Daniel called the next evening. His voice carried shock, curiosity, and perhaps it was long-buried grief. He said the family had grown up with only fragments: Augusto left one night during the war and never returned. No body. No explanation. Only silence. He agreed to meet Walter in person.
When they met, Daniel studied the photo with trembling hands. He recognized his grandfather, Augusto, instantly, holding the same canvas satchel described in family stories. Daniel explained that Augusto had been a courier on Mafia-controlled docks during WWII, moving illicit shipments. He disappeared the night he tried to escape that life.