The man frowned.
—It must be a mistake.
Then Daniel said:
—A girl called.
For a very brief moment, Thomas’s face changed.
Just one second.
But Maria noticed.
“My daughter is asleep,” Thomas said quickly.
Then…
A small sound was heard from the stairs.
A sob.
The three of them turned their heads.
A girl of about eight years old was there.
Pink pajamas.
An old stuffed rabbit in his arms.
Her eyes were swollen from crying so much.
“Dad…” she whispered.
Maria saw something else.
The girl’s hands were trembling.
And he avoided looking at his father.
That was enough.
Maria moved forward inside the house.
—Sir, we need to speak with the girl.
Thomas tried to block the way.
—This is an invasion of property…
But Daniel was already going in.
Minutes later, what they found upstairs made the atmosphere heavy.
