Chapter 5 - THE GHOST OF THE ARCHIVEBy 2:00 AM, forensic teams had cordoned off the yellow house. Floodlights illuminated the cracked sidewalks, and curious neighbors peered through their curtains at the flashing red and blue lights of patrol cars.
Inside, specialized extraction units were systematically dismantling the mountains of debris in the back rooms, searching for Esteban.
Daniela sat in the back of an ambulance, watching over Mateo. The boy had finally stopped trembling, clutching a cup of warm chamomile tea provided by a paramedic.
—Officer Cruz, —Mateo whispered, looking up with wide, unnervingly mature eyes. —Uncle Esteban keeps his special boxes in the cellar. The ones with the pictures of the people who don't live here anymore.
Daniela froze.
—Cellar, Mateo? The blueprints of this house on file at city hall show no basement or cellar.
The boy shook his head slowly.
—It’s under the kitchen floor. Under the old stove. That’s where he goes when he doesn't want anyone to hear him crying... or when he brings home things that belong to strangers.
A cold shiver raced down Daniela's spine. She grabbed her radio, immediately hailing Commander Méndez, who was supervising the search inside.
—Commander, do not let the extraction team touch the kitchen floor. There is an unregistered underground level. Repeat, an undocumented cellar beneath the debris.
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Static crackled over the radio, followed by Méndez’s tense voice:
—Cruz, too late. We just cleared the stove area. The team found a hidden hydraulic hatch... and it's already open.
