COLMENARES TOOK Gregory Evans to his house. Without much enthusiasm — since they were tired from the several hours of travel — they said goodbye, after making a new pact of silence: to keep the German woman as little informed as possible. To do so, they would have to speak privately with Antônia, who seemed to have found in the young woman a younger sister in need to care for.
Greg reached the building's entrance, unable to shake his thoughts about the past forty-eight hours. Everything had gone by so quickly. He was still thinking about Geovanna and Umbert when he flipped the switch in the lobby, and the stairwell lights came on. He climbed a few steps before stopping in front of the elevator.
Minutes later, he arrived at his apartment. He found it just as he had left it — a mess, that is. The books on Freemasonry remained open on the desk in his makeshift office. He went straight to the bathroom, where he turned on the shower.
The hot water brought him back to life and restored the dynamism he'd lost since leaving Murcia. He refrained from shaving, though he didn't hesitate to put on his pajamas, slip on his slippers, walk around the house, and pour himself a generous drink.
He went to the living room, intending to throw himself on the couch and rest. Then he resigned himself to doing what he hated so much: turning on the television. He fought to stay awake while watching a program for children who seemed more practical and intelligent than adults.
It didn't take long for him to discover, among the others, an envelope with broken red lines lining the edges. He looked at the back. There was no sender, just a few numbers: (29-58-45) (31-08-03).
So, immediately, those numbers meant nothing to him. He focused on the postmarks. They were printed in Arabic letters, but he couldn't make out the country of origin either. He felt the envelope as a safety measure, since after the March attacks in Madrid, every precaution was taken when dealing with Islamists. After making sure everything was okay, he decided to open it gently. Inside, he found a folded piece of paper. He carefully unfolded it and began to read.