Page 28 of The Guardian

She kept smiling at us. “Thank you so much. Your words are much appreciated.” She then moved along the table and seemed to be checking on more guests.

Henry’s phone pinged. Looking down at the screen, he nodded. Then he took my hand. “We need to talk.”

I allowed him to lead me away and out of the dining room. I had no idea where he was taking me.

We went to the elevator and he tapped the button.

As we stepped into the lift, I told him, “I probably need to see about the twins.”

“I think they will be fine,” Henry told me. “They have Gabriela and I saw Mancini’s daughters fawning over them. I think they will be okay.”

We rode up and he kept a hold of my hand. We didn’t speak, but I knew his mind was full of questions. Bene, why did I tell him? It was as if my subconscious just burst forth and confessed, ‘I killed them.’

The elevator opened to the same hall where the kids and I had our rooms.

Henry tugged my hand and we stepped out into the hall. He then proceeded toward my door. Instead, though, he paused at the door right before it. Turning the doorknob, he opened it and motioned for me to go in.

I entered, then stepped in further and looked around. It was as nice as my room. Of course, it was as this mansion seemed to have many luxurious rooms. But I never got to really look as Henry led me over to the sofa. I sat and he did the same.

“You are truly getting right to the point, Henry,” I told him with a slight smile.

“You are right, my sweet Maya. And I often do that. But bloody hell this...” He shook his head. “Calls for urgency.”

“Why?” I asked him. “What’s the urgency? They are dead and buried. No one on earth is in a hurry to see them either.” I scoffed.

Henry simply stared at me as he made no comment.

With a sigh while knowing he wasn’t going to relent, I folded my hands into my lap and began, “A few days before you all arrived, I put the kids to bed and went to the kitchen to make sure all the cleanup was done for the day. There would be hell to pay if I left even one dish unwashed. I sprayed cleaner and wiped the old countertops down when I heard a noise. It spooked me really. As I had believed the tías were still out on the town. No one else should’ve been in the house except for me and the kids. Then I heard someone talking. I was very confused as to where this conversation was being held as I followed the sounds to the small pantry. The voices got louder and I could hear parts of the conversation then.”

Henry stared at me as I paused.

“I could hear Omara,” I continued. “She was laughing and sounded cheerful saying they would finally be free. They would be living in luxury on the beaches of Belize. I wondered how this could be…me hearing them so clearly, I mean. I looked around and then spotted it. At the back of the pantry on the floor was a small latch-handle. I never noticed it before but then that is where the box of their sangria always sat. I stepped over and quietly tugged on the handle. I then discovered that the old house had a basement as light came up through the partially opened latch door. And that was where they were. I then chickened out because I had been on the receiving end of their wrath many times. So, I intended to just leave for now. Then as I was about to ease that hatch door down, I heard what Pilar replied to her sister. It was so evil and so terrifying that for a moment I froze. I couldn’t breathe. I had to be mistaken. Not even they would dare to do such a thing.”

Chapter Nine: Choose Your Poison

Henry

“What thing?” I asked her quietly.

“They were going to poison the kids,” Maya replied.

I didn’t feel surprised. Those two were as evil as their brother Santiago. He had threatened to kill those kids several times, according to Carlos. The reason they remained hidden for years had been because of that. Santiago told Carlos that if he ever tried to rescue them, that they would be killed.

“I gasped in fear and they heard me,” Maya went on with her story. “They demanded that I come down the steps. I told them I was going to bed. Omara then stepped out into the light at the base of the steps and pointed a large gun up at me. She ordered me to come down.”

“Bloody hell,” I whispered.

Nodding, Maya went on, “I believed that I was about to die, Henry.”

I reached over and took her trembling hand into mine.

“When I got to the dirt floor at the base of the steps…” She paused and shook her head. “I saw two open graves. I couldn’t believe this because those two never even picked up a sponge to clean. So I knew that they would never pick up a shovel and dig. I asked them how they dug those holes? They both laughed and told me they hired the man who came to fix the pipes. Saying he was the sort that accepted dinero and kept his mouth shut.” Maya shook her head. “They said they got news about Carlos disappearing and were told that the cousins were coming. They were very afraid of those men. Then they finally told me that the kids were gonna be worm food.” Maya choked on a sob.

I squeezed her hand. I really didn’t know how to comfort a woman. Take her to bed, yes. Walk away after the bedding, yes. But comfort? No.

“They had the twins’ graves dug!” Maya exclaimed with tears in her eyes. “While I stared at the mounds of dirt and the open ground, I felt my heart pounding so hard that I couldn’t even hear their cackling.”

I noted that her breathing had picked up and she looked ashen now as her hand felt cold in mine. “Let me get you a drink. I spotted a mini bar when we came in.” I knew that alcohol might help like it did when a person was in shock. I stood and went to get something to relax her nerves. I grabbed the first bottle I saw and poured her a small shot then took it over to her.