Chapter 4 - The Gathering Evidence
The discovery of the forged custody document changed everything. This was no longer just a case of domestic abuse or neglect; it was a pre-meditated conspiracy to commit kidnapping, fraud, and potentially attempted murder.
The next morning, a detective from the specialized unit for crimes against women and children, Detective Sofia Alvarez, arrived at the hospital. She was a sharp, no-nonsense woman with a demeanor that instantly made me feel like we finally had a real ally.
"Mr. Torres, Mrs. Torres," Detective Alvarez said, pulling up a chair beside Valeria’s bed. "We have officially opened a criminal case against Carmen Torres and Brenda Torres. The evidence we recovered from your apartment is highly incriminating, but to secure a conviction that will put them behind bars for a long time, we need a complete, formal deposition from Valeria. I know she is weak, but the sooner we record this, the stronger our case."
Valeria looked at me, her eyes wide with lingering fear. I squeezed her hand.
"You don't have to do this if you're not ready, Vale," I told her. "But if you do, they will never be able to touch us again."
Valeria took a deep, shaky breath. She looked toward the small window in her room, through which we could see the pediatric ward down the hall. "I want to do it. For Santiago."
For the next two hours, Valeria recounted every detail of her four-day nightmare. Detective Alvarez recorded everything, her expression hardening with every word. She took high-resolution photographs of the bruises on Valeria’s wrists, ankles, and the dark yellowing bruises on her collarbone where Brenda had pinned her down.
As the deposition concluded, my phone rang. It was an unknown number.
I hesitated, then answered and put it on speaker, gesturing for Detective Alvarez to listen.
"Miguel!" My sister Brenda’s voice screamed through the speaker, hysterical and angry. "You have to stop this right now! The police came to mom's house! They are asking questions to the neighbors! Have you lost your mind? You are destroying this family over that worthless girl!"
"Brenda," I said, keeping my voice dead calm. "You drugged my wife. You tied her up. You almost killed my son."
"She's lying!" Brenda shrieked. "She's a manipulator! She made it look like that so you would hate us! Mom only wanted what was best for Santiago. Valeria was neglecting him, so we had to step in! We have rights to that baby, Miguel! If you don't call the police off, mom is going to cut you off completely. You'll never get a cent of the family inheritance!"
"I don't care about your money, Brenda," I said, a cold smile touching my lips. "And you don't have rights to anything. We found the forged custody papers."
Silence fell over the line. A heavy, suffocating silence.
"You..." Brenda stammered, her voice suddenly losing its bravado. "You don't know what you're talking about."
"The police have them, Brenda. They have your fingerprints on them. They have the Diazepam. They have the cords you used to tie Valeria. I'll see you in court."
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I hung up.
Detective Alvarez looked at me with a grim, approving nod. "That call was recorded on our end, Mr. Torres. She just admitted to knowledge of the situation and attempted to extort you to drop the charges. We now have enough for an arrest warrant."
