Chapter 19 - The Digital Witness
That evening, the nightmare repeated itself with sickening predictability. Valeria returned from a shopping spree, carrying bags of new clothes while her children wore threadbare pajamas. When dinner time arrived, she served the same spoiled, congealed broth from the night before. When little Leo gagged at the smell, the monster erupted.
"Fine! Eat like the animals you are!" she screamed, sweeping the bowls into the trash.
She grabbed the blue dog bowl, filled with dry kibble, and slammed it onto the cement floor right in front of them.
"Get on the floor and eat, or tomorrow you get nothing!"
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I stepped in, pleading, crying, acting the part of the helpless old woman, while my eyes briefly flicked to the ceiling. The tiny red light behind the wicker basket was blinking. Every shout, every cruel push, every tear that fell as my grandsons knelt on the floor to eat dog food, was being captured in high definition. I gathered the crying boys and retreated to my room. At 11:00 PM, my phone buzzed.
"I have it all, Doña Rosa. It's crystal clear. Carlos is pulling into the driveway right now," Toño's message read.
