The new maid heard weeping beneath the mansion. Opening the heavy basement door, she found the missing wife, starved and chained. As gasps filled the dark room, the wife grabbed her hand, whispering, “Run before he hears you, or he’ll make you my replacement.” Suddenly, footsteps echoed on the stairs…

echoing off the vaulted ceiling, dripping with murderous rage. She aimed the light directly into the old woman’s face. “Was it one of the guards? Was it that pathetic gardener?”

“I don’t know,” Doña Leonor said, her voice surprisingly steady. “I have been asleep.”

“Liar!” Verónica screamed, stepping forward and cracking the riding crop violently against continue reading …