CHAPTER 5 – Diego Finally Told the Truth… But It Was Already Too Late
The word "murdered" echoed across the backyard like a gunshot.
No one moved.
The neighbors who had been secretly recording lowered their phones.
Even the children watching from the sidewalk instinctively stepped behind their parents.
Diego's breathing became shallow.
His eyes never left the detective.
"That's impossible..."
he whispered.
"I didn't kill anyone."
The detective studied him carefully.
"I didn't say you did."
"But you were the last confirmed person seen meeting the victim."
A heavy silence settled over the patio.
Renata looked at the man she had shared a home with for fifteen years.
She suddenly realized something terrifying.
She knew his favorite coffee.
She knew how he folded his shirts.
She knew he snored whenever he slept on his back.
But she had no idea who he really was.
The detective placed the tablet on the patio table.
The surveillance footage began to play.
The black sedan rolled into the underground garage.
A man stepped out carrying two duffel bags.
Minutes later, Diego arrived in his pickup.
The two men shook hands.
They argued.
The security camera had no audio, but their body language was unmistakable.
The victim looked angry.
Diego looked nervous.
Then the mysterious man handed Diego a silver flash drive.
Another envelope changed hands.
Finally...
They drove away in opposite directions.
The detective paused the video.
"Six hours later..."
he said quietly,
"the victim vanished."
Renata folded her arms.
"Who was he?"
The detective answered without hesitation.
"His name was Esteban Rojas."
"He worked as an accountant."
Arturo's expression darkened.
"I know that name."
The detective nodded.
"So do we."
"He handled financial records for several construction companies."
Including...
he looked directly at Diego,
"...yours."
Diego immediately shook his head.
"He worked for me only briefly."
The detective raised an eyebrow.
"Three years isn't exactly brief."
Another lie.
Another crack in the image Diego had built.
Sofia stepped closer to Renata.
Quietly.
Without saying a word.
Renata noticed.
For the first time all evening...
Neither woman stood alone.
Camila joined them a few seconds later.
Three women.
One truth.
One liar.
The detective continued.
"Mr. Rojas contacted our office two days before he disappeared."
Everyone listened.
"He claimed he possessed evidence exposing a network of fraudulent contracts, hidden accounts, and bribery involving several executives."
Arturo frowned.
"Executives?"
"Not just Diego?"
"No."
The detective shook his head.
"This case is much larger than one man."
Diego finally spoke.
"I told him to go to the police."
The detective looked at him.
"Did you?"
"Yes."
"Then why did you meet him in a parking garage at ten-thirty that night?"
No answer.
The detective pressed further.
"Why wasn't that meeting reported?"
Still no answer.
"And why did your phone location remain there for another forty-eight minutes after Mr. Rojas left?"
Diego closed his eyes.
His shoulders slumped.
He looked older than he had an hour earlier.
"I made the biggest mistake of my life."
Renata stared at him.
"Then start telling the truth."
For several long seconds...
No one interrupted.
Finally, Diego spoke.
"It started five years ago."
"I won a government contract."
"It was bigger than anything my company had ever handled."
"I thought my life had changed forever."
"It had."
"But not the way I imagined."
The detective remained silent.
Diego continued.
"One week after signing the contract..."
"Three men came to my office."
"They already knew everything."
"My debts."
"My bank accounts."
"My family's routines."
"They offered me a choice."
Arturo crossed his arms.
"What choice?"
Diego looked down.
"Join them..."
"...or lose everything."
Renata frowned.
"Who are 'they'?"
Diego hesitated.
Then whispered,
"The people actually controlling the money."
The detective exchanged a quick glance with his partner.
He had heard the same name before.
But he wanted Diego to say it.
"Who?"
Diego swallowed.
"The Orion Group."
Arturo's eyes widened.
"No..."
The detective slowly nodded.
"So that's where this leads."
Renata looked between them.
"What is the Orion Group?"
The detective answered carefully.
"Officially..."
"It doesn't exist."
"Unofficially..."
"It's the name investigators have heard for years."
"A hidden network that launders money through legitimate businesses."
"Construction."
"Real estate."
"Transportation."
"Import companies."
"They recruit struggling business owners."
"They promise wealth."
"They demand obedience."
Renata felt sick.
"So every business trip..."
Diego nodded.
"Most were meetings."
"The affairs came later."
She stared at him.
"You expect that to make it better?"
"No."
He answered honestly.
"It makes it worse."
Camila wiped away fresh tears.
"So I was never special."
Diego looked at her.
"I lied to everyone."
Sofia laughed bitterly.
"At least that's finally true."
The detective folded his hands.
"What about Esteban Rojas?"
Diego inhaled deeply.
"He discovered fake invoices."
"He wanted to expose everything."
"He gave me the flash drive."
"He said if anything happened to him..."
"...I had to deliver it to the authorities."
Renata blinked.
"The flash drive..."
"The one from the parking garage?"
Diego nodded.
"I still have it."
Every person in the backyard froze.
The detective stepped forward.
"You still have it?"
"Yes."
"Where?"
Diego looked toward the swimming pool.
Everyone instinctively followed his gaze.
Toward the deep end.
Toward the blue water.
Toward the place where Renata had thrown his truck key less than an hour earlier.
He spoke quietly.
"It's hidden..."
"...inside the waterproof compartment attached to my truck key."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
The tiny key fob lying at the bottom of the pool was suddenly worth far more than the truck itself.
It wasn't just a key anymore.
It was evidence.
Evidence that could expose a criminal network worth hundreds of millions of pesos.
The detective immediately turned to his partner.
"Call the forensic dive team."
"No one touches that pool."
"No one."
Just then...
A black cellphone began vibrating inside Arturo's jacket.
He answered.
He listened for only a few seconds.
The color drained from his face.
He slowly lowered the phone.
Renata looked at him.
"What happened?"
Arturo's voice was barely a whisper.
"They know."
The detective frowned.
"Who knows?"
Arturo looked toward the street.
"The people Diego just named."
Another silence.
Then...
In the distance...
Three black SUVs turned the corner and began driving slowly toward House 22.
Their windows were completely tinted.
None of the license plates were visible.
The detective reached for his radio.
Every police officer instinctively placed a hand on their weapon.
Diego closed his eyes.
"They're here."
Renata felt a chill run through her entire body.
"Who?"
Diego opened his eyes.
"The people who will do anything..."
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"...to make sure that flash drive never leaves this house."
To Be Continued...
