A Deadly Secret: A gripping detective crime novel (PI Crime Mystery Maldonado Book 1) by Pablo Poveda

Author:Pablo Poveda [Poveda, Pablo]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Nova Illice Media Pub
Published: 2024-03-12T00:00:00+00:00

23

A social media celebrity.

Ten thousand followers, keenly watching every photo that challenged her self-esteem.

A public life on social networks.

A handful of abstract phrases expressing her sadness.

“I'll put the flowers in the vase,” Marla said, noticing the wilted bouquet of roses, and she stood up from the desk, “though they won't last long.”

Maldonado entered his office, half-closed the door, inserted the key into his desk drawer, and opened it.

He knew he could get into serious trouble if caught with a weapon. He had escaped once, but he was aware they would try again.

He took the gun and tucked it into the back of his pants. Then, he stored the cufflink found in the inner pocket of his coat.

“What's an influencer?” the detective asked, returning to the adjacent room.

“A person who openly showcases their lifestyle, whom many people aspire to emulate.”

Marla showed him the screen of her phone.

Andrea Quintero's virtual profile was a photo album of her life. The last image posted was from several days before her death. Hundreds of messages hidden in nicknames piled up on the board, showing affection for her loss. The girl had been active for months, displaying her day-to-day life, posing with happiness that hardly matched the reality the detective had uncovered so far.

Memories in Baqueira, vacations in Geneva, and a birthday atop the Empire State.

Maldonado swiftly scrolled through the photos, looking for something that might help. Andrea had no qualms about revealing her privacy, posting the interior of an apartment that must have been her residence.

In a photo where she posed on the balcony, he spotted a detail. He recognized the street, though he couldn't place the exact building. In the distance, at one corner of the shot, the round dome and tower of a church stood out.

“It's the parish of San Manuel and San Benito,” the secretary pointed out. He looked at her in astonishment. “Of course, you know which one. You've passed it hundreds of times... It's the church facing Atocha Street, opposite Retiro.”

“Can you locate it?”

“Sure,” she said, opened the map application, and a red dot indicated its location. “According to the photo and the distance from the balcony, if I'm not mistaken, the photo was taken from Columela Street, one of the perpendiculars to Serrano.”

Serrano was the capital's most expensive and well-known street, where all the luxury brands had their place.

“Can you find out the building number?”

It took Marla just a few seconds.

“Fourth floor, number five.”

“Damn, where did you learn that?”

“Anyone can do this, Javier…” she replied and raised an eyebrow. For a moment, she thought her boss still lived in the Pleistocene. “If you bothered to...”

“Yes, yes, never mind,” he interrupted before she continued her lecture on technology and its usefulness for work. He found what he needed. Knowing that Andrea lived in her family home, it was highly likely that was the correct address. “Back to the photos. What about the boyfriend? He's not in them.”

She shook her head.

“No, but...”

“But?”

“You're being cheated on,” she said out loud, reading one of the comments she found on the balcony photo.

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