Chapter 6: What Was Buried in the Wall
I didn't open the envelope.
Not because I wasn't desperate to know what Patricia had sent, but because the message on the front had been designed to make me act before I thought.
I had done enough of that over the past few years.
Rafael contacted Detective Méndez and explained what had happened. She advised us to preserve the envelope and arrange for it to be examined as part of the ongoing inquiry.
The detective also made it clear that we shouldn't search the bedroom wall ourselves merely because the deliveryman had mentioned it.
"If there's evidence hidden in the property, we need to establish what it is and how it got there," she said.
"Don't damage the wall or remove anything without guidance.""
I agreed.
But I couldn't stop looking toward the staircase.
Patricia had known about the hidden phone. She knew I had returned home. She knew I had discovered the bruises.
And now she was directing me toward a specific place inside our house.
Why?
Was she trying to frighten me? Was there something she wanted me to find? Or was the envelope a warning that she knew more about Sofia than either of us understood?
At nine that evening, Sofia stood in the doorway of the living room.
"Dad?""
I put my phone down.
"What's wrong?""
"Can I tell you something without you getting angry?""
"Of course.""
She came closer but didn't sit.
"I think I know why Patricia keeps saying I'm dangerous.""
I felt my chest tighten.
"Tell me.""
Sofia took a breath.
"Last month, Bianca said I was going to ruin everything. I asked her what she meant, and she told me I should stop pretending I was an innocent little girl.""
"Did she explain?""
"No. She said I knew what happened.""
"What happened, Sofia?""
She shook her head.
"I don't know.""
Her eyes filled with tears.
"But she looked at me like I was supposed to remember something.""
I reached for her hand.
"Have you ever lost time? Woken up somewhere and not remembered how you got there? Found something missing and couldn't explain it?""
Sofia thought carefully.
"No. Not like that.""
"All right.""
"But there was one night when I woke up because I heard people in the hallway.""
"What night?""
"About six weeks ago. I went to get water, and I saw Patricia and Bianca carrying a box into her bedroom.""
"What kind of box?""
"A cardboard storage box. The kind we keep Christmas decorations in.""
"Did you ask them what they were doing?""
"No. Patricia told me to go back to bed.""
Sofia paused.
"Then the next morning, Bianca said I should be careful about what I remembered.""
I felt my pulse quicken.
"Did she threaten you?""
"She said nobody would believe me if I told them I'd seen anything.""
I looked at Rafael.
He had remained at the house while arrangements were being made for Sofia's protection. He listened carefully without interrupting.
"Do you remember anything else about that night?"" he asked.
Sofia nodded.
"Patricia was carrying a folder. Bianca had something wrapped in a towel. I couldn't see what it was.""
"Did you hear them talking?""
"Just one sentence.""
"What sentence?""
Sofia's voice dropped.
"Bianca said, 'Once it's inside the wall, nobody will find it.''"
Nobody spoke.
Rafael wrote the words down.
Then he asked Sofia to describe the box, the folder, and the towel as accurately as she could. He didn't ask her to guess what the objects contained.
When she finished, he called Detective Méndez.
The conversation lasted several minutes.
Afterward, he turned to me.
"The authorities will determine the appropriate way to inspect the property. Until then, we keep Sofia away from the room and preserve what we have.""
I nodded.
I wanted answers immediately.
But I wanted my daughter safe more.
We spent the next hour organizing the information we'd collected. I wrote down the dates of the unexplained transfers, the suspicious property document, the security alerts, and the messages from Mariana. Rafael made sure that each item was identified separately, so assumptions wouldn't become mixed with established facts.
Then he asked me a question I hadn't expected.
"Gabriel, did you ever give Patricia permission to access your digital accounts from another device?""
"Yes. When I was traveling, she sometimes paid bills using my laptop.""
"Did she know your passwords?""
"Some of them.""
"Did she have access to your email?""
"Yes.""
He nodded.
"Change the passwords on accounts you control, enable additional security where possible, and contact the providers if you suspect unauthorized access. Don't delete the old messages or account history.""
I followed his advice.
While I was securing my email, a message arrived from an address I didn't recognize.
There was no greeting.
No signature.
Only one sentence.
*ASK YOUR DAUGHTER WHAT SHE DID ON AUGUST 14.*
I read it twice.
Then I turned the screen toward Rafael.
He studied it.
"Don't reply," he said.
"We'll preserve the original message and its technical details.""
"What happened on August 14?""
I looked at Sofia.
She was standing near the doorway, and the color had drained from her face.
"I don't know," she whispered.
"Does that date mean anything to you?""
She shook her head, but she was breathing too quickly.
"Think carefully," Rafael said gently.
"You don't have to answer immediately.""
Sofia pressed her fingers against her temples.
"That was the day Patricia took me to the clinic.""
I stood.
"What clinic?""
"Near the shopping center.""
"Why?""
"She said I needed a checkup.""
"Did something happen?""
Sofia stared at the floor.
"I don't remember everything.""
I moved closer.
"That's okay.""
"No, Dad. It's not.""
Her voice broke.
"She said I had been sick. She said I'd fainted at home, but I don't remember fainting.""
Rafael immediately asked whether she had any medical paperwork or appointment records.
Sofia shook her head.
"Patricia kept everything.""
"Did you see a doctor?""
"I think so. There was a woman in a white coat. She asked me questions, but Patricia answered most of them.""
"What questions?""
"I don't remember.""
She looked up at me, frightened.
"Does that mean something is wrong with me?""
"No," I said firmly.
"It means we need to find out what happened. It doesn't mean you've done anything wrong.""
Rafael contacted Detective Méndez with the new information. He explained that the clinic visit might be relevant and that we wanted to verify the date, the provider, and the records through proper legal channels.
I sat with Sofia until she stopped trembling.
Then, at 10:40 p.m., my phone rang.
Mariana.
I answered immediately.
"What's happening?""
"I found out who the man in the photograph is," she said.
"Who?""
"His name is Doctor Esteban Ruiz.""
I frowned.
"Is he Sofia's doctor?""
"I don't know. Patricia mentioned him several times, but she said he was helping with a private family matter.""
"What kind of matter?""
"I asked her. She said it was none of my business.""
I looked at Rafael.
He motioned for me to continue.
"Mariana, where did you see the photograph?""
"In the folder with Sofia's name. There were several photographs, not just one.""
"Of Sofia?""
"Yes.""
"Doing what?""
Mariana hesitated.
"One showed her entering a building. Another showed her standing outside a clinic. The last one was a picture of her at school.""
My stomach twisted.
"Why would Patricia have photographs of her?""
"I don't know. But I found a receipt in the same folder.""
"For what?""
"A storage unit.""
I stared at the wall.
"Where?""
"An address outside León. The rental agreement was in Patricia's name.""
"When was it rented?""
"Two months ago.""
Rafael wrote down the details and asked Mariana to preserve any information she had already lawfully encountered. He arranged for the authorities to follow up on the storage unit rather than having me go there.
After the call, I walked to the kitchen and poured a glass of water.
My hands were shaking.
A clinic visit. Photographs. A mysterious doctor.
A storage unit. A message asking about a date my daughter could barely remember.
It was too much to process at once.
But one thing was becoming clear.
Patricia wasn't merely trying to control Sofia inside our home.
She had been collecting information about her.
I returned to the living room.
Sofia was curled up on the sofa, staring at a photograph of Elena that sat on the bookshelf.
I sat beside her.
"Do you remember your mother taking you to the doctor when you were little?""
Sofia nodded.
"Sometimes.""
"Did she ever tell you to keep medical appointments secret?""
"No.""
"Did Patricia?""
Sofia was quiet for a long time.
Then she nodded.
"Once.""
"When?""
"That day at the clinic. She said you were too busy to worry about it, and I shouldn't tell you because it would only upset you.""
"What did she say the appointment was for?""
Sofia closed her eyes.
"She said it was about my future.""
I felt a chill move through me.
"What does that mean?""
"I don't know.""
She began crying again.
"I swear, Dad. I don't know what she did.""
I held her hand.
"I believe you.""
At 11:25 p.m., Detective Méndez called.
She confirmed that the authorities were reviewing the information and arranging the appropriate steps to verify the property document, the security system records, and the possible connection to the clinic and storage unit.
She also told us that Mariana had agreed to provide a formal statement.
"We're treating the allegations seriously," she said.
"But I need you both to be patient. We won't know what the evidence means until it's properly examined.""
I thanked her.
After the call, Rafael prepared to leave for the night, promising to remain available if anything changed.
Before he walked out, he stopped beside me.
"Gabriel, one more thing. The message asking about August 14 may be intended to frighten you. Don't assume the sender knows the truth. But don't dismiss the date, either.""
"I won't.""
"And keep your daughter close.""
"I will.""
When the door closed behind him, the house fell quiet.
Sofia had finally fallen asleep on the sofa. I covered her with a blanket and sat in the chair beside her, watching the shadows move across the walls.
At 12:03 a.m., another notification appeared.
This time, it came from the security system.
The device labeled *PATRICIA-ROOM-02* had briefly reconnected.
A new image appeared in the event history.
It showed Patricia's bedroom from a slightly different angle.
The closet door was open.
The shoes had been moved.
And a narrow section of the wall behind them appeared to have been disturbed.
I enlarged the image.
There was a thin line running vertically through the paint, almost invisible unless you knew where to look.
Then I noticed something else.
A small piece of paper had been pushed through the gap.
It bore a handwritten date.
*AUGUST 14.*
Beneath the date was a name.
Not mine.
Not Patricia's.
My daughter's.
*SOFIA TORRES.*
I stared at the screen, unable to move.
Then my phone vibrated again.
An unknown number.
A text message.
*SHE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT THEY WERE GOING TO DO TO HER.*
I read it once.
Then again.
A second message arrived.
*BUT YOUR WIFE DID.*
I looked at Sofia, sleeping beneath the blanket, her face finally peaceful after a day filled with fear.
Then I looked back at the screen.
May you like
For the first time, I understood that the hidden phone, the bruises, and the suspicious financial documents might all be pieces of a much larger secret.
And whatever had happened to my daughter on August 14, someone was desperate to make sure I never discovered the truth.
