Mateo saw stacked boxes, a folding table, a bottle of water, and a blanket spread out next to the wall.
And there, sitting on the floor, was Elena.
Her dark hair was tangled, her clothes wrinkled, and her face gaunt. Her wrists showed reddish marks. When she raised her head and saw Mateo, she covered her mouth with both hands.
“My God,” he whispered.
Sofia stepped down two steps before an officer gently stopped her.
—Mami…
Elena got up with difficulty.
—My child!
The policeman helped her upstairs. As soon as she reached the hallway, Sofia ran to him and hugged his legs.
Elena fell to her knees, holding her in her arms and kissing her hair again and again.
—Forgive me, my love. Forgive me for not being able to arrive sooner.
Mateo knelt beside them.
He wanted to touch Elena’s shoulder, but stopped when he saw her instinctively flinch.
That small reaction hurt him more than any accusation.
—Elena, I didn’t know…
She looked at him with eyes full of tears.
—I called you, Mateo. I wrote to you. I tried to contact you in every way I could.
—Vanessa told me you had left.
Elena closed her eyes.
-I know.
One officer called for an ambulance. Another escorted Vanessa outside as she shouted that it had all been a misunderstanding.
Mateo could barely hear her.
Elena took his hand.
—I need you to do something for me before they take me to the hospital.
-Whatever you want.
—Go to the desk. Open the red folder. Look for the envelope that’s under the house documents.
Mateo felt a chill.
—What’s in that envelope?
Elena looked towards the door through which Vanessa had just been taken out.
—Proof that she didn’t do all this alone.
Then Sofia lifted her head from her mother’s chest.
—Mami…
Elena stroked his cheek.
—What’s wrong, sweetheart?
The girl looked at her father with wide eyes.
—Vanessa wasn’t the only one who came to talk to Mom when she was downstairs.
Mateo was frozen.
—Who else came, princess?
Sofia pointed to the front door.
—The man who always brings me gifts when you’re working.
And from outside, just before the patrol car door closed, a male voice called out Elena’s name.
Mateo recognized her instantly.
It was his own brother.
Mateo recognized his brother’s voice before he saw him.
—What’s going on here? Why are there police officers at my house?
It was Gabriel Reyes, two years older than Mateo, impeccably dressed in a white shirt and dark pants. In one hand he carried a bag from a toy store. In the other, the keys to his truck.
Sofia hid behind Elena.
Gabriel noticed it.
“What’s wrong, princess?” he asked, leaning forward with a smile. “I brought you something.”
The girl shook her head.
—I don’t want your gifts.
Gabriel’s smile disappeared for a fraction of a second.
Matthew walked towards him.
—What are you doing here?
—I came to see my niece. As always.
“Like always?” Mateo pointed to the basement door. “My wife was just rescued from down there.”
Vanessa is in police custody. And my daughter says you used to go down to see her.
Gabriel let out an incredulous laugh.
—Was Elena in the basement? Mateo, please. What kind of madness is this?
An officer approached.
—Sir, we need you to stay here while we sort some things out.
Gabriel raised his hands.
—Of course. I have nothing to hide.
Elena stood up with difficulty. One of the paramedics had arrived and was examining her wrists, but she didn’t take her eyes off Gabriel.
“Are you still carrying the lemon drops?” he asked.
Gabriel stopped smiling.
Mateo looked at his wife.
—What candies?
Elena swallowed.
—The ones he brought me when I went down to the basement.
Gabriel dropped the bag of toys onto a chair.
—She’s confused. She’s been locked up for too long. She doesn’t know what she’s saying.
—Then you won’t mind them checking your truck —Elena replied.
Gabriel’s expression changed.
Just a little.
But Matthew saw it.
“Why would they need to search my truck?” Gabriel asked.
Elena squeezed her daughter’s hand.
—Because the last time you came, you dropped something. Something Mateo should acknowledge.
Gabriel turned to his brother.
—Don’t listen to him. He’s always known how to turn you against me.
That phrase struck Mateo with an unpleasant familiarity.
From childhood, Gabriel had used the same words whenever someone questioned his decisions. When money disappeared from his parents’ house, he blamed Mateo. When he messed something up, he found someone else to blame.
Mateo had been justifying it for years.
He was her older brother.
His family.
But now Elena trembled every time Gabriel approached.
“Agent,” Mateo said, “I want you to check it.”
