Act Three - The Angel’s Game — Chapter 22

David Martín wakes in Pedro Vidal’s bedroom at Villa Helius, wounded and disoriented, and overhears Víctor Grandes leaving. David arms himself but disarms upon meeting Vidal, who quietly helps him dress in his old finery and confirms he has heard everything from the inspector, including that David knows where Cristina is.

When Vidal asks if Cristina is alive, David silently affirms it, prompting Vidal to break down. As dusk falls, Vidal burns David’s bloodied clothes, returns The Steps of Heaven, and acknowledges he recognized David’s ghostwriting. He then instructs David to flee Barcelona that night via a cargo ship, naming Captain Olmo, money in Marseilles, and a car from the garage.

Discussing the ambush after David left the station, Vidal argues that Grandes set killers on David to stage a fatal “resisting arrest” scenario. The revelation hardens David’s resolve to escape. Vidal offers a new coat and presses David to tell him about Cristina; David invents a tender story placing her in Paris, devoted to Vidal, to soothe him.

They touch on David’s “boss” and the rumored debt for a pure soul; David dismisses it while affirming Vidal’s goodness. David goes to the garage to depart but returns to say goodbye and notices his revolver missing.

David finds Vidal in the sitting room aiming the gun at his chest. Despite David’s rush to stop him, Vidal shoots himself. David cradles him as he dies, the house filling with the smell of gunpowder and the weight of loss, leaving David with a planned escape but without his mentor.