Eleven years after the son of a casino owner disappeared in Monterrey in 1999, cleaner Haya. Esperanza Morales had been cleaning offices in downtown Monterrey for 15 years. At 52, she had seen it all in the corporate buildings where she worked every morning.
That morning, while cleaning the offices on the thirteenth floor of the San Pedro commercial tower, something caught her eye in the ventilation duct that was being remodeled. The workers had left the metal panel open, and Esperanza could see something shiny inside. Curious, she
approached with her flashlight. Amid the dust accumulated over the years, she found a gold chain with a peculiar pendant, a golden poker chip engraved with the initials DBM.
“What’s this doing here?” Esperanza murmured, examining the jewelry. It was no ordinary piece. The gold was of superior quality, and the engraving was very fine. Esperanza put the chain in her apron and continued with her work, but she couldn’t stop thinking about the discovery.
After finishing her shift, at 6:00 a.m., she decided to stop by her niece Carmen’s house, who worked as a receptionist at the El Norte newspaper. “Auntie, this looks expensive,” Carmen said as she examined the chain. “Where did you find it?” in the duct on the 13th floor. “Carmen, do you think I should report it?”
Carmen took photos of the chain with her digital camera. “Let me look up these initials in the newspaper archives.”
“DBM,” sounds familiar. That afternoon, Carmen excitedly called her aunt. “Aunt Esperanza, you have to come here immediately. I found something important.” In the newspaper office, Carmen showed Esperanza several printed articles. Diego Valenzuela Montemayor. “Do you remember the case?” The son of the owner of the
Casino Royal disappeared in 1999.
He was 18 years old. Esperanza read the headlines. The son of a businessman disappears after going out to party, and the search for Diego Valenzuela continues without results. His father is Roberto Valenzuela, owner of several casinos in Monterrey, Carmen explained. He offered a 2 million peso reward. They never found a trace
of the boy.
Do you think this chain is his? Aunt, look at the photo. Carmen pointed to a picture of Diego at a party. He’s wearing that same chain. Esperanza felt a chill. What should I do? We have to go to the family. They can confirm if it’s authentic. That same afternoon, Carmen and Esperanza
headed to the Valenzuela mansion in the Del Valle neighborhood.
The Mexican colonial-style house had a high pink quarry wall and a wrought-iron gate. Roberto Valenzuela, a 60-year-old man with silver hair and a gray suit, welcomed them into his study. His eyes filled with tears when he saw the chain. “It’s Diego’s,” he confirmed in a broken voice.
“I gave it to him for his 18th birthday.
Where did they find it?” Esperanza explained in detail the discovery in the ventilation duct of the San Pedro shopping tower. “That building,” Roberto frowned. “Diego never had a reason to be there. His offices were in the Zona Rosa district.” María Elena Montemayor, Diego’s mother, an
elegant 55-year-old woman, joined the conversation.
Roberto, doesn’t that seem strange to you? That building didn’t even exist in 1999,” Roberto confirmed by consulting some documents. “You’re right. Construction of the San Pedro shopping tower began in 2001. So how did the chain get there?” Carmen asked. “Someone put it there after Diego’s disappearance,” Roberto concluded.
Ms. Esperanza, you’ve found the first real lead in 11 years.” Roberto immediately called Detective Jesús Hernández, who had handled the original case. “Detective, I need to see you urgently. We have new evidence in Diego’s case.” An hour later, Detective Hernández, A
burly 45-year-old man with a mustache arrived at the Valenzuela home, carefully examined the chain, and listened to Esperanza’s story.
“This changes everything,” Hernandez admitted. “In 1999, we painstakingly searched all the places Diego used to frequent. That building didn’t exist. What does that mean?” Maria Elena asked. “That someone intentionally hid this chain. Someone who knew about the case and wanted it to remain hidden,”
the detective explained. “I need to examine that ventilation duct immediately.”
Roberto turned to Esperanza. “Ma’am, you’ve just rekindled hope in our family. Could you help us examine the place where you found the chain?” “Of course, Mr. Valenzuela. I have access to the building early tomorrow.” Detective Hernandez took detailed notes. “I’ll organize a
forensic team to examine the duct. After 11 years, we might find more evidence.”
That night, Roberto couldn’t sleep. Diego’s chain rested on his desk, reminding him that his son might still be alive or that at At least they could finally know what had happened to him. María Elena wept silently. Roberto, do you think Diego is alive? I don’t know, my love, but for
the first time in 11 years I had
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