I'm
Christopher Mason. War is not only something fought between nations
or religions. It happens on Wall Street, on Main Street, in back
alleys, and in living rooms. The latter two theatres of operation
are just as competitive and bloody in outcomesas the first two and
there is always collateral damage. The declarations of war don't
have to be formal to qualify for that description.
I'm
Candice DeLong. I've seen many examples of both kinds. There are
usually multiple battles and in the end noboy wins.
Violeta and her mother tried to tell the police they were making a mistake
but they were cuffed and taken in.
Quiróz
came to Alejandra's office to tell her that all the drums held human
remains, so she had taken an extremely serious risk in entering the
place. They were sure that this room was used by a cartel. They
found a smaller room where her father may have been held and were
dusting it for fingerprints. He told her she had to keep her
distance from the investigation from this point on.
El
Cuevo alerted El Ciego to the police discovery of that location. El
Ciego was amused at the possible reaction when the police opened the
drums and speculated on the victims' identities. He said they were
going to stay where they were. Then he lost his cool, began throwing
things, including a chair, and demanded to know the names of all the
police involved. He then demanded a beer.
We're
not sure it helped him calm down.
Quiróz
told Alejandra he would be talking to Vega and Javier. She told him
she would stay out of the investigation and he apologized for getting
tough with her. She told him she understood. However, the look on
her face when he left her office indicated that this may not be the
case.
Violeta
told the arresting officer that there had to have been a mistake; she
was driving her husband's car. He told her she would have plenty of
time to tell the district attorney. She could not understand why
they were arrested and the officer said he had just been doing his
job, as the car had been reported stolen. Aurora was frightened.
Violeta told her this should be resolved quickly.
Somehow
I think not. This sounded like her husband had been on a covert
operation.
Juan
went to see Rafael, who was feeling bad and like a prize fool. Juan
tried to calm him down. He gave him the letter from Mónica. He
opened it up and read it. It was an apology for an act of
desperation that she now knew had been wrong. She said he was a good
man who didn't deserve this and she hoped that he would someday
forgive her. She had never experienced as much love from anyone
else as from him and she hoped he would be happy one day.
He began
to cry. He thanked Juan, who then left.
Violeta and Aurora were locked in a holding cell. Violeta had found out that
the car had been reported stolen only minutes after they had left in
it. Aurora said it had to have been a mistake. Violeta told her
that Andres did not answer his cell phone and that there was no
answer at the house. She had been told that they had to locate
Andres. Aurora thought that this would get them out. A female clerk
came to tell her that her husband was there. The two women thought
that this would end it.
These
women need to learn how to connect the dots. A theft report minutes
after they left in the car is not a coincidence.
Victoria
entered Alejandra's office to congratulate her. She seemed genuinely
happy for her. Alejandra told her that while it might be a little
fast, they were making up for lost time.
Andres
told the assistant DA that he knew that his wife had the car but that
they had been having major problems. He said she was very violent
and that they had had a huge argument the previous day which ended
with him saying he wanted a divorce. That afternoon they had argued
again, complete with threats and insults. She had forcibly taken the
keys to his car and therefore stolen it. The ADA told him that this
was very serious and he said that she had threatened to throw him out
of the house so how was he going to defend himself? He asked if it
was theft for her to take the car by force and she said, that it
usually was. He therefore intended to press charges against Violeta for grand theft auto.
This,
of course, is completely the opposite of what happened when Andres
practically shoved the keys into Violeta's had. He had set her up to
be arrested for a felony. His motive for this should be very
interesting.
Ricardo
and Alejandra talked about their (separate) evening plans. She was
going to hang out with Victoria while he was going to Gustavo's new
apartment. She told him that her mother was having a little party
that evening. He wondered if she would miss her mother when she
moved in with him. Ricardo liked that Paula was active and enjoyed
life. Alejandra said she was ready to move out of her mother's house
and start a life with him.
Violeta wondered what was taking so long and where her daughter (Sol) was.
She didn't like the idea of Andres having brought her to the police
station but Aurora thought that better than leaving her with someone
they or she didn't know. Violeta saw the sense in that and said that
when they got out she would explain everything to the child. The ADA
approached and told her that her husband had just left. He left
because he was filing charges against her for having stolen the car.
They had a sworn statement with his signature. Violeta said this was
absurd and the ADA told her that until this matter was cleared she
would be in the women's prison. The ADA recommended she find a good
lawyer. She left them in the cell, Aurora praying as both cried.
These
ladies are likely to be in that cell long enough to think of many
possible reasons this is happening. The most likely one is that
Andres is looking to shed Violeta without having to pay alimony or
child support. I wonder whether he thought about what Aurora or Sol
might say in court.
That
evening El Ciego was drinking as his two goons prepared to leave for
the club. He was not in a good mood and reminded them that the owner
who treated them politely worked for El Gringo. It could be a trap.
They left and El Ciego finished his drink.
Ricardo
and Roberto went to Gustavo's new apartment. Not very large, but the
neighborhood was quiet and he said that would be all he needed at the
time. They sat down to pizza and beer.
Paula
and her friends drank to Alejandra's future with a good man They
started talking about planning the wedding. Paula told her she had
not really been prepared for this day, but that all that matters is
that she's happy. Victoria was sure that their relationship would
not change.
More wine. Lourdes told Alejandra that they would take
good care of her mother. Alejandra asked Alicia about her husband;
she answered that he had not returned yet but she would let her know.
Lourdes then suggested that they have a party in her new apartment.
Alicia's
husband had still not returned. What did that mean?
El
Chivo took his seat and the club owner instructed someone to bring
him a glass and a bottle. El Cuevo came in and joined him. He
spotted some thugs on an upper level and called El Ciego, telling him
he was right. El Ciego said he wanted to see them run like rats.
Then he ended the call and went back to his book.
The
club owner came out to find El Ciego's goons very much gone from
their table. He had the waiter clear it and then began looking
around.
The two were in a back room smashing bottles before setting
a molotov cocktail in progress.
The flames shot up almost
immediately and they knew their escape route.
Ricardo
told the other men how much he was looking forward to spending the
rest of his life with Alejandra. He hadn't proposed marriage yet
because he didn't want to rush things. Roberto told him he had to be
sure before he found himself in a noose with a ring that imprisoned
him. He was joking, as he said he knew that Alejandra was the right
woman for Ricardo. They drank to this as Roberto was going to leave
to pursue more game.
El
Ciego's goons got out
and it looked as though nobody else was able
to. The police had passed by them as they made their escape in the
white van.
It
looked like they left no evidence of themselves in the storage room
with the alcohol, but did they think at all about witnesses?
Two
beers later Gustavo told Roberto and Ricardo about how he had met
Isabel. He had seen her in a restaurant when he was dining with a
client. He could not stop looking at her and didn't notice that his
client had left. He sent her a drink and a note via the waiter. The
note said that if he lost his work it was because he couldn't stop
looking at her. She came to his table, they talked, she gave him her
number, and they began dating. He said that when you find the right
partner, something in you knows. Ricardo was sure that Alejandra was
his. They drank to this.
Early
the next morning Alejandra and Paula saw the news story about the
fire at the club. More than fifteen people died, thirty injured, and
five seemed to have disappeared. The exits had been blocked and
there was no other avenue of escape. This sounded very strange to
Alejandra.
El
Ciego and his two goons celebrated this with breakfast beer,
mentioning the number of dead and that it wasn't their fault if there
had been no emergency exits. The police had no evidence that they
did it. “And if there's a problem I've got a good lawyer” he
said. “And at least now El Gringo knows who's boss.” They drank
to that.
El
Ciego could be delusional, because this war didn't look like it was
over. While El Ciego might be an arms smuggler he wasn't likely to
know everyone who had bought his goods.
While
they laughed, El Gringo hiding out in an abandoned hotel. He was
getting an injection for his pain while the club owner watched. The
doctor (if he was that) advised him that he had inhaled a lot of
smoke, which accounted for the pain in his lungs and that he should
be in a hospital. El Gringo refused, as the police would be likely
to look for him there. The doctor left and the club owner handed a
bottle of cold water to El Gringo, who figured out who was
responsible for this. And what he intended to do to him.
Gustavo's
clients came back to the office and said they could not bring
themselves to bring a lawsuit against their son. Gustavo said that
no parent is prepared for anything like this. He encouraged them to
talk to their son. As he was alive there was the possibility of
mending their relationship with him. He recommended redacting the
power of attorney so this could not happen again. It was an easy
procedure. He would draw up the documents and call them when they
were ready. After they left he looked at a photo of Luis. Alonso
came into his office to update him on the police discovery.
El
Gringo coughed some more and sat up with assistance. He told the
club owner he wanted him to kill El Ciego and his goons. He was also
to find Michel and say that he wanted to see him. El Ciego would
regret what he had done.
Juan
went to the car dealership and signed the finance papers. The
salesman handed him the keys, rang the bell to announce a sale, and
saw him into his new car, which he drove away.
A
gentleman with grey hair entered Alejandra's office unannounced, as
he had gotten past Carmen. He told her that he was the father of the
child she was trying to take away from him and she had no right to
demand a DNA test. Carmen offered to call security but Alejandra
said not to. Carmen left them in the office and this man got on her
case about the DNA test. She asked why he was afraid of it if he was
sure he was the baby's father. He was intent on maintaining custody.
Alejandra told him that this would be decided by a judge. If the
DNA test said that her client was the baby's father there was nothing
he could do about it.
This
man sounds like he has a Henry VIII complex.
Violeta and Aurora, now learning that khaki was the new black, were escorted
into their cell in the women's prison. Violeta tried to explain to
the guard that this was all a mistake and she needed to get out to
take care of her daughter. She wanted a lawyer. She had the money
to pay one. The guard was blasé as they tend to be after a while and
said she'd see what she could do.
Alejandra's
visitor was not satisfied with this, saying that her client had
interfered with their marriage. She stood firm. Her client was very
sure he was the father of the baby and had a right to the truth. She
recommended that he get a lawyer. He became argumentative as he was
leaving and was getting more aggressive as Ricardo entered and stood
between them. He made sure Alejandra was alright and she explained
what happened.
Carlos
and Alan moved into their new offices. He took out the framed photos
of Alejandra and talked with Alan about getting her back. He seemed
to realize that he might not. Alan talked about her someday finding
out the whole truth before leaving Carlos alone in his new office.
Alejandra,
in the meantime, talked with Ricardo, who wanted her to start moving
her things into their new apartment.
Marital
conficts are often just as ugly as organized crime. It's the
innocent who hurt the most in the end.
True.
A newborn baby boy with two grown men fighting over who owns him,
Violeta's daughter caught in the middle of a disgraceful conflict,
both at risk of money being the deciding factor in the outcome. Most
definitely not a recipe for a happy future in which neither will have
a say. These cases will cause tears of blood when they get to court.
It's their personal nature that makes them worse than what happens
between criminals fighting a turf war whose participants at least are
old enough to know what they got themselves into. Both sorts of
situations can lead to tragedy. Until next we meet Behind the Walls
of Justice, I'm Christopher Mason.
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