Chapter 149. The Man for the Job

Carlos bent down to pick up what had fallen out of the book. It was the picture of his mother and the two other teenage girls: Lisa and Estrella. He flipped it over out of habit and found that someone had added something to the note on the back. That someone was clearly Fiona; he could tell by her unmistakable handwriting. He had seen it so many times he couldn’t miss it. She had written something in pink ink at the beginning of the sentence that was already there.

It now read: The Girls of the Rose: Esmeralda, Lisa, and Estrella at their first gala.

Carlos felt a chill down his spine and was about to begin the process of breaking down the message and fully understanding what it meant when his cell phone went off. He jumped at the sound. The number was not saved on his phone, but he recognized it right away. It was the Del Rosa woman, which made the situation even more eerie.

“Hello,” he spoke into the phone, his voice quiet for some reason.

“Hello, Ca