Chapter 5 - The Arrival of Justice
The digital screen glowed softly in the dim morning light as I scrolled through the PDF document downloaded from the public registry portal. My hands grew ice-cold. There it was, stamped and signed with a forged digital certificate bearing my name: a mortgage-backed loan agreement for eight hundred thousand pesos, using my house as the primary collateral.
The loan had been approved three weeks ago. The funds had already been disbursed to an account owned jointly by Mauricio and a company registered under Valeria’s maiden name.
They weren't just planning to move out eventually; they were planning to evict me.
According to the fine print of the fraudulent agreement, if the first monthly installment—due in five days—was not paid, the lender would initiate foreclosure proceedings, forcing the immediate auction of the property. By the time I would have found out legally through court notices, I would have already been thrown onto the street with nowhere to go.
My own flesh and blood had signed away my home behind my back, aided by a woman who laughed while destroying my birthday cake.
I didn't panic. Grief was a luxury I could no longer afford. Instead, I picked up my phone and dialed a number I hadn't called in five years—Mateo Silva, a retired criminal lawyer who had been my husband Julián’s closest friend since their university days in Mexico City.
"Elenita?" Mateo’s deep, steady voice came through the receiver after two rings. "It’s so early. Is everything alright? Is it about Julián’s memorial next month?"
"No, Mateo," I said, my voice steady, though my heart was hammering against my ribs. "I need your help. Not as a friend, but as a lawyer. My son and his wife have committed identity theft, bank fraud, and forgery against me. They've mortgaged my house without my consent."
There was a sharp intake of breath on the other end of the line.
"Give me forty minutes," Mateo said, his tone instantly shifting into that of a sharp, dangerous litigator. "Make sure neither of them leaves the house, and do not sign anything else. I’m bringing two state investigators and the proper documentation."
"I'll be waiting," I replied and hung up.
Outside my door, I could hear Valeria and Mauricio shouting at each other as they frantically threw items into plastic bins and suitcases. Valeria was screaming that Mauricio was a useless coward who couldn't even execute a simple scam properly, while Mauricio sobbed, blaming her expensive tastes for driving them to such desperate measures.
I walked slowly down the hallway, stopping outside the guest room. The door was wide open. Valeria was stuffing clothes into a designer suitcase while Mauricio stood by helplessly.
"You're not going anywhere yet," I said quietly from the doorway.
Valeria whipped around, her face twisted in rage. "Oh, is that right? You old hag! You think you can trap us here? We are leaving right now, and you can rot in this dusty museum of a house by yourself!"
"You can leave in an hour," I replied, stepping inside the room and locking the door behind me with a decisive click. "When the state investigators arrive to question you about the fraudulent mortgage on my property."
Mauricio turned pale as paper, dropping a stack of shirts onto the floor. "Mortgage? Mom, what are you talking about?"
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"Don't play stupid with me, Mauricio," I said, holding up my phone. "Inmobiliaria El Sol. Eight hundred thousand pesos. Forged digital signature. You thought you were clever, didn't you? You thought an old widow wouldn't know how to check public registries online."
Valeria let out a breathless gasp, her arrogance finally shattering completely. She grabbed her phone from the bed, dialing frantically, but before she could press call, heavy footsteps echoed from the front porch, followed by a loud, authoritative knock on the front door.
