“If this sinks,” she said, “we sink doing the right thing.
Javier recalled the words of Don Manuel seven years ago:
“Integrity is not comfortable. It is necessary.”
They went out separately.
Passing in front of the cell, Javier looked at Don Manuel.
Don Manuel opened his eyes.
He gave him a minimal gesture with his head.
Javier answered the same.
No words were needed.
In the capital, Elena Vera looked at the cameras live.
The suppressed alert appeared on his screen.
Then the attempt to erase.
Then the transfer to the cell.
His coffee spilled on the desk when he read the final line:
“Director Rivas arrested. Federal alert blocked by local authority.”
He took the phone straight.
“Overseason, we have a situation.
The voice on the other side responded to the second tone.
“Say.
Director Rivas is being held in a municipal police station. Arrest out of service. They suppressed an Alpha alert. We have video, audio and records.
There was silence.
Then a cold voice:
“Mobilize the team. No sirens until you're on top. I want you to see them coming and understanding that it's over.
Elena was already standing.
Estimated time: twelve minutes.
“Wow. If the director is in danger, they take him out. If not, let him handle it in his own way. Knowing him, this didn't start today.
Three black vans and two federal vehicles entered San Miguel del Rio without making noise.
Elena called the police station.
Municipal police, good afternoon.
—Deputy Director Elena Vera, National Agency. Contact Inspector Ricardo Cruz. Federal emergency.
The receptionist’s voice changed.
The inspector is busy.
“She has thirty seconds to pass it to me before federal agents walk in through that door and include her in an obstruction investigation.
There was a click.
Then another.
“Inspector Cruz,” said Ricardo, upset. What's going on?
Elena wasted no time.
“He has Director General Manuel Rivas in custody. He suppressed an Alpha alert. He has six minutes to release him before he arrives with forty agents and turns his police station into a federal scene.
Ricardo stopped breathing for a second.
“Deputy director, there’s been a confusion.
The confusion happened in the park. The crime occurred when he saw the screen and closed the laptop. We have the records. We got the cameras. We have everything.
“We can fix this.
"No. You can use the next five minutes to call a lawyer.
