Page 84 of Till Death Do Us Part
“Yes.” I opened the lid and peered down into the depth. “Where did you find it?”
“Silas found it outside beyond the pool. It was discarded in the brush that grows on the steep hill to the shore.”
“That means Rei was right about the way the people who broke in came and went.”
“I hope everything is there. The jewelry was scattered. I tried to find everything.”
“Let’s find out.” Viviana followed me as I took the jewelry box into Aléjandro’s and my bedroom. I emptied the contents on top of the comforter. The pieces settled on the soft surface. I lifted a knot of tangled gold necklaces and set them aside. Running the string of pearls I received for my high school graduation through my fingertips made me smile. Various sets of earrings in all styles were present. I arranged them in pairs.
“Is there anything that stands out as missing?” she asked.
The ache in my chest was back. “There was a ruby ring that belonged to my grandmother.”
“I didn’t see any rings.” She tilted her head. “Should there not be your first wedding band?”
“No. I sold them.”
Viviana’s lips curled. “I don’t judge.” Her gaze went to my left hand. “Aléjandro’s rings are lovely.”
I looked down and wiggled the fourth finger on my left hand, appreciating the rings more than I did the first time I saw them.
“I can show you where Silas found the box,” she said, “and we can search together for any other jewelry that I may have missed.”
I lifted the box to my chest. “I’m so happy. I never thought I’d see this again.” Swallowing, I looked around the tidy bedroom. “Thank you for cleaning up the mess.”
“Thank you for welcoming us into your beautiful home. We should go back downstairs. I can make lunch while Silas shows you the safety measures he’s put into place.”
It didn’t seem as if there was anything Silas hadn’t thought of. The house and outside property were secured with top-notch security equipment. With the sun still high in the sky, I was able to see beyond the yard, down the steep slope, and all the way down to the beach below. “That would be hard to climb,” I said with Aléjandro at my side.
“Difficult,” Silas said, “but not impossible. No one will climb up the cliff or disappear down it without tripping one of my alarms. There are motion detectors and cameras. If an alarm sounds” —he pointed at the watch he’d just given me— “your watch will notify you. It’s waterproof, so please wear it at the pool.”
“You won’t be alone,” Aléjandro added. “Someone will always be here.”
He must have read my mind because my husband grinned and shook his head. “They aren’t jail keepers. They’re for your safety. If for any reason Silas isn’t here, Felipe, Diego, Rei, or I will be. If the alarm sounds, go inside to my office.”
“Your office?”
“Come,” Aléjandro said, “we’ll show you.”
The three of us walked past the pool, up the steps, and through the open doorways into the living room. Viviana didn’t look up from the kitchen where she was preparing our sandwiches. In Aléjandro’s office he led me to the closet door. The interior of the closet was lined with shelves. He reached for the back shelves and pressed a button. The bookcase swung back.
My eyes opened wide. “Is this why you bought this house? Because it had a secret room?”
“It didn’t have one until a few days ago,” Silas answered. “The construction was done by trusted members of the Roríguez cartel. Officially, this room doesn’t exist.” He stepped past me and turned on a light. The room was rectangle, longer than it was wide. “Currently, it’s without furniture. I was happy to get it constructed on such a short timeline.”
“Most of the house is without furniture. I’ll add furnishing this room to my list” I tried to figure out where the room came from—how it fit into the grand scheme of the house. “Did you build this in the garage?”
Aléjandro smiled. “You didn’t even notice the loss of space in there.”
“I didn’t. I’d only been in there once before, but it doesn’t stick out.”
“From the garage, it looks like storage,” Silas said. “The contractor was talented.”
“Let me know what kind of furniture you want to have inside,” I said. “I better get busy.”
“That room is only for emergencies,” Aléjandro said. “Hopefully it will never be used, but if the alarms are tripped, I want you to go in there and let the guards take care of whatever is happening outside.”
I leaned against my husband’s side. “I’ve always wanted a secret room.”