At dusk, Daniel comes out of the subway onto the deserted Avenida del Tibidabo and catches the blue tram. The conductor, wary but familiar, tells Daniel to get off at number thirty-two and murmurs “Good luck” as Daniel disembarks near the Aldaya mansion.

Daniel slips through the gap in the back wall and crosses the frozen garden, noticing the iced statues and fountain. The main door stands ajar, and inside he finds a trail of nearly burned-down candles—Bea’s—leading toward the staircase and up to the first floor.

Following the candles to the room that once belonged to Penélope, Daniel knocks. Bea, wrapped in a blanket and trembling, lets him in and breaks down in tears, saying she had nowhere else to go and could not reach Daniel’s home.

When Daniel asks why Bea called him “Julián,” Bea explains that Julián Carax is in the house and has been coming and going. Carax found Bea trying to enter, immediately understood her situation, sheltered her in this room, and brought her food and water; at night he talked with Bea about Penélope, Nuria, and Daniel and Bea, insisting Bea must help Daniel forget him.

Bea says Carax is downstairs in the library, waiting for someone who will come with Daniel—someone Daniel will “bring him.” As Daniel looks into the corridor, footsteps rise from below, and Daniel recognizes Inspector Fumero’s shadow, raincoat, and gun as Fumero approaches the staircase.