New Insight from Family: Mimi Torres-Garcia’s Cryptic Church Guestbook Entry – “Things Make Sense When You Listen Twice”

Tucked between the faded signatures of baptisms, weddings, and Sunday regulars in the leather-bound guestbook of St. John Paul II Parish lies a single line in purple gel ink that now reads like prophecy. Written in Jacqueline “Mimi” Torres-Garcia’s unmistakable looping hand—curls on the g and y like tiny wings—the entry is dated August 18, 2024, just three weeks before her death.

“Things make sense when you listen twice.” — Mimi T-G, 11

Pastor Daniel Ruiz, who has shepherded the Torres-Garcia family through baptisms, custody hearings, and now a funeral, confirmed the note during a private meeting with Mimi’s paternal grandmother last Friday. He had not thought much of it at the time—children often scribble whimsical thoughts in guestbooks—but in the wake of the horror, the words have taken on a haunting clarity. “She was here for the 10 a.m. Mass with her abuela,” Ruiz recalled, his voice low in the dim sacristy. “After Communion, she asked for the pen. Smiled like she’d solved a riddle. I thought it was about the homily—something on hearing God’s voice. Now… I wonder what she was really hearing.”

The entry has since been photographed, sealed in evidence, and shared—carefully, tearfully—within the family and with investigators. It joins a growing constellation of Mimi’s final messages: the open book on page 47, the last chat (“I think I figured it out”), the unopened envelope under her bed, the hidden mural rune. Each fragment a breadcrumb from a child who, in silence, was screaming.

The Day She Wrote It

August 18 was a Sunday like any other in New Britain’s Puerto Rican enclave. Mimi, 11, sat in the third pew from the back with her grandmother Maria Torres, wearing a lilac dress with tiny embroidered stars—her “church magic” outfit, she called it. She had spent the prior week at Vacation Bible School, crafting paper lanterns and memorizing Psalm 46:10: “Be still, and know that I am God.”

During the sign of peace, witnesses say she hugged three elderly women, whispered “escúchame dos veces” (listen to me twice) to a confused altar server, and then—after the final blessing—made a beeline for the guestbook table near the doors.

“She didn’t ask permission,” Maria Torres said, clutching a rosary in her living room. “Just wrote it, capped the pen, and said, ‘Abuela, it’s a secret for later.’ I thought she meant homework.”

That was the last time Mimi attended Mass.

What Was She Hearing?

The phrase has ignited quiet but intense debate among those who knew her best.

Sofia Alvarez, Mimi’s closest friend:

“We had a game—‘Listen Twice.’ If one of us said something weird, the other had to repeat it back in a funny voice. Like a code. Maybe she heard something at home… and was trying to tell us to really hear it.”

Victor Torres, her father:

“She used to say adults only listen once—with their ears. Kids listen twice—with their hearts. Maybe she was begging us to hear what she couldn’t say out loud.”

Dr. Elena Vasquez, child psychologist at the memorial mural therapy sessions:

“Trauma silences speech but amplifies metaphor. ‘Listen twice’ could mean: Hear the silence. Hear the unsaid. Children in abusive environments often speak in riddles to protect themselves—and to test if anyone is truly listening.”

Investigators note the timing: August 18 falls after the pregnancy argument that allegedly triggered the zip-tie “discipline,” but before the full two-week starvation began. Warrants reveal Mimi was already confined to her room by late August, allowed out only for bathroom breaks under supervision. The church visit was one of her final outings.

The Guestbook Now

The page has been removed for forensic analysis—ink, pressure, handwriting comparison with school journals—but a high-resolution scan circulates in the family WhatsApp. Someone overlaid the quote onto a photo of Mimi’s bedroom: the open book, the dragon plush, the “Summer Plans 2025” box. Caption: She was speaking. We just weren’t listening twice.

At the Clark Street memorial, a new addition appeared overnight: a wooden sign hand-painted in purple: “Listen Twice – Mimi’s Rule” Beneath it, a basket of blank cards. Visitors write messages, fold them once, and drop them in—to be read twice.

The Family’s Response

Maria Torres keeps a photocopy in her Bible, marked at Psalm 116:

“I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice…”

She visits the church daily now, sitting in Mimi’s pew, whispering the line back to the empty air.

Victor, barred from the condo by evidence tape, asked Pastor Ruiz to read the entry aloud at the next court hearing. “Let the judge hear it twice,” he said.

Karla Garcia, in custody, reportedly asked her public defender: “Did she write that before or after?” When told before, she allegedly went silent for hours.

A Growing Movement

The phrase has slipped into the lexicon of #JusticeForMimi.

“Mimi’s Law” petition (now 35,000+ signatures) added a new clause:

“Mandatory ‘Listen Twice’ wellness checks: in-person, unannounced, with child alone.”

New Britain Schools launched a “Listen Twice” anti-bullying campaign: students wear purple earbuds, pledge to repeat a friend’s worry before dismissing it.
The mural at Clark Street now has a fresh corner: a giant ear made of book pages, with Mimi’s quote in gold.

The Final Echo

Pastor Ruiz ended his homily last Sunday with this:

“Mimi didn’t just write a note. She left a commandment. Listen once with your ears. Listen twice with your soul. And if a child speaks in riddles—believe her.”

He then opened the guestbook to a fresh page. The first new entry, in a child’s shaky print:

“I heard you, Mimi. I’m listening now.”

The church was silent. Then, from the back, a single sob— and the sound of a pen, capping twice.