Chapter 6 - The Night Mariana Died
The crash file held a few photographs, a weather report, and a short witness statement. Mariana's car had left Route 47 in heavy rain and struck a drainage barrier. A faint streak of red paint marked the rear passenger panel, but investigators had found no confirmed second vehicle.
Detective Reyes sat across from Mateo in a plain interview room. "You told the first investigator Mariana was driving to your office."
"She was bringing me records. She'd found irregular invoices. Ricardo handled the estimates and vendor payments."
"Did you know Ricardo was in town that night?"
"He told me he'd been out of town. He called the next morning and said Vanessa had told him about the crash."
The detective explained that suspicion alone could not reopen the case. They needed corroboration: phone records, financial documents, a witness, or physical evidence linking Ricardo's truck to the crash. Mateo gave him the notebook and photographs, then went home to search his old business records.
In a storage cabinet, he found Mariana's binder. Beside several payments to the questionable supplier, she had written: "Ask Mateo before approving. No delivery receipt."
The same supplier appeared in Vanessa's notebook.
Mateo scanned the pages and sent copies to Reyes. As he finished, a folded note slid under his office door. No name, no stamp. Only one sentence: STOP DIGGING OR YOUR DAUGHTER WILL LOSE BOTH PARENTS.
A red pickup idled at the curb beyond the window. Mateo couldn't see the driver's face. The truck pulled away before he could reach the door.
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He called Reyes and reported the threat. The detective told him to save the note and avoid confronting anyone.
For three years, Mateo had believed rain had taken Mariana. Now he wondered who had used the storm as cover.
