Ricardo held his shoes in his hands as he slipped out the door. He let himself breathe after closing it without making a sound. The hallway was empty, which was a plus. Having no witnesses in such situations is always preferable.

As he made his way past the receptionist, Rico held his phone up to his ears and pretended to be talking. Once outside, he located a secluded area and dialled his brother, Miguel in Barcelona.

"Do you have any idea what time it is?" Miguel grumbled.

"I'm sorry, but I don't have much time. Can you check a bank account for me?"

"Felipe, you know I can't do that."

"All I need you to do is check it. When you do, text me 'S' if it has money and 'P' if it doesn't."

Miguel sighed. "Name."

"The surname is Sierra. The primary account should be in Cartagena."

"Fine."

"Thank you."

"Sure."

Step one was in motion. Rico set his phone to silent and went to find a cab up to the Sánchez Estate.

The security guards let "Pablo" in with little hassle. Before entering the house, he channelled his most desperate spirit. Rico checked his phone and saw a text from Miguel that said: P.

Right again, Sonia. Here goes nothing.

He turned on the recording app, slipped it into his blazer pocket, and walked through the doors. As Dani promised, the mood in the house was much more relaxed.

"Pablo!" Danilo yelled as soon as he saw him. He came over and threw an arm over his friend's shoulder. "Where's your lady?" he asked with rum on his breath.

"She had a few too many pre-drinks," he chuckled nervously.

"Happens to the best of us, but we can still have a good time, right?"

"Actually, can I talk to you alone for a minute?"

"Of course, man," Danilo looked around and shouted. "Stepping into the pool house for a minute."

The two men went outside through the back door, past a swimsuit party in full swing. They entered the pool house and Danilo closed the door.

"Talk to me, man," he said, "Is everything alright? You seemed a little down for a minute there—back at the hotel."

"I was hoping you didn't notice that, but it's about her."

"Vera?"

"Yeah," he exhaled deeply. "I love her. That's all I can really say," he shrugged. "I love her, but I can't give her the life she wants. Hell, I borrowed money from one of my guys just to come on this trip and I don't know how I'm going to pay him back. And before you ask, no. I'm not asking to borrow money from you either. I'm already up to my eyes in bills," he looked down and shook his head." From man to man. Artist to artist, please tell me how you did it."

"Did what?"

"How'd you get Paulina and all of this? You must have some good clients—I can bring my portfolio for you to review. My work's good. I just need to catch a break. So please."

Danilo pressed a finger into his temple, took a deep breath, and polished off the rest of his drink. He stood up and locked the door.

"What I'm about to say never leaves this room or I won't sink alone, you get me?" Danilo said.

"I understand," Rico extended his hand and Danilo shook it.

"Good. Now," he sighed. "How good are you at imitating other artist's styles?"

"Pretty decent."

"Prepare to get better. Bring me your portfolio and I'll assess how much work needs to be done."

"Okay."

"Next, you'll have to get your hands on some priceless works of art and make them disappear. Do you understand?"

Rico nodded.

"What's your forte painting or sculpting?"

"Painting. Sculpting's hit or miss for me."

"Alright, we'll start there. Next, we'll step inside my office over there."

Danilo got up and led the way. He had Rico sit down, and he turned the webcam to face Ricardo's seat. Then, he had him confess to assisting Dani with a list of art thefts Rico had never heard of. But it was done as though they were just remembering old times over drinks. Once they'd finished, Danilo shut off the camera.

"Now then," Dani said, "you asked me how I did it earlier. Well, now you have an idea. But things are more complicated than that. I didn't have a choice. I had bills piling up a beautiful girl who was used to nice things wanted to take me home to meet her family, and we had a plan. Alvaro was supposed to drive the truck, and I'd spent months faking those Botero sculptures to perfection," he shook his head and exhaled. "And at the last minute, Alvaro got cold feet—said he was just going to deliver the sculptures. But I had plans. I'd made promises to powerful people, so I had to get rid of the problem. Fortunately, Alvaro came around after I took him for a swim," he added with a wink. "All I'm asking for is loyalty: that's it."

"I understand," Rico shrugged. "You do what you have to when you have to."

"Exactly. So, let's head back to the house and have a good time. Because starting tomorrow, your life begins moving in this direction."

Ricardo beamed. "I'm looking forward to it. But first, is there a bathroom here? The pipes are threatening to burst."

"First door down the hallway on your left."

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it. I'll be out front when you get back.:

In the bathroom, Rico quickly stopped the recording and breathed a sigh of relief. Next, he uploaded it to his online drive for ease of access later. From there, he left and joined Danilo and the party scene until 4:00 AM when everyone began to leave. Then Dani's personal driver took Rico back to his hotel.

As he was about to enter the room, the door swung open to reveal a livid Sonia Mendoza.

"Are you insane?" she said with her hands on her hips.

"You needed evidence, and I got it."

"That's not the point. You. You could've been—"

"But I wasn't."

"But you could have been. Did the thought even cross your mind? Do you think I wanted to find you stuffed into some sculpture a year from now? Mr. Feelings over here. Did you think about how that would make me feel?"

"It didn't and I'm sorry."

Sonia took a breath. "Okay. Hand it over. Whatever it is."

After listening to it, Sonia leaned back on the and stared up at the ceiling.

"Getting you cleared of that bogus confession won't be too difficult, especially since you weren't in the country when those items were stolen."

"And you know this how?" Rico furrowed his brow.

"Well, until this exact moment, you were my number one suspect," she looked at him unblinking. "Why do you think I kept you so close, Mr. Torres?"

"You needed my help with the artists."

"You made that easier, not possible. Besides, keeping tabs on you and making use of your connections are hardly mutually exclusive. After all, you fit the suspect profile to a tee. My methods are unconventional, but they work."

Rico shook his head in a mixture of disbelief and awe.

"But even though you're cleared of the original charges, you're the last mystery to be solved."

"Take your shot," Rico stood up and reached both arms out to the side.

"Gladly," Sonia smirked. "You own three apartments in two major Colombian cities, which you frequently travel between. The day at the park, you wore Valentino V; a discontinued cologne that was the favourite of my ex, Esteban Sierra. Yes, the same Sierra family that Paulina hails from. Though her distant cousin is further down the succession line and is less wealthy. But back to you. My research shows that you didn't attend university in Colombia but likely studied in the United Kingdom. And while you are certainly a talented artist, you haven't had the level of success that would mean you could afford the secret life you lead."

"I'm still awaiting your conclusion," Ricardo grinned.

"I'll get there. And then there's the Japan angle. I must admit, that one threw me for a moment, but the signed Quijotero manga from a woman who never does book signings tied things together. Lastly, you bear a striking resemblance to Colombia's most respected banking family: the Prados. A banking empire that was started by the elder Prado, who stepped away from public view after his son took over. The younger Prado, Julio, married a certain Valeria Torres. Together, they had three sons: Miguel, Santiago, and Felipe. All three live outside the country but visit from time to time. All except for one, of course. None's seen Felipe in Colombia in the last ten years. Thus the evidence points to two possibilities: You're either Felipe Ricardo Prado Torres or a high-end escort. How'd I do?" Detective Mendoza asked with a satisfied smile.

Felipe could barely hold back his smirk. He clapped. "Bravo, Detective Mendoza. It seems you are as good as you are beautiful."

"I aim to please," she winked.

"Though you got one detail wrong about the manga."

"Oh?"

"You forgot that I also draw."

"Meaning you're the artist behind Quijotero, which is set in Colombia. That makes sense."

"So what do your plans look like after arresting Danilo?"

"Well, I was thinking I'd go back to Guatapé and actually enjoy it this time."

"You do know getting a hotel out there is next to impossible this time of year, right?"

Sonia smiled. "I have a friend with exquisite taste in sushi in Medellín."

"Is that so?"

"He also has an apartment he barely uses, and I thought he'd be inclined to let me stay there for a spell or two."

"I think he might be persuaded to indulge you, but you'll have to attend his art exhibit at the end of the month."

"I can live with that."