Chapter 6 - The Confession
The interrogation room at the Santa Martha Acatitla women's prison was cold, sterile, and smelled of cheap industrial bleach.
Karina sat across the metal table from me, wearing a dull gray prison jumpsuit. Her hair was unwashed, her skin sallow, and the arrogance that had defined her for years was gone, replaced by a raw, hollow desperation.
She looked at me through the wire mesh screen. "Did you come here to enjoy this, Alejandro?"
"I came here to give you one chance to save what's left of your life," I said calmly, sitting down beside Valeria.
Karina let out a bitter laugh. "My life is over! My uncle’s lawyers sent a messenger today. They told me that if I mention Jorge’s name in court, my brother’s construction business will be burned to the ground, and I’ll rot in this pit for the maximum sentence!"
"Your uncle abandoned you, Karina," Valeria spoke up, placing a draft of the plea agreement against the glass. "He filed a motion yesterday claiming you have a history of psychological instability and that you stole the land documents from his office without his knowledge. He is framing you as the sole mastermind."
Karina’s eyes widened. She grabbed the paper, scanning the legal text frantically. "That lying bastard... He promised me five percent of the Coyoacán development! He told me three years ago that if I married Alejandro, found the original deed, and got Elena declared incompetent, he would set me up for life!"
"Put that in a sworn affidavit," Valeria said firmly. "Give us the encrypted emails, the bank transfers, the audio recordings—anything that proves Jorge Mendoza directed your actions. In exchange, the prosecutor will recommend a five-year sentence with eligibility for parole in two."
Karina leaned her forehead against the cool glass of the partition, her body shaking with quiet sobs.
"I have the phone calls," she whispered after a long silence. "I recorded every conversation with my uncle on a secure cloud server. I knew he couldn't be trusted. I kept them as insurance."
"Where are the access codes?" Valeria asked, leaning forward.
Karina raised her head, looking directly at me. Her eyes were filled with tears of remorse—or perhaps just fear.
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"I'll give you the codes, Alejandro," she said. "But you have to promise me one thing. Don't let him win. My uncle ruined my father's life, he ruined my life, and he tried to destroy your family. Crush him."
"I don't need to crush him," I replied quietly. "The truth will do that on its own."
