Chapter 5 - A Job I Never Applied For
I stared at Vincent's message until the letters blurred. "I applied through a staffing agency. They interviewed me over the phone."
"Who recommended you?"
"I don't know. I thought my references were good."
"They are," he said. "But Elena thinks your hiring wasn't an accident."
An hour later, Rafael called with the personnel file. Someone had submitted a recommendation for me eight months earlier, before the agency ever contacted me. It was signed D. BENNETT.
Daniel's name.
My husband was still alive when it was filed. Why hadn't he told me?
"That can't be right," I whispered. "He died at the Mill Street construction site. I identified his watch."
Rafael let the silence settle before answering. "We are checking the record. It's possible the signature was copied."
At three in the morning, a woman called from a blocked number. She introduced herself as Rosa Delgado, the estate's longtime cook. I recognized her gentle voice immediately.
"I should have told you," she said.
"Told me what?"
"Daniel helped a little girl named Grace. He asked me to pass his recommendation to Vincent's agency. He made me promise to watch over you if anything happened to him."
"Where is Grace?"
"With my sister outside the city. Elena is trying to bring her home. We couldn't let Richard know who was helping us."
I thought of all the mornings Rosa had made me tea and insisted I sit while I drank it. At the time, I thought she was simply kind.
"Why didn't you tell me about my husband?"
"He asked me not to put you in danger until we had enough proof to end it." Her voice trembled. "I thought I was keeping that promise."
Then I heard a door close on her end of the line.
May you like
Rosa whispered, "Someone is in my kitchen."
The call went dead.
