"What are you waiting for?" Ryan said again. "No more games, no more mysteries, tell the truth. I think that's the least you can do, isn't it? After all, I'm the orphaned son of a member of your mafia. You at least owe me an invitation. Don't you?"
Rudeus sighed deeply, tossing the newspaper onto the table and straightening his posture.
His eyes met Ryan's, tired.
"I don't know where you got that from, kid, but I understand it's difficult. Grief often plays tricks on us. I lost my father early too, you know? I went through all of that as well… He was a good man, a hero to me, and—"
Ryan looked away and clicked his tongue. "I knew it would be like this." Then he slipped a hand inside his suit jacket and pulled out a folder, throwing it onto the table. "If you won't confess your sins, then please allow me to reveal them."
The two men looked at each other as Ryan began opening the folder and pulling out dozens of different documents, completely ordinary, and a few photographs.
Alex and Rudeus tried to hide their nervousness as they recognized the content.
"First of all," Ryan said in a solemn tone like a judge, half-mocking and half-serious. "I accuse you of being part of a criminal organization, a Mafia. Do you deny it?"
"This isn't funny, Ryan." Rudeus said, almost spitting the words in disgust. "We are fair and honest workers, we would never—"
"My father was an fair and ordinary worker, you know?" Ryan said with a smile. "We were poor, but we never lacked anything, thanks to his effort… but there were some strange things about him. Things that certainly didn't go unnoticed by me, the only person who lived with him. As you can see."
He then took an ordinary business card from the folder and pushed it toward Rudeus, who glanced at it.
"He was a stained glass restorer…" Ryan struggled to hold back a laugh. "Have you ever met a stained glass restorer before? Oh right, sorry. You met my father. Tell me then, have you ever met another stained glass restorer?"
"I don't think so," Rudeus said flatly, expressionless.
"Really? How interesting! You know… there's something quite intriguing about that peculiar profession. First of all, it's a job that nobody knows much about. After all, what degree do you even get? Is there some kind of exam? How do you enter an industry like that? What's the daily routine like? How much do you earn?
In the end, everyone is completely in the dark about this professional, The only thing they truly know is that he's always traveling around the world, always meeting strange people and receiving foreign money...
No one really knows where he actually is or what is actually doing. Just saying, but It's a very good profession if you want to hide something… like a double life. After some research I discovered that It's a front profession for many criminals. Does this mean anything to you?"
Ryan fell silent, analyzing Rudeus's expressions, which looked like hard, cold stone, and Alex's, which gradually seemed impressed, giving hints that he was on the right track. Ryan saw an opportunity in that…
"An unrelated question, Alex. What do you do for a living?" Rudeus's eyes widened as Alex opened his mouth to answer casually.
"Huh? Well… it's not a secret. I'm a historical heritage consultant. I usually travel abroad quite a lot and then… SHIT!" His expression quickly began to fall near the end of the sentence. "You got me…" He scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment.
Ryah then said quickly: " A historical heritage consultant? Peculiar profession, travels a lot, meets unique people, handles foreign currency. Just saying, but it seems like another front job."
Ryan smiled from ear to ear before turning to Rudeus, who sighed heavily, holding back the urge to slap himself. "Allow me to repeat the question… Rudeus, what do you do for a living?"
"I'm a stone conservation specialist…" Rudeus said, massaging his temples while Ryan started laughing."I restore ancient stones in historical monuments all over the world… in theory…" He sighed once again before lifting his face. "Yes, it's a front job. You won."
"Damn it, Alex!" he cursed. "You never remember your job! And today of all days your brain had to work?! You idiot! If I catch you outside here I'll break you in half!"
Alex rested his face against his hand and looked away uncomfortably. He knew he had made a small slip, and it wasn't worth criticizing Rudeus back, he was right after all.
Rudeus clicked his tongue and turned to Ryan, who was calmly drinking his cappuccino with a victorious expression. Ryan still had many ways to prove his claims, but if there was a weak link, why not strike there?
"I'll give you that point, kid." Rudeus took a sip of his coffee. "We're in a Mafia. Your father was in a Mafia. We're all cut from the same cloth. There, happy? And now what are you going to do about it? Take us to the police?"
Rudeus then said mockingly: "Just do me a favor then and at least send a hot female cop to handcuff me. A really angry one. Then I'll love going to jail." He laughed cheerfully, imagining the scene.
"You know I won't do any of that. I came here to meet friends, after all." Ryan said, raising an eyebrow. "But if you want a tip, I think it's best to be upfront. "
Rudeus snorted with mixed feelings but didn't interrupt him.
"Now to the main topic." Ryan pulled out the documents related to his father's death. "My father had his death declared due to a highly contagious virus. From here I can say that he's alive, maybe even drinking a piña colada in Hawaii right now. Do you deny that?"
Rudeus simply leaned back in his chair and looked at the ceiling. "Finish your reasoning."
Ryan cleared his throat and did so.
"The virus he supposedly caught is a remnant of an old pandemic and therefore has strict medical criteria to prevent a new outbreak. Things like burying the body inside a black bag and in a sealed coffin, preventing family or acquaintances from seeing the deceased one last time, and later placing everything inside a thick block of concrete so it can never be exhumed… Convenient, isn't it? Nobody knows if his body is really there."
Ryan smiled widely.
"Only the medical team and one other person saw him being placed in that coffin. A bunch of strangers and a single family member…" Ryan searched the line in the document and then showed it to them. "The family member who approved my father's burial… is named Desmond, my father's brother…" Ryan smiled even wider. "Who, strangely enough, never existed. Need more then that?"
Alex lifted his gaze and briefly looked at Ryan, then focused on Rudeus beside him, who seemed to have the worst headache of his life.
"Are you going to say something?" Alex asked Rudeus, who simply shook his head.
"What's your theory, kid?" Rudeus asked.
"He may have grown tired of a life of crime and simply fled with the money. Abandoning me." He then leaned back in the chair, interlocking his hands behind his head before sighing."Or perhaps someone forced him to run away. I have no way of knowing for sure. So I hope you'll enlighten me, Rudeus."
Rudeus adjusted his posture and looked him in the eyes, defeated.
"You're right. Everything you said is right. I'll tell you what I know."