Chapter 10 - CAMILA IS GONE
I don't remember the elevator ride.
I remember the street.
Too bright.
Too loud.
Every car looked like Daniel's.
Every child sounded like Camila.
Sofía drove because my hands would not stop shaking.
Rafael sat in the back, pressing a towel against his arm.
We found Elena's car outside the café.
Driver's door open.
Her purse on the pavement.
No blood.
That was the only good thing.
A waiter had seen Daniel.
“He said he was the girl's father.”
He was.
That made everything harder.
He had shown identification.
Camila had recognized him.
She had gone willingly.
I wanted to scream at Elena.
Then we found her in the café bathroom.
Locked inside.
Daniel had taken her phone and pushed a chair under the outside handle.
She was furious.
“I am going to destroy him.”
“Get in line.”
We called police.
This time I didn't care about family embarrassment.
I didn't care about headlines.
I gave them everything.
Tickets.
Messages.
Ledger.
Photographs.
Daniel's threat.
An officer asked whether Daniel might hurt Camila.
I answered too quickly.
“No.”
Then I stopped.
I had once believed he would never let anyone put her outside in the cold.
“I don't know.”
That sentence nearly killed me.
At 3:40 p.m., Daniel called.
I answered.
“Let me hear her.”
“Mariana—”
“Let me hear my daughter.”
A rustle.
Then Camila.
“Mommy?”
My knees weakened.
“Hi, baby.”
“Daddy says we're having an adventure.”
“Are you okay?”
“Yes.”
“Are you warm?”
“Yes.”
“Did you eat?”
A pause.
“Chips.”
Of course.
“Okay. Listen to Daddy, but if he tells you to hide from police, you don't hide. Understand?”
Daniel grabbed the phone.
“What are you doing?”
“Parenting.”
“You forced me into this.”
“No.”
“I had no choice.”
“You bought plane tickets before I came home.”
Silence.
He hated timelines.
“Where are you?”
“You file a statement saying the fraud accusations were a misunderstanding.”
“No.”
“Mariana.”
“No.”
“Then you don't get Camila back.”
My entire body went cold.
“You just threatened to keep my daughter unless I lie to police.”
He breathed hard.
“I didn't mean it like that.”
“You said it exactly like that.”
He hung up.
The police traced the call.
A highway outside Toluca.
We drove.
Halfway there, Rafael's phone rang.
Unknown.
He answered.
His face changed.
“Ignacio.”
Sofía grabbed the phone.
“Papá?”
A man said, “Tell Mariana her husband is not bringing the girl to me.”
I leaned closer.
“Then where?”
Ignacio laughed softly.
“You all think Daniel is stupid.”
Rafael said, “He is.”
“Not this time.”
The line crackled.
Then Ignacio said, “He took the ledger copy from your mother's house last night.”
I looked at Rafael.
“What copy?”
He went pale.
I knew that face.
Another secret.
Ignacio continued.
“Daniel isn't running from you, Mariana.”
“He's selling everything he stole.”
“Where?”
“The airport.”
My phone buzzed.
A banking alert.
A transfer request from my business reserve account.
4.8 million pesos.
May you like
Authorized by Daniel Salgado.
