“The girl is under protection,” Carmela warned. “No unauthorized visits.”
“I only want to understand how she got here,” Dolores replied calmly.
After a long pause, Carmela spoke.
“She arrived six months ago. Her uncle Gonzalo brought her. Said he couldn’t care for her.”
“But?”
Carmela hesitated.
“She had bruises. Marks on her arms no one explained. Since arriving, she barely speaks. She barely sleeps. Nightmares every night.”
“And after seeing her father?”
Carmela lowered her gaze.
“She hasn’t spoken at all.”
Dolores glanced out the window.
Salomé stood alone in the yard.
Silent.
Isolated.
“What did she whisper?” Dolores asked.
“No one knows,” Carmela replied softly. “But whatever it was… it’s breaking her from the inside.”
FIVE YEARS EARLIER — THE NIGHT
The Fuentes house had been silent.
Sara put three-year-old Salomé to bed early. The little girl hugged her teddy bear, unaware of what was coming.
Ramiro sat in the living room, drinking his fourth glass of whiskey.
