He remembered reading that the girl had been asleep during the incident.
That assumption had been accepted without questioning.
“What exactly did you see?” he asked again.
Salomé took another breath.
“I woke up because they were arguing,” she said. “My father was shouting, and Uncle Mateo was shouting louder.”
Ramira’s hands began trembling again, but this time from shock rather than despair.
“What were they arguing about?” Méndez asked.
“Money,” Salomé answered. “And something my father called a betrayal.”
The colonel felt a cold sensation crawl along his spine.
The official report had stated the victim, Ramira’s husband, had been attacked suddenly without warning.
No mention of an argument.
No mention of Mateo being present earlier.
“Then what happened?” Méndez asked slowly.
Salomé’s voice became even quieter.
“I heard something fall… like a chair,” she said. “Then my father shouted once more, and after that everything became quiet.”
Ramira covered her mouth, tears flowing again.
“Oh God…” she whispered.
Salomé looked at her mother and continued speaking gently.
“When I opened my door a little, I saw Uncle Mateo holding the knife,” the girl said.
The room froze.
Even the guards stopped breathing for a moment.
“He saw me watching,” Salomé continued. “He told me if I said anything, you would go away forever.”
