I choked on a laugh. Telling her I gave uplyingwas probably not the best answer right now. “Actually, I did.”
She patted me on the shoulder. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
So was I. It was nearly impossible to hold my panicked grin in place. “I’ll go tell Vero you’re home, and we’ll meet you in the kitchen.”
I waited until Gloria retreated downstairs, then I scurried back to Vero’s room and texted Javi again.
Finlay:Gloria and Norma are home. They invited me to stay for dinner, and they want Vero to set the table and help unload the groceries.
My screen flashed with an incoming call from Javi’s phone.
“You left the room?!” Vero shouted as soon as I answered.
“Yes, I left the room! I had to pee, and I regret nothing!” I whispered. “Never mind that. What should I tell your aunt and your mother?”
Vero groaned in frustration. Or maybe that was Javi. “Tell her I’m coming.”
I kept the window cracked and pulled her bedroom door shut behind me. Then I headed downstairs to the kitchen, nearly jumping out of my skin as the front door flew open. Norma’s arms were weighed down with grocery bags. She did a double take when she spotted me. I must have looked just as startled.
I rushed to help her.
“Finlay? What are you doing here? We weren’t expecting you.” She looked over her shoulder as she hauled the groceries inside, using the heavy bags to nudge me back into the house, as if she were afraid one of her neighbors might see me.
She bolted the door behind us and set the security chain, taking one last peek through the curtain before leading the way to the kitchen, where Gloria was pouring herself a glass of Merlot.
“Finlay is staying for dinner,” she said firmly. I didn’t think I was imagining the edge in her voice as she went on. “She was worried because Vero wasn’t answering her calls, so she came all this way to check on her.”
Norma’s cheeks flushed pink, and she busied herself emptying the bags. “Where is Vero? She should be helping with dinner.”
They both turned to me.
“Right!” I said, stalling for time. “I… just talked to her upstairs. She was on the phone…myphone,” I corrected myself. “She promised she would only be a few minutes. I’m sure she’ll be down any second now.”
“Probably talking with Javier,” Norma muttered, droppinga bag of potatoes on the counter. She took one from the bag and shook it ruefully at her sister. “You see what happens? Talking to him will only get her into trouble.”
“He’s a good boy,” Gloria said, taking the potato from her and chopping it up. “You know that just as well as I do. He only made a few mistakes. And Vero could just as well be talking to her lawyer. I told her she should call him and tell him about those horrible notes she’s been getting.”
I bristled. “What notes?”
Gloria sighed. “In the mailbox. Taped to the front door. Stuck in the windshields of our cars…”
Norma hacked into an onion. “But they went too far when they spray-painted one of their horrible messages on the front of our house.”
“What do the messages say?”
“Always the same kinds of things,” Gloria said, adding the onions to the skillet. “You’re a thief. Return what you stole, or else.”
Norma wiped her hands on a towel. She opened a drawer, unfolded a slip of paper, and passed it to me. The handwriting matched the note I’d seen in the envelope on Vero’s desk.
How dare you keep what doesn’t belong to you.
“This one was left on my windshield two weeks ago, after Vero came home.”
“Do you have any idea who’s responsible?” I asked.
“Not yet.” Gloria slapped a lid on the skillet and shook a finger in the air. “But we will. I had Ramón install some of those fancy security cameras. If someone goes near our house again, he’ll catch them on video, and we’ll take it right to the police.” Gloria checked the time on the stove. “Speaking of Ramón, he should be here anyminute. What’s taking Vero so long? Do me a favor and set the table, Finlay.” She pointed to a stack of plates.
I carried them to the table and snuck a glance at my phone, searching for a message from Javi or Vero. It was already getting dark outside. If she didn’t get back soon, we were both going to have a lot of explaining to do.
