CHAPTER 3 – LOCKER NUMBER 27
Alejandro didn't leave immediately.
Instead, he crossed the street and sat on a weathered concrete bench beneath the shade of an old jacaranda tree.
From there, he could see the front entrance of Grandma's Hearth.
Employees hurried in and out carrying boxes of vegetables, fresh tortillas, and kitchen supplies.
Customers laughed.
Children pointed excitedly at the colorful Talavera decorations.
To everyone passing by...
It looked like another successful afternoon.
But Alejandro now knew appearances could lie.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out the small brass key.
27.
Its edges were worn smooth from years of use.
Who had carried it?
Miguel?
Valeria?
Or someone else who had disappeared without explanation?
His phone vibrated.
It was Diego, his longtime attorney and the only person who knew Alejandro had gone undercover.
Alejandro answered quietly.
"Everything okay?"
Diego immediately sensed something was wrong.
"You've been inside for almost two hours."
"I found more than rude customer service."
A brief silence followed.
"What happened?"
Alejandro looked through the restaurant window.
"I think someone inside the company is hiding a crime."
Diego's voice became serious.
"Should I call the police?"
"No."
"Not yet."
"If this goes as high as I think it does, they'll destroy every piece of evidence before investigators arrive."
"You sound certain."
"I'm not."
"But someone risked everything to warn me."
Diego hesitated.
"Then don't go back in alone."
Alejandro smiled faintly.
"I already am."
He ended the call.
Just then...
The restaurant's back door opened.
Valeria stepped outside carrying two bags of trash.
She moved quickly, constantly looking over her shoulder.
The moment she reached the dumpster, a black luxury SUV slowly pulled into the alley.
Alejandro recognized it instantly.
It belonged to Efraín.
The driver's window lowered.
Efraín didn't even bother getting out.
"Get in."
Valeria froze.
"I still have tables to serve."
"I wasn't asking."
His cold voice echoed through the alley.
Alejandro watched from across the street, hidden behind a delivery truck.
Valeria reluctantly climbed into the passenger seat.
The SUV drove away.
Not toward the front entrance.
Toward the warehouse district behind the restaurant.
Alejandro immediately hailed a taxi.
"Follow that black SUV."
The elderly driver looked surprised.
"You a detective?"
Alejandro shook his head.
"No."
"I'm trying to save someone."
The taxi remained three cars behind.
After fifteen minutes, the SUV entered an old industrial neighborhood.
It finally stopped beside a forgotten warehouse with faded blue walls.
There was no company logo.
No business sign.
Only a rusted metal gate.
Alejandro paid the driver and continued on foot.
Keeping his distance, he watched Efraín and Valeria disappear inside.
Five minutes passed.
Then ten.
No one came out.
Alejandro quietly approached.
A side window had been left partially open.
Inside, voices echoed through the empty warehouse.
Efraín sounded furious.
"I warned you."
"You've become careless."
Valeria answered with surprising courage.
"I've done everything you've asked."
"You've stolen tips from customers."
"You've changed payroll records."
"You've lied to inspectors."
Her voice cracked.
"But I won't help you hurt anyone else."
Alejandro's heart pounded.
Payroll records.
Inspectors.
This was bigger than rude management.
Efraín laughed.
"You think you have a choice?"
He threw a thick envelope onto the table.
Photographs scattered across the floor.
Alejandro couldn't see them clearly.
But Valeria gasped.
"My mother..."
"My little brother..."
Efraín leaned closer.
"As long as they depend on your salary..."
"You belong to me."
Alejandro clenched his fists.
Blackmail.
He wasn't controlling employees with loyalty.
He was controlling them through fear.
Suddenly...
A second man walked into the warehouse.
Tall.
Broad shoulders.
Expensive watch.
Alejandro had never seen him before.
But Efraín greeted him with obvious respect.
"The transfers are ready."
The stranger placed a briefcase on the table.
"Nearly four million pesos."
"Same accounts as always."
Alejandro felt the blood drain from his face.
Four million pesos?
Transferred where?
The stranger opened the briefcase.
Instead of cash...
It contained dozens of employee files.
Each folder carried the logo of Grandma's Hearth.
"What about the missing payroll?"
the stranger asked.
Efraín smiled.
"The owner signs everything without reading."
Alejandro's stomach tightened.
Impossible.
Every major payroll required his digital authorization.
Unless...
Someone had been forging it.
Or someone inside corporate headquarters was helping them.
At that moment...
Alejandro accidentally stepped on a loose piece of metal outside the window.
CLANG!
The sound echoed through the warehouse.
Every conversation stopped.
Efraín spun toward the window.
"Who's there?"
Alejandro ducked behind a stack of wooden pallets just as footsteps rushed toward the door.
The warehouse exploded into activity.
"Search outside!"
"Don't let anyone leave!"
Three security guards burst through the entrance.
Flashlights swept across the loading yard.
Alejandro stayed perfectly still behind the pallets, barely daring to breathe.
One guard walked so close that Alejandro could hear the man's radio crackling.
"Nothing on the east side."
Another voice answered.
"Check behind the containers."
Alejandro slowly reached into his pocket.
His fingers closed around the brass key marked 27.
If he was caught now...
Everything would be over.
Then...
A familiar voice echoed from the far end of the yard.
"Over here!"
It was Valeria.
She was pointing toward the opposite side of the warehouse.
"I saw someone running that way!"
The guards immediately sprinted in the direction she indicated.
Efraín followed them, shouting orders.
Within seconds...
The area around Alejandro was empty.
Valeria remained standing beside the warehouse door.
Without turning around...
She whispered just loudly enough for him to hear.
"You have five minutes."
"Locker Twenty-Seven is at Central Bus Terminal."
"Please..."
"Before they find me."
Then she walked back inside.
Alejandro stared at the warehouse door in disbelief.
She had just risked her own life to save his.
But one question haunted him even more.
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If Locker 27 was hidden at the city's busiest bus terminal... what kind of evidence was so dangerous that it couldn't be kept anywhere near the restaurant?
End of Chapter 3...
