PART 5
"The Rest of the Recording"
"No..."
Daniel whispered.
His eyes never left Patricia.
She stood frozen, tears running down her face.
"I didn't tell him to say that."
The detective held up a hand.
"Nobody says another word."
He handed the phone to the forensic technician.
"Can you recover the rest of the audio?"
The technician nodded.
"It looks damaged. The message may have been cut off."
Minutes felt like hours.
No one spoke.
Finally, the technician looked up.
"I've got something."
He connected the phone to his laptop.
"The recording wasn't complete."
Daniel stepped closer.
"What do you mean?"
"Someone edited it."
The room fell silent.
He clicked a few keys.
"The message continues."
Everyone held their breath as he pressed Play.
Leo's frightened voice filled the room again.
"Dad..."
"If you're hearing this..."
"...don't trust Aunt Patricia..."
A burst of static interrupted him.
Then the recording returned.
"...unless she tells you everything."
Patricia broke down.
"Oh, Leo..."
The message continued.
"The man said if Aunt Patricia talked..."
"...he'd hurt Mommy and Inés."
Daniel felt his knees weaken.
"He made her promise."
More static.
"I know Aunt Patricia is trying to help me..."
"...but he knows where everyone lives."
The message ended with a shaky breath.
"I love you, Dad."
Silence.
Nobody moved.
Daniel slowly turned toward his sister.
"You were protecting us."
Patricia nodded through tears.
"I thought if I stayed quiet... he'd leave all of you alone."
Mariana stared at her.
"Who?"
Patricia looked at Daniel.
"The man who worked on your house."
Daniel frowned.
"The contractor?"
She nodded.
"His name wasn't Carlos."
"He lied about everything."
The detective's expression changed.
"Do you know his real name?"
Patricia swallowed.
"I only knew him as Víctor."
One of the detectives immediately pulled out his phone.
His face hardened after only a few seconds.
"We have a match."
Daniel looked at him.
"Who is he?"
The detective answered quietly.
"Víctor Salas."
"He disappeared six years ago after being questioned in two child abduction cases."
Mariana gasped.
"And no one caught him?"
The detective shook his head.
"He changed names. Changed cities."
Patricia closed her eyes.
"He told me if I ever spoke..."
"...Leo would disappear forever."
Daniel's voice was barely a whisper.
"Is he still alive?"
Before anyone could answer, the detective's phone rang.
He listened for only a few seconds.
Then he looked directly at Daniel.
"We found the address."
Daniel's heart pounded.
"Is Leo there?"
The detective took a deep breath.
"We don't know."
"But someone has been paying the electric bill every month..."
"...for an abandoned farmhouse outside Querétaro."
Daniel grabbed his jacket.
"I'm going."
The detective nodded.
"So are we."
No one noticed Patricia quietly slipping something into Daniel's coat pocket.
Not until much later.
May you like
Because hidden inside was a folded note.
In Leo's handwriting.
