Chapter 9 - THROUGH THE WINDOW
Roberto showed the photograph to Detective Harris before he showed it to anyone else. She sent officers to check the area around the property.
Daniel closed the curtains. He moved Sofía and María away from the windows and checked every exterior door.
Sofía heard enough to know something was wrong.
“Was someone watching us?” she asked.
Roberto sat beside her. “Someone took a picture from outside. The police are looking into it.”
She held his hand. “Was it Vanessa?”
“I don’t know.”
Roberto hated having to say it. Sofía seemed relieved that he had told her the truth.
Harris found a muddy print below the kitchen window. It matched the size of the print Daniel had found after the intruder escaped. A traffic camera two streets away showed Adrian’s car passing the mansion that afternoon.
Police went to his apartment. He was gone.
Meanwhile, Claire filed for an emergency order blocking changes to Sofía’s trust. She also began the legal steps to end Roberto’s marriage.
At home, Roberto tried to keep Sofía’s routine steady. They ate dinner together. María described the food as she served it, the way Sofía liked. Roberto read aloud before bed, doing different voices so badly that Sofía laughed for the first time since he had come home early.
When she fell asleep, he found María in the kitchen washing a single plate that was already clean.
“You can leave it,” he said.
“I needed something to do.”
“Me too.”
María turned off the tap. “She asked me yesterday whether you would go away again.”
“I told her I have to work.”
“She knows. She just needs to know when you’re coming home.”
Roberto looked toward the dark hallway. “From now on, I’ll tell her. And if plans change, I’ll call her myself.”
His phone rang. Harris.
“We found Adrian’s car at the airport,” she said. “He didn’t board a flight.”
“Where is he?”
“We’re looking.”
There was a pause.
“What else?” Roberto asked.
Harris took a breath. “Vanessa’s attorney says she wants to give a statement. She says Adrian planned the documents, and she can prove it.”
“Do you believe her?”
“I believe she has something she hasn’t shown us.”
May you like
The next morning, Vanessa handed Harris a small storage drive.
On it was a video recorded inside Roberto’s house—dated the night Sofía fell in the study.
