Chapter 22: Sam

They say that arrogance makes a person foolish! This is what Alex thought as he gazed at a large building in a secluded neighborhood. Arrogance had led Madoff to drop the caution that had once characterized him, and to use a landline to contact Alex, a move that allowed Alex to trace the phone number, which led him to this place. The old building and its dust-covered exterior in this poor neighborhood made it clear to Alex that it wasn’t the residence of the wealthy businessman Madoff, but it could easily be the workplace of the dirty drug dealer Madoff. Alex knew that Madoff would betray him and wouldn’t honor their agreement, but he hoped to beat him to the punch.

There was a strange coincidence: this building was just a few meters away from the residential building where his friends had taken Maya for questioning, where he had first met her. If Madoff had appeared that day, coming out of his building and running into Maya during her escape, she would have killed him, and the story would have ended before it began.

He noticed two men emerging from the building and walking toward a truck parked across the street. He followed them quietly, hiding behind anything that could shield him from their view, until they got into the truck, which then drove off. Perfect! His luck was holding up. Thanks to these two fools, he had easily learned the schedule for the next drug shipment.

Maya sighed as she checked her watch for the second time. Where was this fool? No! She was the fool for coming to him in the first place. But could she really resist? He had called her, saying he had important information she needed to know. She had hesitated at first, but then she remembered that he had once given her valuable and accurate information, and curiosity had taken over. Before she knew it, her feet had carried her to the interrogation room, where she waited for him.

She lifted her head when she heard the door creak open and saw him enter with unsteady steps. He sat down in the chair opposite her, with the table between them.

Sam smiled a sickly smile, saying, "Hello, darling. I missed you."

Maya looked at him, and the image of Cal with a bullet disfiguring his forehead flashed before her eyes, followed by the image of Bob lying on a hospital bed. She replied with venom, "How does it feel to have killed a man?"

He responded dreamily, "It feels exhilarating. It's a wonderful sensation."

She snapped, "You’re despicable."

He laughed heartily and then said, "Well, tell me, how have you been?"

With a pang of guilt, she asked, "What do you want?"

Ignoring her question, he asked, "How’s our friend the addict? Can you believe he hasn’t come to visit me? And I’m the one who introduced him to the delights of heroin! But I’m not mad at him. I know his true nature better than anyone."

Maya stood up, saying, "I don’t know what came over me to come here."

But Sam tried to stop her from leaving. "Okay, okay, Alexander is why I called you here. I don’t want you to trust him."

She muttered as she turned to leave, "Go to hell."

Sam shouted as she opened the door, "Wait! Stop!"

Maya turned her head to him, and he continued, "Just wait a moment. I didn’t want to shock you, so I wanted to ease into it, but since you’re in a hurry, I’ll speak directly."

Maya looked at him silently, and he said seriously, "Alexander is on our side. He’s become Madoff’s right-hand man."

Maya tapped the floor with her high heel, then asked with boredom, "How smart do you think I am, Sam?"

He replied with a sad smile, "I really feel sorry for you. Didn’t you mock me before, only to find out I was telling the truth? I want you to be sure of one thing, darling—I never lie."

She crossed her arms over her chest and challenged him, "Tell me first, why are you telling me this? Aren’t I supposed to be your enemy?"

"Exactly, and that’s why I’m telling you. I want to burn their trump card."

She raised her eyebrows, asking, "Does that mean you’re no longer loyal to Madoff?"

"Officially, I’m still loyal to him, but he’s been ignoring me lately. I’ve wondered why, and now I know. He found a replacement for me—Alexander, the addict. I was really angry and wanted to get back at them both—Madoff for abandoning me, and Alexander for taking my place. But as you can see, I’m in prison, and my idiot men can’t get to smart people like them. Finally, I thought of you. You’ll take revenge for both of us, for you were deceived by Alexander just as I was by Madoff."

Maya pretended to be moved by his words, "An interesting story, but there’s just one problem—I don’t believe a word of it."

He said simply, "I wonder if you’ll still think that way after seeing this." He pulled out a photo from his sock and placed it in front of her.

Maya leaned closer to look at the photo, but she couldn’t contain her shock. She braced herself against the table, unaware of the smile creeping onto Sam’s lips. She stared at the photo, then reached for the chair, pulling it closer before collapsing onto it, as her legs could no longer support her. The photo was one hundred percent real; there was no sign of it being edited. But how? How? How could Alex, her beloved, bow his head in submission and kiss Madoff’s hand? The same hand that killed her father! When did this happen? And why? What did Madoff offer him to make him stray from his path?

Sam seized the moment to say, "I’m sorry, but my informant thought this was the best way to prove Alexander’s betrayal. Think about his behavior recently. I’m sure you’ll find something suspicious." Maya lifted her head, and he continued, pleased to have her attention, "Remember, didn’t he try to dissuade you from searching for Madoff? Didn’t he hint that it would be better for you to give up on revenge? Didn’t he once say that Madoff was dangerous? I’m sure he did."

Maya, in a confused tone, said to herself rather than to Sam, "Yes, he did. He explicitly asked me to stop going after Madoff." She paused, swallowing hard, then continued, "Now I understand how he knew I received that envelope nine hours ago. He said he gave me nine hours to cry over the photos. I wondered at the time how he knew I had them for nine hours, but I dismissed it. Now I understand how he knew I was bribing Cal, and now I understand how he knew every little detail about me. Now I understand why he was so kind to me during our last meeting—he was Madoff’s right hand all along."

Perfect! She was in shock! But that dead look in her eyes wouldn’t achieve anything. He wanted to blind her with anger, to make her incapable of thinking, to drive her mad with revenge. He wanted her to become consumed with the desire to kill, to think of Madoff and realize she couldn’t reach him, then think of him and realize she couldn’t hurt him while he was in prison. Then, she would run like a madwoman to Alex and kill him, which was exactly what he wanted. Sam then said to her, trying to ignite her fury, "Oh, don’t feel sad, darling. Come on, put a smile on your face. Think of someone you love, like Nina. I’m sure you’ll feel happy."

Maya flinched at the mention of her daughter’s name and stiffened. Sam added nonchalantly, "Are you surprised I know her? Oh, everyone knows you’re head over heels in love with your little niece, whom you consider your daughter. And really, no one can blame you for loving her. Who wouldn’t be smitten with such a beautiful, cheerful, red-haired girl? Oh, by the way, I have a question—where did that little one get all that beauty? No offense—you’re beautiful—but you don’t compare to her at all. I’m smitten with her, despite my age. Look," he then pulled out another photo from his sock, this one of Nina smiling with one of her friends, and continued with a sigh, "If you knew how much I paid to have this photo smuggled into prison, but it was worth every penny. Staring at that beauty has helped me so much in my loneliness. I kiss the picture every day before I even—"

He didn’t finish the sentence, unable to get the words out because Maya’s bullet—fired from her gun with a deafening sound—had burrowed into his forehead, sending him sprawling to the floor, dead.

She lowered her hand, still holding the gun, onto the table and muttered, "You’re right, I do feel exhilarated now."

Alex immediately stood up when he saw Richard, Maya’s grandfather, wheeling himself toward him. Richard motioned with his hand for Alex to sit, and he complied, taking a seat on the couch in the reception room of Maya’s house.

After exchanging greetings, Alex said, "I apologize for asking to meet you so suddenly."

Richard responded warmly, "No need to apologize, son. I should be the one apologizing, as I have nothing to offer you. No one’s home right now—Madeleine has a hospital appointment, and Nina went out to lunch with your friend Crick. If you want something to drink, feel free to help yourself, son." He gestured toward the kitchen.

Alex quickly said, "Thank you. Actually, I’m glad no one else is home."

Richard adjusted himself in his seat, saying, "It doesn’t sound like what you have to say will please me."

Alex pursed his lips and said, "Unfortunately, it won’t."

Richard sighed with a knowing look, "What has Maya done? Tell me the truth."

"She killed a rather dangerous man a few hours ago."

"And where is she now?"

"She’s fine. She’s currently at the police station."

"Did the man she killed deserve to die?"

"Without a doubt."

"Then where’s the problem?"

Alex replied slowly, "The man she killed was Madoff’s right-hand man."

Richard’s eyes narrowed as he repeated, "Madoff!" He then added, "So she’s in danger, then."

Alex calmly replied, "No, not her—your granddaughter, Nina."

Richard furrowed his brow, asking, "Why Nina?"

Alex responded uneasily, "Because they know how important she is to Maya. They’ll seek revenge by hurting Nina."

Richard asked with growing anxiety, "What do you mean by ‘hurting Nina’?"

Alex answered bluntly, "Killing her. Nothing short of that will satisfy them."

Richard’s voice trembled with fear, "What do we do, then?"

Alex spoke pragmatically, "We send her away."

"How?"

"My father is a pilot, and he’s currently in another country. I’ll send her there with Crick, where they can stay with my father until we resolve this situation."

"When?"

"Today. There’s a flight leaving in two hours."

Richard asked hesitantly, "What if they’re watching her and find out she’s leaving?"

Alex reassured him, "Don’t worry. For now, she’s safe, and no one’s watching her. They’ll figure out she’s gone eventually, but they won’t know where. I’ve made all the necessary arrangements, but everything depends on how quickly we act."

Richard asked, "What about her? Did you tell her?"

Alex answered, "Crick is telling her now. As for Madeleine, I’m worried about her health, so it’s better not to tell her anything about Maya. Just tell her that Nina is going on a school trip or something like that."

Richard lowered his head for a moment, then said, "Alright, I agree. Let’s get started." Alex stood to leave, but Richard stopped him, saying, "Wait! What about Maya? Did you tell her that Nina is leaving?"

Alex responded coldly, "No."

Richard objected, "You have to tell her. She has more right to know than I do."

Alex indifferently said, "We’ll tell her, then."

Richard asked anxiously, "What if she refuses to let Nina go?"

Alex replied arrogantly, "I said I’ll tell her, not that I’ll ask for her permission. I don’t care whether she agrees or not—Nina will be on that flight in two hours, no matter what."

Maya didn’t hear the door open or the footsteps approaching her. She only noticed a shadow cast over the table in the interrogation room where she was handcuffed. She lifted her head and saw the last person she expected to visit her—Frederick!

Frederick said cheerfully, "How’s prison?"

Maya responded angrily, "Did you come to gloat? Sorry to disappoint you, but I haven’t been to prison yet; I was in the holding room."

Frederick, sitting in the chair opposite her, said, "That’s because I ordered them not to. I threatened to stop paying taxes if they put you in prison."

Maya raised her eyebrows, asking, "Why?"

Frederick replied simply, "Because I won’t allow Faan’s daughter to set foot in prison, even if she kills half the city."

Ignoring his answer, she asked, "Who told you?"

Frederick enthusiastically said, "John called me. Oh, you should’ve seen my surprise when I watched the surveillance footage. Poor Sam, he was so happy before that bullet decorated his forehead." He then burst out laughing.

Maya said dryly, "I don’t find it amusing."

Frederick stopped laughing and stared at her, asking, "Are... are you feeling guilty?"

"No."

"That’s great. Believe me, Faan would have been proud of you for killing that one-eyed man. He hated him."

"Yes, but that won’t happen because you killed Faan."

Frederick fell silent, but he wasn’t angry as he usually was. After revealing the truth to Maya and Alex, the topic of Faan’s death no longer hurt him. He had realized that his guilt didn’t stem from what he had done to Faan, but from keeping it a secret from others. So, he smiled and said, "You’ve joined the ranks of killers now."

Maya replied confidently, "Oh, Sam isn’t the first man I’ve killed. I’ve killed dozens before him, the last being two men I killed to save your nephew."

Frederick clarified, "No, my dear, there’s a difference. Before, you were killing for a cause, like any officer—it was your job. But today, you killed for yourself. That makes you a murderer. By the way, how did you get in with a gun? As far as I know, weapons are prohibited in the interrogation room."

Maya answered honestly, "The security officer didn’t ask me to remove it, so I walked in with it."

Frederick muttered, "Now you’ve cost a poor man his job."

Maya responded indifferently, "It’s not my fault if he’s negligent in his duties."

Frederick said, "I don’t blame him. He was probably so mesmerized by your beauty that he forgot what he was supposed to do."

Maya rested her elbow on the table. The Frederick sitting before her now wasn’t the angry, sorrowful Frederick she had encountered recently. He was more like the old Frederick, her father’s friend, whom she had enjoyed talking to. Feeling nostalgic for those days, she decided to play along, saying, "If Sonia heard you, she’d kill you."

Frederick smiled gently, saying, "If there’s anyone Sonia wants to kill, it’s you." Then he stood up, removing his black jacket and tossing it over the back of his chair.

Maya asked suspiciously, "What are you doing?"

Frederick looked at her and then exclaimed, "Oh, did I forget to mention? I’m staying here with you until morning when you’ll be released on bail after the paperwork is done. I wanted to get you out today, but they told me you have to spend the night here for routine reasons, so I won’t leave you alone."

Maya said in a strange tone, "Frederick!"

"Yes?"

"Do you realize that I intend to kill you soon?"

"Yes, I’m aware."

"Why are you trying to get me out of jail, then?"

Frederick explained, "First, because Madeleine would be horrified if she found out you were in jail. Second, because I can protect myself from you—you won’t be able to harm me."

His words reminded her of a question that had been on her mind from the beginning, so she asked, "Does Alex know that I killed Sam?"

Frederick replied, "Yes, and he watched the footage with me."

Maya closed her eyes in pain. So, he had heard what she said about him. She murmured sadly, "That’s why he didn’t come to see me—my words hurt him."

Frederick leaned back in his chair, speaking seriously, "He left after watching the footage without showing any emotion or saying a word. But the truth is, your words about him were painful. They hurt me, so imagine how he felt when the words were about him! How could you doubt him for even a second? How could you believe Sam when you knew his only goal was to destroy you? How could you believe that Alex was a traitor? And even worse, how could you believe that he would work with someone as vile as Madoff? I’m willing to believe that everyone in the world is a traitor, but I’ll never believe that Alex is one. Alex is purity and goodness itself."

Maya, trying to justify herself as guilt overwhelmed her, said, "After I calmed down, I thought it over and realized I had wronged him. He would never have joined Madoff. But the picture blinded me from thinking clearly at the time."

Frederick, trying to console her, said, "I know. I saw the photo and was truly surprised by Alex."

She asked quietly, "Did you ask him why he kissed Madoff’s hand?"

"No. I told you, he left without saying anything, but..." He was interrupted by the ringing of his phone. He pulled it out of his pocket and answered, "Hello, Crick."

After listening for a moment, he handed the phone to Maya, saying, "Crick wants to talk to you."

She took the phone, saying, "Yes?"

Crick’s voice came through, "Hi, Maya! How are you?"

"I’m fine."

He quickly and nervously continued, "Okay, there’s no time, so I’ll get straight to the point. You killed Sam, which will anger Madoff, and we believe he’ll try to get back at you through Nina. So, I’m taking her away until things settle down."

Maya tried to process what he was saying, then asked in disbelief, "When? Where?"

"We’ll stay with Alex’s father in another country. Actually, our flight leaves in half an hour."

She shouted, "Half an hour! You’re joking, right, Crick?"

He replied, "No."

"How dare you make such a decision without telling me?"

"I’m telling you now."

But she continued to scream, "Who gave you the right to act on your own?"

He didn’t reply, but she heard him say to someone nearby, "Hey! She’s lost it. I told you I didn’t want to talk to her." But her eyes widened when she heard a gruff voice respond, "Hang up."

So it was Alex’s idea. How had she not thought of that? Of course, no one would dare do something that concerned her without her permission except him. She told Crick, "Give me Alexander."

Crick replied after a moment, "Uh, he’s a bit busy."

But she had already heard Alex say after Crick told him she wanted to speak to him, "I don’t want to hear her voice."

Crick said, "Goodbye, Maya, we have to go now."

She pleaded, "Wait a minute! Where’s Nina? I want to talk to her."

She heard Crick say, "She wants Nina," then heard Alex reply, "She won’t talk to her. Hang up." Crick seemed to be trying to say something, but the call was abruptly cut off, and she realized that Alex had ended it.

She stood staring at the phone for a moment, then threw it against the wall, screaming, "Damn you!" The phone shattered into pieces on the floor.

Frederick raised his eyebrows in surprise, whispering, "Oh my God! Sonia is going to be mad. She gave me that phone less than a month ago."

Maya glared at him with eyes blazing, saying, "Did you know Alexander sent Nina away?"

Frederick answered honestly, "No, but I think what he did was the right choice. Madoff will try to get to her. Calm down, Maya, and think this through."

Maya stared at him, then slumped back into her chair, saying after a long silence, "He wanted to hurt me, didn’t he?"

"Excuse me?"

"Alexander! He could have protected Nina here if he wanted to. He could have prevented anyone from getting to her without the need for her to leave, but he did this to hurt me. He did it to show me that I’m no longer in control, that the situation has slipped out of my hands, and that things are no longer going the way I want them to. And unfortunately, he’s right."