Angel Among Us by Katy Munger Page B

agreed. ‘If you weren’t, we would not be looking at you right now. I find it curious that so few of you manage to take care of this huge house.’
    The girl did not blink. ‘We work very hard,’ she said.
    Her name was Lupe and, apparently, her sole job in the household was to help the lady of the house, Dakota Wylie, dress each day. Which wasn’t hard, from what I could tell, because it sounded like the lady of the house never actually got out of bed to get dressed.
    â€˜That’s it?’ Maggie asked incredulously.
    Lupe hesitated. ‘She is a very lonely person,’ the girl said. ‘I keep her company and I listen to her talk and, when she will eat, I bring her healthy things to eat.’
    â€˜Really?’ Calvano said, unable to help himself. ‘What does she like to eat?’
    â€˜Adrian – really?’ Maggie stared at him until he had the decency to look ashamed.
    Lupe, who probably had no concept of what a star-struck American would look and act like, took his question at face value. ‘She will eat things that are bad for her unless you tell her not to,’ she said. ‘She likes the junky food. But Mr Romero would fire me if I brought her those things. I am only allowed to bring her fruit if she wants something sweet. So even when she tells me to bring her the Twinkie or I am fired, I bring her the fruit.’
    â€˜Her husband tells her what to eat?’ Maggie sounded disgusted. Her sturdy body was a machine of strength. She ate like a lion: mostly red meat and more red meat. But she also ate only ruthlessly healthy foods, ran every day and lifted weights five times a week. She was an animal and her body showed it.
    â€˜Ms Wylie says that Mr Romero only wants her to stay beautiful so that she will be a star for a long, long time,’ Lupe explained.
    Maggie had had enough of talking about the lady of the house. Until she could question her for herself, she had no use for Dakota Wylie.
    â€˜Do you know this woman?’ Maggie asked her, handing Lupe a photo of Arcelia Gallagher.
    â€˜This is the woman who is missing,’ the maid said softly. She crossed herself. ‘Everyone knows what she looks like. Everyone is praying for her to be brought back home safely.’
    â€˜But have you ever seen her here?’ Calvano asked.
    The young girl nodded solemnly. ‘She was here last week.’
    â€˜Here? In this house?’ Maggie asked. ‘Because everyone else is telling us she’s never been here.’
    â€˜Maybe they did not see her?’ She had picked up on Calvano’s glances and was starting to return them with a shy yet confident flirtatiousness that told me she was used to men admiring her. Oh boy, if he kept that up, Maggie was going to grab the girl’s immigration papers and beat Calvano over the head with them like a bad dog. She was all business in these kinds of situations.
    â€˜Tell me exactly how and when you saw her,’ Maggie said. ‘Who was she talking to?’
    â€˜She was out on the lawn, talking to the gardener,’ the girl explained. ‘I was standing at the window of Ms Wylie’s bedroom upstairs, looking out at the flowers. It was a very beautiful day and I was sad to be inside. Ms Wylie always stays inside. The shades and blinds are always drawn in her room. It is a sad place to be on a beautiful day.’
    No kidding. It was depressing me just to hear about it.
    â€˜I saw the missing lady pointing to the windows of this house and the gardener nodding. She took something from her pocketbook and gave it to him. Then they looked like they were having an angry talk.’
    â€˜Angry at each other?’ Maggie asked.
    The maid nodded. ‘I think they were yelling. I could not hear, but Rodrigo looked angry and she was waving her hands at him. But then it looked as if he was thanking her. She held his hand in hers for a moment and then she left.’
    â€˜How can