“Oh, just taking care of some business for one of my clients, but I’m heading back to Guayaquil now.”

I hoped this business had nothing to do with the bank manager telling Aquilino about me and my inquiries.

“How are things going with you?” he asked.

An idea came to mind. I felt the pocket watch in my trousers. “You said you’re going to Guayaquil now, right?”

“Yes, Paco is waiting for me at the docks.”

“Would you mind if I came with you? There’s someone I need to see in Guayaquil.”

He adjusted his hat. “Sure.”

* * *

As we headed toward the docks, Aquilino mentioned that he hadn’t heard anything from the Panamanian government concerning Puri’s death certificate.

“Have they contacted you?” he asked.

I considered telling him the truth, but I would have to think about it some more. Once the truth was out, there was no turning back, and I had to learn everything I could before I became exposed to all.

“No,” I said, and renewed my walk. “I met your former employee, Mayra.”

He removed a handkerchief from his back pocket and dried the sweat from his neck. “You did, did you?”

“Yes, she’s now working at Don Martin’s house.”

“She is?”

“Well, the poor woman was desperate. It’s not easy being an unwed mother and not having a job.”

Aquilino stopped. “An unwed mother? What are you saying?”

“You didn’t know? Mayra is expecting.”

“I had no idea.”

He seemed honestly surprised, or maybe he was a good liar.

I lowered my voice. “She said that was why you fired her.”

“She did? But that’s a lie! What kind of man would do that? Who do you think I am?”

“I apologize, Don Tomás, I’m just telling you what she said.”

“Well, that’s a rotten lie meant to cover up her own dishonesty. Do you know why I really fired her?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “I found her snooping through my things, and it was not the first time. I’d caught her going through my papers once before and I warned her that if she ever did that again, I would fire her.”

Snooping through papers? What interest would she have in his affairs?

“That’s strange,” I said.

“Indeed.” He pressed the handkerchief against his forehead. “The first time was over a month ago. I thought it was peculiar because I’d always thought she was illiterate.” He faced the front. “You know what’s even stranger?”

“What?”

“She was reading the telegraph you had sent me from Málaga with your itinerary.”

CHAPTER 37

CHAPTER 37

The rest of my trip to Guayaquil happened in a daze. It was a good thing that both Paco and Aquilino were quiet men because I could do a lot of thinking while we traveled from one river to the next until we reached the Guayas.