The conundrum of the single bed was resolved by Rico volunteering to take one for the team by sleeping on the ground. He added that the thin blanket between him and the tiles would make the floor indistinguishable from a mattress. Sonia insisted on them alternating, but Ricardo politely refused, stating he wouldn't be able to sleep knowing he was comfortable while she wasn't.

Once the matter had been settled the two began getting ready for a night on the town. Sonia suggested Rico shower first, as she needed some extra time for her hair; he complied. While the detective was in the bathroom, Ricardo figured it would be a good time to download some of the pictures he'd taken in Santiago to his laptop. Something about the place sparked his imagination the way Lake Fúquene once did.

After transferring the photos from his phone, he found himself struggling to determine which single shot best captured the beautiful village. Examining each one was like trying to judge which facet of a diamond gleamed the brightest, which was useless; they're a part of a whole.

A part of the whole.

The words replayed in his mind as though they were stuck on repeat.

Parts of the whole. Parts of the Lake...that's it! That's what all the paintings are: parts of Lake Fúquene from my point of view. That's how I need to paint it. Then the gallery will have to take it.

"Mind giving me a hand with my dress?" Sonia asked, pulling him out of his contemplation.

Rico set the laptop on the table. "Of course."

He walked over and buttoned the top of her flowing, white sundress dotted with pink flowers of varying sizes.

"What?" Sonia asked.

"Nothing—didn't mean to stare. You look lovely."
"Thank you," she smiled. "You clean up well yourself."

"Showering helps." He winked.

"Inclined to agree. Shall we?"

Rico offered his arm and they left. As they strolled under the shade of palm trees with sea breeze filling their lungs, Ricardo mentioned his epiphany about his efforts at the Lake. And much to his surprise, Detective Mendoza was quite taken by the idea.

"That's clever." She nodded. "You're essentially trying to put together puzzle pieces as paintings to convey a single portrait of Lake Fúquene's life cycle."

"I hadn't thought of it quite like that, but yes. That's the idea."
"I like it."

"I'm glad."

* * *

Down and the docks, the couple rented a paddle boat to scope out the opening ceremonies of the Miss Universe pageant. Sonia kept a close watch on the event thanks to the binocular that fit in her clutch.

A large floating stage was built just off the Decameron Aquarium. It offered spectacular views from many places on the shore and from the sea. A riotous cheer erupted from what seemed to be the island itself when Miss Colombia made her appearance. Rico and Sonia paused their surveillance to offer their applause.

"Anything yet?" Ricardo asked.

"Yes actually." Sonia turned around and gave him the binoculars. "Have a look at the seating area by the middle dock. The man with the spiky hair is Danilo; the blonde holding on to him is Paulina. If my memory serves, her hair was black at one point, but I think the new look suits her."

"Well, they're certainly the portrait of the handsome couple. What now?"
"We head back to shore. And then I'll try to get Paulina's ear."

"How will you do that?"

"It's fairly simple: she's a Sierra; they love hearing how great they are."

Back on dry land, they managed to get into the lobby area, where Sonia asked Ricardo to wait for her. She pressed through the crowd until Rico couldn't see her anymore. He stood there for what felt like an eternity, growing more anxious by the second. And just when he was about to give chase, a security guard came up to him.

"Are you Pablo Lopez?" he asked.

Rico's brain took a moment to register his fake name, but he responded in the affirmative without eliciting suspicion.

"This way," said the white uniformed man.

The guard led him down a hallway off to the right and through a door that went to a VIP room. As soon as he walked around the corner, Sonia walked over to him and gently tugged his arm, leading him towards Paulina and Danilo.

"Remember to play along," she whispered. "This is Pablo," Sonia said to Paulina and Danilo.

Hugs, kisses and introductions were exchanged. Rico smiled and gave his best doting boyfriend impression. Everything felt real. Pablo and Vera made for an engaging couple, but it wasn't real. That thought stung Ricardo like salt in a wound. This fantasy world would end soon. The clock would strike midnight; she'd return to her world and he to his.

"You look like you could use another drink." Danilo elbowed Rico. "I know I do. Let's let the ladies chat it up for a minute; they won't even notice we're gone."

"Yeah—I'd take a refill." He forced a smile.

Danilo asked the waiter for two glasses of rum on the rocks, which were promptly brought.

"Can I let you in on a little secret?" Danilo asked.

There was something about the flash in his green-brown eyes when he said the word secret that made Ricardo more apt to listen.

"By all means," he replied.

"I don't really like all this formality. It feels like a straightjacket. I'd much rather be back at the house where things are more relaxed. But I do it for her." Danilo pointed his drink towards his fianceé. "She loves it, so I do too." He winked.

Rico rubbed the back of his neck. "I know what you mean. Vera's like that too. But what can you do? That's love."

"That's love. Boy that's a mouthful." He downed half the contents of his glass. He was about to add something else when Paulina came by.

"Sorry to cut in," she said, "but I need to borrow him for a moment."
"Of course." Ricardo nodded.

"We'll pick this up later, Pablo." Danilo raised his glass slightly.

"Oh," Paulina exclaimed. "Bebé." She turned to her fiance. "I invited Vera to the afterparty and of course Pablo is more than welcome to come with her."

"If you want to drop by, Pablo, I'd be glad to have you and your lovely lady in attendance."

"Thank you. We'll be there."

"¡Qué chimba! (cool)," Paulina beamed. "See you then."

The glamorous couple left the room and Rico looked around to find Sonia. She was on the phone and motioned for him to come over. Detective Mendoza slipped her arm through his and started leading him towards the exit.

"We're leaving," she whispered.

Rico nodded, downed his rum and put the glass on a random table. Sonia hung up just after they got outside.

"Well, you were right," she said.

"About what?"
"Joana. Her story checks out. She really did have a rich uncle in Brazil."
"And what was in the cellar?"

"A sculpture of Don Leo Kopp. She'd planned to put it in the garden as a token of her gratitude. Apparently, she refuses to let anyone see her artwork until it's done."
"Hence the lock and chains."
"Correct."
"Then that leaves two."

Sonia nodded and looked around. "More like one."
"Pedro?"
"No. And that's all I'll say here."

They hurried back to the hotel and Sonia led Rico to the bathroom and stuffed a towel under the door. By this time, ice had already started seeping into Ricardo's fingers.

"Danilo likely murdered Alvaro," Sonia uttered in a low voice.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, she mentioned several things that all but confirm my suspicions."
"Such as?"
"She said Dani is paying for everything: their house on the island, the helicopter pad and their wedding. And she couldn't shut up about the rock on her finger."
"What am I missing?"
"She's a Sierra," Sonia sighed. "You're not from Cartagena. There's no way they'd let anyone pay for all those things. Particularly the wedding. Which can only mean one thing: they're broke."
"It could still be Pedro."
"Prior to Don Moncho's arrival at his party, I would have agreed with you. But lard gut's presence there basically confirms where Pedro's wealth came from."

"We need to go to the afterparty. I can check—"

"No," she cut him off. "Bogotá's following up on the Sierra financial situation. They're planning on arresting him after Miss Universe is over provided they can rule out Sierra money."

"So what are we going to do in the meantime?"

"For now, just some much deserved sleep."

But he could escape if he gets wind of this. Due process is going to take too long. And she'd never let me go there alone.

"Does that mean we can share the bed?"

"To sleep." She gave a firm nod. "And only because I couldn't do this without your help. Thank you, Rico."
"You're welcome, Sonia. But since some celebration is in order, what do you say to drinks and some room service?"
She smiled. "I'll allow it."

Rico asked for a whole bottle of rum to be brought up and they found a movie to stream. Once they'd each had more than a couple glasses, Ricardo reminded Sonia that she owed him a salsa dance. And with inhibitions low, Detective Mendoza agreed. It wasn't the best performance, but they had fun. However, when their lips almost met, Sonia said it was time to call it a night.

When she went to shower, Rico couldn't help grinning at the empty rum bottle in the corner. After he stepped out of the bathroom, the detective looked to be in her third dream.

Sleep tight Sonia. By morning, I'll have all the evidence you need. I knew being a sober-drunk would come in handy eventually.