Page 37 of Protect My Heart

Her father’s note on her poem sat face up on the bed. Might as well see if she can get to the bottom of this since she had to call anyway.

Maybe she wouldn’t answer? No such luck.

“Baby girl? Are you alright?” How did she do that? She knew before Liz even opened her mouth that she needed her.

“I’m fine, Mami. How are you?” Tears pushed at the edges of her eyes, but she refused to let them fall.

“Elizabeth,” her mother’s voice, soft and sweet, pulled at her heart. She could never lie to her. Oh, she tried but with no success. “It’s after nine, and you never call me this late.”

She should have thought of that before she picked up the phone. On a deep intake of breath, Liz steadied herself for the next words that hung in her throat like syrup, sticky and thick. “Well, a couple new things have been happening.”

“What? Elizabeth, are you engaged?” She heard a sharp intake and the mumble of a quick Hail Mary. “Or pregnant?”

“No, Mami. Nothing like that.” This was harder than she thought. Rip off the Band-Aid. “Papi’s dead.”

The silence coming through the phone line was deafening. Not even breathing. “Mami?”

“Patty? How?” Her mother’s voice was barely a whisper.

“A food allergy. Last month. I just received the letter.”

“Patty didn’t have allergies. The man loved all foods.” The strength had returned to her voice only to reveal its cracks.

“That’s the official report.” Liz paced. The next thing she needed to ask her mother would be harder. “Mami, do you remember Papi having a saying about a knife and its secrets?”

“No, but he always carried his military knife. Always. Why?”

“I picked up his things, and he had one of the poems I wrote in third grade. On the back, he wrote a saying about the knife.” Liz read her mother the note. She didn’t want to tell her why it was so important to find out but she knew she had to. “I don’t want you to worry, but it seems someone connected to Papi has taken an interest in me.”

“Walt, pack a bag.” She heard her mother yell before she addressed her again. “We will be there in the morning.”

“No, Mami. CJ and his partner can handle it. I haven’t been in any real danger, one call and a couple of deliveries. I’m staying at the house, and you know the security system here is top notch.” Her mother wavered with indecision, so Liz added one final push. “CJ’s partner will be staying here.”

Silence stretched on. Liz’s breath backed up in her chest as she waited for her mother’s reply. Would she question if one police officer was enough? Or would she insist on coming home?

“Is he single?”

“Mami!” The air rushed past her lips in a soft laugh. Liz’s shoulders relaxed. “He is, but that isn’t the point. I’m fine, really. You said yourself that Walt has meetings and you were coming in a couple of weeks. No need to change your plans.”

Liz silently counted, willing her mother to agree. One, two, three. She knew if she got to ten there would be no changing her mother’s mind.

“You promise me you’ll be alright?”

“Yes, Mami.” She slumped back against the headboard with relief.

“I will call Carlton to make sure he checks on you.”

Liz wouldn’t expect anything less. “I love you, Mami.”

“I love you, too. Cuidate, mija.”

“I’ll see you soon. And oh, sorry about the Virgin Mary statue. And I’ll get the door repaired before you come back.” Liz ended the call on her mother’s sputter. She chuckled. Poor, CJ. She was sure her mother would hot finger dial him and chew his ear off. Yup, her work here was done.

Liz set the phone on the side table and picked up the poem. The knife’s secret? What did that mean? She slipped under the covers and closed her eyes. Some of her best ideas came when she relaxed her mind and body.

Twenty minutes later, she lay there counting the crystals on the light fixture, wide awake with no new ideas. She wished she’d asked her mother if she still had any of her father’s things.

Throwing back the covers, she decided to take a look in the storage room to see if any of the boxes held her father’s stuff. It couldn’t hurt. Phone in hand, she slid on her slippers. Before heading downstairs, she grabbed a sweater off the chair.