Chapter 8 - The Ghost of ApodacaDaniel drove straight from the cemetery to his apartment in Apodaca, breaking three speed limits along the ring road. He didn’t care. His heart hammered against his ribs like a trapped bird.
He burst through the front door, rushed past the kitchen where he had confronted Irene, and threw open the door to Camila’s bedroom.
The room remained exactly as she had left it—pink walls, stuffed animals lined up neatly on the shelf, the small white bed with its folded quilt.
He went straight to the closet, dropped to his knees, and began tapping the baseboard near the back wall.
Thud. Thud. Hollow.
He wedged his pocket knife into the mortar around the third brick from the left. With a sharp twist, the old brick groaned, shifted, and popped loose, falling inward with a dull thud.
Inside the dark cavity sat a weathered, dust-covered manila envelope.
Daniel pulled it out, blew off the gray dust, and tore the flap open. Inside were three things:
A handwritten letter signed by Brenda, detailing how Leonel had threatened her with legal ruin and physical violence if she ever tried to contact Daniel or Camila again.
A certified bank statement showing that Leonel had forged Brenda’s signature on property transfer documents years ago, stealing her share of their late mother’s estate.
A recent address scribbled on a napkin: Calle Morelos #412, Saltillo, Coahuila.
Date on the napkin: Three months ago.
Daniel looked at his watch. 2:15 PM.
May you like
Saltillo was an hour and a half away across the mountain highway.
He didn’t pack a bag. He didn’t call anyone. He walked out to his battered pickup truck, threw the envelope onto the passenger seat next to Capitán, and turned the ignition.
