“Second, find out why that woman hated a child enough to do this.”
The investigation begins in your own house.
You do not return alone.
Police execute a search warrant after the hospital report, Diego’s statement, and Elvira’s testimony. They search Valeria’s dressing room, bathroom, private office, and the small locked cabinet she said contained skincare samples.
Inside, they find syringes.
Small bottles of honey-thick liquid.
Insect bait.
A fine metal awl.
A printed article about fire ant reactions under medical dressings.
Your stomach turns when the officer shows you.
But the worst item is a notebook.
Valeria’s handwriting.
Pages of dates.
Complaints about Diego.
Plans.
Not openly criminal at first.
Just resentment dressed as strategy.
Diego interrupts dinners.
Diego manipulates Alejandro with grief.
Alejandro still keeps Mariana’s portrait in the study.
Diego must be removed before pregnancy.
You stop reading.
“Pregnancy?” you ask.
The officer looks uncomfortable.
“There are several references to wanting a child with you.”
Your throat tightens.
Valeria had spoken of children twice.
Both times vaguely.
You said it was too soon.
Diego was still adjusting.
She smiled and said of course.
Apparently, that smile hid a plan.
Then the final pages become darker.
If Diego is unstable, custody can shift.
Psychiatric record necessary.
Alejandro must see him as dangerous.
Pain makes children confess or break.
You stagger backward.
