Chapter 4 - THE WOMAN IN WHITE
Hector flew into Chicago the next morning.
I almost told him not to come.
Part of me wanted him to stay in Arizona forever.
Another part needed to look into his eyes while he explained how a father could bury the wrong woman, accept two hundred thousand dollars and ignore phone calls from someone who might have been his missing wife.
He arrived looking seventy instead of sixty-four.
His hair had gone completely gray.
His shoulders curved forward.
He held a small metal document case in both hands.
When Rosa let him inside, he stopped in the foyer.
My mother stood at the opposite end.
Neither moved.
“Elena,” he whispered.
Her face remained expressionless.
He took one step.
She stepped backward.
That hurt him.
Good, I thought.
Then I hated myself for thinking it.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
My mother’s voice was quiet.
“Twenty years is a long time to be sorry.”
He lowered his head.
“I know.”
“No, you don’t.”
I had never heard her sound so cold.
“You had a name. A home. A daughter who knew your face.”
Tears rolled down Hector’s cheeks.
“I was a coward.”
“Yes.”
He nodded.
“I was.”
There was something strangely powerful about hearing him admit it.
No excuses.
No demands for forgiveness.
Just the truth.
He placed the metal case on the table.
“The letter is inside.”
Alejandro’s attorney had arranged for a courier to retrieve it from Hector’s Phoenix bank that morning after Hector signed authorization.
We gathered in the study.
The envelope was yellowed with age.
My name was written across the front in black ink.
I recognized the handwriting.
My mother’s.
Or what I remembered of it.
My fingers trembled as I opened it.
Inside was a single sheet of paper.
And a small brass key.
I read aloud.
“Mari, if you ever receive this, then something went wrong.”
My mother closed her eyes.
“I need you to know that none of this was your father’s fault.”
Hector began sobbing.
I continued.
“I found records at work showing money being moved through companies that do not exist. Mr. Rafael believes someone is stealing from Salazar Construction and using unsafe materials on city projects.”
Alejandro stared at the floor.
I read on.
“We made copies. Rafael says he is going to the police tomorrow.”
My husband’s hands tightened.
The letter continued.
“If anything happens to me, the key opens Box 214 at Lakeshore Trust. Everything is there.”
I looked at the key.
There were tiny numbers engraved along its edge.
I kept reading.
“Mari, you are the best thing I ever did. Remember our moon song. Remember that I love you bigger than the whole night sky.”
My voice broke.
That was what she used to say before bed.
Not once.
Every night.
I lowered the letter.
My mother was crying.
“I remember that.”
I looked at her.
“What?”
“The night sky.”
She pressed a hand over her heart.
“I said that.”
I went to her.
She touched the paper.
“I wrote this.”
“Yes.”
A knock sounded downstairs.
Alejandro frowned.
“We aren’t expecting anyone.”
A moment later Rosa appeared.
“Mr. Salazar?”
“Yes?”
“Your mother is here.”
The temperature in the room seemed to drop.
Catalina Salazar rarely arrived anywhere without notice.
She considered surprise visits uncivilized.
Alejandro walked into the foyer first.
I followed with my mother behind me.
Catalina stood beneath the chandelier wearing an ivory suit.
White.
My mother stopped breathing.
The color drained from her face.
“The woman in white.”
Catalina heard her.
For the first time in fifteen years, I saw my mother-in-law lose control of her expression.
She stared at Elena.
Her handbag slipped from her fingers.
“No.”
Alejandro moved between them.
“Mother.”
Catalina ignored him.
Her eyes remained on Elena.
“You’re dead.”
I felt every hair on my arms rise.
Alejandro’s voice hardened.
“How interesting.”
Catalina finally looked at him.
“What?”
“You didn’t ask who she was.”
Catalina recovered quickly.
Too quickly.
“I recognize her.”
“From where?”
“Your father’s company.”
“You told me you barely knew her.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You did last night.”
Catalina’s mouth tightened.
She looked at me.
“Mariana, you have no idea what you’ve brought into your home.”
“My mother.”
“A thief.”
My mother flinched.
I stepped in front of her.
“Careful.”
Catalina laughed.
“You think DNA changes history?”
“It changes the part where you told my father she was dead.”
Catalina’s eyes moved to Hector.
Contempt flashed across her face.
“You.”
Hector stood.
“Hello, Catalina.”
“You took the money.”
My jaw tightened.
“So that part is true.”
Catalina looked at me.
“I paid him to leave because your mother had involved your family in criminal activity.”
“My mother found your criminal activity.”
“Is that what she told you?”
“She barely remembers anything.”
Catalina smiled.
“Convenient.”
Alejandro stepped closer to his mother.
“My father died the same week.”
Catalina’s smile disappeared.
“Do not drag Rafael into this.”
“He was already in it.”
Alejandro held up a copy of the letter.
“We know about Box 214.”
Catalina went completely still.
There.
It lasted less than a second.
But we all saw it.
Alejandro’s voice dropped.
“You know what’s inside.”
“No.”
“You recognized the number.”
“You’re imagining things.”
My mother suddenly spoke.
“Red ledger.”
Everyone turned.
She was staring at Catalina.
Catalina’s face tightened.
My mother touched her temple.
“Red leather.”
“What about it?” Alejandro asked.
“Payments.”
Catalina grabbed her handbag from the floor.
“This is absurd.”
My mother stepped forward.
“You burned it.”
Catalina froze.
“You burned Rafael’s office.”
“Stop.”
“You hit me.”
“Elena.”
My mother’s breathing quickened.
“You hit me with something metal.”
Catalina’s face twisted.
“You were hysterical.”
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Alejandro spoke first.
“What did you just say?”
Catalina realized her mistake.
She closed her eyes.
When she opened them again, she was calm.
“I meant she was unstable back then.”
“How would you know?”
Catalina’s jaw tightened.
“Because I was there.”
Alejandro stared at her.
“At the site?”
“Yes.”
“The night Dad died?”
“Yes.”
“You told the police you were at the Drake Hotel charity dinner.”
“I left early.”
“Why?”
“Your father called.”
“What did he say?”
Catalina glanced at Elena.
“He said she had stolen documents.”
“That’s a lie,” Hector said.
Catalina turned on him.
“You know nothing.”
“I know you paid me.”
“To protect your daughter!”
Alejandro moved closer.
“From whom?”
Catalina said nothing.
“From whom, Mother?”
Her eyes flickered.
That was enough.
My husband’s voice went very quiet.
“Victor Hale?”
Catalina’s face changed.
She reached for the door.
Alejandro blocked her.
“Is Victor alive?”
“I have no idea.”
“He watched this house yesterday.”
“That’s impossible.”
“Why?”
“Because Victor died.”
“So did Elena.”
Catalina looked at my mother.
Hatred replaced shock.
It was unmistakable.
“You should have stayed gone.”
My mother recoiled.
I stepped between them.
“You need to leave.”
Catalina looked at me.
“You foolish girl.”
“Leave my house.”
“That woman will destroy your marriage, your company and everything your husband built.”
“Our company survived one liar.”
I opened the front door.
“It’ll survive another.”
Catalina walked toward me.
As she passed, she whispered so only I could hear.
“Ask Elena why Rafael was holding her when the building exploded.”
I stiffened.
Catalina smiled.
Then she walked out.
The door closed.
I turned slowly.
Alejandro had not heard.
My mother was staring toward the stairs.
I approached her.
“Mom?”
Her entire body began trembling.
“Rafael.”
“What about him?”
She looked at me.
And suddenly she remembered.
“I was leaving your father.”
Hector went white.
My chest tightened.
“What?”
Tears filled her eyes.
“I was going to leave him.”
She looked at Alejandro.
“For Rafael.”
Nobody moved.
May you like
Then she whispered the sentence that detonated through both our families.
“Rafael Salazar and I were in love.”
