Chapter 8 - BEHIND THE FALSE WALL
The hidden room was behind Sergio’s office.
Police found it at 2:13 in the morning.
The wall looked normal until a detective noticed the floor trim didn’t line up.
Behind it were metal boxes.
Accounting books.
External drives.
Bank statements.
Photographs.
Copies of donation records.
And more recordings from Júlia.
By sunrise, Lorenzo’s entire public life had begun to fall apart.
I listened to one recording in a detective’s office.
Júlia sounded exhausted.
“I know about the shell companies.”
Lorenzo answered, “You’re confused.”
“No. You moved money meant for emergency shelters.”
“We moved funds temporarily.”
“To companies you own.”
Silence.
Then:
“You have a child, Júlia. Start acting like a mother.”
My hands curled into fists.
Another recording.
Sergio this time.
“You need to stop asking questions.”
Júlia said, “Are you threatening me?”
“I’m telling you what happens to people who embarrass Lorenzo.”
The final recording was dated two days before her death.
Júlia whispered.
“If anything happens to me, Beatriz needs to know I tried.”
I stopped the recording.
I couldn’t listen anymore.
For twelve years I had believed she betrayed me.
In reality, she had been trying to protect children.
And I had helped the man who destroyed her reputation.
A detective sat across from me.
“We’re reopening the crash investigation.”
“Do you think Lorenzo killed her?”
“We don’t know.”
“But you think it’s possible.”
“We think there are enough inconsistencies to investigate.”
I stared at the table.
“What happens to him now?”
“We continue building the case.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
He understood.
“You need to prepare yourself for the possibility that your husband knew far more than he’s admitting.”
I laughed once.
There was no humor in it.
“He always knows more than he admits.”
That afternoon, Lorenzo called me from his attorney’s office.
I almost ignored it.
Then I answered.
“Beatriz.”
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
“You need to stop.”
“Stop what?”
“Talking to investigators without legal counsel.”
“I’m not the one who needs a criminal attorney.”
“You think this is simple?”
“A child was locked in a basement.”
“I paid for his care.”
“You paid Sergio.”
“I didn’t tell him to hurt Tomás.”
“You knew he was hurting him.”
Silence.
That silence was an answer.
Then Lorenzo said, “Everything I did was to protect our family.”
“There it is again.”
“What?”
“Our family.”
I looked through the hospital glass at Tomás.
“You mean the family you put in photographs.”
“Beatriz.”
“You don’t mean him.”
Lorenzo’s voice changed.
Harder.
“If you keep pushing this, Eduardo loses everything too.”
I went still.
“What did you say?”
“Our assets could be frozen. The foundation could collapse. The company could fail.”
“Are you threatening our son?”
“I’m telling you reality.”
“No.”
I lowered my voice.
“You threatened the wrong child once already.”
May you like
Then Lorenzo said something I wasn’t expecting.
“You still don’t know what Júlia did before she died.”
