Mysterious Thief

The cab pulled up three blocks from the mansion. Inés paid the driver and stepped out into the dawn light.

She walked quickly toward the mansion, slipped through the side entrance, and crept up the back staircase. When she reached her room, something felt wrong.

The air felt disturbed, like someone had been here.

Inés's heart started beating faster.

She dropped to her knees beside her bed and reached underneath. Her fingers found the old shoebox she kept her savings. She pulled it out and her stomach dropped.

The lid was off, and all of her money was gone.

Eight thousand dollars. Two months of hard work gone.

Her hands started shaking because she knew exactly who took it.

♡♡♡

Carmen sat in the garden with her morning coffee and a magazine. With her perfect silk robs, perfect hair and perfect makeup playing the perfect wife.

Inés walked straight up to the table.

"Where is it?"

Carmen looked up, her expression cool. "Good morning to you too, darling. Did you just get home? Another long night of studying?"

"Where is it, Mother?"

"Where is what?"

"My money. The money you took from my room."

Carmen set down her cup slowly. "Excuse me? Are you accusing me of being a thief?"

"Yes."

"Well." Carmen picked up her magazine again. "Maybe you should ask the cleaning staff. They're in and out of rooms all day."

"No cleaning staff enters my room. You know that I clean it myself."

"Then perhaps you misplaced it."

"I didn't misplace eight thousand dollars!" Inés's voice rose. "I know exactly where it was. I kept it under my bed in a box. And I know you took it."

Carmen glanced around the garden, then leaned forward. Her voice dropped low.

"I needed it for something urgent."

Inés felt the air leave her lungs. "You... what?"

"I would have asked if you'd been home. But as usual, you were out there hoeing around. Such a disgrace of a daughter."

"Disgrace?" Inés's voice shook. "I'm the disgrace?"

"Lower your voice."

"I'm the one cleaning up YOUR mess! I'm the one working every night to pay off the debt YOU created! And I'm the disgrace?"

"I didn't steal. I borrowed it."

"You can't borrow without asking! That's called stealing!" Inés pressed her hands to her temples. "That money was supposed to go to Nacho. That money was going to keep us alive for a few months. Buy us more time. How could you...?"

"Keep us alive?" Carmen laughed harshly. "You want to talk about keeping us alive? We wouldn't be in this situation at all if you'd just done what you were supposed to do."

Inés went still. "What are you talking about?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about." Carmen's eyes were cold. "If you'd just agreed to be Nacho's woman like he asked, we wouldn't be here. Your father would still be alive. We wouldn't be running. We wouldn't be in debt."

"I was fifteen years old."

"You were fifteen and you could have saved us! Instead, you got your father killed with your pride. Your selfishness. And now you stand here calling ME a disgrace?"

"You wanted me to prostitute myself to a gang leader!"

"I wanted you to do what was necessary to survive!" Carmen stood up, her chair scraping stone. "Something you've never understood!"

"I was a child! I was a CHILD and you were ready to sell me to that monster! What kind of mother are you?"

"The kind who does what's necessary!" Carmen stepped closer. "You think you're so noble? Working at that disgusting club? You're just like me, Inés. Doing whatever it takes. The only difference is I don't pretend to have morals about it."

Inés stared at her. "Why couldn't you just ask Santiago for money?"

Carmen laughed. "Ask Santiago? You think I have access to his money?"

"Why then did you marry a billionaire?"

"We've been married six months. SIX MONTHS. Miguel controls everything. Every account. Every transaction. He watches me like a hawk. I can't buy a dress without him questioning it."

"So you stole from me instead."

"I borrowed it!"

 "What did you even use it for? Why do you need such an amount of money?"

Carmen's jaw clenched. "That's none of your business."

"None of my... are you serious right now?"

"I'm your mother. I don't owe you explanations."

"You're not my mother." The words came out cold. "A mother wouldn't do this. A mother wouldn't steal from her daughter and blame her for trying to survive the situation YOU created."

Carmen's face darkened. She stepped closer, getting in Inés's space.

"You listen to me, you ungrateful little bitch. Everything I've done, I've done for us. I got us into this house. I got us away from that neighborhood. I gave you a better life. And this is how you repay me?"

"Better life? You gave me a LIE! A mansion full of people who hate us and a debt that follows us everywhere because you're too much of a coward to face consequences!"

Carmen's hand shot out and grabbed Inés's arm. Her nails dug in deep into her skin.

"You are bad luck," she hissed. "You ruin everything you touch. Your father is dead because of you. We're in this mess because of you. And if Nacho comes for us, that will be because of you too."

"Let go of me!"

"Maybe this will teach you to watch your mouth." Carmen squeezed harder. "Now get out of my sight. Stop ruining my beautiful morning. And next time you want to hide money, try being smarter about it."

She released Inés with a shove.

Inés stumbled back. Her arm hurt, and showed red marks from Carmen's nails.

"I'm done protecting you," Inés said quietly.

Carmen picked up her coffee. "You were never protecting me. You were protecting yourself."

Inés turned to leave.

"Oh, and Inés?"

She stopped.

"If you breathe a word about this to Santiago or Miguel," Carmen said pleasantly, "I'll tell them exactly where you  go every night. What you do. What you wear. How you are making dirty money that could bring danger to the house. Then we'll see who the real disgrace is."

Inés turned slowly. "You wouldn't."

"Try me, darling."