Chapter 23: The Final Blow

With his eyes fixed on the scattered papers on his desk, Alex reached for the coffee pot to pour himself another cup, only to be surprised when not a single drop came out. My God! Had he drunk the entire pot without realizing it? He glanced at his watch and saw that it was nine in the morning. He had now gone twenty-six hours without sleep, and still, he hadn’t found a suitable plan to infiltrate the building Madoff was using for his operations. He examined the building’s blueprints, which one of his agents had managed to acquire within a few hours. The design was indeed complicated, which was likely why Madoff had chosen it. His thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of his phone. He picked it up and answered, "Hello, Bernard."

Bernard replied, "Good morning, Alex."

Alex responded eagerly, "Tell me you have good news!"

Bernard answered, "Absolutely. I managed to convince the electric company to give us copies of the building’s utility bills for the last three months. But it’ll take some time—we might get them tomorrow or the day after."

Alex exclaimed, "That’s great, my friend!" He was startled when the door suddenly burst open, and Frederick stormed in, shouting, "What have you done?"

Alex told Bernard, "I’ll call you back later. Goodbye." He then turned to his uncle, who looked as exhausted as he felt, his face and clothes indicating that he too had gone without sleep. Alex, suspecting he knew what Frederick was upset about, said, "Lower your voice. My mother is still asleep."

But Frederick continued to shout, "Let her wake up and see how her son has turned into such a heartless man!"

Alex rubbed his tired eyes and said, "Alright, so just to make sure I understand correctly, this is about Maya, isn’t it?"

Frederick sarcastically replied, "How wonderful that you’re not pretending to be ignorant."

Alex leaned back in his chair, smiling, "Indeed, I’m not pretending. I’m just amazed at how you managed, in a few short hours, to get the police station to clear her name."

Frederick sat on the edge of the bed and, having calmed down slightly, said, "I made it look like a case of self-defense due to Sam’s attempt to assault her."

Alex raised an eyebrow in surprise and then asked sarcastically, "And what evidence did you use to support that nonsense?"

Frederick ignored the sarcasm and replied, "All the evidence supported my story. First, Sam was the one who called Maya and asked her to come, and the call was recorded by both the prison’s and Maya’s phones. This proves that Maya had no intention of meeting him, let alone killing him. Second, the security officer admitted that he neglected his duty and didn’t confiscate her weapon. This further proves that Maya didn’t smuggle the gun in and, therefore, had no intention of killing him."

Alex spread his hands calmly and said, "So far, I haven’t heard any evidence that Sam tried to assault her."

Frederick quickly responded, "Maya testified to it."

Alex froze in shock. When he had gone to the police station earlier that morning and learned that the charges against Maya had been dropped, he had known that Frederick had covered for her. He had expected this since Frederick had told him he would visit her, so Alex had prepared himself. But he had never imagined that the cover-up would involve Maya giving false testimony to clear herself of a mistake she had made. He smiled bitterly and muttered sarcastically, "So she lied under oath. Such high morals for an officer."

Frederick quickly added, "I was the one who asked her to do it. It was the only way to get her out."

Alex mocked, "Since when does Maya follow other people’s orders? Especially yours. She did it for herself."

Frederick ran a hand through his thick, slightly graying hair and said, "What good is her testimony now? Everything changed when I was told this morning that Major Alexander, her former commander, submitted a request to assess the mental stability of the accused, suspecting she might have violent tendencies. On this basis, she’ll remain in custody until it’s determined whether her actions were driven by a psychological predisposition toward violence. For God’s sake, where did you come up with such a lie?"

Alex, still in shock, repeated, "My imagination? A lie? I’m not like you. What I said is the truth. I found in her file reports from the psychological doctor of the Crimes Unit—where Maya was before she transferred to the Narcotics Unit—showing that Maya had been under treatment with her shortly after her father’s death. The doctor reported that Maya’s mental state was deteriorating; she was depressed, sad, and angry, and she didn’t improve during the sessions. But one day, during a fit of anger, Maya threw a glass of water on the floor, prompting the doctor to temporarily implement a therapeutic method involving the release of anger through violence against objects. Strangely, Maya returned to normal using this method. But the interesting part is that the doctor noted at the end of her report that Maya didn’t stop; she continued to use violence in every situation she encountered, recommending that she be monitored because the issue could escalate and become a characteristic trait. I attached this report to my request, so I didn’t lie."

Frederick mumbled, "Why did you do that? Why don’t you want her out of jail?"

"Prison is better for her right now."

"What about Madeleine?"

"I told Richard to tell her that Maya is on a mission for a few days."

Frederick repeated sarcastically, "A few days!"

Alex replied seriously, "Yes, I know the procedures. She’ll undergo some psychological tests, and then she’ll be released immediately." He raised his eyebrows and added, "Don’t tell me you think she won’t pass these tests." He smiled mockingly.

Frederick said angrily, "Why didn’t you tell me from the start that you wanted her to stay in jail? Why did you make me promise her last night that she’d be out in the morning?"

Alex pursed his lips and answered, "The truth is, I wanted her to be shocked. I wanted your promise to give her hope of getting out, so that when the time came, she’d be devastated to find out she wasn’t leaving. By the way, how did she take the news?"

Frederick replied painfully, "I don’t know. When the officer came to us this morning and told us what was happening, I left immediately to come to you, without having the courage to face her. When did you become so ruthless?"

Alex shouted angrily, "Since she endangered the life of an innocent girl! We all know that if Nina hadn’t left, she’d be dead by now. Maya needs to learn that her actions have consequences. I really wanted her to be tried for killing Sam, but since that’s not happening—thanks to you—I’ll deal with her in my own way."

Frederick asked suspiciously, "Are you really doing this to teach her a lesson, or are you just getting revenge because she still doesn’t trust you and doubted that you were working with Madoff?"

Alex smiled and said, "Stop being ridiculous." Then he fell silent, recalling something, and asked in confusion, "I understand that you managed to cover for her and turn it into a case of self-defense, but what about the surveillance footage that recorded what happened? I mean the footage that shows Maya killing Sam, which proves that there was no assault."

Frederick replied flatly, "There is no footage."

Alex stared at him for a few seconds, then began muttering, "Don’t tell me you…"

Frederick cut him off, "Yes, the footage was destroyed, and a report was issued saying that the surveillance camera malfunctioned and couldn’t record what happened."

Alex gritted his teeth and said, "How much did you pay them to agree to falsify the report? Even the police—you’ve managed to plant greedy traitors among them! This is unbelievable." But then he added sarcastically, "No, actually, it’s believable. After all, this isn’t the first time you’ve falsified facts. If I recall correctly, three years ago, you falsely claimed that the speakers were broken. You’re used to these things, aren’t you?"

Frederick flushed with anger and yelled, "You miserable—"

But a booming voice interrupted him, "Well, now all that’s left is for one of you to kill the other." Both men turned to see Anne standing at the door. She continued in a scolding tone, "In all my life, I don’t recall the two of you ever fighting about anything. What’s happening now? How did a woman manage to make you two fight like this?"

Alex exhaled deeply. His mother was right—he was losing his temper. He gathered the scattered papers on his desk and said, "Excuse me, but I have to leave." He walked out, leaving his confused mother and furious uncle behind.

Alex frowned in irritation. What was causing all that commotion outside? He could no longer concentrate. Suddenly, he heard a knock on his office door. "Come in," he called, surprised to see Sonia enter.

"Ah, so you’re the one causing all that noise in the building!" Alex said in astonishment.

Sonia replied quietly, "The price of fame."

Alex murmured, completing her thought, "And beauty."

She smiled softly, but the smile quickly faded as she asked nervously, "Do you know where Frederick is?"

Alex furrowed his brow and replied, "No, I haven’t seen him since this morning."

Sonia’s face turned pale as her anxiety grew. Sensing her distress, Alex urged, "What’s wrong, Sonia? Come closer. Sit down!" He gestured to the leather chair facing his desk.

Sonia walked over but didn’t sit. Instead, she said fearfully, "I called his phone half an hour ago, and a strange man answered. He told me Frederick was with him and that I should tell you to make a video call to Frederick’s phone because he wants to speak to you."

Realizing that trouble was imminent, Alex wanted to close his eyes and groan in frustration, but instead, he smiled reassuringly at Sonia and whispered, "Why are you so scared?"

She mumbled, "You didn’t hear his voice. It was terrifying."

Alex stood up, grabbing his phone, and said as he walked toward the door, "There’s no need to worry. I’ll call now and see what’s going on."

But Sonia stopped him, pleading, "Where are you going? Stay here! I want to hear the call."

Alex turned to her, studied her for a moment, and then said sincerely, "You might not like what you hear."

Sonia replied confidently, "That’s okay."

Alex walked to the left corner of the room, where a low table surrounded by a few sofas stood—a setup he used for meetings with his team. He sat on one of the sofas, and Sonia followed, sitting beside him. He raised his phone and called Frederick’s number, whispering to Sonia, "Don’t move! I don’t want him to see you." She nodded as Alex answered the call, and Madoff’s image appeared on the screen.

Alex’s grip tightened on the phone as he said, "Why am I not surprised to see you?"

Madoff laughed, "Because you know you’ve wronged me. You promised me you’d control Maya. We had a deal, Alexander."

Alex shouted, "And who broke that deal first? I asked you to stay away from her."

Madoff, showing no interest in admitting his fault, said, "There’s no use dwelling on the past, is there? Let’s talk about the present, where you’ve meddled in things that don’t concern you, or about the near future, where you’ll find yourself in a somewhat difficult position. Which one do you want to talk about first?"

Alex didn’t respond, so Madoff continued, "Alright, let’s start with the present. I was shocked when I found out you sent little Nina away. I admit it was a clever move. I was actually planning to send her back as a lifeless body, a gift for Maya."

Alex sarcastically replied, "Unfortunately, some of us can think clearly."

Madoff agreed, "Yes, you’re right. I do think. I told myself, ‘Maya killed my right-hand man, and Alexander thwarted my revenge plan. How can I hit them both with one blow?’ Then suddenly, I had a brilliant idea. I said to myself, ‘There’s something strong connecting Maya and Alexander—strong enough for Alexander to stand against me for her.’ So, I decided to use the same tactic I used to sever the bond between Frederick and Vaughn. Of course, the plan requires a third party, and I chose dear Frederick to play that role. Oh, did I forget to mention? Frederick is my guest, and he’s in perfect health. Look at him." He then turned the camera toward Frederick.

Alex had told her not to move, but hearing Madoff tell him to look at Frederick made Sonia inch closer to Alex, lifting her head toward the phone. But she couldn’t see anything; as soon as she moved, Alex placed his hand behind her head, pulling her close and pressing her face into his chest. There was no way he could let her see Frederick in that state. Frederick was lying on the floor, his hair disheveled, his face swollen and bleeding. His body seemed to have taken a serious beating. In short, he was in a condition Sonia couldn’t possibly bear to witness.

The camera shifted back to Madoff, and Alex raised the phone slightly to keep Sonia out of view. He couldn’t let go of her or move away; he could feel her trembling in his arms, indicating she had realized that Frederick was in bad shape.

Madoff said, "Here’s the deal, my dear friend. Three years ago, I gave Frederick just a few minutes to choose between you and Vaughn, but since I like you, I’ll give you three full days to decide who you want to save—Maya or Frederick. If you choose your uncle, as he chose you, you’ll personally deliver Maya to me so I can kill her, and I’ll spare your uncle. But if you choose her and betray your uncle, I’ll kill him, and I’ll make sure it happens right in front of you, his sister, and his fiancée. The choice is yours alone, but I want to say that whatever you feel during this ordeal, your uncle felt it three years ago, yet he still chose you. So, return the favor."

Alex’s voice was hoarse as he asked, "So you want me to choose Maya to die?"

Madoff confirmed, "That’s exactly what I want—Maya’s death. I’ll make an example of her for all my enemies. You know, I could easily send someone to kill her in prison, just like I sent someone to kill Cal, but I want her to suffer. I want her to meet the same fate as her father. I want her to feel betrayal and pain, and I want you to suffer too. I want you both to live in hell for three days. Now, do you understand what you have to do?"

Alex replied coolly, hiding the shock he felt, "Yes. I have to choose between Maya’s life and Frederick’s."

Madoff said cheerfully, "You’re such a good student. Oh, I forgot to mention—I have a man watching you. So if you try to search for Frederick, I swear I’ll send you a video of his execution half an hour after you start your search, and I’m sure you won’t like it. So be smart and use these three days to get Maya out of prison and choose who lives. Also, I’ll destroy his phone after this call ends, so don’t bother tracking its signal. I’ll contact you later with the details of the meeting place. Lastly, remember, you’re in this tough spot because of Maya’s reckless actions. Goodbye."

The call ended, and Alex turned to Sonia, who had pulled away, looking at him with a mixture of fear, horror, shock, and disbelief. He couldn’t bear her gaze, so he jumped to his feet, thinking he had wanted things to spiral out of Maya’s control and into his. But he had never imagined that taking control would involve deciding who would live and who would die.