With Jimmy’s confession tape in hand, Chuck no longer needed the metal film covering every corner of his house. Jimmy called Howard to inform him that Chuck had dropped his resignation plans, and feeling a huge sense of relief, he returned to help tear down those shiny, crinkly sheets. When they got to the bookshelf, Jimmy accidentally spotted a fairy tale book. He remembered his mother had read it to him, but Chuck—standing on an A-frame ladder—immediately corrected him: it was Chuck who’d read it, not their mother. Jimmy fell into memories, recalling how his brother had indeed been kind to him, and couldn’t help sharing old anecdotes. For a moment, he felt Chuck no longer hated him. But this feeling was quickly cut off by Chuck, who made it clear that things wouldn’t end here.
Chuck wasn’t just venting. As soon as Jimmy left, he called Howard over. After listening to the tape, Howard was furious, but reason told him the recording was useless—it couldn’t be used as evidence, nor would it win back Mesa Verde Bank. Even if played in the media, Jimmy could simply deny the voice was his. Chuck smiled faintly; he had a plan of his own.
Meanwhile, Kim was devoting all her energy to Mesa Verde Bank’s application. Her wording had a feminine touch, softer than Chuck’s rigid style and more accessible to others. Moreover, through her efforts, she’d moved the next hearing up by three weeks. Kevin and Paige were extremely satisfied with her performance. Jimmy also had a steady stream of clients; the sofa in his lobby was often filled with elderly people coming for services. But neither of them knew a conspiracy was brewing.
Ernesto, who handled Chuck’s daily needs, was surprised to find "batteries" on the shopping list. Still, he bought two as requested and delivered them to Chuck’s house. Chuck took the batteries tremblingly, trying to insert them into the tape recorder but failing. Ernesto helped slide the batteries into the slot—and as soon as he closed the cover, Jimmy’s voice blared from the speaker, confessing to altering the address from 1261 to 1216. Chuck pretended to panic, telling him to turn off the recorder immediately, then invoked the employee confidentiality agreement, ordering Ernesto not to tell anyone what he’d heard. Ernesto nodded repeatedly and turned to the kitchen to put away groceries, leaving Chuck with a triumphant grin. Chuck knew full well Jimmy would soon learn about the tape.
Back to Mike, who’d tried to assassinate Hector in the desert—he was shocked to find a note left on his car. He had no idea who’d issued the warning, but he drove away quickly before Hector could spot him. The car was a used one he’d bought specifically; Nacho couldn’t possibly recognize it. That meant someone had been following him, waiting to stop his plan. A cold sweat broke out on Mike’s back as he drove to a used auto parts shop. He rented tools and tore the car apart—checking the fuel tank, seats, and doors—but found nothing unusual. While waiting for a taxi, Mike wracked his brain. Suddenly, he noticed parts on the shelf: fuel tank caps and their inner gaskets were sold separately. That was the answer. Prying open the fuel tank cap with a screwdriver, he found a USB-shaped device stuck inside. Mike had always thought he was the hunter, never realizing there was another predator watching him.
It was midnight when he got home; his usual car was still parked by the curb. He removed the fuel tank cap, went inside, and took it apart—sure enough, he found the same device. It must be a tracker, he thought. If that’s the case, he’d fight fire with fire. Mike copied the tracker’s model and serial number, then went to the vet and spent a fortune buying the same tracking equipment on the black market.
After studying the manual carefully, Mike turned on the handheld tracker. The large screen displayed the distance and direction to the target tracker. Removing the battery from the target tracker would make the screen show "No Power" and lose signal immediately. Once tested, Mike replaced the tracker in his car’s fuel tank cap with his own, then took out the battery from the original. Now, he just waited behind the curtains for someone to take the bait. Hours later, a car finally pulled up. Someone got out, replaced the fuel tank cap, and drove away. Mike rushed out, tossed the new cap onto the front lawn, then jumped into his car and chased after the other vehicle, following the tracker’s directions.