“Everything is fine here,” she said. “The children have eaten, Miguel is asleep, and Tomás has not climbed the fig tree.”
Mother Caridad allowed herself a brief smile.
“Good.”
“Did you find Elena?”
“Yes.”
“And Esperanza?”
“She is well.”
A pause followed.
Then Lucía’s voice lowered.
“Mother, there is something you should know.”
Mother Caridad’s smile disappeared.
“What happened?”
“Sister Beatriz left the convent this afternoon.”
“Left?”
“She said she had been summoned to the diocesan office.”
“By whom?”
“She did not say.”
Mother Caridad looked through the glass toward the motorcar, where Esperanza and Doctor Paloma waited.
“Did she take anything?”
“I do not know. But after she left, I went to check the chapel archive.”
Mother Caridad gripped the receiver.
“Why?”
“Because she had been carrying one of the old archive keys.”
“And?”
Lucía hesitated.
“The cabinet was open.”
Mother Caridad closed her eyes.
“Was anything missing?”
“One envelope.”
“Did you see the name?”
“Yes.”
Lucía’s voice became almost a whisper.
“It was addressed to Ana Valdés.”
Mother Caridad looked toward the darkening road.
The letter Mother Inés had entrusted to her years ago was gone.
And for the first time, they knew exactly who had taken it.
But they still did not know whether Sister Beatriz was trying to hide the truth—
or finally bring it back.
