“I don’t know. I only know he said it could ruin my job, a detective on the premises. But my job is ruined, anyway—I have no job. And Frank, he was a decent man, he paid good, he did what he could for people, he’s dead. And I wonder, was it because I brought a detective on the premises?”

“You don’t really believe that, do you, Rose? It wasn’t because I was there that someone put rats in the heating ducts or glued the doors shut.”

I went to sit on Julia’s bed. It smelled faintly of María Inés’s diapers. Despite the Dorrados’ Pentecostal religion, a little Virgin of Guadalupe stood on the pasteboard chest of drawers between the two beds. I suppose no matter what you think of God, everyone needs a mother to look after them.

Rose slowly turned her head on the pillow and looked at me. “But maybe they was scared, I mean, whoever did those things, maybe when they saw a detective asking questions they got scared and burned down the factory.”

It was possible, I suppose; the thought made me queasy, but I said, anyway, “And you don’t have any idea who this was?”

She shook her head slowly, as if it weighed a great deal and she could barely move it.

“The second job you took—is that enough to support the children?”

“The second job?” she gave a harsh bark that might have been a crow laughing. “That was also for Frank Zamar. His second business that he was starting. Now—oh, Dios, Dios, in the morning I will go down to By-Smart and join all the other ladies in my church lifting heavy boxes onto trucks. What difference does it make? The work will wear me out faster, I will die sooner and be at rest.”

“Where was the second factory? Why didn’t he just run an extra shift at Fly the Flag?” I asked.

“It was there, it was a different kind of job, but he did run an extra shift, in the middle of the night. I got there right before the shift started on Tuesday night. And the plant was in ruins. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Me and the other women, we stood there not believing it, until some cop came along and sent us home.”

Josie appeared in the doorway. “Ma, Sammy and Betto are hungry. What’s for lunch?”

“Nothing,” Rose said. “There is no food, and no money to buy food. We are not having lunch today.”

Behind their sister, the boys started to cry again, this time out loud. Rose squeezed her eyes shut tightly. She lay still for a moment, seeming not even to breathe, then she pushed herself upright in the bed.

“No, mis queridos, of course there is food, of course I will feed you, while I have blood running through my body I will feed you.”

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