CHAPTER 10 — The Family Chapel
Daniel recognized the key immediately.
It was Patricia’s half of the altar mechanism.
Esteban had taken her, but he had left the one thing he needed.
That meant he expected Daniel to bring the second key.
Detective Valdés wanted to wait for tactical support.
Daniel refused.
“Esteban has my sister.”
“She helped abduct your son.”
“She still knows where they’ll go next.”
“And Esteban knows you’ll think that way.”
Daniel drove to the family ranch with Valdés following behind.
The chapel stood at the far edge of the property, its stone walls cracked by years of heat and rain.
The front door was open.
Inside, candles burned along the aisle.
Patricia knelt before the altar.
Her hands were tied behind her back.
Esteban stood beside her with a pistol.
“You brought the key,” he said.
Daniel held it up.
“Let her go.”
Esteban laughed.
“After what she did to me?”
“You chose to imprison a child.”
“Patricia chose him first.”
Patricia closed her eyes.
Esteban forced Daniel to approach the altar.
Daniel inserted his key into one side of a carved stone panel. Esteban used Patricia’s key on the other.
They turned them together.
A section of the altar slid forward.
Inside was a metal case.
Esteban opened it.
The encrypted drive lay inside, along with handwritten financial records and photographs of hidden rooms.
Proof of everything.
Esteban lifted the drive.
Then he pointed the gun at Patricia.
“She was never leaving this chapel.”
Before he could fire, a voice came from the entrance.
“Neither are you.”
Mariana stood in the doorway holding Esteban’s dropped second weapon.
Daniel’s relief lasted less than a second.
Behind Mariana, Camila emerged from the shadows.
She pressed a knife against Mariana’s neck.
Camila smiled at her brother.
“You always did forget to check the doors.”
Esteban pointed his pistol at Daniel.
Camila tightened her grip on Mariana.
Patricia began crying.
Then another sound echoed through the chapel.
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
Three taps came from beneath the floor.
Daniel looked down.
May you like
The stone beneath his feet moved.
And a hidden trapdoor began to open.
