Chapter 2 - THE WOMAN THEY WANTED TO BLAME
Sofía laid Mateo on a plain cotton sheet across the changing table.
Dr. Marín fitted a small oxygen mask over his face.
Valeria stood close enough to touch him but did not dare.
“What is happening?” she asked.
“His skin is inflamed, and his body is exhausted,” Sofía replied.
“Is he dying?”
“No.”
Sofía forced certainty into her voice.
“Not while we are watching him.”
Nicolás ordered the private medical wing prepared.
Within minutes, the nursery filled with equipment.
The silk curtains were torn down.
The decorative cushions were sealed in plastic.
Every item of clothing was removed from the wardrobe.
Leonor watched the destruction of the room she had designed.
She looked more offended by the loss of the furnishings than frightened for the child.
Sofía saw Valeria notice it too.
Teresa remained near the wall under guard.
Her shoulders shook.
“I only followed the instructions.”
Leonor turned on her.
“You expect us to believe that?”
“I asked Beatriz why we were spraying clean clothes.”
“And what did she say?”
“That the doctor wanted Mateo exposed gradually.”
Dr. Marín looked up sharply.
“What doctor?”
Teresa swallowed.
“She never gave me a name.”
Leonor folded her arms.
“How convenient.”
Teresa’s face flushed.
“I have served this family for eighteen years.”
“And in eighteen years, you learned where we keep our money.”
“I never stole money.”
“You stole food.”
“For a hungry child.”
Leonor faced the guards.
“Remove her.”
Sofía stepped into their path.
“No one removes anyone until I check the laundry room.”
Nicolás looked at her.
“Mateo needs you.”
“Dr. Marín is stabilizing him.”
Sofía glanced toward Teresa.
“If someone wants us to blame her, the evidence will be waiting downstairs.”
Leonor gave a thin smile.
“At last, the nurse understands.”
Sofía met her gaze.
“I did not say Teresa was guilty.”
The laundry room occupied an entire section beneath the west wing.
Industrial washers lined one wall.
Fresh uniforms hung in perfect rows.
Three employees stood together, frightened into silence.
Sofía walked directly to the cabinet where the baby products were stored.
It was unlocked.
“That cabinet is always locked,” Teresa said.
The supervisor frowned.
“Only Teresa and Señora Beatriz have keys.”
Sofía opened the door.
Six imported bottles stood inside.
Five were full.
The sixth was empty.
Behind them lay a small glass syringe.
One guard immediately grabbed Teresa’s arm.
“I have never seen that before,” she cried.
Leonor had followed them downstairs.
“Of course not.”
Sofía crouched without touching the syringe.
Dust covered the shelf.
A clean rectangle surrounded the evidence.
The objects had been placed there recently.
“Who cleaned this cabinet?” Sofía asked.
“No one this week,” the supervisor answered.
“Then why is there no dust on the syringe?”
The guard released some pressure from Teresa’s arm.
Leonor’s smile disappeared.
Sofía examined the cabinet lock.
There were fresh scratches around it.
“Someone opened this without a key.”
Nicolás turned toward his security chief, Mauricio Rojas.
“Show me the cameras.”
Mauricio’s face remained calm.
“The laundry cameras were under maintenance.”
“For how long?”
“Fourteen minutes.”
“When?”
Mauricio hesitated.
“Last night.”
Teresa made a strangled sound.
“That was when Beatriz told me to take my break.”
Nicolás stepped closer to Mauricio.
“Who authorized the shutdown?”
“The system did it automatically.”
“My security system does nothing automatically.”
Mauricio lowered his eyes.
“I will investigate.”
“No.”
Nicolás’s voice dropped.
“You will give me your weapon and access card.”
Mauricio looked up.
For the first time, alarm crossed his face.
“I have protected this family for twelve years.”
“You failed to protect a ten-month-old baby.”
Mauricio slowly removed his weapon.
Don Esteban entered the laundry room carrying a small blue backpack.
A little boy followed him.
He was seven years old, thin, and serious, with dark curls falling over his forehead.
“This is my grandson, Luca,” Don Esteban said.
Leonor’s irritation sharpened.
“Why is that child here?”
“The schools closed during the storm last week.”
Don Esteban rested a hand on Luca’s shoulder.
“He stayed with me overnight.”
Luca looked around the adults.
His eyes stopped on Leonor.
Then they moved to the imported bottles.
Sofía crouched to his height.
“Did you see something here, Luca?”
The boy nodded.
Don Esteban looked surprised.
“You told me you slept in my room.”
“I woke up.”
Luca pointed toward the service door.
“I heard the baby crying.”
Leonor stepped forward.
“Children invent stories when adults encourage them.”
Luca’s brow furrowed.
He looked at her with genuine confusion.
May you like
Then he asked the question that emptied every face in the room.
“Why is Grandma Leonor pretending she doesn’t know about the blue bottle?”
