Chapter 13 - What the Roots Remembered
I knew the spot. When Mom died, Lucía couldn't bear the thought of losing everything that touched her. We had buried a cheap copy of Mom's wedding ring beneath a pear tree at the orchard's northern edge. I had dug the hole. Lucía had made a cross from two sticks.
Celia led Nora and a small search team there. Under the tree, hidden behind a rusted drainage grate, a narrow concrete stairway descended into the hill.
"Daniel used to store apples down there," Celia said. "Later he built rooms that weren't on the plans."
"Why didn't you tell us?" I asked.
She looked at her bandaged hand. "Because every year I said I'd tell someone next year. Then I had Jamie, and there was always another reason to be afraid."
Nora stopped us at the entrance while officers checked for hazards. The air smelled of wet stone and old fruit. Along one wall, shelves held empty jars. A steel door stood at the far end.
A voice called from behind it. "Mom?"
Celia surged forward, but an officer caught her. "We need to make sure it's safe."
"Jamie! It's me!" she cried.
"He said you weren't coming!"
My cousin sounded exhausted but alive. Nora spoke to him through the door, asking whether anyone else was inside. Jamie said he'd been alone since morning. He was able to describe a second door leading to the drainage ditch. Officers covered it before forcing the main lock.
When it swung open, Jamie was curled under a dirty blanket with his hands bound. Celia dropped to her knees. He recoiled before recognizing her, then crawled into her arms.
"Don't let him take me again," he whispered.
Nora's medic carried him outside for a checkup. There was no sign of Daniel. His mistake was leaving a room full of evidence: bottled water, a phone charger, maps of the property, and a receipt for fuel bought in Mercer’s name that afternoon.
May you like
Lucía opened a small filing drawer. Inside was an old cassette labeled MARISOL / LAST NIGHT.
Before anybody played it, Celia whispered, "Please don't. Your mother says my name on that tape."
