Chapter 14 - The Betrayal at the Gate
My mother lived behind a small gated courtyard.
When I arrived, the gate was open.
I abandoned my car crooked against the curb and ran inside.
Camila was safe.
She sat on the sofa coloring beside my mother.
My knees nearly gave out.
Then I saw Daniel in the kitchen.
“What are you doing here?”
My mother stood.
“He said you told him he could come.”
I looked at Daniel.
His face tightened.
“You lied to her?”
“I needed to see Camila.”
“You have supervised visitation.”
“You made that happen.”
“No.”
I stepped closer.
“You made that happen.”
My mother looked horrified.
“I’m sorry, Mariana.”
Daniel raised his hands.
“I wasn’t taking her.”
“Then why is your car running outside?”
He froze.
I had noticed it when I entered.
So had the security camera mounted above my mother’s door.
Lucía arrived with police shortly afterward.
Daniel insisted he only wanted to talk.
He claimed leaving the engine running meant nothing.
Then an officer opened his trunk.
Inside was a small suitcase.
Children’s clothes.
Snacks.
Camila’s stuffed rabbit.
And an envelope containing cash.
Daniel went pale.
“That isn’t what it looks like.”
I almost laughed.
Because guilty people always seem to believe appearances are the unfair part.
The temporary custody order prohibited unsupervised contact.
Daniel had violated it.
Worse, he had lied to my mother to gain access.
He was not arrested for attempted kidnapping because the evidence did not establish that clearly.
But the violation went immediately before the family court.
His supervised visits were suspended pending review.
Daniel blamed Carmen.
Again.
“She said I needed to remind Camila I loved her.”
“You packed clothes.”
“I didn’t know what I was doing.”
“That may be the first completely true thing you’ve said.”
He looked at me as if I had slapped him.
Later, my mother cried.
“I should have called you.”
“You believed my husband.”
“I wanted to believe Camila’s father wouldn’t lie.”
“So did I.”
That night, after Camila fell asleep, I opened the stuffed rabbit Daniel had brought during his first supervised visit.
One seam along the back looked uneven.
I do not know why I noticed.
Maybe because every object connected to Daniel had started to feel suspicious.
I squeezed it.
Something hard was inside.
My mother brought scissors.
We opened the seam carefully.
A small electronic device slid into my palm.
A tracker.
Daniel had placed a location tracker inside our daughter’s toy.
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