PEDRO HENRIQUE REVIEWED the recordings. He followed the internal circuit from the moment Janine left the arrival and departure gate of the Lisbon to Barcelona flight. She went to the baggage claim area. Pedro meticulously checked the timestamps. Until he stopped at the last record of Janine: waiting for a taxi for a few minutes outside the airport. The external circuit camera was able to clearly record the car's license plate and the taxi company. With this information, Pedro found out the driver's name and scheduled a meeting with him. Luckily for him, the guy still remembered the young woman.
"Janine, Janine…" Pedro paused the video, muttering to himself: "I'm getting close to finding out what happened. I hope I don't have bad news."
He took his notepad and pen, handwriting the next clue he would follow: find the final destination Janine had given the driver.
...****************...
HUGO AND JOYCE ARRIVED at Dragons — an open-air cultural bar, but the cover charge is 5.00 with access to the inside. This bar opened over ten years ago in a classic mansion. All the money collected from the cover charge and consumption is intended for the periodic maintenance of the infrastructure — so as to keep the mansion standing. It is very beautiful inside and out. The square that carried the classic air with the bohemian contrast of youth, and the eclectic music, made the vibe of the place unique. It was this kind of vibe that made Hugo and Joyce feel at home from the first time they went there.
"I missed this place so much…" Hugo looked around, a glass of beer in his hand. He had paid for four long necks to drink as the bottles emptied. "It's been a while since I've been here and nothing has changed… I'm loving it."
"I don't come here much either" Joyce took a sip of beer. "But the feeling I get every time I decide to step foot here is that it only gets better."
The DJ was playing some classic pop music. As they arrived early, the place wasn't as crowded as usual yet. But that was only a matter of hours…
"Aren't you going to call any boys here?" Hugo nudged his sister, with a slight shove. "Now it's my turn to ask: where's your hookup?"
"The hookup I was talking to the other day went to God" she shrugged, pouting.
"But why, girl?"
"Too much of a jerk." He said something that turned me off.
"What did he say?"
"That he has bad luck picking indecisive women and that's why he prefers not to have any commitment."
"Geez…" Hugo made a slight grimace of disgust. He took another sip of beer. "What he said makes no sense. That says more about him than any woman he's ever been involved with. He may have known one who actually messed up… But one can't define them all, right?"
"Exactly. But, anyway… I started making excuses to the guy. Then I was clear with him, stating that I was no longer interested in any kind of involvement. Each one went on with their lives. And that's it."
"Good riddance…" Hugo looked at the crowd arriving, huddled near the DJ, dancing to the music. "Shall we go over there? There's a group of people... I want to see if I can find someone I know."
"I'll also see if I can find…"
...****************...
BY THEN, DRAGONS was packed. Hugo and Joyce had made friends with strangers while drinking. Joyce swapped beer for Corote, something Hugo wouldn't do — because he hates mixing drinks. The DJ's random playlist ranged from pop to funk. From rock to national. The next song was always a surprise. Something typical of Dragons. Hugo was dancing with a stranger who had become his friend, until someone tapped him on the shoulder.
"You here?" The boy broke into a wide smile. His hair was shaved, and he had tattoos on his neck and his chest, which was half-exposed by the V-neck of his button-down shirt.
"Raul!"
Hugo threw himself into the arms of the young man, whom he had known for a long time. Raul kissed him on the cheek, keeping his hands on his waist.
"Long time no see!" Hugo pulled away slightly until he kept his hands on the other man's chest. "Were you around here?"
"At Dragons? Yes!" Raul laughed. "And you? When did you come back here?"
"I came back three days ago" Hugo fixed his hair. "I came here just to spend my vacation before going back to Sao Paulo."
"Wait…" Raul raised his palm. "Don't you live in Rio?"
"I just moved, boy" Hugo chuckled. "I got promoted in the Federal Police and they transferred me to Sao Paulo… Crazy!"
"I'm going to need to know about this gossip later, boy" Raul squeezed his arm lightly. "I need to go meet a friend of mine. Talk to me on Instagram, please!"
"For sure" Hugo promised.
"We'll arrange to hang out. I really want to know how you're doing."
"Me too" Hugo smiled. "Long time no see, friend…"
"That's right!" Raul shook his hand, walking away. "I need to go. Bye!"
"Bye!"
Hugo shrugged, smiling genuinely. He didn't know that the feeling of reuniting with a longtime friend was so good. The distance had not affected his feelings for Raul at all. He took another sip of beer. Until someone touched his shoulder, giving it a slight squeeze.
"Hi" A tall, white guy with glasses gave an almost seductive smile. "Remember me?"
"I do…" Hugo turned around, frowning, tapping his chin slowly with the tip of his glass. He continued: "Luis?"
"The one and only."
"Long time no see…"
The conversation took on a more casual and intimate tone. Luis was an old crush of Hugo's. Apparently, nothing had changed. The boy's eyes were still interested.
"That's right" said Luis, scratching the back of his neck. Hugo found him cute. "I saw you here and couldn't believe it."
"Why?"
"I thought you weren't coming back here anytime soon…" He gave a half smile. "But it's good to see you here."
"Likewise…" Hugo started fiddling with his fingers on the boy's chest.
"How about we go over there and chat? Talk more calmly…"
Hugo considered the suggestion. He shrugged, replying:
"Why not?"
...****************...
IRINA AND RUY FINALLY arrived in Recife. They both went to stay at a hotel located in the most central area of the city, in separate rooms. Irina was keen on privacy. Ruy wanted to schedule some dates — he was quite a womanizer. They were together in the taxi on their way to the hotel.
"Over thirty girls applied for the position…" Irina ran her finger across the screen of her tablet. "That's really good. Tomorrow we'll see how many will arrive at ten o'clock."
"Maybe Hank will let five more fill the position…"
"No" Irina retorted dryly.
"Why not?"
"Five is five."
"It doesn't hurt to ask…" Ruy reached for his cell phone, but Irina grabbed his hand.
"Don't call him, you idiot. Not now. It's dawn over there and he's sleeping."
"Oh, right" Ruy put his cell phone back in his pocket. "My bad."
"I saved your neck one more time."
...****************...
AURA WAS ALSO TRAVELING. Carrying a handbag through Santos Dumont Airport, she went straight to Security. After she got to the departure lounge, her cell phone rang.
"I'm almost getting on the plane, Hank" she started, answering. "What is it now?"
"Have you seen Irina around Rio?"
"She must have gone to Recife already. You sent the two of them there, didn't you?"
"Great."
"It's already dawn at the complex. You should be sleeping instead of busting my balls. I swear I'll let you know to stop this soon."
"I'm not at the complex."
"No?"
"I came to Lisbon, to sort out some problems."
"Oh, okay."
"I'm not done here yet" on the other end of the line, Hank was talking to a stern, burly man in a suit. "When you arrive, we'll talk more. I just want to ask you one more thing."
"Then ask me the thousandth thing."
"Don't you dare set foot in the police station until I say so."
"Alright" Aura shrugged. "Is that all?"
"I have to go."
"See you in a few hours…" Aura hung up first.
...****************...
THE EARLY MORNING AT THE COMPLEX was silent. Janine couldn't sleep because of her anxiety to carry out her plan. She sat up in bed, looking at the vent covered by the grate. Letting out her breath, she knelt down silently. Feeling around in the darkness, she managed to reach the sides to remove the grate. She placed it right next to the entrance. Focused, she followed the same steps as last time: left, forward; right, forward…
She noticed that she had gotten close to Hank's room, but it was dark. She climbed over the middle window carefully, moving on. As soon as she was out of sight, she let out her breath — silently — relieved. She kept going, paying attention, to see where that vent would lead her. Slowly, careful not to make a sound, with her head close to the floor and her eyes always forward. She noticed that the vent would turn left after a few meters. She stopped, maneuvering a little to continue on.
On the one hand, she was determined to find out if there was “a light at the end of the tunnel”; on the other hand, she was afraid of finding nothing or even finding something worse. She felt butterflies in her stomach when she saw another detour, only this time it was to the right. Once again, Janine maneuvered to follow silently. And what was right there, a few meters away, made her heart race.
A security grate just like the one in her room. A faint light, a consequence of the natural light of dawn, passed through the cracks. Holding back her anxiety and fear of being discovered, she continued until she reached the grate. And she stopped, taking a deep breath. She was nervous now. She didn't know what she would find beyond that grate. She took courage, placing both hands on the sides. The grate only opened outwards, she deduced, like the one in her room. She used a little force until she saw the grate swing to the side, then held it with both hands so she could place it next to the entrance. The sight she now had was more than just a surprise.
The light at the end of the tunnel really does exist.
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