CHAPTER 6 — THE CHASE THAT ENDED A FIFTEEN-YEAR MYSTERY
"Stop him!"
Don Mateo shouted.
Several ranch workers took off after Rafael.
But the man knew every trail.
Within seconds he disappeared into the surrounding fields.
The sheriff's deputies, who had arrived earlier to control the festival crowd, immediately joined the pursuit.
The boy looked toward Demon.
The bull was already standing.
His ears pointed toward the distant hills.
He remembered.
Without hesitation, the teenager climbed onto the fence and ran after the search party.
"Demon!"
The bull followed.
Gasps echoed behind them.
No one had ever seen the giant animal move with such purpose.
Instead of charging wildly, Demon kept his nose close to the ground.
Following a scent.
Almost as if he knew exactly where Rafael was heading.
After nearly twenty minutes, the chase reached an abandoned section of the ranch where an old stone well stood hidden beneath overgrown trees.
Rafael burst into the clearing.
Then froze.
There was nowhere else to go.
Behind him...
The search party emerged from the woods.
Beside them...
Demon stepped forward slowly.
The massive bull didn't attack.
He simply blocked the only escape.
Rafael's breathing became frantic.
His eyes darted toward the ancient well.
Then something inside him finally broke.
"I never meant to kill him!"
The words exploded from his mouth.
The entire clearing fell silent.
Tears streamed down his face.
"We fought..."
"He tried to stop me."
"He said he was calling the authorities."
"I pushed him."
"He hit his head."
"I panicked..."
"I thought he was dead."
No one spoke.
Rafael pointed toward the old well with shaking hands.
"I hid him there..."
The sheriff immediately ordered the area secured.
Hours later, investigators carefully lowered cameras into the long-forgotten well.
What they discovered confirmed the terrible truth.
Gabriel had never abandoned his family.
He had died trying to protect the animals he loved.
The boy dropped to his knees.
For years he had searched for answers.
Now he finally had one.
Don Mateo quietly placed the envelope containing the 100,000 euros into the teenager's hands.
"I offered this money to whoever could tame Demon."
He shook his head.
"But you didn't tame him."
"You gave him something no one else ever did."
"You gave him trust."
The crowd rose to its feet.
Their applause echoed across the valley.
As the sun disappeared beyond the mountains, the boy wrapped his arms around Demon's enormous neck.
The giant bull closed his eyes peacefully.
May you like
For the first time in fifteen years...
Neither of them was carrying the weight of the past alone.
