The gardener’s mother lives there; the one who disappeared. Martín is dead.

We made sure of that. Are you sure? We never found the body. What if he talked before we reached him?

What if he left something that could incriminate us? Gonzalo felt a cold sweat run down his back. What do you suggest? Your brother’s execution is in 48 hours.

Once that happens, the case is closed for good. No one is going to reopen an investigation into a man who’s already been executed. We need those 48 hours to pass without incident.

And the lawyer Aurelio took a sip of wine.

She’s 68 and has heart problems. Accidents happen. Older people fall. She forgets to take her medication.

He has emergencies in the middle of the night. Are you suggesting anything? I’m not suggesting anything. I’m saying you have 48 hours to resolve this issue.

How you resolve this is your business. But if that woman files a lawsuit before the execution, we’ll both be down.

Gonzalo nodded slowly. He had come too far to stop now. One more death wouldn’t change anything, it would only secure his future.

Dolores arrived home exhausted. The trip to San Jerónimo had worn her out, but what she discovered was worth every kilometer.

Martín Reyes was the key. She had proof; she just needed to find him. She checked her email before going inside. Among invoices and advertising, there was a package with no return address, a heavy, padded envelope.

He opened it carefully. Inside was a drawing. A drawing made with crayons, clearly by a very young child.

It showed a house, a figure lying on the ground, and a man standing next to it.

The man was wearing a blue shirt. At the bottom, someone had written a date: 5 years ago, three days after Sara’s death.

Dolores turned the drawing over. On the back was a message written in adult handwriting. If anyone sees this, it’s too late, but if there’s still time, keep looking.

The truth is closer than you think. Mr. Martín Reyes. D

The smells made her heart beat strongly.

Martín was alive. He had kept this drawing for 5 years waiting for the right moment and now, with the execution just days away, he had decided to act.

But why send a drawing of a little girl? What was she trying to say?

She examined the drawing again, the blue shirt, the photos Carlos had shown her. Gonzalo always wore blue shirts. Salomé had drawn what she saw that night.

At the age of 3, he had created the evidence that could save his father, and someone had kept it all this time.

Dolores needed to confirm that the drawing was authentic. She contacted an old friend, Patricia Méndez, a forensic psychologist with 30 years of experience in cases of childhood trauma.

They met in Patricia’s office the next day. Time was running out.

Less than 40 hours remained. Patricia examined the drawing with a magnifying glass, taking notes. The strokes were consistent with a child between three and four years old, she said.

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