“Where’s your car? I have things to give you, but I don’t want them to see us.”

Tali led him by the hand to her Renault 6, which was completely coated in a layer of red dust. She unlocked the door and Juan settled into the backseat. He took from his bag the Hand of Glory that had been stored among Marcelina’s clutter. It was perfectly preserved. Tali admired it, took it carefully.

“Why are you giving me this?”

“Your sister wanted it to be yours. They don’t know we have a Hand of Glory, they don’t even know it exists. Rosario always kept it well hidden. We both hid it.”

“You’re crazy! My sister would never have given that to me.”

“Well, I’m giving it to you. You know how to use it? It will help you keep Gaspar blocked. The Hand isn’t enough on its own, but it will help a lot.”

“I know how to use it. Rosario didn’t lend it out, but she was always good at explaining. She was generous that way, wasn’t she?”

Juan smiled at her. She was halfway generous, yes. He motioned for Tali to put the hand away, and she stowed it in her wicker bag. A car horn interrupted them. Stephen already had Gaspar and the bags in the car. “We have tickets!” he shouted. “We need to be at the airport in an hour.”

“So why don’t you use it yourself?” she asked him.

“I can’t, it reminds me of what I did, I can’t stand it. Don’t fail my son, Tali,” said Juan. “They’re never going to stop watching him.”

“Don’t you worry. We’re going to find the way, between the three of us. And you’re going to get the final sign. Be patient. The saint is going to help you with patience.”

“Gaspar will grow and change. You’ll have to keep covering him to keep them from getting close.”

Tali kissed his forehead to silence him, to instill trust. Juan thought about telling her that in another life she would have been his, but he kept his mouth shut. There was no other life. He didn’t want to lie.

II

The Left Hand: Dr. Bradford Enters the Darkness

Misiones, Argentina, January 1983

I want to drain your entrails with kisses

Exist inside you with all my senses

For I am a pitch-black toad with two wings.

BALDOMERO FERNÁNDEZ MORENO, “Sonnet of Your Entrails”