Chapter 6 - The Trap
The next day passed in a blur of agonizing tension. True to her word, Detective Alvarez had stationed two armed officers outside our door. The hospital staff was put on high alert, and no visitors were allowed on our floor without strict identification checks.
But my mother didn't try to sneak into the hospital. She was too smart for that.
Instead, she targeted my livelihood.
At 2:00 PM, my boss, Señor Alejandro, called me.
"Miguel," he said, sounding incredibly stressed. "What is going on? I have a woman here at the warehouse office. She claims to be your mother, and she is accompanied by a lawyer. She is demanding we freeze your payroll, claiming you have stolen money from her and that she is the legal co-owner of your apartment, which she says was purchased with her funds."
My blood ran cold. "Alejandro, do not listen to her. She is a fugitive. The police are looking for her. Call the police immediately!"
"We already did, Miguel," Alejandro said, his voice dropping. "But she left before they arrived. She left a package for you. She said if you want it, you have to come get it yourself at her house. She said... she said she has something that belongs to Valeria."
"What?" I asked, my mind racing. "Valeria is here with me. Santiago is here."
"I don't know, Miguel. She just said 'tell him I have Valeria's grandmother's rosary and the family deeds.' She said you have until 6:00 PM before she burns them."
The rosary.
It was a priceless family heirloom, the only thing Valeria had left of her grandmother, who had raised her after her parents passed away. Valeria had kept it in a small wooden box in our bedroom. My mother must have stolen it when she ransacked our apartment before we fled. It was a sentimental trap, designed to bait me into coming to her.
I called Detective Alvarez immediately and told her about the call.
"It’s a trap, Miguel," Alvarez said without hesitation. "She wants to get you away from the hospital, or she wants to confront you in a space she controls. Do not go there."
"I have to go, Detective," I said, a cold determination settling over me. "But I'm not going alone. You're coming with me."
Alvarez paused on the other end of the line. I could hear her calculating the risks. "Alright. We set a sting. We let her think you fell for it. My team will surround the house. You will go in with a hidden wire. The moment she threatens you or confesses to anything on tape, we move in."
I looked back at Valeria. She was awake, having heard my end of the conversation. Her face was pale, but her eyes were steady.
May you like
"Get it back, Miguel," she whispered, her voice stronger than it had been in days. "Get my grandmother's rosary back. But promise me you will come back to us."
"I promise," I said, kissing her lips. "I will finish this today."
