Caray, Caray!

At the rendezvous cafe, Adolfo receives the cash briefcase and waits impatiently for Susana, sprawled in the street with the blackmail booty, unbeknownst to him who doesn't care enough to learn what the sirens and noise are about.

Leonardo visits a retirement home and hears from a former Ávila theater troupe member the name of Inés Hernandez, a wardrobe mistress who might know about the death of Márta. Meanwhile from his apartment, Roberto phones Mario's house and is startled with news Susana left their employ.

At a television studio warehouse, Leonardo finds Inés wedged among vast row upon row of floor-to-ceiling costume racks, where she confides she never thought Santiago killed Márta. He wouldn't hurt a flea, she claims; but reluctant to hurt the daughters, demurs until Leonardo prompts that Márta was pregnant at her marriage.

Then the wardrobe mistress admits Márta ran around; and the troupe owner supposedly fathered one child, whereupon Leonardo deduces in surprise the child must be Carlos! Inés continues, implicating a rich man in Márta's succeeding pregnancy, who abandoned her -- leading Santiago to step in and marry Márta.

She plans to meet Leonardo for coffee after delivering costumes to the set. Wasting around at the rendezvous cafe, Adolfo phones here and there fruitlessly to locate Susana, as the ambulance arrives behind him to take her away. Back at the studio cafetaria, Inés relates a tale of a dust up over a costume belonging to Márta.

Márta became miffed one day to have to retrieve her costume from Yolanda Rey's dressing room; and then later both Yolanda and Adolfo showed up at wardrobe, incensed the dress was missing. Leonardo is fascinated to learn the dress was covered with stones, used in the South American tour and disappeared after Márta's murder.

At Mauricio's studio, he explains to Elsa his quick one-day trip to the beach to sign the contracts, before they all go at the weekend. When she hedges to back out, Mauricio insists he's going to need her; Caramelo will have fun, and everything will be fine if she meant what she said about Juan José, reassuring Elsa.

Later at Leonardo's apartment, Julieta learns he's a widower and that Paula is ten; and when she avers she'd enjoy taking care of his daughter, Leonardo hesitates until Julieta assures him she likes Paula -- and cares very much about he himself. Comprehension dawning, Leonardo smiles and returns the sentiment, thanking her.

They laugh at his insistence that Julieta's going to get good and tired of Paula over the next month; but when she asks what if he's wrong about that, he gives her a thoughtful look and declares easily that then he'll marry her, making Julieta giggle happily.

That evening at Juan José's, he sits morosely in the dark, smoking and listening to the neighborhood dogs howl. Enter Asunción, snapping on the lights and discovering Juan José's bleak problem: Dora returned but refuses to testify. Asunción encourages him to seek Leonardo's help to open Dora up.

Presently Elsa phones about taking Caramelo to the beach; but Juan José's preoccupied and will talk to her later, hanging up to rush out to see the policeman. Across town at Adolfo's, Bertha descends attired in a fetching little black dress, and he admires how she fills it out.

Bertha reports a Susana phoned earlier; and he easily denies it was the Genovés maid, claiming the caller's just a business partner. Pouring them identical whiskies while Adolfo appreciates the view, Bertha reminds him that he has only to ask whatever he wants of her.

He agrees, but only in case of the utmost importance -- and only if she wants to, with no strings attached. He adores having her there at his house and giving her whatever she needs; she knows that, he contends. Looking into her eyes, Adolfo makes Bertha smile, declaring he likes her so very much!

At his apartment Leonardo is just startling Ramón with the news that Márta is also the mother of Carlos Ávila when the bell rings and it's Juan José, who in turn startles Leonardo to report that Dora is at the hospital. He explains his problem of her reticence, and Leonardo immediately agrees to convince her it's better to talk.

Back at Adolfo's, phoning Roberto for news of Susana, Adolfo surprises him with the end run they made, cutting him out -- except Susana never showed. Adolfo orders him to round her up and get back with her location. Adolfo hangs up, gulping pills before bed.

Alejandra waits for Juan José at home while keeping company with Caramelo congenially this time. They sweetly compliment each other, Alejandra shyly admits to being Juan José's girlfriend, and then she helps Caramelo with her homework.

In the ICU waiting room, Leonardo finds Dora but has no more luck with Dora than Juan José; she's firm that no one else will be hurt, and furthermore if the letter turns up, she'll deny it. Not even the threat of calligraphic proof will persuade her to say anything that might possibly hurt David more or the family.

Leonardo must yield to Dora's tearful terror and is just comforting her when Gabriela appears announcing she thinks David's breathing is improved, and Dora rushes off to see him. Alone together, Gabriela also has no luck making Leonardo talk on what information he's gathered about the woman, Márta.

Apologizing, he prepares to leave, but not before remarking how great Julieta's been with Paula and he wonders how to repay her. At Juan José's, Asunción regales Alejandra and Caramelo with tales of his one hapless beach foray when Juan José returns, and Caramelo bribes him with $15 pesos to let her uncle travel to the beach.

Alejandra and Juan José think uncle and tyke have retired, so they nuzzle and snog, enticed by the itsy bitsy bikinis in Alejandra's shopping bag. Watching them gallop off up the stairs, though, Caramelo was eavesdropping; and when asked why her aunt Elsa never did so, Asunción can only shrug it was just stupidity.

Upstairs, Alejandra thrills Juan José with the festive scraps of fabric and is just going to try them on when the phone rings, and it's Garnica in the extortionist guise. Juan José seems resigned at first to learn from the uncultured voice that it turns out he now needs double the amount -- or no letter.

Garnica just laughs on his end at Juan José's growing fury, demanding the names of the perpetrators; but Garnica only makes the same deal and arrangements as last time and hangs up. Alejandra's incensed Juan Jose's thinking of paying the money and begs him not to be bled until dry. Juan José agrees that would happen.

But he won't go to the police; so when Alejandra learns Juan José thinks he saw a black SUV during the first drop, a light bulb goes on, and she offers -- why don't they record it! She owns a video camera with a five-hour capacity. He makes her laugh fantasizing it would be fabulous to video her in the bikinis.

In the ICU, Dora watches over her son, when suddenly there's a slight movement in his right hand -- and then his head. David's eyes are struggling to open, as she gasps his name and runs for the nurse's station to shout the miraculous news. Dozed off in the waiting room, Gabriela awakens and rushes to the ICU.

She clasps his hand, his eyes open, and he can see her face. Dora is ecstatic! Back on the street outside Mario's, Adolfo drives up and takes Édgar aside, flashing cash and directing him to a street corner meeting in 20 minutes. Furtive Édgar appears at the appointed time and place for an offer he apparently can't refuse.

The closer he gets to that thick pad of cash, the more loyal to Adolfo he becomes, until he's thoroughly co-opted to work for him, stashing the cash in his suit pocket. He's to remain on the job and spy on everyone, especially Mario. At your service! And he'll be well paid, Adolfo assures him, the cash eliciting a smile.

When Elsa picks Caramelo up at Juan José's for shopping, she's suspicious of Asunción begging off the beach trip to take care of unspecified "things" for Juan José. At the ICU, "Mario" has to make excuses to Gabriela for Santiago's failure to appear, despite David's recovery, and then he exits to visit his "son."

In the waiting room, Julieta introduces the idea to Gabriela that there could possibly be something between her and Leonardo, and Gabriela's tickled to hear it. While in David's room, Santiago feels it's time to introduce David's mother to him. He surprises David first with the news that she's alive; and a good woman.

It's better she talks to you herself, Santiago says, turning toward the door. And oh yes, she's Dora!

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