Chapter 9 - CHAPTER 8: JUSTICE SERVED
I braced for the impact, but no pain came.
Rodrigo’s eyes went wide. He dropped his gun, gasped for air, and sank to his knees. Behind him stood Marisol, the nurse from Saint Jude Hospital, holding a smoking stun-taser she had taken from an estate security guard.
Rodrigo collapsed onto the grass, his body twitching uncontrollably as the electrical surge incapacitated him.
“Marisol!” I gasped, running forward.
“I told you I wasn’t going to stay quiet this time,” Marisol said, her voice shaking but her stance resolute. She was dressed in plain clothes, having followed the federal task force to the estate to deliver her formal testimony.
Within seconds, federal agents wearing tactical gear swarmed the lawn.
“DON’T MOVE! FEDERAL POLICE!”
Lucía and I raised our hands immediately, stepping back from Rodrigo.
A senior commander stepped forward, looking at the stunned Rodrigo, then at me. He checked a tablet in his hand, comparing my face to the broadcast alert.
“Valeria Salgado?” the commander asked.
“Yes,” I said clearly.
He lowered his weapon and turned to his team. “Medical team on the target! Arrest the suspect!”
Two officers cuffed Rodrigo and dragged him to his feet. Across the lawn, Elvira and Dr. Beltrán were already being led away in heavy iron handcuffs, surrounded by media crews who had followed the police response.
Elvira was screaming obscenities, her sophisticated façade completely shattered. Dr. Beltrán kept his head down, silent, as reporters thrust microphones into his face.
Renata ran across the lawn, throwing her arms around me. We held each other tightly as the rain began to fall again—this time, washing away the dirt, the fear, and the nightmare of the last five days.
Lucía stepped up beside us, putting her arm around my shoulders.
May you like
“It’s over, Valeria,” she said quietly. “The evidence is absolute. None of them are ever getting out.”
I watched as the police van doors slammed shut on Rodrigo, Elvira, and Beltrán. The light from the flashing red sirens reflected in the puddles at my feet, no longer a symbol of danger, but of freedom.
