Chapter 11 - THE WOMAN WHO WOULDN'T SIGN
Carmen Reyes was sitting upright on a narrow bed when Detective Vega entered the recovery residence. A county deputy stood beside the door. Carmen's arm was in a sling; her face was pale, but her voice did not shake.
“Where's Daisy?”
“With your sister. She's safe,” Vega said. “We've confirmed it.”
Carmen covered her mouth. She didn't cry until the deputy showed her a photograph of Daisy holding the stuffed rabbit Sofia had brought.
“Can I call her?”
“Of course.”
Damon waited outside. The county officers were documenting why the residence had prevented Carmen from leaving and who had authorized her stay. He had offered transportation and legal help, but he wasn't entitled to enter her room just because his name was on the foundation's building.
Twenty minutes later, Carmen walked into the hallway.
“You're Cross?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“My daughter went to your party because I told her rich people couldn't pretend they didn't see her if she stood right in front of them.” Her eyes filled again. “I never thought she'd have to prove me right.”
Damon lowered his head. “You were wrong about one thing. Some of them kept pretending.”
Carmen explained that Owen Pike had offered her twenty thousand dollars to sign a statement saying she'd fabricated the shipment records. When she refused, two men forced her into a van. The residence had been told she was recovering from a breakdown and must remain until a guardian collected her.
“Did Elisa know?” Jessica asked.
Carmen looked at the lawyer. “I heard her voice over the phone. She said, 'Keep her quiet until the property clears.'”
The officers recorded the statement. Carmen agreed to a medical examination and a formal interview before going to Sofia's home.
At the elevator, Damon asked what worried her most.
“Not jail. Not them. The papers,” Carmen said. “I saw what they're doing to the other shelters.”
“What papers?”
She looked over her shoulder.
May you like
“They've already picked the next seventeen buildings.”
