Ashes Learned Human Names novel · Chapter 17 of 24

Chapter 17: The Worst Deal

Lucia left her own phone on Marta's kitchen table and took Marta's old one in her pocket, with the recorder running.

"If you're not back at one, I'm coming in with a mop," Marta said.

"It's a chapel garden, Tía."

"A mop can go anywhere."

The garden behind the university chapel was gravel paths and roses, with one stone bench under a bare oak.

Paulina sat on the bench in a gray sweatshirt with her hair unbrushed.

She wore no makeup and no ring light, and nothing was braced.

Neither of her wrists was braced, and neither had ever been broken.

"You came," she said.

"You said you'd give me Gabriel."

Lucia stayed standing, three paces off.

Paulina's hands twisted in her lap.

"He reads your phone," she said. "I told you that. It's mirrored. Since the Monday night it sat in the nurse's bag, one of his friends put a program on it."

"How did he get in?"

"Your passcode." Paulina wiped her nose on her sleeve. "I gave it to him. I've known it since move-in day. It's your mother's birthday."

Lucia's stomach turned over.

"That's how he knew about the girl," she said. "The three a.m. call."

"Yes. He had her father on the phone by breakfast. He said he was the dean's office." Paulina swallowed. "I helped him write it."

"You wrote the time down for the man with the acid."

"I thought he would scare you," Paulina whispered. "That's what Gabe said. A scare, so you'd drop it. I didn't think..."

"You saw my face," Lucia said. "In the hospital. You kissed my forehead."

Paulina flinched.

"I know," she said. "I know what I did."

She dug her phone out of the sweatshirt pocket and held it in both hands.

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