Chapter 5 - THE SECOND TRAITOR
Daniel traced the call to a prepaid phone.
The signal disappeared within minutes.
But the location mattered.
It came from a town eighty miles north.
Gustavo wanted police involved immediately.
Paloma wanted to go herself.
"No."
"You don't decide for me."
"You have four children."
"Exactly."
"And if Rafael is there, I'm bringing their father home."
Gustavo looked at her.
"Or you're walking into a trap."
Paloma hated him for being right.
Daniel contacted investigators quietly.
Meanwhile, Gustavo began auditing everyone with access to Rafael's original complaint.
Only four people could have intercepted it.
Victor.
Gustavo's executive assistant.
Daniel.
And Gustavo's younger brother, Eduardo.
Gustavo stared at the list.
"No."
Daniel didn't speak.
"Eduardo wouldn't."
"Then we'll eliminate him."
But they couldn't.
Records showed Eduardo had accessed Rafael's personnel file twice.
Once before Rafael disappeared.
Once the week after.
Gustavo drove directly to his brother's apartment.
Eduardo opened the door smiling.
"Gus."
Gustavo pushed past him.
"Did you know Rafael Mendes?"
The smile disappeared.
Eduardo closed the door.
"Why?"
"Answer me."
"I knew who he was."
"Did you access his file?"
Eduardo looked away.
"Yes."
Gustavo felt something sink inside him.
"Why?"
"Victor asked me to."
"Why?"
"He said Rafael was stealing."
Gustavo stepped closer.
"And you believed him?"
"I had no reason not to."
"You had a reason."
"What?"
"You could have asked me."
Eduardo's face tightened.
"Gus, I didn't know."
"Because you didn't want to know."
Eduardo sat down.
Then he told Gustavo everything.
Victor had approached him two years earlier.
Small investments.
Easy profits.
Nothing illegal, Victor claimed.
Eduardo signed documents without reading them carefully.
His name appeared on shell companies.
When Rafael discovered the fraudulent invoices, Victor panicked.
He convinced Eduardo that Rafael was attempting blackmail.
"Did you hurt him?"
"No."
"Did you threaten him?"
"No."
"Did you know Victor did?"
Eduardo didn't answer.
Gustavo grabbed his brother by the shirt.
"Did you know?"
"I knew Victor wanted him scared."
Gustavo released him as though touching him had become unbearable.
"You helped destroy a family."
"I didn't know Paloma had babies."
"Would one baby have made it better?"
Eduardo lowered his head.
Gustavo walked toward the door.
"Gus."
He stopped.
"Victor keeps records."
Gustavo turned.
"Where?"
"I don't know."
"But he doesn't trust anyone."
Eduardo swallowed.
"He records everything so nobody can betray him."
That evening, Gustavo told Paloma the truth.
She listened silently.
When he finished, she asked one question.
"Are you protecting your brother?"
"No."
"Will you?"
"No."
"Even if he goes to prison?"
Gustavo looked at her.
"If Eduardo committed a crime, being my brother doesn't erase it."
Paloma nodded.
That answer mattered.
Then Daniel rushed into the room.
"We found Rafael."
Paloma stood so quickly her chair fell backward.
"Where?"
Daniel looked at Gustavo.
"County hospital."
"What happened?"
"He walked into an emergency room twenty minutes ago."
Paloma grabbed her coat.
But Daniel wasn't finished.
"He didn't come alone."
"Who was with him?"
May you like
Daniel's expression darkened.
"Victor."
