Chapter 12 - The Man Who Helped Her Plan EverythingElena Ruiz met Javier in a police interview room with Inspector Valdés present.
She looked exhausted. Her hands shook as she placed a small digital recorder on the table.
“I should have come forward years ago,” she said. “I know that.”
Javier sat opposite her.
“Who helped my mother?”
Elena glanced toward the inspector.
“A man named Arturo Salcedo.”
The name meant nothing to Javier until she explained that Arturo was a business consultant who had advised the Méndez construction company for nearly a decade.
He had helped Carmen establish several subsidiary companies. Some were legitimate. Others appeared to exist only on paper.
“What did he do?” Javier asked.
“He prepared the paperwork that moved money out of the company. He also advised Carmen on how to protect herself if the transfers were discovered.”
“Did he know about the trust?”
“Yes.”
“Did he know about the baby?”
Elena looked down.
“He knew Carmen was worried about the child's inheritance. She told him that once the child was born, her control over certain assets would be restricted.”
Javier's jaw tightened.
“Did she ask him to hurt Laura?”
“I never heard her make that request.”
“Then what happened?”
Elena took a breath.
“Carmen wanted Laura discredited. She wanted people to believe that Laura was unstable, careless, and incapable of caring for a child. She thought that if a crisis occurred, she could present herself as the responsible family member.”
“Did she arrange the fall?”
“I don't know whether she planned that exact incident. But I heard her say that Laura needed to be removed from the picture before the trust became active.”
Javier closed his eyes briefly.
Elena continued.
“Arturo told her that a public scandal would make the inheritance dispute easier to manipulate. He suggested that financial records showing your signature could be used to pressure you into cooperating.”
“That's why the fake approvals appeared.”
“Yes.”
The inspector leaned forward.
“Do you have proof?”
Elena handed over the recorder.
It contained several conversations between Carmen and Arturo. In one, they discussed the trust, the company transfers, and the possibility of making Javier appear responsible for the missing money.
In another, Carmen referred to Laura as “an obstacle that would eventually solve itself.”
The language was vague.
It was not a confession to assault.
But it showed a deliberate plan to undermine Laura's position within the family and deceive Javier.
“What does Arturo gain?” Javier asked.
“Money,” Elena replied. “He receives a percentage of the assets transferred through the false companies.”
“Where is he now?”
“Still working with the business.”
Javier stared at her.
“You mean he could be in the office right now?”
“Yes.”
Inspector Valdés immediately contacted another officer.
Within an hour, Arturo Salcedo was detained for questioning.
He denied everything.
He said Carmen had authorized the transactions. He claimed Javier had approved the documents electronically and that the recordings had been taken out of context.
But when investigators presented evidence that Javier had been at construction sites during several approvals, Arturo's confidence began to fade.
He requested a lawyer.
The case was moving.
For the first time since the accident, Javier allowed himself to believe that his mother might actually face consequences.
Then Inspector Valdés returned with another development.
“Carmen has been informed that Arturo is cooperating,” she said. “She has refused our request for a formal interview unless her lawyer is present.”
“Can she do that?” Javier asked.
“Of course. She has legal rights, just as you do. But we have sufficient grounds to continue investigating.”
I listened as Javier explained everything that evening.
“Will she go to prison?” I asked.
“We don't know. The evidence is strong, but there are still gaps.”
I looked toward the incubator.
“She left me on that floor.”
“I know.”
“She watched our baby fight for her life and spent her time trying to take her away from me.”
Javier's face tightened.
“I know.”
I took his hand.
“Then don't let her use our daughter as leverage ever again.”
He nodded.
“I won't.”
But Carmen was already preparing another move.
The next morning, a legal notice arrived at the hospital.
It stated that she intended to seek an emergency court order granting her access to Sofía and authorizing her to act as a temporary guardian if either parent was deemed incapable.
At the bottom was a line that made Javier go silent.
The application claimed that he had voluntarily agreed to his mother's involvement.
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And beside his name was a signature.
It looked exactly like his.
