trying to recall, "Kal?" Then he exclaimed, "Oh, the drug dealer who tipped us off about Sam’s hideout. But what does that have to do with Maya?"

"I don't know, but if you had seen her today when she came to see Kal's body, you would swear something was going on between them."

Bernard sighed in resignation, "Maya is a complicated mystery. Alright, I'll wait for you at the hospital. Goodbye."

Alex put his phone away, muttering, "Yes, she is a mystery, and it's time to solve it." He adjusted his seat to start driving, but his attention was drawn to two men walking toward him through the rearview mirror. He waited until they stood by his car, and one of them knocked on his window.

Alex slowly reached for his gun, then lowered the window. One of the men spoke, "Please come with us, sir. The boss wants to see you." He gestured toward a long black limousine parked a few meters away.

Alex asked, "Who's your boss?"

"You'll find out when you come."

"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me."

"If you don't come willingly, we'll drag you. And it's in your best interest to leave your gun behind; there are men in that car carrying machine guns, sir."

Alex looked at the two men, then threw his gun onto the passenger seat and got out, walking with them toward the limo. He got inside and immediately froze in shock. Right in front of him sat Madoff himself.

Madoff smiled and extended his hand, saying, "Welcome, Major Alexander. I'm pleased to meet you."

Alex furrowed his brow in confusion and worry. Madoff, known as the shadowy dealer who never meets anyone, had come to speak with him? Alex stiffly refused to shake his hand, asking, "What do you want from me?"

Madoff withdrew his hand, saying, "If anyone else refused to shake my hand, I'd cut it off, but I won't do that to you because I know you're a man of principles and values. In fact, I admire you, Alex." Then he added, "You don't mind me calling you Alex, do you?"

Alex muttered, "Why would I? It's just a name."

Madoff's eyes gleamed as he replied, "I swear I like you. You're a rational man. You don't tremble in fear of me, but you also don't pretend to be in control. Tell me, did you hear about Kal’s murder?"

"Yes."

"And about the beating of one of your officers, Bob?"

"Yes."

"Well, do you know whose daughter he was watching?"

"No."

"She’s Sam's daughter."

Alex raised his eyebrows in surprise, repeating, "Sam has a daughter? I had no idea."

Madoff replied, "See how bold that Maya is? She dug deep until she found his daughter. Of course, Kal the traitor must have helped her. Then she had the audacity to use the girl to threaten Sam."

Alex exclaimed in shock, "So it was you! You killed Kal because he helped Maya find Sam's daughter, and you beat Bob because he was watching her."

Madoff replied, "Of course. Sam is my right-hand man, and anyone who threatens him threatens me. I was furious when Sam called to tell me that Maya had found his daughter and was using her against him."

After a pause, Alex said, puzzled, "This doesn’t add up. Kal wasn't a cooperative man. He wouldn't have given Maya such important information."

Madoff responded, "And who told you he gave it to her willingly? Maya was bribing him with money. In fact, she bribed him before when she saved you from Sam."

Alex closed his eyes in bitterness. Why did unpleasant truths always have to come from someone he despised? He opened his eyes suddenly, struck by a strange realization, and angrily said, "Your actions against Kal and Bob weren't just for Sam's sake."

Madoff slowly smiled and said, "You're right. My goal was to shake Maya, to make her feel guilty for what happened to them."

Alex's eyes narrowed as he asked, "Are you the one sending her the black envelopes?"

Madoff replied, "Because I don't like to lie, I'll answer with a yes."

Alex whispered in anguish, "Why?"

Madoff leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, and slowly said, "Do you know how much I lost when she arrested my right-hand man, Sam? Do you know how my image was shaken? Do you know the level of disruption it caused among my men? There are plenty of officers who know about Sam's involvement in drugs, but none of them dared to go after him because they feared me. But she disregarded all of that."

Alex replied provocatively, "I also disregarded it. I was after Sam too."

Madoff responded, "True, but the difference is that she managed to capture him while you failed. And that’s the crux of the matter."

Alex, trying to convince himself, said, "Maya is strong. She won’t be shaken by your pictures and words."

Madoff replied, "I doubt that. I don't just send pictures randomly. I hired a psychologist to choose the images and words that would have the most impact on someone in her condition. Believe me, the pictures and words have stirred a volcano within her, but she’s been holding it back with a thin shell that I'm sure will break after what happened today—and after she sees this." He took a black envelope beside him and tossed it into Alex's hands.

Alex quickly opened the envelope, not giving himself time to think about its contents. He pulled out the photos and looked through them, his eyes filled with pain. These weren't pictures of him, his uncle, or Faan; they were images taken during Kal’s murder. One showed Kal with his mouth gagged, his eyes burning with terror. Another depicted a gun pressed to his forehead, and a third showed the bullet penetrating his head. There were also photos of Bob being beaten with sticks and kicked. But the images that enraged Alex the most were those of Kal with his family, clearly taken before he was imprisoned. In some, he laughed with his wife, while in others, he played with his two children, whom Alex estimated to be about five and three years old. The captions read things like "You caused our father's death," "You made me a widow," "Bring our father back," and "Who will take care of us now?"

Alex looked up sharply at Madoff, who asked, "What do you think? These pictures will destroy her. Who can bear the guilt of orphaning two children and widowing a wife? Certainly not Maya. I actually believe she might kill herself to escape the guilt."

Alex asked angrily, "Have you sent it to her?"

Madoff replied, "I’ll be sending it shortly to the room she’s renting at the hotel. I found out she’s staying there. I have a second copy, so don’t bother tearing up the photos."

Alex tapped his finger on his knee a few times, trying to calm himself, then said, "Let’s go back to the beginning. What do you want from me?"

Madoff replied, "I want one thing only: keep Maya out of my way. Because if I decide to deal with her, I won’t stop until she’s dead, just like her father. Do you know why your uncle is still alive today? I could have easily killed him the day I had Faan murdered, but I didn’t want him dead. For two reasons. The second is that I wanted him to suffer for being the one who chose to let his friend die. But the first, and more important, is that he didn’t bother me as much as Faan did. You see, anyone who annoys me ends up dead, so watch Maya closely, because she’s starting to annoy me. You may go now."

Alex’s only response was to open the door and step out, but he stopped when he saw two photos lying at his feet, which had fallen out when he opened the envelope. He picked them up and looked at them, seeing that one was of Nina getting out of Maya’s car and the other was of Nina standing outside her house.

He crumpled the photos in his hand, growling, "So you’re the one who sent that man to watch Nina!"

Madoff replied, "My goodness! You know about that too? Strange! He told me it was Maya who spotted him, but he managed to escape from her."

Alex exhaled sharply, "Leave Nina alone."

"Don't worry! I don't plan to hurt her. I just wanted to scare Maya, but I won't hesitate if she continues to irritate me."

Alex said grimly, "Don't send that envelope."

"I absolutely will, right after you leave."

"Don't do it!"

"I told you I don't lie, but just to make sure you believe me, I'll swear to you that I’ll send it to her and make sure she sees it, even if I have to pry her eyes open myself. So stay out of the way and let the envelope reach her as easily as its predecessors."

After a pause, Alex whispered, "Fine, but don’t include the pictures of Nina."

Madoff replied, "I will."

Alex shouted, "Madoff, I’ll do anything you want in exchange for not sending the photos of Nina."

Madoff responded in surprise, "Wow... What an offer."

Alex replied urgently, "I’m dead serious."

Madoff said, "Let’s see. First, tell me why you refused to shake my hand."

Alex, regaining his composure, answered, "I don't shake hands with someone who’s used to killing innocent people. Those are my principles, as you said."

Madoff asked, "What if I held a gun to your head?"

Alex calmly replied, "Principles that disappear under threat aren't worthy of being called principles, Madoff."

Madoff leaned back in his seat and said, "Alright, here's the deal. I’ll remove Nina’s photos from the envelope I’m sending to Maya if you kiss the hand you refuse to shake. I promise you that."

Alex remained silent for a minute, lowering his head and clasping his fingers together. Then he raised his head, extended his hand, and looked at Madoff with empty eyes. Madoff raised his eyebrows, unable to believe what was happening. But he placed his hand in Alex’s, who leaned forward and closed his eyes, kissing Madoff's hand willingly. Then he left the car without saying another word.