The last name matched that of the neighbor witness. Coincidence or family connection? Dolores looked for information about Aurelio Sánchez. What she found deeply disturbed her. Aurelio was no longer a prosecutor.
He had been promoted to judge three years earlier, just after securing Ramiro’s conviction. His career took off thanks to this case, which he resolved with exemplary efficiency, according to the newspapers of the time.
But there was more. Aurelio Sánchez had business connections with Gonzalo Fuentes, Ramiro’s younger brother. Together they had bought several properties in the last five years.
Properties that once belonged to the Fuentes family. Dolores dialed a number on her phone. “Carlos, I need you to investigate Gonzalo Fuentes’s business dealings. Everything—every property, every transaction, every partner.
And I need to know if Sara Fuentes knew something she shouldn’t have.” Gonzalo Fuentes arrived at the Santa María home in a luxury black car that contrasted sharply with the modesty of the place. He wore an impeccable suit and a blue tie, always blue. Carmela saw him enter and felt a chill.
There was something about that man that reminded her of snakes. Elegant on the outside, venomous on the inside. “I’ve come to see my niece,” Gonzalo said without greeting her. “I have the right. I’m her legal guardian.”
“You relinquished that guardianship six months ago when you left her here,” Carmela replied firmly. “Now she’s under state protection. Circumstances have changed. With everything that’s happening with my brother, the girl needs a family. She needs someone to take care of her. To take care of her like you did before you brought her here with bruises on her arms.”
