Chapter 12 - Esther Disappears
Federal investigators entered the Aranda mansion before sunrise.
Esther was gone.
Her passport remained in the house.
Her personal phone was turned off.
Two vehicles were missing from the family garage.
So was Dr. Velasco.
Alejandro did not believe in coincidence anymore.
Investigators searched Esther's bedroom safe.
Inside they found bank records.
Old photographs.
Prescription bottles.
And a handwritten notebook.
The notebook contained dates spanning more than a decade.
Some entries were ordinary.
Charity events.
Family dinners.
Business meetings.
Others were not.
E - 4 drops.
E - 6 drops.
Weak.
Javier concerned.
L - stable.
A - Madrid.
V - started.
V - increased.
Alejandro read the page twice.
E.
Eduardo.
V.
Valeria.
He could guess the names.
But one letter confused him.
L.
Lucia.
If the notebook was genuine, Esther had recorded something involving Lucia almost thirty years earlier.
Investigators bagged everything.
In another drawer, they found a recent purchase of the exact pharmaceutical compound identified in Valeria's blood.
It had been obtained through a shell medical charity connected to the Aranda Foundation.
The authorization carried Marcela's signature.
When confronted, Marcela turned pale.
"I signed hundreds of charity orders."
"I didn't know."
Alejandro watched investigators question her.
This time, he believed she might be telling the truth.
Esther had built systems where other people performed pieces of her plan without seeing the whole.
Dr. Velasco had normalized symptoms.
Marcela had erased footage.
Staff had prepared tea.
Drivers had redirected appointments.
Each person had only held one piece.
Esther had held the picture.
At noon, Rafael found one of the missing cars abandoned near Cuernavaca.
The second vehicle was traced toward Guerrero.
Alejandro was preparing to join investigators when Samuel called.
"Get to the clinic."
Alejandro's heart stopped.
"What happened?"
"Valeria's having contractions."
He reached her room twenty minutes later.
Valeria was pale and frightened.
Samuel stood beside the monitor.
"She is only twenty-six weeks."
"We're trying to stop the contractions."
Alejandro took her hand.
"Is this because of the exposure?"
"Possibly."
"Stress may also be contributing."
Valeria turned toward Alejandro.
"Did you find Esther?"
"No."
She closed her eyes.
"I knew she would run."
Alejandro brushed hair from her forehead.
"You don't need to think about her."
Valeria laughed weakly.
"She has been inside my head for months."
"It's hard not to."
A nurse entered carrying medication.
Samuel gave instructions.
The fetal monitor accelerated.
Valeria gripped Alejandro's hand.
Then she whispered.
"What if our baby comes now?"
"We'll face it."
"What if he doesn't survive?"
Alejandro leaned closer.
"He is an Aranda."
Valeria looked at him sharply.
Alejandro corrected himself.
"No."
"He is ours."
"And that's enough."
For the first time in days, she smiled.
The contractions slowly began to decrease.
Samuel finally exhaled.
"We may have stopped it."
Alejandro closed his eyes in relief.
Then his phone rang.
Rafael.
"We found Esther."
Alejandro stepped into the hallway.
"Where?"
"At a private property outside Taxco."
"She isn't alone."
"Velasco?"
"Yes."
"And someone else."
"Who?"
Rafael paused.
"A retired nurse named Beatriz Salas."
"Does that name mean anything to you?"
"No."
May you like
"It should."
"She signed Lucia Marquez's hospital admission thirty years ago."
