Tormented: Day 4

Word Count: 24,016

Summary of Events:

Riel returned home from Mar del Plata and began reviewing the information he had from Estefanía's disappearance before his father got into a heated discussion with him. Esperanza was taken out of her cell to try on an inordinate amount of clothing, and also have her outfit changed again — including her shoes, which she took advantage of to try and escape again, but was again unsuccessful. Riel woke up from another nightmare, having fallen asleep at his desk, to have breakfast with his father before finding that one of the hypotheses he was privately investigating was growing weak. Esperanza was taken to a helicopter and flown with three other girls to a container ship where they were stowed away in a container Esperanza hoped to escape from soon. Riel received a phone call from his friend investigating Esperanza's disappearance telling him they planned on closing the case, which didn't please Riel at all.

Excerpt of the Day:
""And you're going to close the case?" Riel asked.

"That's what the Commissioner says," Roberto replied. "And, honestly, I agree with him; the family's getting tired of being questioned, they're starting to try and make us go away."

"They're grieving," Riel said. "It's like when someone dies, but it's worse. You don't know if they're really dead, you don't know what happened to them, you don't know if you'll ever see them again — or what they'll look like when you do — and the worst part: you can't bury them. There's no closure. You're standing on a cliff waiting for something to happen, and nothing does. It's like a cliffhanger without a sequel, and you have to try and figure out what to do with yourself afterwards. Give them some space, look at some other avenues, do everything you can without questioning them; and then, when you can't do anything other than question them, question them, but don't inundate them."

"Some of those possibilities are really far out there," Roberto said.

"It doesn't matter! Investigate them all!" Riel exclaimed. "In a case like this anything could have happened!"

"I don't think it's worth it, and I'm sure the Commissioner will agree with me," Roberto said.

"I'll take you to court for failing to follow the due investigative course if you close it," Riel said sharply.

There was silence for a moment. "You can't be serious Riel."

"I am serious," Riel replied. "I'll do it. You're not doing everything in your power to give the family as much closure as you can. The police didn't give up on my sister until a year afterwards and you're going to give up on Esperanza after a month!?"

"Look, Riel, she's just another bum's daughter from the villas miserias," Roberto said, sounding tired. "We could use less people in the villas miserias anyways."

Riel swore. "She's a human being Roberto! She is no lesser of a person than my sister just because she's from the villas miserias! She has just as much of a right to be found as my sister did — and still does — and I will do what ever I can to ensure that she is found, even if it means taking you to court to get the case reopened! Although, if you don't close the case, you don't have to worry anyways."

"I don't see why it matters to you so much," Roberto sighed. "But I'll talk it over with the Commissioner."

"You'd better," Riel said.

The line went dead and Riel slammed the receiver down on its cradle. He couldn't believe Roberto thought Esperanza was worth less than Estefanía. There was no reason for them to give up on her just because she was poor. She deserved to be found, and whomever the criminal was who was involved ought to be brought to justice."