Chapter 10 - THE SIGNATURE THAT WASN'T HIS
Daniel Álvarez arrived at Palacio de las Rosas carrying a locked leather briefcase.
He had been Tomás's attorney for sixteen years.
He was cautious, meticulous, and rarely displayed emotion.
That morning, however, he looked worried.
Tomás met him in the library.
"Show me."
Daniel opened the briefcase.
He removed a stack of documents.
The top page bore the Valdés family crest.
Beneath it was a title.
Amendment to Family Trust and Designation of Successor Beneficiaries.
Tomás read the first page.
Then the second.
By the third, his hands were shaking.
The document stated that Carlota, as the legal guardian of a child expected to be born to the marriage, would receive temporary authority over specified trust voting rights under certain conditions.
The language was complicated.
Carefully constructed.
And dangerous.
If Tomás became incapacitated or was removed from his executive position, Carlota could potentially exercise substantial influence over the family's assets while disputes were resolved.
Tomás looked up.
"Who drafted this?"
Daniel hesitated.
"Eduardo's legal team."
"Why didn't you call me?"
"I did."
"When?"
"Last Thursday."
Tomás frowned.
"I never received a call."
"I left a message with your assistant."
"My assistant was on vacation."
Daniel slowly lowered the papers.
"That's what I was told."
"By whom?"
"Carlota."
Tomás leaned back.
He could almost see the pattern now.
Small lies.
Convenient absences.
Documents arriving when he was traveling.
Phone calls that never reached him.
People speaking on his behalf without permission.
"How did my signature get on this?"
Daniel placed another sheet in front of him.
"I believe it was copied from an earlier document."
Tomás examined the signature.
At first glance, it looked authentic.
But the final stroke was wrong.
He had changed the way he signed his surname after Elena died.
The signature on the amendment used the old version.
The one he hadn't used in six years.
Tomás stared.
"That's not my signature."
Daniel nodded.
"I suspected as much."
"Then why wasn't it rejected?"
"The submission was made electronically with supporting documents."
"Who submitted it?"
"An attorney associated with Eduardo."
Tomás looked at Rafael.
"Call Inspector Ferrer."
Rafael was already dialing.
Twenty minutes later, investigators began reviewing the amendment.
Daniel explained which steps had been completed and which required further verification.
The document's legal effect was uncertain, but the apparent forgery gave police another reason to examine Eduardo's activities.
Tomás walked toward the window.
The garden outside looked peaceful.
Roses moved gently in the morning breeze.
For years, he had believed the greatest tragedy of his life was something he could never change.
Now he wondered whether the tragedy itself had been constructed.
His phone rang.
An unknown number.
He answered.
"Hello?"
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Then a woman's voice whispered:
"Mr. Valdés?"
"Yes."
"My name is Ana Beltrán."
Tomás froze.
He looked at the list on his desk.
Ana Beltrán.
The first name.
Marked completed.
"Where are you?"
"I can't tell you."
"Are you safe?"
A bitter laugh came through the phone.
"Nobody who knows these people is safe."
Tomás motioned toward Rafael.
Rafael approached.
"Are you one of the women from the foundation?" Tomás asked.
Ana began crying.
"Yes."
"What happened to you?"
"They took my son."
Tomás closed his eyes.
"I'm sorry."
"Please listen."
"I'm listening."
"I gave birth two years ago."
"All right."
"They told me my baby was very sick."
Her voice shook.
"They wouldn't let me see him."
Tomás gripped the phone.
"What happened?"
"They said he died."
Silence.
Ana took a shaky breath.
"Three months ago, I saw him."
Tomás stood completely still.
"Where?"
"At a playground."
"How did you know?"
"He had a birthmark."
Tomás closed his eyes.
"Did you speak to the family?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because the woman with him recognized me."
"Who was she?"
Ana whispered:
"Carlota."
Tomás stared toward the window.
His wife had allegedly been walking through a playground with a child whose mother had been told he was dead.
"Ana, you need to tell the police."
"I tried."
"What happened?"
"Someone called me that night."
"Who?"
"I don't know."
"What did they say?"
"That if I spoke again, my little boy would disappear for good."
Tomás felt sick.
"Do you know where he is now?"
"No."
There was a sound in the background.
A car door.
Ana's breathing quickened.
"Mr. Valdés, I don't have much time."
"Where can we meet you?"
"No."
"Ana—"
"There's a place."
"What place?"
"An old farmhouse near Alzira."
Tomás reached for a pen.
"Go on."
"They used it before they opened the clinic."
"Who did?"
"Carlota and Eduardo."
His hand tightened.
"What happened there?"
Ana's voice dropped.
"That's where they kept the children before moving them."
Tomás felt his stomach twist.
"Do you know whether my daughter was there?"
Silence.
"Ana?"
Her voice broke.
"Mr. Valdés..."
"Please."
"I saw a little girl."
Tomás couldn't breathe.
"How old?"
"Maybe six."
"Her name?"
"She wouldn't tell us."
His heart pounded.
"What did she look like?"
"Dark hair."
"Brown eyes?"
"I think so."
"Did she have a mark near her wrist?"
There was a long pause.
Then Ana whispered:
"I remember she always wore long sleeves."
Tomás closed his eyes.
"Where is she now?"
"I don't know."
"Please, Ana."
His voice cracked.
"If you know anything—"
"She liked to draw birds."
Tomás stopped breathing.
Birds.
The embroidered bird on the blue bag.
The bird on Marina's baby's blanket.
The symbol printed on the foundation's stationery.
And the strange message hidden in the nursery.
The blue bird knows the truth.
Ana whispered:
"She used to draw blue birds on the walls."
Tomás held onto the desk.
Then a man's voice sounded in the background.
"Ana?"
She gasped.
"No."
"Ana!" the man shouted.
The phone clattered.
Tomás heard footsteps.
A struggle.
Then the call ended.
He stared at the screen.
Rafael was already speaking to Inspector Ferrer.
Tomás looked at him.
"Find her."
Rafael nodded.
But Tomás shook his head.
"No."
May you like
His voice broke.
"Find all of them."
