I wasn’t so sure of this. I knew that Don Fernando had nothing to do with my father’s will. But in his mind, I could’ve been one more obstacle, one more person to fight over this blessed creek. Perhaps he’d sent a woman to seduce Franco since he couldn’t persuade him just with money?

No, it was too far-fetched. I was seeing conspiracies and murderers everywhere.

“Look, I will try to help you,” I said, “but you must tell me everything you know, even if you don’t see the connection. Tell me what Don Fernando wanted done.”

She shook her head. “He paid Pedro to move some fence over so he could have that stupid piece of land the patrón and Don Fernando were always fighting about. Pedro shouldn’t have done it. It cost him his life.”

“But if he did it, why would Don Fernando try to hurt him? How do you know it wasn’t your patrón who set the house on fire?”

I really hoped that my father wasn’t involved in this fire. The last thing I needed was to learn that he’d been a murderer.

“Pedro was caught and he confessed that Don Fernando had threatened and paid him to do it, so Don Armand forgave him and let him come home, but then he sued Don Fernando. Don Fernando was so angry with my Pedro for talking. I’m certain he had one of his men burn our house.”

Did this incident have something to do with Fernando’s argument with Martin in the afternoon? Maybe Angélica was suing him for the very same thing.

“Are you staying in town, Don Cristóbal?” Soledad said, removing me from my speculations.

There was no point in lying. She would find out where I was staying anyway.

“No. At La Puri.”

“Well, then you’re lucky,” she said. “You’re staying with a saint.”

“You mean Doña Catalina?”

“Who else? She’s such a pure soul. Everybody in town knows she’s favored by the Virgin. Ask her to intercede on your behalf and you’ll see that with prayer and my remedy your soul will heal quickly.”

I sighed. If only prayer could fix my problems.

There was a barely audible knock on the door. Doña Soledad rose. I grabbed the package of herbs and followed her to the front through a maze of boxes and chairs.

Nothing would’ve prepared me for the face on the other side of the threshold, the face of my sister Angélica.

CHAPTER 16

CHAPTER 16

Neither Angélica nor I breathed a word about our encounter at the curandera’s house. During dinner, we avoided each other and barely spoke. Catalina didn’t say much either. She was such an introvert.