Chapter 7 - THE MAN WHO WAS SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD
The hospital called again before Mateo and Elena reached St. Catherine's. Gabriel was stable, but his fever had exposed an irregular heartbeat. His cardiologist wanted him transferred to a pediatric hospital for observation.
Elena sat beside the boy's bed while nurses prepared the transfer. Gabriel looked frightened.
“Am I going to die?” he asked.
“No,” Elena said, taking his hand. “The doctors are going to help your heart.”
“Will you come?”
“Every step.”
Mateo stood at the foot of the bed, his face pale. “I'll be right behind you.”
Gabriel held out his stuffed elephant. “Can you keep him safe?”
Mateo took it carefully. “I promise.”
At the hospital, the cardiologist explained that Gabriel needed further testing. His condition was treatable, but the next few days would be important. Elena refused to leave his side.
While she stayed with Gabriel, Mateo and the attorney examined the trust records. The clause named Rafael Moretti as guardian of the controlling shares if the boy's parents were found unfit or unavailable.
Rafael had supposedly died in a boating accident four years earlier. No body had been recovered, but the family had held a memorial.
The attorney found a recent payment from the trust to a consulting firm registered in Nevada. The firm's listed director was Rafael Moretti.
Mateo stared at the screen. “My uncle is alive.”
A message arrived from an unknown number: STOP LOOKING. THE CHILD IS SAFER WHERE HE IS.
Mateo called the number. It was disconnected.
He returned to Gabriel's room. Elena was reading a picture book while the boy rested against her arm.
“There's something else,” Mateo said quietly. “Rafael may be alive. My uncle. He could be behind the trust scheme.”
Gabriel opened one eye. “Is that a bad uncle?”
Mateo sat beside him. “I don't know yet.”
“Does he want my elephant?”
Despite everything, Elena smiled. “No one is taking your elephant.”
Later that night, the hospital's security officer reported that a man had attempted to enter the pediatric wing using a visitor badge issued under a false name. The man left when staff asked for identification.
A camera image showed a tall figure in a dark cap. Mateo recognized the posture.
Rafael.
He ordered security to preserve the footage and contacted the police. He did not want a confrontation near the children.
At dawn, a nurse brought Elena a small envelope left at reception. It contained a photograph of Gabriel sleeping in his hospital bed, taken through the glass from the corridor.
On the back were six words: A CHILD CANNOT INHERIT WHAT IS BROKEN.
Elena's hands trembled. Mateo read the note and immediately called the police.
May you like
Then Gabriel woke and asked for breakfast.
The ordinary request felt like a miracle.
