Chapter 5 - The Woman Esther Had Been Afraid Of
They found Esther before midnight.
But not Victor.
She had been locked inside an abandoned administrative building near Pier 19, weak, dehydrated, and furious.
When Alejandro entered the room with Detective Bennett, Esther looked at her son and said only:
“He knows about the amendment.”
That changed the investigation.
Victor wasn't simply destroying evidence anymore.
He was trying to control the outcome of the trust.
But there was still one question Alejandro couldn't answer.
Why Valeria?
Why now?
The answer came from Esther herself.
Back at the hospital, with police stationed outside, she finally agreed to tell the entire story.
“Elena Mercer wasn't merely Gabriel's mother,” Esther said.
“She was Victor's sister.”
Gabriel stood so quickly his chair struck the wall.
“No.”
Esther looked at him.
“You never knew?”
“My mother was an only child.”
“That is what Victor wanted you to believe.”
Rafael closed his eyes.
Alejandro stared at his mother.
“Start at the beginning.”
And she did.
Thirty-eight years earlier, Elena and Victor Mercer had inherited valuable waterfront property from their father.
Victor was twenty-three.
Elena was nineteen.
Victor had gambling debts.
Serious ones.
He forged Elena's signature and secretly sold their land through an intermediary.
The buyer was Alejandro's grandfather.
By the time Elena discovered what happened, the property had already been incorporated into the Aranda shipping business.
Victor convinced her a lawsuit would fail.
Then he disappeared from her life.
Years later, he returned under a different surname.
Salazar.
And eventually became the Aranda family's attorney.
Gabriel looked sick.
“He was my uncle.”
“Yes.”
“And my mother never told me?”
“She believed he was dead.”
Alejandro stared at Esther.
“How do you know all this?”
“Because your father discovered it.”
“When?”
“Eleven months before he died.”
Everything was finally connecting.
Tomas Aranda had discovered that his own family's fortune had been built partly on Victor's fraud.
He had tried to compensate Gabriel through the trust.
But Victor couldn't allow that.
Because if the truth emerged, his original crime would be exposed.
“So Victor killed Dad,” Camila whispered.
Esther looked at her daughter.
“I don't know.”
But Rafael's expression said something else.
Alejandro noticed.
“You know.”
Rafael shook his head.
“I suspect.”
“What?”
“The night Tomas died, Victor was with him.”
Alejandro's entire body went still.
“The police report said Dad was alone.”
“I lied.”
Alejandro crossed the room.
“You lied to police?”
“Your mother begged me.”
Alejandro looked at Esther.
She lowered her eyes.
“Why?”
“Because Victor threatened us.”
“With what?”
“With evidence showing your grandfather knew the land sale was fraudulent.”
Alejandro laughed bitterly.
“So you protected the company.”
“I protected you.”
“No.”
His voice hardened.
“You protected the name.”
Esther flinched.
For once, she didn't argue.
Then Valeria spoke from the bed.
“Why did Victor target my baby?”
Everyone turned.
Esther stared at her.
“I think because of what your child represents.”
Valeria frowned.
“The trust?”
“More than that.”
Esther looked at Alejandro.
“Your father's amendment doesn't merely transfer shares.”
“What else does it do?”
“It requires an independent audit of every Aranda acquisition made before 1995 upon the birth of your first child.”
Gabriel understood immediately.
“That audit would expose Victor.”
“Yes.”
Alejandro looked toward the window.
“So my daughter being born destroys him.”
“Yes.”
“And you knew?”
Esther began crying again.
“I knew about the audit.”
“And you still gave Valeria those packets?”
Her silence answered.
Alejandro looked away.
“Why?”
“I didn't know they would hurt the baby.”
Valeria stared at her.
“What did you think they would do?”
Esther swallowed.
“Make you sick enough to leave.”
Nobody spoke.
“I wanted you frightened,” she continued. “I wanted you to believe the pregnancy was becoming dangerous because of stress in this house. Victor told me the herbs would cause nausea and weakness.”
“You pushed me.”
“I know.”
“You watched me bleed.”
“I know.”
Valeria's voice broke.
“And you did nothing.”
Esther lowered her head.
“I was ashamed.”
Alejandro stared at his mother.
For years, he had imagined evil as something obvious.
Violence.
Cruelty.
Men who enjoyed hurting others.
Now he understood something more frightening.
Sometimes terrible things were done by frightened people who told themselves they were preventing something worse.
He looked at Esther.
“You will tell Detective Bennett everything.”
“Yes.”
“You will testify.”
Esther hesitated.
Alejandro's expression hardened.
“Everything.”
She nodded.
“Yes.”
Then the door opened.
A nurse entered holding an envelope.
“This was delivered for Mr. Aranda.”
Alejandro took it.
No return address.
Inside was a photograph.
Valeria sleeping in the hospital bed.
Taken less than an hour earlier.
On the back:
YOU FOUND YOUR MOTHER.
NOW TRY TO KEEP YOUR WIFE.
Alejandro looked toward the hallway.
The police officer stationed outside was gone.
Gabriel immediately checked the bathroom.
Empty.
Alejandro pressed the emergency button.
Then the lights went out.
May you like
Valeria screamed.
And somewhere in the darkness, the door opened.
