CHAPTER 3 — THE WOMAN IN THE PARKING GARAGE
Renata stepped from the elevator into the underground garage.
A black sedan waited beside a concrete pillar.
Lucía Herrera stood outside it in a gray suit, holding a clean towel and a small evidence bag.
She did not ask whether Renata was all right.
She looked at the bruising beneath Renata’s cheekbone and said, “Do not touch your face yet.”
Renata nodded.
Lucía photographed the stain on her dress, the redness on her wrist, and the food caught in her hair. Then she sealed the towel Renata used inside the evidence bag.
“The bank acted faster than expected,” Lucía said.
“Will the freeze hold?”
“For seventy-two hours. After that, we need a judge to extend it.”
“And the auditors?”
“They have the ledgers.”
Renata climbed into the back seat.
A man was already waiting inside.
Daniel Salgado was a forensic accountant in his early forties, known for dismantling fraud schemes that wealthy families believed were too complicated to prosecute.
He handed Renata a tablet.
On the screen was a map of transfers flowing from the Ibarra Housing Initiative into consulting firms, overseas accounts, and luxury-property purchases.
Daniel enlarged one branch.
“This is the account registered in your name,” he said. “Forty-eight million pesos passed through it.”
“I never opened it.”
“We know. But the documents include a notarized signature.”
“Forged.”
“That is what we intend to prove.”
Renata opened her handbag and removed the red envelope.
Inside were copies of account statements, password lists, corporate seals, and a handwritten note she had found hidden in Alonso’s office.
Daniel took the note carefully.
It contained only four lines.
Secure her signature before October 14.
Marriage remains the cleanest solution.
Once the trust transfers, consolidate control.
E.I.
Lucía stared at the initials.
“Evangelina Ibarra,” she said.
Renata looked out the window.
October 14 was her thirtieth birthday.
For months, she had believed Alonso’s sudden interest in revising their marital-property agreement was connected to his affair or a possible divorce.
She had never imagined that their entire marriage might have been arranged around a date.
Lucía sat beside her.
“There is something else you need to know.”
She opened another file.
“Elena Cruz did not simply work for Grupo Ibarra. She designed the financial model that saved the company from bankruptcy twenty-nine years ago. In exchange, she received thirty-two percent ownership.”
“My mother never mentioned it.”
“She may not have had the chance.”
Renata looked at her sharply.
“What does that mean?”
“The official records claim Elena transferred her shares back to the Ibarra family three weeks before her death.”
“And the transfer was false?”
“The signature appears questionable. But that is not the worst part.”
Lucía placed a faded police report on Renata’s lap.
It concerned the car crash that killed Elena Cruz when Renata was four years old.
The report stated that Elena’s brakes had failed while descending a road outside Toluca.
The investigation had been closed as an accident.
Attached to the report was a newly recovered maintenance invoice.
Daniel pointed to the mechanic’s signature.
“He says he never serviced the vehicle.”
Renata felt the air leave her lungs.
Lucía continued carefully.
“The invoice was submitted by an Ibarra employee.”
“Which employee?”
Lucía turned the page.
The authorization line contained one name.
Evangelina Ibarra.
Before Renata could speak, the garage lights went out.
The black sedan’s driver started the engine.
Somewhere in the darkness, footsteps approached.
May you like
Then Alonso’s voice echoed between the concrete pillars.
“Renata, get out of the car.”
