Chapter 16 - THE EMPTY ACCOUNTS
Carmen moved nearly $140,000 before the bank froze her access.
Some of it belonged to Daniel.
Some to Valeria.
Some had come from the fraudulent line in my name.
The money went to three cashier’s checks.
One was recovered.
Two were missing.
Police believed Carmen intended to run.
By then, she was gone.
Her condo was empty.
Her phone was in a trash can near the bus station.
Daniel stared at the police report.
“She’s going to Mexico.”
“Why?”
“She has cousins in Guadalajara.”
I looked at Detective Greene.
“Can she cross?”
“We’ve alerted federal authorities.”
Valeria started crying.
Not because she wanted Carmen free.
Because betrayal does strange things when the person hurting you is still your mother.
Daniel put an arm around her.
She pulled away.
“You don’t get to comfort me like you didn’t help her.”
He dropped his hand.
That was the new Daniel.
Not forgiven.
Just no longer allowed to hide from the damage.
The next morning, a package arrived at the hotel.
No return address.
Inside was Camila’s pink stuffed rabbit.
The one I had not seen since we left the apartment.
Under it was a note.
YOU TOOK MY FAMILY.
NOW LET’S SEE HOW LONG YOU CAN KEEP IT.
Lena called police immediately.
Camila saw the rabbit.
“Bunny!”
I forced a smile and moved the note away before she could read it.
Security footage showed a delivery driver leaving the package.
The order had been placed using a prepaid phone.
Then Greene called.
“Mariana, we located one of the missing cashier’s checks.”
“Where?”
“Your apartment.”
“What?”
“Someone used it to pay six months of rent in advance.”
“For whom?”
He paused.
“For Sofia.”
I looked across the room.
Sofia had told me Carmen hated her.
Maybe that was true.
Maybe not.
Then Greene added, “And Sofia checked out of her apartment this morning.”
My pulse jumped.
“Where did she go?”
“We don’t know.”
May you like
For the first time since this started, I wondered whether Carmen had really been working alone with Hale.
Or whether we had all been looking at the wrong woman.
