Outside the room, the machinery of the state slowed, then stopped. Papers were signed. Calls were made. Officials who had been preparing for death now prepared for investigation. Somewhere in the prison, a clock kept moving, but it no longer counted down Lucía’s life.
Oscar was detained before he could leave the facility.
At first, he played offended. Then insulted. Then confused. He demanded to speak to the Mexican consulate, to his lawyer, to anyone who would still treat him as the respected uncle from television. But by midnight, the story had changed. Police in Nuevo Laredo confirmed the discovery of the hidden packet. The shirt was preserved. The USB drive was logged. The papers inside included copies of invoices, debt notes, and a handwritten statement from Samuel Sandoval.
If you are reading this, something happened to me.
That was the first line.
Samuel had written that Oscar had been stealing from the repair shop for months, selling parts under the table, and working with a criminal supplier to cover gambling debts. He had also written that Oscar had threatened the family dog to scare him. Samuel planned to confront him legally. He had hidden the documents in the wardrobe because he feared Oscar would search the shop first.
