Chapter 17 - THE FINAL DINNER
Andrés prepared a final dinner,
setting the table for two with the same precision as before.
He walked upstairs and knocked gently on the guest bedroom door where Renata was hiding.
Dinner is served,
Renata,
let us have one final conversation as husband and wife,
he called out calmly.
The door opened slowly,
and Renata stepped out,
her hair disheveled and her beige dress wrinkled.
The saintly facade was completely gone,
replaced by the cold,
hard look of a cornered predator.
She walked down the stairs and sat at the table,
refusing to touch the food or the wine.
What do you want,
Andrés,
are you going to kill me here,
she asked,
her voice dripping with malice.
Andrés took a sip of his water,
looking at her with an unsettling,
serene calmness.
I am a soldier of the state,
Renata,
I do not commit crimes,
I enforce the law,
he explained.
I wanted to ask you a simple question,
why did you do it,
was my love and this home not enough for you.
Renata let out a harsh,
bitter laugh that echoed through the empty hallway.
Your love was a boring routine,
Andrés,
and your military salary is a joke compared to what this house is worth,
she spat out.
Your mother is an old woman sitting on a fortune she doesn't even use or appreciate.
I deserved that money,
I deserved a better life than being a lonely soldier’s wife waiting for a corpse to return.
Andrés listened to her confession without a single flinch of emotion on his face.
From beneath his jacket,
he pulled out a small digital recorder,
the little red light blinking steadily.
Thank you for making this so easy for the prosecution,
Renata,
he said,
turning off the device.
May you like
Your words match the bank logs perfectly,
and the court will find them very illuminating.
