Chapter 7 - THE RECORDING
“No private meetings,” Nina said.
“I know.”
“No promises.”
“I know.”
“And if he starts crying, remember that tears aren’t documents.”
The interview took place with attorneys present and investigators nearby.
Marco looked smaller without his watch.
He tried to smile when he saw me.
I didn’t return it.
“Elena.”
“What do you have?”
He glanced toward Nina.
“Can we have a minute?”
“No,” we said together.
His smile vanished.
For a few seconds, I saw the man who had pointed toward the stairs and told me to pack.
Then he lowered his voice.
“Victor handled the structure. Stella brought in the accounts.”
“And you?”
“I approved things.”
“Things?”
“Payments.”
“False payments.”
He rubbed his face.
“I thought we could replace the money before anybody noticed.”
Nina made a note.
Marco watched her pen.
“Don’t write that like I’m some criminal.”
“You are being interviewed about crimes,” she said.
He turned back to me.
“There’s a recording.”
The room changed.
“Where?” I asked.
“Old tablet. At the house.”
“Why didn’t you tell your attorney?”
“Because I needed to know you would help me.”
“I’m not trading evidence for promises.”
“You owe me a conversation.”
“No. I gave you three years of those.”
His jaw tightened.
Then he gave us the location.
A storage box above the laundry cabinet.
An old tablet inside a torn laptop sleeve.
Suarez’s team retrieved it with the proper documentation.
I waited in the hallway while they worked.
By evening, they had located an audio file.
Victor’s voice came through clearly.
“Your wife is useful because her credentials are clean.”
Marco laughed.
Not nervously.
Not reluctantly.
Laughed.
“She signs whatever I put in front of her.”
I stared at the wall.
The recording continued.
Victor explained how my name would make the vendor paperwork look legitimate.
Marco asked about his share.
There was no objection.
No confusion.
No mention of being tricked.
Then Stella spoke.
“And if she notices?”
Marco answered without pausing.
“She won’t. Elena thinks being loyal means not asking questions.”
Nina reached for my hand.
I pulled it away.
Not because I didn’t need her.
Because I needed to hear the rest.
Near the end, Victor said something that made Suarez stop the recording.
“If this goes wrong, the wife takes it first.”
May you like
And Marco said:
“Fine.”
