Day 15

Luca surprises Monsieur Philippe at his door at 5 a.m. and, after a tense exchange, learns Philippe only came to share Joseph Cerqueira’s address. The envelope and handwriting differ from prior threats, softening Luca’s suspicion. Unable to reach Cerqueira by phone, Luca asks Philippe for help traveling to Vrainville.

Philippe enlists Martial, a retired editor and fellow search volunteer. During the careful drive, Martial reflects on disappearances and their past search for Telma, while Luca remembers the fruitless childhood sweeps after Telma vanished. Luca wonders why his parents hid Telma’s illness and whether it links to her disappearance.

At Cerqueira’s upscale home, no one answers. A wary neighbor mentions estate security cameras. As they leave, Luca realizes he saw this same house in a photo on his London hostel wall, deepening suspicion about Cerqueira’s connection to the blackmail and Telma.

Luca visits his comatose mother, begs her to live, and reaffirms his belief that Telma is alive. Back home, he finds his late father’s old phone and charges it. Among practical texts with his mother, he discovers cryptic exchanges with Uncle Tonino about an impossible request and “everything I have,” ending days before Tonino’s fatal crash.

That night, Martial calls to report Cerqueira nearly lost his medical license twice, with reasons obscured by professional secrecy. Immediately after, the neighbor Madame Lebrun enters with a misdelivered red envelope—posted from London—signaling the blackmailer’s continued reach.