Caray, Caray!

Prisoners can be very strange, but then people are strange. That's what keeps me in tobacco and booze. – Dashiell Hammett

Eugenio gave Dario orders to have his men kill Maria José and to dispose of the body. Dario resisted, but Eugenio would not let him off the hook. He was forced to make the phone call and give the order in front of Eugenio. He told Domingo to get Gustavo in. He looked at Eugenio as he ended the call. “Perfect. You aren't the idiot you appear to be. Advise me when this is completed.” He then left.

A few moments later Dario drove away in his car. He called Domingo back, but he had left his phone on a table as he and Gustavo grabbed Majo from her bed. She was bleeding from the side of her mouth from an earlier blow. They forced her down the stairs and out of the building. Dario got Domingo's voicemail. He did not leave a message.

Victoria phoned Fernanda to get her a plane ticket to New York for a morning flight. She then told Elisa she needed to go. “Your sister is not well; I have to go to New York to see what is going on.”

“We three can go,” Leo suggested. He looked at Elisa. “In about two days. I'd like to go to New York and you can deal with Chiapas in the morning. Remember you asked me to go with you?”
“Tomorrow?”
“Yes; tomorrow.”
“Oh, yes; I forgot.” She then suggested that they go in two days after she and Leo return from Chiapas.

Dario made another attempt at calling Domingo. No answer again. He did not leave a message. He floored the accelorator and kept his eyes on the road.

Leo and Elisa were alone.
“It was the only thing I could do to buy time to rescue your sister,” he whispered.
“How much longer will they detain her?” Elisa asked. “It won't be much longer before they realize we've deceived him.”
“My men have a safe house ready for when we have a rescue plan.”
“Yes, but can we do this in two days?”
Victoria returned with the maid before he could answer. She had Martita put the coffee tray on the table.
“Coffee?”
“Yes, thanks,”

“Or do you need more time to figure out what lie to tell me? I'm not a fool, Elisa. Surely you made an agreement with Majo to fake all this. I need to know what is going on with your sister. Is she pregnant?”
“What? No, Mother. Not at all. Look, Mother, I think we should go to New York in a couple of days with Leo.”
“Yes; I think it's a good idea. You can connect with her then have a good time.”
“Sounds like a good idea to me,” Elisa said.
“Yes; sounds good to me, for a few days. I don't want to leave your sister alone for too much time. It's that Renata is –”
“The family nutcase,” said Renata as she came down the stairs. “Let me give you the timeline. At the age of fourteen I was diagnosed with juvenile schizophrenia. I was on medication for four years, right Mama?” Victoria gave her a look that could kill. “Then the doctor said 'No,' that what I had was a personality disorder. And therefore now, that I'm crazy.”
“Renata, this is not funny,”Victoria said.
“No? No, Mother, no it isn't funny. It's horrible. It's horrible so I prefer to hide it. But Leo is Elisa's lover, so he's almost family.” She looked at him. “If you want to hear all the horrible crap about this family I'll br happy to tell you.”
“You'd be better off upstairs,” Victoria said. “I'll see you up to your room.”
Renata dodged her and ran up to Leo and Elisa.
“Take my advice. Marry Elisa and take her far away from here. Nobody is happy in this family.” She whispered “I never am” as she pointed to herself. However she was smiling.

Domingo and Gustavo dragged Majo out of their SUV and a few steps away into the woods. They threw their crying captive on the ground. She got to her feet and pleaded for her life as Domingo took out his pistol.
“Why do you think you're here?” he asked her/ “Because your family doesn't want to pay.”
He cocked the pistol to move the shot into place. She started to whimper like an abused dog.
“Shut up,” he said. Gustavo stared through this. Majo began screaming for help. Gustavo laughed.
“Scream all you want,” he said. “Nobody will hear you.”
Dario's headlights appeared.
“Where is El Cobra?”
“Think!” Gustavo taunted, pointing to his own head. “He gave the order to kill you.”
Majo cringed. Domingo taunted her further.
“You think you can escape? I'm going to count up. One. Two.” She started to run. “Three.” He fired a shot in the air. “I'm coming after you, little doll.”

Renata went on about Leo needing to know the family was dysfunctional. Victoria was losing her patience, but said nothing until Renata said “That's how we live in this house, this hell. And this hell was made by you, Mommy.”
Victoria stood up with a murderous expression. Elisa touched Renata who recoiled yelling “Don't touch me, don't touch me!” Elisa backed off. Renata backed away from her. Leo stepped in front of Elisa.
“Don't touch me!”
“No, don't worry. I need a bit of fresh air. Would you like to come with me? Please?”
Renata paused, then laughed like a flirtatious teenager.
“I adore you.”
“Let's go,” he said. He looked at Elisa, saying they would be outside for a few minutes. Victoria remained silent until they were out of the room.
“Good God, Elisa. I swear I don't know what to do with your sister. I'm going to have her committed.”
“Enough, Mother! You're not going to do anything. Understand that what she needs is affection and understanding.” She followed Leo and Renata outside. Victoria was shocked.

Majo ran from her captors. Despite refusing food for so long she ran fairly fast. She stumbled and fell on the uneven ground. As she got up a shot came in her direction.

It glanced off a tree. Domingo and Gustavo ran faster; they almost caught up with her. Some of their breath was wasted on their laughter.

“Adios, pretty one.”

“Are you alright?” he asked.

“Your house is beautiful,” Leo said.
“No, don't deceive yourself,” she said. “This house is a hell.” She laughed briefly. “My mother is dying because at this moment she thinks I'm revealing terrible things.” Her eyes looked wild.
“Terrible things about your family?” he asked in mild disbelief.
“You know what the best thing is about being the oldest? That I learned many things!” She almost looked like a child who thought she knew a big secret she was told not to tell.
“Really?” he asked. “Then tell me so I can understand. Tell me.”
She motioned for him to come closer. He did. She then put up her hands to stop him. She laughed. “No, no. I like you for my sister. I don't want to send you running.”
“Terrible things?”
Renata looked at him in a flirtatious way and said “You love her. You're in love with her. I see that in your face. Not sure about her. I talk much faster than I think but I always tell the truth.”
“You and your sister... she talks a lot about you.”
“What did she tell you?”
“That she admires you. You are brave, you always try to win in spite of everything you have confronted.”
“Is that what my sister told you, that she admires me?”
“Yes,” he said, nodding.
She smiled. She seemed to believe every word.

Nieves looked at her daughter,. seeing that Clara had had a bad day. She told her mother that she had seen Leo at the Cantú household and that its mistress treated him as though he were the best catch of the year. Justino called to Nieves, so she didn't hear more.

Dario drove out of the woods. Majo was in the shotgun seat, hugging herself in fear.
“You were going to kill me.”
“Don't think that.”
“What are you going to do with me?”
“Take you to a safe place. Nobody will hurt you there.”
“I've been kidnapped...” A police siren was heard from nearby. Dario saw that he was driving right into a roadblock. It was too late to turn back.
“Who thought of this stupidity?” he asked himself.
Majo wiped her eyes and kept her hand in front of her mouth. Dario stopped at the line and a cop asked to see his license. The cop handed it to another to be checked.
“Whom are you with?” he asked Dario.
“My girlfriend,” he said, not looking at the cop, who looked over at Majo.
“Miss, are you alright?”
“Yes,” she said, looking him in the eye. She kept her hand in front of her mouth.
“Are you sure?” he asked.
“Yes. We were on our way home.”
The cop handed back Dario's license.
“Okay. You can go on your way.” He had the others wave them through. They drove through without further incident.

Elisa came out of the house after Renata had gone back in.
“Leo, I don't know what you said to my sister or how or what you talked about, but after talking with you she hugged and kissed me. She never does these things.”
“That makes me happy.”
“I feel content.”
They could not embrace as they wished to. Victoria came out.
“So we will go tomorrow,” Victoria said.
“Tomorrow?”
“Didn't you say you were going to Chiapas tomorrow?”
“Yes, first thing.” She looked at Leo. “You'll be here first thing, my love?”
“Of course. I have to go to prepare. It was a pl
easure to see you, Ma'am. Good night.”
“Good night. Take good care of my daughter.”“Of course.”
Leo and Elisa said their good nights and kissed. Victoria pretended to be pleased.

Dario stopped the car when they were a safe distance from the roadblock.
“Why didn't you turn me in to the police? I killed.”
“You killed.”
“Why does it matter to you what happens to me?”
“You saved my life.” She looked away from him. “I think I am crazy for not telling the police. In spite that you betrayed me and no matter what you've done, I'm with you.” He said nothing. She looked out the window. “Where are we, the safe-house?”
“It's my home,” he said. “We will rest there tonight.”
“Why only tonight?”
“Because someone is looking for me all over and could find you at any moment.”
“And you? What will happen to you?”
|He got out of the car. She got out on her own.
“Why did you save me?”“When we go into the house I don't want the neighbors to see us.”
“Will I go in? Why did you save me?”

He said nothing. He took her hand, unlocked the gate, and led her inside. There he closed a door, led her to his room, turned a photo face down, and told her to try to rest. He said he would get her a change of clothes so she could take a shower or bath.

“You risked a lot for me. Nobody ever did anything like that. Never.”

He left the room without another word. She closed the door and looked at the framed photo he had put face-down. It was of a boy, most likely a photo of himself. She lay down and then noticed a bulletin board on his wall filled with pictures of the stars.

The following morning when Elisa and Leo were on their way José Luis called.

“We found two dead men in the woods. They appear to be two of Maria José's kidnappers. No trace of their killer. We're in the {???} zone.  Everything indicates that Maria José is missing. We have to look for her.”
“I will be right there.”
As he ended the call Elisa asked what happened. She was almost as agitated as Victoria had been. He explained what happened and that they didn't know where Maria José was. He told her to calm down. It was possible that Maria José had escaped.

Gilberto spoke to Eugenio to tell him that two of Dario's men were found dead.
“What does Dario say? Did you talk to him?”
“I've been calling him but he hasn't answered.”
“And Maria José? Did they find her body?”
“They found two men but her? No. We don't know anything.”
“Damn it.” Eugenio ended the call. He was equally unsuccessful in reaching Dario.
“What did you do, imbecile?” he asked the empty room.

Leo and Elisa arrived at the crime scene. Adriana told her that they believed Majo had been with the two dead men, but they knew nothing about her whereabouts. José Luis said they were not likely to find her near. They speculated on whether the killer or killers had her. Adriana went to check on the hiding place. Elisa began crying, worrying that her sister was dead.

Majo woke up in Dario's room. When she opened the door she heard voices. Dario was talking with his mother, telling her not to worry. Majo opened the door to the room. Dario had no choice but to introduce them. Piedad jumped to the conclusion that Majo was Dario's girlfriend and began asking her enough questions to impress the Spanish Inquisition.

A purse was found at the crime scene and Mario got something from the GPS signal. They identified the location of the kidnappers' safe-house. Elisa was still upset so Leo told Adriana that they should not show her the purse just yet. They all went to their cars to go to the safe-house.

Leslie was being cyberbullied. A series of nasty messages appeared on her phone. She called one of the creeps and got his voicemail. Affter leaving a tearful message she lay down on her bed. She could not shut out the messages from her mind.

José Luis and Leo led a SWAT team into the safe-house. No one was there, but Elisa found and identified some of Majo's clothes. Leo concluded that she must be alive. (Sam Spade might have thought otherwise. – D.H.) Adriana found Domingo's cell phone. José Luis was sure that they were very close. Adriana then called Leo back.

“We received the reports from the border patrol and there was no record of Julia Alvarez' passport. The U.S. authorities also have no registration of a visa. She never left the country.”

Majo left Piedad's room and told Dario that she was asleep.
“Your mother is very nice. Does she know what you do?”
“I had to disappear for a while. The police found out where I was. We had to leave. They could find us at any time.”
“How are we going to disappear? What about your mother?”
“She will have 24-hour nurses with her.”
“And I? What will I do?”

“You will go back to your home, your life, and forget what happened.”

“Forget? Do you think I could forget all this?”

“You have to do it. If it helps, you can think of it as a nightmare.”

“And will you also forget?”

“Get ready.”

He left the room. She was confused once again.

Leo and Elisa prepared to leave for Chiapas. No calls from the police department meant that there was no new information. She had gone along with him to his mother's house to pick up his things. Sara regarded her as a gift from Heaven because she was worried. She asked if he could help her with Leslie, who had been in her room all day. Leo knocked, she tried to refuse to talk to him. He entered anyway and promised not to tell her father. He sat down and asked her what happened.

Dario and Majo left his house.
“This is then end. You will be returning home.”
“I want to help you.”
“Help me? You? Do you know what that means?”
“We can start over from zero. I can help you. Tell me how. Tell me what I have to do.”
“Forget about me.” He mumbled something inaudible and caressed her face before shouting at her to go. She left.

Leo told his niece about the pain of his first breakup. He told her he healed by talking about it. He suggested she talk about this with her mother and grandmother. She wasn't in line with that, but he seemed to get through to her. Sara was giving a similar pep talk to Elisa and telling her not to lose faith. Leo came down the stairs to tell his mother about Leslie. Nieves arrived at that moment of family therapy looking her usual downcast self. She became angry at the sight of Elisa and would not accept Leo's word that she was helping solve Julia's murder. Not only did she refuse to believe this, she insulted Elisa openly.

“And you? You should be ashamed of yourself. You enter my house with lies, bore yourself at our grief. My daughter died with this man's child in her womb. Did you know? Answer me! Did you know? Who do you think knows who killed your father? Do you think he was messing aroun with my daughter? Haven't you any shame?”

This provoked Sara to defend Elisa and an argument began between the two women. Eisa tried to speak. Nieves refused to listen and walked out after insulting everyone in the room.

Sonia went through Eugenio's desk, finally pulling out a document.

“This girl is going to change your life,” Piedad said. “It's obvious. You have feelings. Why are you sad?”
“It's the same as ever, Mother.”
“Son, please. Why did you send her away if you are in love with her? I used to know everything about you. I'm your mother.”
“Mother, I have to go away for about three months.”
The reason for that began pounding on the door. He took his pistol and left the room.
“What happened? Dario, what happened?”

Leslie took her purse and started to leave. Sara was still awake and stopped her.

Leo took Elisa to Fernanda's apartment.
“Is it true what Julia's mother said? Julia was pregnant?” Leo nodded silently. “I am so sorry.”
Leo cleared his throat and changed the subject.
“I'm going to the station to see if there is any news and get some thing.”
“Can I go with you?”
“No, you need to rest. It's been too much for one day. You have handled this very well. If Maria José is still alive, it's thanks to you.”
“Never did I think that telling El Cobra you were my lover would solve problems.”
“It is helping to find the truth and... to get to know you.”
“I don't know what would happen to me if you hadn't crossed my path. I am very grateful.”
They embraced before she went into the elevator.

Fernanda showed her true colors at that moment in her conversation with Eugenio.
“It's only a matter of time before the whole world knows what's going on. Do you know who that man is Elisa is seeing now?”
“Leonardo? He's a lawyer –”
“He's a cop. They're working together investigating everything. Do you know who he is? He was the fiancé of the woman found in Augusto's car.”
Elisa knocked on the door, saying to let her in.
“Were you expecting her?”
Fernanda shook her head.

Dario was armed as he came down the stairs to see who was at the door. He pointed the pistol and heard a familiar voice. “Dario, Dario, it's me.”
He opened the door and pulled Majo inside, looking carefully to see that there were no witnesses.
“What are you doing here?”
“I couldn't go back.”
“How did you know my name?”
“Your mother said it.”
He tried to pull her toward the door.“I won't go until you tell me why you didn't kill me. Tell me now.”
“I didn't want to hurt you because I'm in love with you.” He grabbed her hand and looked outside. “You have to go.”
“No. I have the same feelings for you. And I don't know what to do about it. Dario, I love you.”

Permalink posted by Urban Anthropologist @ 1:13 AM