"Sir, I... I checked the car. It braked fine," she stammered, tears of fear welling in her eyes. "I didn't know."
"You didn't know because you refused to look!" Eduardo exploded, his composure shattering. He took a step toward Beto, and the driver backed away, cowering. "A 10-year-old boy had to crawl through the mud and be humiliated to do your job. You almost killed my wife!"
Clara, who was still hugging Nico, stood up. Her dress was ruined, stained with grease and dirt, but at that moment she looked like a warrior queen.
"Eduardo," she said, putting a hand on her husband's arm to stop him. Then she looked at Nico. "Nico was right about everything."
Vanessa, sitting in the front row of guests, felt the world closing in around her. The plan had failed; the car hadn't left. There would be no accident on the curve, no mourning. And worst of all, the boy had talked, and it was only a matter of time before they investigated and charged her. Panic gripped her. She had to divert attention, destroy the boy's credibility before anyone started asking deeper questions.
"It's a trick!" Vanessa shouted, bursting out of the crowd, her face flushed with mock indignation. "Look at him, look at his hands." Vanessa pointed an accusing finger at Nico, her perfectly manicured fingernail gleaming like a claw. "How did he know exactly what was going on? Huh?" Vanessa continued, turning to the guests for support. "How did he know it was a slow leak? How did he know technical terms like DOT 4? No street kid knows that stuff."
The crowd began to murmur. Doubt, that poisonous seed, began to germinate.
"He did it!" Vanessa accused, advancing on Nico like a predator. "He broke into the garage and sabotaged it himself. That's why he knew where the leak was. He did it so he could come here, play the hero, and demand a reward. He's a criminal, Eduardo. Don't give him any money. Call the police."
Nico cowered against Clara, terrified. Vanessa's words were like stones.
"No!" Nico cried, weeping. "I wasn't there, I only heard."
"Who did you hear?" Eduardo asked, looking at the child, ignoring Vanessa's screams.
"Her." Nico pointed at Vanessa. His small, dirty finger pointed directly at the heart of the lie. "I saw her in the garage. She was with a man in gray overalls. She paid him, gave him an envelope with money, and told him she wanted them to have an accident."
A stifled scream rippled through the crowd. Clara brought her hands to her mouth, staring at her cousin in disbelief. Vanessa let out a nervous, high-pitched, and shrill laugh.
"Me? Please. This is absurd. Eduardo, Clara, I'm his cousin, I'm his maid of honor. Are you going to believe this... this dirty little monster over his own family? He's lying to save himself. The driver probably saw him lurking around and that's why he's making up this story. Beto, you were here earlier. You definitely saw him hanging around suspiciously. Tell them!"
Beto looked up, glanced at Vanessa, saw the desperation in her eyes, and then looked at Nico, the boy who had tried to warn him. The boy he had sprayed with the hose, the boy who, despite everything, had come back to save his life. Beto felt a deep shame that burned in his gut. He had been arrogant, he had been blind, but he wasn't a murderer, and he wasn't going to let an innocent person pay for his stupidity.
"The boy was in the garage. Yes," Beto said, his voice hoarse but firm. "But he tried to tell me there was a leak, and I kicked him out."
"Because he caused it!" Vanessa shrieked.
"I don't believe it," Beto said, shaking his head. "He said he saw a man and... and I have a way of knowing who's telling the truth."
All eyes turned to the driver.
"What are you talking about?" Eduardo asked.
Beto walked over to the car, opened the driver's side door, and pointed to the rearview mirror. It was a large, panoramic mirror with a slightly thicker-than-normal housing.
“I’m… I’m very possessive about my car, sir,” Beto confessed, looking down. “I don’t trust restaurant valets or mechanics at other shops. I’m always afraid they’ll scratch it or drive it without permission. So I installed this.” Beto touched a small button on the rearview mirror. “It’s a 360-degree security dashcam . It has motion and sound sensors. It records everything that happens in and around the car, 24 hours a day, even if the engine is off. It’s proximity-activated.”
The color drained from Vanessa's face. She became so pale she looked like a corpse in makeup.
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