Chapter 6 - The Man Behind the Glass.
Luis wanted Isabella moved immediately.
Elena wanted the police involved immediately.
Every instinct in me wanted to agree with both of them, but the anonymous message created a problem more dangerous than fear.
It told us the people behind the scheme knew my movements in real time.
If we reacted visibly, they would know exactly what evidence had been uncovered.
"We move Isabella somewhere secure," I said.
"And we make it look ordinary."
Luis shook his head.
"There is nothing ordinary about armored vehicles leaving your villa with private security."
"Then don't use armored vehicles."
Elena understood first.
"Sofia's old house."
I looked at her.
The small coastal property near Estepona had remained in a holding company since Sofia died.
Nobody connected it publicly to me anymore.
"It has cameras?"
"Basic ones."
"Upgrade them quietly."
Luis still looked unhappy.
"And Beatriz?"
"She stays here if she wants to."
"You trust her alone in the villa?"
"Not remotely."
I looked toward the hallway.
"That's why I want her here."
If Beatriz believed she still had access to the house, she might lead us toward whatever she was trying to protect.
By evening, Isabella thought we were taking a short trip to the sea because the villa had become too stressful.
I did not tell her we were hiding.
Children should not have to carry adult danger simply because adults failed to contain it.
Marta packed her clothes.
Dr. Navarro arranged follow-up care for her hands.
Elena took possession of the blue notebook and Carmen's recordings.
Luis replaced two members of the villa security staff after discovering they had received unauthorized instructions from Javier.
The first officer claimed he thought Javier was acting for me.
The second admitted receiving cash.
Neither had known why.
At seven fifteen, Beatriz came downstairs carrying two suitcases.
"Where are you going?"
"A hotel."
"Why?"
"Because I refuse to live under surveillance in my own home."
"You deleted the surveillance."
She stared at me.
"I did not."
"Then Javier did."
"Ask Javier."
"I'd love to."
I stepped closer.
"Where is he?"
"I told you I don't know."
She reached for the suitcase handle.
"I'm leaving."
"You're free to leave."
She looked almost disappointed.
"That's it?"
"That's it."
Her eyes narrowed.
"You expect me to believe you're suddenly reasonable?"
"No."
I moved aside.
"I expect you to make your own decisions."
She wheeled both suitcases toward the door.
Luis watched from the security office as her car left the property.
A plain vehicle followed at a distance.
Twenty minutes later, he called me.
"She's not going to a hotel."
"Where?"
"Puerto Banús."
"Apartment?"
"Underground parking at the Marina Azul building."
I knew the building.
Daniel owned a penthouse there through a company benefit structure.
"Is Daniel in Spain?"
"Flight records show he landed in Málaga this afternoon."
My skin went cold.
He had told me on the phone he was handling Dubai.
"Photograph everything."
"Already doing it."
We left for Sofia's old house after dark.
Isabella slept in the back seat with her head against a pillow and my jacket folded across her lap.
I watched her in the mirror.
For the first time since I returned, she looked like an ordinary tired child.
The house near Estepona stood above a narrow cove surrounded by pine and stone.
Sofia had loved it because it was small enough that nobody could disappear into another wing during an argument.
I had avoided it after her death for the same reason.
Every room remembered her.
Isabella remembered too.
She walked into the kitchen and touched the yellow ceramic bowl on the counter.
"Mom used to put oranges here."
"She did."
"Can we get oranges tomorrow?"
"As many as you want."
A tiny smile appeared.
It was the first genuine smile I had seen on her face since coming home.
That night, I sat beside her until she fell asleep.
Before closing her eyes, she asked a question I had been dreading.
"Are you going back to Dubai?"
"No."
"Ever?"
"Not for a long time."
She stared at me.
"Because of me?"
"Because I should have come home sooner."
She frowned.
"But you didn't know."
The child I had failed was trying to forgive me before I had forgiven myself.
"I should have known you needed me."
She thought about that.
"I did."
The answer was soft and devastating.
"I'm sorry."
"Okay."
She closed her eyes.
"Just don't go tomorrow."
"I won't."
After midnight, Luis arrived with photographs from Puerto Banús.
Beatriz had entered Daniel's building at seven forty-two.
Daniel arrived through a private garage fourteen minutes later.
Neither had left.
"There's more," Luis said.
He placed another photograph on the table.
Javier's van was parked two streets away.
"All three of them?"
"Looks that way."
Elena opened her laptop.
"Then we need a legal route into their communications before they destroy everything."
"Can the bank records help?"
"Yes, but not fast enough for tonight."
Luis's phone buzzed.
He read the message and frowned.
"What?"
"One of my people at the villa says somebody just entered your study."
"Who?"
"Can't see the face."
I stood.
"I'm going back."
"No," Elena said.
"My study contains company files."
"Which is exactly why whoever entered it wants you to react."
Luis was already watching the live feed on his phone.
"They're wearing a cap and dark jacket."
"Security can stop them."
He shook his head.
"Not yet."
"Why not?"
"Because they're not stealing anything."
We watched the tiny image together.
The intruder moved directly to the bookcase behind my desk.
They pulled one volume forward.
A hidden panel opened.
My mouth went dry.
Only four people knew that panel existed.
Sofia had known.
Elena knew.
I knew.
And Daniel Rivas knew because he had helped me install the office safe inside it eight years earlier.
The intruder reached into the hidden compartment.
Then the camera caught the side of his face.
It was not Daniel.
It was Javier.
He removed a small black drive from the safe and slipped it into his pocket.
"Stop him," I said.
Luis gave the order.
Two security officers moved into the study.
Javier ran.
The live feed shook as he knocked over a chair, pushed through the corridor, and reached the service stairs.
A third officer blocked the lower door.
Javier turned back.
For one second, he looked directly into the camera.
Then he threw the black drive through an open window into the dark garden below.
The feed cut out.
Luis swore under his breath.
"They've got him."
"Find the drive."
"We will."
Elena looked at me.
"What was on it?"
I stared at the frozen image of Javier on the screen.
"Company archive backups."
"Financial records?"
"Everything."
My phone rang before I could say more.
The caller ID displayed DANIEL RIVAS.
I answered.
"Gabriel."
His voice sounded calm.
Too calm.
"We need to talk before you make a mistake you can't undo."
I looked at the photograph of his penthouse on the table.
"You're in Spain."
A pause.
"Yes."
"And Beatriz is with you."
Another pause.
"Yes."
"Then I think you've already made the mistake."
Daniel exhaled.
"This is not about your marriage."
"Then what is it about?"
His answer changed everything.
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"Your company is missing thirty-two million euros."
SHE SAID YOU WOULD BELIEVE HER
