Cooper took Angela's hand. "Mr. Farmer is not not going to stop loving you because his sister wishes it. I'm sorry she's making life hard for you both, but you're doing everything right. It's up to Mr. Farmer now. She's his sister and she is out of line." going to stop loving you because his sister wishes it. I'm sorry she's making life hard for you both, but you're doing everything right. It's up to Mr. Farmer now. She's his sister and she is out of line."

"But Bea's his whole whole family. He'd never cross her-even for me! So I've gotta bite my lip and smile when what I'd really like to do is smack the woman clear into next week!" Angela's bubble-gum pink lips formed a pout. "And she's right about me not bein' a college graduate or a world traveler and all that, but n.o.body's gonna love her brother like I do. Not ever!" family. He'd never cross her-even for me! So I've gotta bite my lip and smile when what I'd really like to do is smack the woman clear into next week!" Angela's bubble-gum pink lips formed a pout. "And she's right about me not bein' a college graduate or a world traveler and all that, but n.o.body's gonna love her brother like I do. Not ever!"

"And she'll come to realize that eventually. Her envy will fizzle out, you'll see. It is simply impossible not to like you, Angela." Cooper put an arm around her friend. "Come on, you can't be angry when there's a plate of lo mein with your name on it close by."

"Truer words were never spoken." Angela managed a thin smile. "Thanks, sugar. I just needed to vent a spell. Love can be so complicated sometimes."

"But it's worth it," Cooper said and linked her arm through her friend's.

Five hours later, Ashley led the way as the two sisters drove south over the Willey Bridge. Cooper always slowed down during the brief crossing in order to take in the vision of the James River moving in dark, gray-blue ripples beneath the overpa.s.s. Even in the dead of winter, flanked by spiny trees and shrouded by a dull, charcoal-colored sky, the water's movement was a reminder that the world was alive and animated, despite the impression that it was in a state of deep hibernation.

Ashley took the exit from the highway south of one of Richmond's two mega-malls and continued driving east toward the Richmond City line. Without bothering to use her turn signal, she abruptly veered into the entrance of Stony Point Village. She drove toward the first cl.u.s.ter of brick townhouses and parked next to a cargo van with its rear doors left open wide. As Cooper pulled into the s.p.a.ce next to her sister's car, a Hispanic man came out of the closest townhome carrying a large cardboard box. He slid the box into the van and then headed back inside without giving the unfamiliar women a second glance. Something about his somber expression and brisk pace made Cooper feel uneasy.

"Looks like Maria's moving," Ashley remarked casually. "I hope she's not leaving her job. Lincoln didn't mention a thing about that, but I know she's a dedicated and responsible employee and would be hard to replace."

"If that turns out to be what she's doing, it's hard to blame her. I think I'd want to leave everything behind and start over, too," Cooper stated sympathetically as the man reappeared bearing a suitcase in each arm. He called something over his shoulder in Spanish and two women materialized in the front doorway.

As Ashley waved in greeting, Cooper was certain she saw fear flash across their faces. The women were nearly identical in appearance-black hair streaked with hints of gray; soft, stocky bodies clad in sweatshirts and snug jeans; round faces; chestnut-brown eyes framed by black lashes.

"Are you moving?" Ashley asked the woman on the right.

Maria Gutierrez nodded. "Yes. This is my sister, Nina. She and her husband are loading the last of my things." Her tone was polite, but it was clear that she wasn't in the mood for a social call at the moment.

Courtesy dictated that Ashley and Cooper make their excuses and leave. When it seemed as though Ashley was about to do just that, Cooper clamped a hand firmly on her arm. "We don't mean to trouble you, ma'am!" she called over the s.p.a.ce of the tiny front yard. "I know you're busy, but do you think you could spare me just a few minutes of your time? It's very important that we speak."

"Well ..." Maria began, but her sister was quick to respond on her behalf.

"Maybe tomorrow," she said in flawless English. "That would be a more convenient time. We need to finish loading before nightfall."

"I don't think you'll be here tomorrow," Cooper stated softly, locking eyes with Maria. She held out her hands in what she hoped was a gesture of supplication. "Please. It's about Miguel and Hector. And other boys just like them."

Maria grabbed onto the doorjamb for support and Nina's eyes turned dark with indignation. "You have no respect! Leave my sister alone! Isn't she in enough pain?"

Ashley was also staring at Cooper, her mouth ajar in horrified embarra.s.sment, but Nina's reaction confirmed what Cooper had suspected. The family knew about Hector's illicit activities. Did that knowledge now endanger them? She sensed it did.

"I'm begging you, Mrs. Gutierrez," Cooper whispered plaintively. "Help me prevent Albion Ivan from hurting another boy." She used the word "boy" deliberately.

It seemed as though time slowed to a crawl as Maria made up her mind. Nina's husband squeezed between the two sisters in order to fetch more items from inside the townhouse. As soon as he pa.s.sed them by, the women instantly reclaimed their positions, standing shoulder to shoulder as though guarding the abode against invaders.

"Go ahead, Ashley," Cooper said loud enough for the other women to hear. "Ivan might be coming after me, too, so I've got got to stay." to stay."

Ashley opened her mouth to protest, but seeing the steely determination in her sister's face, nodded, and turned away with an apologetic smile for Maria.

Cooper took a step forward. Maria's reluctance to talk, her sudden decision to move, and the panic written in her eyes confirmed Cooper's suspicion that the older woman had withheld information from the police. "Other boys will be killed. You know this is true. Don't walk away from them." Cooper kept her voice as gentle as she could, despite the urgency she felt. "Please. Just tell me what you know so I can do something something to stop him." to stop him."

Maria looked at the ground, her face contorted as different emotions-fear, anguish, and anger-manipulated her features.

"Do you want more mothers to know your grief?" Cooper asked, allowing her own anxiety to show. "To be in agony?"

Covering her face with her hands, Maria began to cry. Nina instantly advanced on Cooper and pointed at her. "Have you no shame? Go away from here!"

"No!" Maria called out, her voice cracking. She spoke quickly to her sister in Spanish and then vanished into the house. As no one had invited Cooper inside, she waited out in the cold, hugging herself against the air and the sharpness of her own words. After a few minutes she sat down on the edge of the curb, her back turned toward the Gutierrez house.

Maria joined her there, coatless and shivering. Her eyes were raw from crying and her nose red from being rubbed over and over again with a tissue. She handed Cooper a photograph. "This is my son. I came to this country for Hector, so that he would have chances I never had. I was a single mother and an illegal, but I got papers and a job. Nina had immigrated before me and had become a true citizen by then. But there was never enough money."

"What was your first job?" Cooper asked to keep the other woman talking. Maria's answer took her by surprise.

"I was in charge of human resources at Double A Auto in Norfolk," she said.

That's where Miguel once worked! Cooper was stunned by the revelation. Cooper was stunned by the revelation. But what does the connection mean? But what does the connection mean?

Maria touched the picture of her son, tracing the curve of his face with her fingertip. "I had nothing when I got that job, but both Nina and I spoke good English and we were quick to learn computers."

"Did Nina work at Double A, too?"

"No. She got a government job, but like her, the people who hired me taught me everything I needed to know." She fell silent and Cooper was afraid that she'd heard all Maria was willing to say. But finally, she began to speak again. "As long as I stayed quiet, my son and I would have a good life. I knew what I was agreeing to and for his sake, I did everything they said. After a while, I convinced myself I was doing nothing wrong-just taking a shortcut to the American Dream."

Tears streamed down her cheeks and Cooper handed her a tissue. Maria stared at the object and then, as though unwilling to antagonize the chapped skin on her nose any further, dabbed gently at her face and then balled the tissue inside a clenched fist.

"But Hector ... he wanted more and more as he grew into a man. He wanted a car and expensive clothes and video games. I couldn't give him all of these things, so he started working for them them, too. He was foolish, to steal from these people. Him and Miguel. Those silly boys wanted to live like movie stars, to forget that they were still foreigners here and might be for the rest of their lives."

She carefully reclaimed the photograph. "Envy. One of the deadly sins. It's what truly killed them." A tear plopped on the image, then another, the water distorting Hector's grinning face. "The Bible says, 'A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.' "

Cooper had never heard that line of Scripture before. She touched the other woman's hand. "I am sorry for what you've lost."

Maria placed a small cardboard box in front of her. "My heart has not been at peace since I came to this country, no matter how much I tried to deceive it. May G.o.d forgive me, forgive Nina, and forgive my son. This," she pointed at the box, "will serve as our confession." heart has not been at peace since I came to this country, no matter how much I tried to deceive it. May G.o.d forgive me, forgive Nina, and forgive my son. This," she pointed at the box, "will serve as our confession."

a.s.suming Maria intended for her to look inside the box, she reached for it. Suddenly, her hands were seized.

"Swear to me you will not open this until tomorrow night!" Maria's brown eyes were wide with dread. "By then, we'll be gone. I can't let any harm come to my sister! Nina is all I have left and I'm the one who talked her into ... Just make me this promise. And if I don't believe you I won't give you the box!"

"I swear," Cooper a.s.sured the woman, meeting her frantic gaze and squeezing her hands to show her earnestness. She had no choice. "I swear to honor your request."

"After tomorrow, you can show it to the police. But I beg you-do not let Mr. Love take away the scholarship in Hector's name. It is the only good to come from all of this wickedness."

"No matter what, there will be a scholarship. Lincoln doesn't go back on his word." Cooper prayed she was speaking the truth. After all, if he discovered Maria was also a criminal, he might feel too betrayed to establish such a fund. Shaking her head, Cooper knew she couldn't think about such things now. "Are you going back to Mexico?"

Without answering, Maria rose and looked at the box at Cooper's feet with disdain. "Do not let envy spoil your life. Be grateful for what G.o.d has given you." Her lips trembled as she clasped Hector's picture against her chest.

"I will," Cooper promised and felt a wave of sorrow as Maria trudged across the dormant gra.s.s toward her house. Her posture was stooped, as though a heavy weight pressed down upon her back and the load was too much for her to bear. She shuffled forward like an old woman into the outstretched arms of her sister, who glanced at Cooper accusingly as if to say, "Look what you've done."

Though Cooper's throat was tight with grief, she recognized that Maria's exhaustion partially stemmed from speaking the truth. It had taken Maria's last bit of strength and courage to entrust a stranger with her secrets. Cooper stared at the box. She knew the police would pry open the flaps within minutes and whisk Maria straight to the station for questioning, but Cooper had made a vow. She had accepted the transfer of the bereaved mother's burden and it was now hers to carry.

Glancing backward, Cooper saw the two older women locked in an embrace. Their shoulders shook as they cried in one another's arms.

Whatever you're guilty of, Maria Gutierrez, Cooper thought, Cooper thought, you deserve to be comforted. you deserve to be comforted.

Collecting the box, she climbed quietly into her truck and drove off into the descending night.

16.

"Why did you run off secretly and deceive me? Why didn't you tell me, so I could send you away with joy and singing to the music of tambourines and harps?"

Genesis 31:27 (NIV) To avoid temptation, Cooper put Maria's box under her kitchen table. She didn't even touch it before heading out the following morning. Its presence had haunted her all night, preventing her from falling asleep until well after the stroke of twelve.

She'd tried calling Ashley to tell her about her conversation with Maria, but only succeeded in speaking to her answering machine. Nathan had offered to come over and take her mind off both Maria and the mysterious package, but Cooper had politely declined. What she most wanted was to sink into a tub filled with hot, lavender-scented water, and then bundle up in her flannel coffee-cup pajamas and read a book on the sofa with Moses and Miriam curled into twin b.a.l.l.s of vibrating fur at her feet.

Her attempts to lose herself in the pages of Oprah's latest book-club pick had failed, so she'd turned on the television and watched American Idol American Idol mainly so she could discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the remaining contestants with Grammy. mainly so she could discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the remaining contestants with Grammy.

After the episode was over, Cooper flipped channels in search of something humorous or romantic, but every show seemed to be a crime drama. Forensic techs in pristine lab coats exchanged information with detectives in tailored suits on one channel. Uniformed policemen led a prisoner to his cell in another. There were historical crime shows, legal-themed crime shows, and paranormal crime shows. If Cooper wanted to watch anything else, she'd have to settle for an infomercial about a b.u.t.t-toning machine or a Western. Neither choice was appealing.

Cooper had switched off the TV and lay in silence for a moment. Moses yawned, stretched, and walked up the length of her body. He'd wiped his small face along her jaw line, his affectionate way of indicating that while he loved her, he would love her twice as much if she'd get up and serve him a snack.

Kissing the top of the kitten's soft head, she'd smiled. "I suppose you'd like a nice can of tuna?"

At the word, Miriam's head had whipped up from where it had been burrowed partially beneath Cooper's slippered feet. Laughing, she'd scooped the kittens into her arms and carried them the short distance to the kitchen. Knowing she was fostering a bad habit, she placed both cats on the counter and dumped a small can of tuna onto a saucer. As they mewed in antic.i.p.ation and nuzzled one another in excitement, Cooper drizzled tap water over the tuna and set the treat in front of the little cats.

She'd listened to their contented lapping for a moment and then turned toward the kitchen table, as though lured by a powerful magnet.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to open the box," Cooper had announced to her preoccupied felines. "But I can give it a little shake, right? That won't hurt anybody." Grasping the cardboard box in her hands, she'd shuffled it back and forth very gently. It sounded like the edges of a thin book banging against the sides.

Whatever this is, she'd thought, she'd thought, it's close in size to the box. It could be a book, or a bunch of standard-size papers, or an envelope of photographs! it's close in size to the box. It could be a book, or a bunch of standard-size papers, or an envelope of photographs! Her mind conjured numerous possibilities. Her mind conjured numerous possibilities.

"I'm not going to stand here and blindly guess!" she'd informed the object before returning it to the table. After brushing her teeth and putting on some moisturizer, she'd reentered the kitchen, picked up the box, and put it under the table out of sight. She'd then whiled away the rest of the evening working on a two thousand-piece jigsaw puzzle showing the various wares sold in an old-fashioned general store. After completing the edge pieces and a large chunk of the penny candy display, Cooper had finally gone to bed.

Nestled under a down comforter and a soft, cotton blanket, Cooper had expected to drift off immediately, but her thoughts wandered. She recalled walking through Miguel's apartment, touching the silk shirts hanging in neat rows in his closet, and discovering the drawer filled with cash. Images of Club Satin followed, then the newspaper article's t.i.tle about Hector's execution-style murder, and finally, Maria's hunched shoulders and weary gait as she walked into her sister's waiting arms.

Exasperated and exhausted, Cooper had thrown back the covers and stumbled in a groggy haze between sleep and wakefulness to the bathroom for a gla.s.s of water. As she'd filled the tumbler, Maria's box seemed to call to her from the kitchen. Fortunately, she'd been too tired to be enticed by its contents and had shuffled back to bed. She'd eventually drifted off to sleep, only to be plagued by fragments of unrelated but frightening images such as Miguel's body in the trunk, a shark exposing its rows of daggerlike teeth, a pair of headlights in the rearview mirror.

The final sequence had been downright scary, for it involved a lurking shadow in an empty, ice-covered parking lot. In her dream, Cooper had tried to open the door of her truck, knowing that she had to get inside and quickly. But no matter how hard she pulled and yanked at the handle, which was covered by a thick crust of unrelenting ice, the door would not budge. She knew, without turning, that someone was coming for her, hunting her like some silent panther. Crying, she pleaded for the door to give way, struggling with all her might to get it open. When she felt the stalker's breath on her neck, she woke up.

Never had the weak light of a February morning been so welcome.

Cooper was thankful to be so busy at work that same day. Make It Work's main compet.i.tor, Reliable Office Solutions, had officially closed its doors and, as a result, the phone rang insanely all morning. Angela had been talking so steadily that she hadn't even had time to reapply a fresh layer of lipstick.

"I thought you were going to hire an a.s.sistant," Cooper whispered while Angela wrote down a prospective client's information in her bubbly script.

Covering up the mouthpiece, Angela snarled, "Her Highness Highness doesn't think I need any help. She's talked Mr. Farmer into waitin' another two weeks to see if we're really gonna stay this busy." doesn't think I need any help. She's talked Mr. Farmer into waitin' another two weeks to see if we're really gonna stay this busy."

Cooper frowned. "That doesn't make any sense. We're obviously expanding. My department already has more than enough work and so does Ben's. I believe you're getting a raw deal."

Angela thanked the client sweetly and hung up. Ignoring the steady blinking of the other three phone lines for a moment, she took a long drink of Diet c.o.ke and sighed wearily. Despite the flashing lights, the phone remained silent.

"How'd you get the lines to stop ringing?" Cooper asked, recalling how maddening it had been to listen to the blaring of the multiple lines during Angela's brief absence a few weeks ago.

"When I heard the news about Office Solutions, I ran right out to Costco and bought a new phone. This one's got a mute b.u.t.ton." She answered line two and pleasantly asked the caller to hold. "See? I'm not as dumb as Mrs. Farmer thinks."

Cooper watched as Angela returned to her momentous task. She noted the pile of paperwork threatening to fall out of her friend's overflowing inbox as well as the stack of manila folders occupying the corner of Angela's desk customarily occupied by a vase of fresh flowers.

This is not good, Cooper thought and vowed to speak to Mr. Farmer during the lunch hour. However, her boss was nowhere to be found when she returned to the office at quarter after twelve, though Angela was exactly where Cooper had left her. Replacing the receiver, the office manager put her head in her arms in exhaustion. The phone continued to twinkle like a Christmas tree. Cooper thought and vowed to speak to Mr. Farmer during the lunch hour. However, her boss was nowhere to be found when she returned to the office at quarter after twelve, though Angela was exactly where Cooper had left her. Replacing the receiver, the office manager put her head in her arms in exhaustion. The phone continued to twinkle like a Christmas tree.

"I haven't so much as gone to the ladies' room all all mornin'!" Angela wailed. "I used to love my job, but frankly, I'd rather be gettin' a root ca.n.a.l than spend another minute in this place. Least I wouldn't have to talk at the dentist's!" Angela gestured at the blinking telephone base. "See? It never ends!" mornin'!" Angela wailed. "I used to love my job, but frankly, I'd rather be gettin' a root ca.n.a.l than spend another minute in this place. Least I wouldn't have to talk at the dentist's!" Angela gestured at the blinking telephone base. "See? It never ends!"

"I thought you put on a voicemail recording during lunch," Cooper stated in surprise.

On the verge of tears, Angela cried, "She thinks we'll lose our potential new clients if they don't get to talk to a friendly, professional Make It Work! employee right away. I don't dare leave my desk in case she calls, pretendin' to be a client! Cooper, I'm a prisoner!" she cried. thinks we'll lose our potential new clients if they don't get to talk to a friendly, professional Make It Work! employee right away. I don't dare leave my desk in case she calls, pretendin' to be a client! Cooper, I'm a prisoner!" she cried.

"Come on, Angela." Cooper didn't like the futility in her friend's voice. "What's going to happen if you don't listen to Mrs. Farmer? She's never been involved in the daily operations of this office."

"Well, she sure is interested now now! And if I make one one false move, she'll have a reason to convince Mr. Farmer that I'm not worth my weight in salt. I'll be out of a job. After that, she'll make sure I'm out my man, too!" false move, she'll have a reason to convince Mr. Farmer that I'm not worth my weight in salt. I'll be out of a job. After that, she'll make sure I'm out my man, too!"

Cooper grabbed Angela's hand as she moved toward the telephone receiver. "Don't let this woman hold such power over you!" Without asking for permission, Cooper opened Angela's top desk drawer, knowing that her appearance-conscious friend kept a variety of beauty products there, and held up a small mirror. "Is this the face of someone who can be intimidated?" She tried to sound stern. "The face of a woman who agrees to be glued to a chair for five hours straight? Or is willing to surrender without a fight?" Pushing the mirror into Angela's hand, she selected one of three lipsticks from the drawer. "For goodness sake, Angela. Your lipstick has completely worn off! I haven't seen your bare lips since I started this job!"

This realization seemed to shock Angela into action. She s.n.a.t.c.hed the cotton-candy gloss from Cooper, deftly applied it to her lips, and slammed the mirror back into the drawer. "Thank you, darlin'! I needed someone to slap me on the cheek and you cared enough to do just that! Two Two hours with naked lips! What next? No nail polish? No perfume? No trips to the restroom to powder my nose?" She exhaled slowly and then punched a few b.u.t.tons on the telephone. hours with naked lips! What next? No nail polish? No perfume? No trips to the restroom to powder my nose?" She exhaled slowly and then punched a few b.u.t.tons on the telephone.

"I believe you've earned a break," Cooper said.

Angela smiled broadly. "Yes, indeed. I see a nice, sit-down lunch in my crystal ball, charged to the Make It Work! expense account. After that, I'm gonna march into Mr. Farmer's office and demand an a.s.sistant. If he backpedals, he's gonna be all alone in his bed tonight! I've I've got my own kind of power!" got my own kind of power!"

After a lunch hour that stretched well beyond its sixty-minute limit, Angela reapplied her makeup, brushed and sprayed her puffy platinum hair, and doused herself with magnolia-scented perfume. "I'm goin' in!" she trilled and walked into Mr. Farmer's office without knocking.

Pleased to see Angela regaining control of her future, Cooper and her team headed to her next appointment in one of the work vans. As they drove out of the garage, she suddenly stopped mid-sentence during her conversation with Bobby.

"You okay?" Bobby inquired.

"I am." Cooper nodded and then pointed at the figure alighting from a black Mercedes. It was Mrs. Farmer. "But I think there's about to be a gladiator match in Mr. Farmer's office." am." Cooper nodded and then pointed at the figure alighting from a black Mercedes. It was Mrs. Farmer. "But I think there's about to be a gladiator match in Mr. Farmer's office."

"Between that lady and someone in our office?" Bobby inquired.

"Yes. Angela," said Cooper.

"Then my money's on Angela," Bobby stated loyally and once again, Cooper felt glad that she'd hired him.

She slowed the van in order to observe Mrs. Farmer's determined march into the Make It Work! building. "We'd better pick up some roses on our way back later on."

"What for?" Josh asked in confusion.

"That's what the Roman spectators would have thrown into the arena. It was their way of rewarding the winning gladiator," Cooper replied with a grin. "I believe red will do quite nicely."

Cooper had asked Nathan to meet her at her apartment after work so they could open Maria's Mystery Box together. She felt a twinge of guilt for not having informed him that Maria was probably in a different country already and that they were now responsible for the box's contents. As she drove home, Cooper felt hopeful that she and Nathan would discover enough proof to put Ivan away until he was stooped with age.

Upon turning off the narrow, country road onto the gravel driveway leading to her parents' house, Cooper was surprised to see Nathan's old pea-green BMW parked in front of the garage. He didn't have a key to her apartment, so unless he was waiting in the car, he must have felt comfortable enough with her family to seek shelter from the winter afternoon's bite inside the Lee house. Pulling alongside his car, she noted it was empty, so she entered Maggie's domain through the back door.