Chapter 13 - THE TRUST
The attorney arrived before dawn carrying seven years of bank statements.
The money Augusto had left for Isabela had never reached her. Vicente had moved it through accounts he controlled, then used it to cover failing business deals.
“He hired investigators to watch her,” the attorney said. “We found their invoices.”
Isabela read one report. It described her apartment, her work at a hotel, and the day Marisa died. She set it down before she reached the next page.
“He knew I was struggling,” she said.
No one had an answer.
Dante called Vicente. His uncle picked up on the first ring.
“The accounts are frozen,” Dante said. “The police have the statements.”
Vicente gave a tired laugh. “Your father taught me how to handle money.”
“You kept hers.”
“I kept the company standing.”
“By stealing from my sister?”
The word hung in the room. Isabela looked at Dante. He had said it without looking at the attorney or the birth certificate.
Vicente was quiet for a moment. Then he said, “You still need me to sign off on the overseas holdings. Meet me before you hand over anything else.”
“No.”
“Then ask your lawyer what happens when those accounts close.”
He hung up.
The attorney confirmed that Vicente had tied several company properties to the missing funds. Untangling them would take time. Dante told him to start.
Rafael’s phone buzzed. The police had found Carla’s abandoned car near a bus terminal. Her purse was inside. So was a recent photograph of Helena leaving a doctor’s office.
On the back, someone had written: SHE REMEMBERS TOO MUCH.
Isabela went upstairs. Helena was sitting by the window, staring at Marisa’s photograph.
“I remember taking you to the park once,” Helena said. “Your mother needed an afternoon to work. You wouldn’t let go of the red balloon I bought you.”
Isabela remembered a photograph of herself with that balloon. Marisa had told her a friend took it.
“Why didn’t you come for us after Augusto died?” she asked.
“By then, I thought you both hated me. And I was afraid you had every reason to.”
Isabela sat beside her. “You were right about the reason.”
Helena nodded.
Outside, a car stopped at the gate. Rafael checked the feed.
May you like
Vicente stood beside it with his hands raised.
“I’m here to return the money,” he said through the intercom. “But Dante needs to see what his father left in the safe.”
