Bonfim called and said he had scheduled my meeting with Cláudio for the following afternoon. He explained that he would do it at the police station to take advantage of the opportunity to get Cláudio's statement immediately, and it would also be a slightly better environment for me.

The next day, at the appointed time, I was there, accompanied by my husband and some security guards. Bonfim took us to his office and asked us to wait there. A short while later, he returned with two more officers carrying Cláudio.

Cláudio was unshaven and shaved. He wore his prison uniform and, among those officers, seemed very small, but even in the worst possible situation, he still had a cynical smile on his face.

"Handcuff him," Bonfim ordered, and the officers sat Cláudio on a chair in the corner and slipped the handcuffs through a tube in the wall that looked like a handrail.

"So, Mr. Cláudio, you wanted to speak with Mrs. Mellendez, she's here," Bonfim said.

"Mrs. Mellendez, how important, huh, Ca