Penedo, Rio de Janeiro

Enzo was taken in a Toyota Corolla to the police station. There were no one closer to Penedo, so they had to take him even further away. Enzo didn't say a word during the trip, and nor could he, because he had been strapped into the trunk of the vehicle. It would be hard to find a greater punishment for Enzo than being in the trunk of a Corolla.

As soon as the vehicle stopped, Enzo was handcuffed and taken to a windowless room. He stayed there for several hours without any contact with the outside world. Then finally someone showed up to see him. A blond woman wearing a suit, just like in those TV detective series.

- Oh. Holy crap. - Enzo said.

- Enzo Carvalho. - she said. - My name is Carla. Yes, you are in trouble.

- That's what the principal at my school says.

- No, it's serious. You're really in trouble.

- That's what Vini often says. So, let's get to the "finally". Skip all the irrelevant shit, like the emotional stress and all the other stuff. I'll say it right away. As that Cristiano Ronaldo Clear Man commercial would say. I have nothing to hide. Yes, Deborah and I slept together. No, I don't know how she died. Yes, she was alive the last time I saw her. Yes, I believe I was the last one in her room. No, I can't explain my innocence based on that fact.

- You seem very confident of what you say, Mr. Carvalho.

- You know, honey, your cleavage is really driving me crazy. Is it a textbook for the feds?

- Enzo... Or should I say... - Carla checked a folder. - Hector Rodriguez.

Hector Rodriguez? Even the narrator was caught by surprise.

- I haven't heard that name in a long, long time.

- You're good, Hector.

- Enzo.

- Whatever. How did you manage to change your identity?

- Nicholas Cage changed his face in Face/Off. Changing a few names and some words is as easy as sitting on a pudding.

- But what did you do?

- Nothing. And that's irrelevant to the case. Oh, what about the lawyer's story? Do I have that right or is it just movie claptrap?

- You have that right, Mr. Carvalho. But I think you better help me here before you ask for a lawyer to defend you.

- It seems fair.

- Tell me what happened, Mr. Carvalho.

- There's not much to say. I wake up, have breakfast, and the feds show up kicking down the fucking door.

- And how come your friend turns up dead right after? With your semen all over the room?

- You do realize that we had sex, right? High quality porn, baby. But the mess, I'm sorry. You know, it must be a shitty job for a maid who earns so little to clean up other people's shit.

Carla soon realized that Enzo's strange humor was not going to help her at all. So, she decided for another way out.

- I knew it. - Said Vini, in another room. - I knew that Enzo was going to ruin my weekend. My intuition is so good, but I never listen to it. I should have taken Belgium, dammit! What was I thinking? Penedo is a romantic place, what did I go and do with that bloody Enzo? Am I going to jail?

- No, Mr. Valverde, you will not.

What a relief, right? Well...

- And Enzo?

- How long have you known Mr. Carvalho?

- Since he was a little boy. We grew up together. We are best friends. He is a dullard, but I like him. It's a love-hate relationship.

- What do you know about him? I mean, I just interviewed him. He's kind of...

- Controversial? - Vini started to laugh. - Yes.

- I wasn't going to say controversial. I was going to say something closer to "wrong".

- Look, Enzo has done a lot of stupid things. Many, I couldn't even begin. But murder and rape? Never. I know that idiot. Trust me, he is innocent.

- Even though the woman who he had sex with was fifteen years older and he is a minor?

- That's not exactly in question, right? And still, let's face it, it doesn't make any difference anymore.

Okay, two idiots.

- Mr. Valverde, I need you to tell me exactly what kind of person your friend is. If you tell me right away, I can help you.

- What do you know?

- To start, his name is not Enzo Carvalho.

Yes, this information was totally new to him.

- Come again.

- Your friend Enzo is not Enzo.

- Enzo once impersonated a woman to get into the ladies' room and see some tits, but that was a joke.

- Mr. Valverde, Enzo is not who he says he is.

- I'm sorry, but you don't know what you are saying. If the lecture is over, I'd like to go to the bathroom.

But it still seemed far from over for Enzo, as Agent Carla returned to the room he was in and sat down with him again.

- Have they found who did this?

- For now, we only have you.

- You don't seem to be very proficient. No offense.

- Your friend seemed surprised that your name is not Enzo. You seem to have hidden your identity from everyone after all.

- You know how it is. It's one thing to be an actor. It's another thing to pretend to know how to act.

- And which group do you fit into?

- Carla, let's think about it this way. The fact that I am Enzo or whoever I am doesn't change anything in my relationships here, in Rio.

- So, if I am an intelligent person, I will think that you changed your identity to hide from some people.

- If you were smart, that's exactly what you would think.

Enzo wouldn't give in, but he also didn't want to be arrested. His temperament prevented him from answering questions without a little irony and dark humor, so he needed outside help. Unfortunately, this would not be the case at that moment.

Well, there wasn't much to be done, since there were only Enzo's fingerprints in Deborah's room. I mean, not exactly.

- Nicholas! - Enzo remembered. - He was in her room too.

- Really? - Carla thought it was just another sarcastic remark. - You want to put your fate in the hands of a four-year-old?

Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

- What choice do I have?

As it turned out, Enzo's options were really slim, because looking impartially, there was no other explanation for the fact that Enzo was not to blame for Deborah's brutal death. After all, he was indeed the last one to enter her room. But as they say. Desperate times, desperate measures. Therefore, Enzo called Nicholas to save his skin.

- Nick, kid, what did you see when I left the room?

Obviously, a child couldn't provide much. At least that's what Carla and even Enzo thought. But Nicholas was very helpful, as he soon revealed that a man had in fact entered his room and ordered him to hide in the closet. Asking the boy for the man's physical characteristics would be like asking a fish to climb a tree and still take a picture of the view. But in any case, it served to evaluate the possibility that another man had entered the room.

- It doesn't mean a damn thing. - Carla countered the evidence.

- What? You're shitting me, right? - Enzo complained.

- I'm sorry, Enzo, I can't take a child's account into consideration!

- Why shouldn't you? This is pathetic! The boy saw someone entering the room! Shouldn't they be investigating? Or are the officers in the police shows better, and don't correspond to reality?

Finally, Vini met Enzo again. And he didn't think twice. He punched his friend in the chest with all his strength.

- You bastard!

- Well, Deborah's husband would say just that.

It was when he connected the dots.

- Deborah's husband. He was at the hotel with us.

- Her husband?

- Ex-husband. - Enzo had to clarify.

- Were they married?

- No, they weren't. And if they were, it didn't make much difference.

- You really are a motherfucker. - Carla was forced to comment.

- Wifefucker, teacherfucker... The list is quite long. - Vini added.

- Teacher?

- Long story. You don't want to know.

The agents returned to the Hotel Latvia, expecting to find Souza, Deborah's ex-husband. But then, the first bad news, as the man the agents were looking for could not be Souza, as Nicholas would have recognized him, which was not the case. To make the situation worse, the hotel did not provide the security cameras, as they were not working. Only one slightly suspicious person remained.

- It can't be the owner of the Civic. - Enzo said.

- Why not? - Vini asked.

- Vini, because he drives a Civic. Civic drivers are not murderers, just bad drivers.

- Oh, that's great! Now what?

But before they could answer that uncomfortable question, Carla returned to the room where Enzo and Vini were. And she brought some curious information with her.

- Good news, Enzo. You are not a murderer. Just an idiot.

- But being an idiot is not a crime.

Some people even make money being an idiot.

- How did Enzo get away with this? - Vini was curious.

- Well, it turns out that the killer cleaned up the crime scene, but not that well. Our officers found some marks in random places in the room. It turns out that our search turned up Souza's girlfriend.

- Is she the killer?

- I knew it couldn't be the guy in the Civic! - Enzo suddenly changed the subject.

- Anyway, you are free to go. - Carla said. - And please don't come back.

- I'll try. - Enzo smiled.

Back at Lake, after all the confusion, Enzo and Vini were finally able to relax, on the older children's playground, next to the barbecue area. The two lying down and looking up at the beautiful sky above their heads, they could finally have a moment of reflection, something they didn't do so often. Next to them, a pitcher of lemonade and two Romeo and Juliet cigars. Yes, some things never change.

- So your name is not Enzo?

- No, it is not.

- Allow me to say, but it doesn't surprise me at all.

- Whatever. - Enzo smiled.

- I'm just impressed that you managed to keep a lie up for so long.

- I know what you want to know, Vini.

- Do you really? - Vini doubted.

- Yes, I do.

- Then what is it?

- You want to know why I lied to you.

Damn, the guy is hot.

- That's one of my questions, yes.

- Well, it's been a long time, you probably don't remember. But before we first met, I had another identity. Another name. Another life. Another everything. But at the same time, I didn't have jackshit. I was fucking miserable. I thought about doing mad things. I had bad thoughts. That's when I got tired, ran away from my past life, and made it a mission to erase everything.

- Uh-oh, when you say erase, all I can think of is Carla again and the prison cells.

- Relax, the person who helped me said I would have no problem with that.

- Tell that to my intuition.

- That's when you took me in.

- I have to confess that I don't remember this part. I just know you, but I have no idea how it all started.

- Does it matter?

Vini drew the cigar smoke into his mouth and then let it out.

- No, it doesn't matter. But you didn't actually answer my question.

- That was a mistake. I should have told the one person who had always been by my side who had no titties.

- Okay, stop this sentimentality crap. If you keep this shit up, I'll end up watching Mamma Mia. Again.

- Shit, Vini.

- But, I do appreciate it, Enzo. It means a lot to me. In a strange way. And sorry to have punched you. Though I was kinda saving it for a rainy day.

- Don't mention it. You and me against the world, remember?

- Where did you get that from? We keep repeating this phrase, but I have no idea where it came from.

- I have no idea.

- Nah, fuck it.

- Yeah, right.

The two remained lying there until the cigar went out and the pitcher of lemonade was completely empty. At least that was the plan, until the weather changed radically and it started to rain. Vini ran to the back door, with Enzo right behind.