The Sometime Sister by Katherine Nichols (e novels for free .TXT) 📗

It was at least a half-size too big in the top, and the straps kept slipping off my shoulders, but it would have to do. I stuffed the clothes in my bag and gathered my hair into a bun.

I exited the shop and walked toward our hotel. Before I rounded the first corner, a whisper tickled my ear.

“Please, Señorita, I do not wish to hurt you. But you must come with me.”

Instead of the heavyset man from the beach, I faced a young boy whose dark hair hung over the side of his face. When he pushed it back, he exposed the half-moon on his wrist. It was Ben’s houseboy.

“Eduardo! What are you doing here?”

“I’m sorry to frighten you, but it’s better if no one sees us talking. Please, come with me.”

Fearful the man from the beach was still following me, I glanced over my shoulder. The street was clear, but a more private location seemed like a good idea.

We wound through side streets, and I speculated on his need for secrecy. Could he be working with Ben, luring me away from the crowds to shut me up? From his reaction to seeing his boss shrieking on the floor, I didn’t sense a closeness between employer and employee. Next to Eva, he was the most likely person with insights into what Stella’s last days had been like. I had to trust him.

He stopped at the back entrance of a restaurant and held the torn screen door open. I stepped inside, where the rattling of pots and pans threatened to drown the hum of nearby voices.

“This is where my cousin works,” he announced and led me to a walk-in closet filled with cleaning supplies. He pulled out a step stool from underneath a shelf and requested I sit.

“I hope Ben didn’t fire you because of me.”

Eduardo smiled. “No. I still have my job, but Señor Wilcott has been away on business. He left the morning after your visit. He is expected back later today. That is why I needed to see you now.

“I’m sorry to say I cannot help you with how Señora Stella died. But I can perhaps explain to you what happened earlier. A little over two months ago, just after Señor Wilcott fired Eva, your sister left her home. The señor was very disturbed. He sent men to search for her, but they had no luck. He insisted I go to Eva and she return to answer his questions, but she also was not to be found. I feared he suspected Señora Stella had run away with a lover, but I knew she had not.”

“You did? Please, tell me how.”

“Because Eva had taken her to the home of her sister in Ibarra.” He explained she was from the remote town between Guayaquil and Quito.

“But why would Stella leave like that? And how did you find out?”

“I cannot say why, but I know it was true because Eva is my aunt.” He grinned. “Señor Wilcott is not aware of our connection.”

I enjoyed the thought of Ben blustering around trying to discover where Stella had gone while the answer was literally at his door. Yet, I wasn’t sure the boy was being completely transparent.

“She may not have run off with a lover, but she had one: Adelmo Balsuto.”

His eyes widened. “I cannot help you.”

“Please, Eduardo. It’s important. Was Señor Balsuto aware of where your aunt and my sister had gone?”

If Adelmo had known where they were, it was likely he had helped Stella hide. If he hadn’t, she might have been hiding from him. Either way, he had misled me.

“They did not tell me that. Only that Señor Wilcott did not and could not find out where they were.”

“They may not have told you, but you are a very clever young man. What do you think happened?”

“It is not for me to say.” He looked over his shoulder. “But you must believe me. Señor Balsuto would never cause harm to come to your sister.”

“If you’re so sure it wasn’t Adelmo she feared, you must have an idea who would. Was it Ben?”

“It is not good to make guesses about such things here in Montañita. But your sister did not plan to return to her home here. My aunt told me she wanted to go back to her own country. Something happened that brought her back to Montañita.”

I begged him to tell me what the something was that had resulted in her death, but he claimed ignorance. I had no choice but to believe him.

“Please, be careful, Señorita Burnette. Señor Wilcott was very angry when you ran from the house. Regardless of whether he was the one who killed her, he is a dangerous man. You should go home before it is too late.”

He stepped out of the small room, signaling our meeting was over. We didn’t talk as he led me to the busy street. He left without saying goodbye.

I watched him walk away and bit my lip to keep from screaming in frustration.

The more I learned about Stella’s last few months, the more questions I had. I was sure Adelmo had helped her get to Ibarra, which meant he had lied to me earlier, but why? And why had Eva gone with her? If my sister wanted to come home, why hadn’t she? And most important of all, why had she returned to Montañita?

It was almost 5:00 when I began walking to the villa, still trying to make sense of what Eduardo had shared. Clouds like black smoke hung low, trapping the heat between them and the beach. My bun had fallen out, and my hair expanded into a bird’s nest of curls. I had done nothing to prepare for afternoon showers but wasn’t worried about getting wet. It was the rumble of thunder in the distance that made my heart race.

Sand sucked at my feet and lightning crackled. I hesitated on the shoulder of the narrow road, considering an alternate route. There was a rustling behind me. Before