Phoenix Burning by Isabella Maldonado

Author:Isabella Maldonado
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: blood's echo;isabelle maldonado;fiction;mystery fiction;mystery novel;mystery book;thriller;suspense;drugs;cartel;veranda cruz;veranda cruz mystery;pheonix burning;CVR05192017;CVR12082017
Publisher: Llewellyn Worldwide, LTD.
Published: 2018-01-10T19:48:44+00:00

19

Now sitting at the circular linen-covered table, Veranda’s gaze flicked from her mother to Agent Lopez. How had they known each other?

Lopez gave her mother a tentative smile. “Lorena, I cannot believe it is you.” He broke into rapid Spanish. “For so long, I have wondered what happened. When I couldn’t find you, I feared the worst.”

Tears spilled from Lorena’s eyes as she dropped her hands from her mouth and answered in her native tongue, as she always did when she wanted to be clear. “Esteban, I didn’t want to be found. I changed my last name. I stopped being Lorena Hidalgo the day my Ernesto died.”

Veranda knew this much. Lorena had switched back to her maiden name, Cruz, in order to protect her younger siblings, and took them with her when she fled Mexico. Using her maiden name had also helped in other ways. She had documentation when she filed for asylum in the United States and could prove she was related to the children in her care. Lorena hoped Hector Villalobos wouldn’t find her in Phoenix and, until recently, El Lobo had left the Cruz family alone.

Agent Lopez’s part in the story, however, was new to Veranda. How had he been involved and why had he searched for her mother? She sensed the growing confusion around the table and voiced the obvious question: “Could you explain?”

As they all exchanged glances in stunned silence waiting for Lopez to collect his thoughts, Tiffany pulled a packet of tissues from her purse. She slid one out and handed it to Lorena. The noise of the party seemed to recede into the background. All of Veranda’s attention was directed at the man in front of her.

As Lorena dabbed at her nose, Lopez answered in English, addressing everyone at their table. “More than thirty years ago, Ernesto Hidalgo was my boss. His promotion to supervisor left an opening on the squad, and I transferred in to fill the slot. Ernesto became my mentor. I was young and single and didn’t know my way around Mexico City. I looked up to Ernesto like an older brother. There were many times he knew I didn’t have much food, and he invited me home for dinner after work.” He gave her mother a fond smile. “I’m not surprised Lorena opened a restaurant. Even then, her cooking was so delicious it made me homesick for my Mamá.”

Veranda hung on the older agent’s words, picturing him as a young man at the beginning of his career, living alone in one of the world’s biggest cities.

Lopez frowned. “After a while, Ernesto changed. He hardly spoke to me anymore and he stayed late at the office almost every night. What happened next, I only learned after he died.” Lopez drew a deep breath before going on. “Ernesto figured out someone on our squad sold information to the cartels. Eventually he discovered the mole was Hector Villalobos, and he told his superiors he would get an arrest warrant for Hector the next day.

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