Chapter 4
Daniel moved towards me. Roberto intervened. -Careful. —Get out of the way. -No. For the first time in years, I saw Daniel sizing up another man. He yelled at me because he knew I would forgive him. I didn’t know how to handle Roberto.
Then the doorbell rang. Once. Two. Roberto went to open the door. Nico and Ramiro, my two trusted mechanics, came in wearing clean overalls and serious faces. Behind them came Mrs. Angela, my neighbor, the one who had known Teresa since we were selling cakes to save up for the down payment on the house.
Daniel burst out laughing. —Did you bring an audience too? —I brought witnesses —I said. Nico left a gray folder on the table. —Boss, here are the workshop cameras.
Daniel looked at the folder as if it were a viper. I didn’t know everything until that morning. Roberto asked me not to see him alone, but I refused. I needed to finish killing the naive father who still justified his son. The videos showed Daniel entering the workshop at night with his old key. He opened my office. He went through drawers. He took stamps. He photographed receipts, contracts, and invoices. In another video, he was talking to an unknown man next to a white van parked in front of the blue curtain.
May you like
“That man works for a finance company,” Roberto said. “We already have his name.” Daniel tried to grab the folder. Nico withdrew it. —Quiet, young man. —Stay out of it, cat. Nico clenched his jaw. I got up. —In this house you don’t insult someone who has worked for me.
Daniel glared at me with hatred. —So what am I then? The question came out broken. For a second I didn’t see the man with the cup. I saw the boy who once cried because I didn’t buy him a wrestler’s mask at a school fair. I saw the young man who wanted to study architecture and dropped out after the first semester. I saw the son who perhaps got lost when I was too busy paying off debts. It hurt me. But it didn’t confuse me. “You’re my son,” I replied. “That’s why I haven’t called the police yet.”
