Living Soul

by S. B. Niccum

  “Tess? Tess DeLeon?” A guy dressed in a casual business suit was calling me, waving his hand as I exited my dorm.

  I eyed him suspiciously then nodded slightly.

  “Oh…good! I can’t tell you how hard you are to track down,” he said breathlessly. I found this hard to believe, since Agatha had had no problem knowing where I was spending my Christmas break.

  The man had wavy, dark brown hair, green-gray eyes, and an easy, winning smile. “I’m Roger Wagner.” He stretched out his hand to shake mine.

  “Do I know you?”

  “Not yet! But you’re about to.” He smiled. “Is there a place where we can sit and talk?”

  “I have a class now.”

  “You might want to skip it.”

  “Why?”

  “You’re going to want to hear what I have to say.” He smiled again.

  “I don’t know … ” I hesitated.

  “Let me start again.” He stretched his hand once more, “I’m Roger Wagner and I’m your cousin.”

  Eros got to the prison where his half-brother had spent the last fourteen years, but he was too late, Leonardo DeLeon had passed away the previous week. This wasn’t altogether bad news, but he was hoping for at least one answer. With Leo gone, his worries were gone as well … unless that little thief was his daughter. If Leo and Irene had a child, she might be the last witness to that careless night. Not to mention, she was now stealing from him! She might be trying to blackmail him! The poor little idiot, she would die first.

  “Where to now, sir?” the pilot asked as he ushered Eros into the jet.

  “Mexico”

  Seated at the nearest diner I stared at the only person that I have ever known I was related to by blood. He was genial, good-looking; about ten years older than me, and still unmarried but I suspected had no trouble with women.

  “Why haven’t you looked for me before now?”

  “I couldn’t, your father didn’t want any of us to have any contact with you.” This comment stung and I felt my eyes tearing up, in spite of my efforts to remain calm.

  “No, no, no! It’s not like that!” Roger reached out with one hand and placed it on mine. “Listen, this is a long, long story so you are going to have to listen to the whole thing before you start drawing any conclusions.”

  I nodded, still fighting back the tears; and, after taking a sip of his Coke, he began.

  “Your father’s name was Leonardo DeLeon.”

  “Was?”

  “Yes, he passed away recently. Now listen, okay?” I nodded again. “Leo was the only son of Ricardo and Celeste DeLeon.”

  Chills run up and down my body, “Celeste … ” I whispered.

  “Yes, Celeste. She was my grandmother too, but she was first married to Maximilliano Montero. They had triplets; one of them is my mother.” He paused and took another sip. “After grandpa Max died, Celeste remarried Ricardo—the man that she was engaged to before she eloped with Max.”

  “Interesting … ” I said in a daze.

  “Very! Celeste was quite a character!”

  I grinned. “I bet she was … Did you know her well?”

  “No, not very well, she died when I was very young, but my mom has told me many stories about her.” I took a sip of my own drink and Roger took a bite of his taco salad. “Apparently the marriage between Ricardo and Celeste was not a good one, my mom and aunt have told me of their endless fights and Ricardo’s long absences. Once he married Celeste, he inherited the historic home and the mill, in Spain—something that he always wanted. He moved Celeste, my mom and her sisters out of their home in Argentina, and bought a beach house in Mexico. Later he bought an agave plantation.”

  “Like, for nectar?”

  “Ha,” he laughed, “No. Tequila.” He shook his head and grinned. “You just reminded me of Paz!”

  “Who’s Paz?”

  “Our aunt!” He exhaled releasing some frustration. “Sorry, my fault. My mom and her sisters are The Three Mary’s, or Las Tres Marias, the three stars that sit side by side? We call them Orion’s Belt here.” He looked eagerly back at me, then shrugged when I just stared at him blankly. I liked looking at the stars, but had never bothered to learn their names.

  “Like the Big Dipper, they’re always there. Three identical little stars, one next to the other … any way … Their real names are, Maria de Amor, that’s my mom. Maria de Paz, she’s a Nun and Maria de Luz, she was born last and suffered brain damage during childbirth—she’s a fifty-something with the mind of a ten year old.”

  “Oh,” I said sadly.

  Roger shook his head and smiled. “She’s a sweetie, and you’ll love her! She wears pigtails and a tutu every day!” We laughed together and I tried to picture my aunts. I had a family! I had a family! I had to let that thought simmer in my mind for a while.

  Between bites of food and three Cokes, my cousin told me the whole story of how I came to be in foster care. Apparently my father grew up resenting his father, Ricardo, for abandoning them. When he was seventeen, Ricardo died in Spain, in the arms of his lover. Soon after, they got a visit from an audacious sixteen year old that claimed to be Ricardo’s son. Eros was the bastard child of Anabella, an Italian actress, and Ricardo. They were the reason why Ricardo was always so eager to leave Celeste and Leo behind.

  Now, Eros came looking for his half of the inheritance, mainly the house in Spain, where he grew up. As could be imagined, my father had no interest in Eros or his claims to the properties, so Eros was asked to leave. After some threats and insults, Eros did leave and my father didn’t see him again until after he had married my mother, Irene.

  Leo came to the U.S. to study finance at U.C. San Diego, and there he met my mother. She was a pretty Chicana with long black hair and dark chocolate eyes. I longed to see a picture of her, but Roger didn’t have one handy. He cursed under his breath for having forgotten to bring any pictures at all, but assured me that he would mail them to me as soon as he got back.

  Roger said that the next part of the story he got from my father himself. He said that after he married Irene, Eros showed up again. This time he wasn’t asking nicely. Eros threatened my father and Irene, saying that if Leo didn’t give him half of everything, they would live to regret it!

  My father apparently didn’t take him seriously, so they went on with their lives but one day they were pulled over by a cop, their car was searched, and drugs were found. Of course my parents knew nothing about it, the drugs had been planted there. From then on, my parents were framed, chased, and persecuted by the law and by gangs. Irene was now pregnant, so they moved to Texas and here they were able to live under the radar for a while. They had me, and when I was barely five years old, their luck run out.

  Leo said that Eros showed up one evening, in their home, disgruntled and drunk. He threatened them again. As a precaution, they hid me in the shower stall of the bathroom while they tried to negotiate with Eros. But Eros was no longer interested in half of the estates; he wanted it all.

  “How much money could there be?” I asked.

  “A bit,” Roger said solemnly, “and you are the sole heir!”

  “Me?”

  “Who else? You are the only daughter of the only legal heir of the DeLeon family.”

  “What about you?”

  “I’m a Montero, Max’s grandson, not a DeLeon,” he said taking the last bite and finishing his drink. A waitress came by and offered to refill, but he declined.

  “Listen Tess,” he said turning his attention back to me, “this is very serious business. That night, Eros killed your mother, and framed your father for her murder. Leo died in prison for a crime he didn’t commit, and he made sure you grew up in foster care, ignorant of all of this mess, so you could live to adulthood.

  He stayed away from you to protect you from Eros. He loved you and your mother more than he loved himself. I loved your father!” Roger’s voice turned husky and broke off. “He was my hero while I was growing up. He was fun,
full of life and mischief, but in a good way… you know.” He tried to take another sip of his drink, then realized it was empty, so he cleared his throat and regained his composure. “I promised him that I would never give up. I will not rest until your father’s name is cleared.”

  “Thank you,” I said, but felt so odd. I should be the one tearing up, the one feeling all the anger toward this injustice, but I wasn’t. I had always suspected that my parents loved me, but I never had any proof. Now I did and I felt nothing. “How did my father die?” I finally asked.

  “Cancer,” he said as he placed a bill on the table. “You weren’t hungry?” He pointed to my barely touched lunch.

  I shook my head and took a sip of my lemonade.

  Roger nodded; his face was sympathetic. “After he killed your mother and left your dad with the smoking gun, so to speak, Eros managed to vanish into thin air, and your dad went to prison. Leo never told my mom or her sisters that you existed for fear of Eros coming after you or them. That’s why, much to his dismay, he cut himself off from you completely. But don’t think he didn’t keep tabs on you!”

  “He did, how?”

  “There was a detective in the force that believed in your father’s innocence. They went to college together. He tried to help him out, but the evidence against him, coupled with his previous trumped up charges of drug possession, were too great. Detective Lovell kept an eye on you for him, and then would report to your father when he visited him. John hasn’t given up either.”

  “Detective Lovell? John Lovell?” That was the same guy who came when Agatha disappeared. He had looked familiar to me, maybe I remembered him.

  “Don’t you want to know how much money you’ve inherited?”

  “Money! That wretched money! If I had been poor to begin with, none of this would have ever happened. Max and I would have lived to be old together with our children and grandchildren at our side.” Celeste mused over me.

  So she’s my grandmother … my dead grandmother.

  Roger was looking at me with interest. “Are you okay? I know I just gave you a lot of information.”

  “I’m fine. Could you tell me more about my aunts?”

  “You don’t want to know how much money you have inherited.”

  I shrugged, and thought about Celeste’s words. “Money can’t buy you happiness, or family,” I declared.

  Roger smiled, pleased with my response. “Quite true Tess, quite true. You will love my mom and her sisters. In fact I am willing to bet that they will be all the treasure you ever need.”

  “Eros, what on earth are you doing here?” Amor said, feeling the hairs on the back of her neck rise.

  “Not much, just thought I’d stop by and say hello to my three big sisters,” he said, letting himself in the house. Amor moved aside and hesitantly closed the door. Luz froze the minute she saw Eros and her eyes shifted to her sister.

  “Hello Luz, long time no see,” Eros said with a chuckle, at the spectacle of the old woman in a blue tutu and matching hair bows. Luz didn’t answer. Instead she averted her eyes to avoid making eye contact with him.

  “What do you want?” Amor said tartly, cutting to the chase.

  “What, no chit-chat? No catching up? It’s been quite a few years. There’s really nothing new to tell me about?” Eros said mockingly.

  “No.”

  “I would love some tea please. What is that stuff you guys always drink?” Eros sat himself down on a chair and crossed his legs.

  “You are not welcome here.”

  Eros got up and wandered the room, peeking through doors and all around for signs or evidence of what he was looking for. “Very well, have it your way. I’m looking for her,” he said coming to the point.

  “Who, Paz?” Amor asked genuinely perplexed.

  “No. Not Paz, the girl.”

  “What girl?”

  “Leo’s girl, where is she? I know you’ve raised her for him.” Amor frowned and looked at him questioningly. Eros walked up to Luz and peered into her eyes, knowing that she would not be able to be deceitful. But Luz kept averting his gaze, then finally broke down and started crying.

  “She knows something!” he accused.

  “All she knows is that you scare her!” Amor said defensively. Now please remove yourself, or I’ll have you removed by the local authorities.

  “Ha! The local authorities, yeah … I remember them … good guys, all of them. I’m not leaving until you tell me where she is.”

  “Leo has no children. I have no idea what you are talking about.” Amor said, angry now.

  Eros peered into her face, hoping to extract the truth from her that way. But her face showed nothing but defiance.

  “Leo has no child," Amor repeated contritely, "I would know if he did,” and she walked back to the door. She opened it and motioned for Eros to pass on through.

  “Had a child,” Eros corrected. “If Leo had a child you would know,” he smiled maliciously. “That’s exactly why I’m here. To see where you’ve hidden her all these years.”

  “We haven’t hidden anyone, certainly not a child. What makes you think that Leo had a child to begin with? And what is all this past tense thing?” Amor was now annoyed and angry.

  “You don’t know? Leo is dead; I just came from the prison. He died of Cancer last week. He refused to get treatment, it must have been very painful.”

  Amor’s eyes burned and filled with tears, but she kept them at bay out of sheer anger and hatred towards this cursed imp.

  “And I have reason to believe that he had a child, because a Tess DeLeon has crossed my path,” Eros added.

  “There must be thousands of people with that same last name. You’re quite narcissistic aren’t you? Everything and everyone revolves around you? Well, for the record, if Leo had a child I would not tell you. But since he never did, I can be honest and put your twisted mind at ease. Now please take your leave before my sister blows you to pieces,” Amor said, and motioned with her head, toward the back of the house. Eros turned to look at what she was pointing at, then chuckled at the sight of Luz holding a rifle in her steady hands.

  “Oddly, she never misses,” Amor said dryly.

  Eros laughed and walked out the door, satisfied that perhaps this Tess was not related to him. This was a good thing. Now he could inherit. He had more right to that money than those three harpies did. With a good lawyer he would finally be the sole owner of … well, everything! Even this house!

  On his way out of town, he passed an old burnt-down mission that gave him a great idea. “The perfect spot,” he mused. Moments later he was making all the necessary arrangements to secure the mission. An opportunity had fallen on his lap week’s prior, but he had had no place to carry it out. Now, this old abandoned mission would be the perfect place. Mexico was no-man’s land these days, and help would be easy to find.

  He smiled as he left town; things were finally working out.

  Chapter 17

  After lunch, Roger told me more about himself and his family. His mother, Amor, and Paz went to NYU to study, leaving Luz in the sole care of Celeste. There at school, Amor fell in love with Roger Wagner, Sr.

  “They were an odd couple to begin with. My mom was—still is—a free spirit, and my dad was and is a very up-tight lawyer. But no one can resist my mother, so two months after they met, they married. Things worked out fine for a while, but after I was born my mother couldn’t adjust to life in the city, and my father could not stand the thought of living away from it. They had other disagreements besides that, but they all stemmed from the total lack of compatibility. There really isn’t any animosity between them.” He paused and took in a long breath. “What you just said about money is exactly what my mom would have said. My father on the other hand … money is all he knows.”

  “I’m sorry,” I told him. He clearly looked like he was still caught in the middle of the ‘irreconcilable differences’.

  “It’s odd, you know, they still love each ot
her and have never remarried.” He thought about that for a moment then continued. “Anyway, my mom moved back to Mexico to help take care of Luz, because by then grandma Celeste had passed.” It was so odd to hear him talk so casually about Celeste, my Celeste. My ghost.

  “I spent my time between Mexico and New York until I was in high school. My father insisted that I attend a private school in New York, and I spent my summers with my mom. By the time I started high school, aunt Paz was a nun and had asked to be sent to the same town in Mexico where my mom and Luz were living. She took care of Luz at the convent for a while, but Luz was not very happy there, so my mom has been living with her ever since and Paz comes to visit almost every day. Their lives have been the same for years, and I try to go visit them as often as I can,” he sighed, “but I followed in my father’s footsteps and I’m a lawyer too.”

  I nodded and smiled.

  “I did it for your dad,” Roger added. “My father was his lawyer, until I became one myself. Your dad always believed in me, and I always believed in him.”

  I felt a tinge of jealousy toward this close relationship he had with my father. But it was also comforting to know that my dad had such good friends, people like Roger and that detective that believed in him.

  “I will write to my mom right away, and take the brunt of her wrath for keeping you a secret all these years. I’ll give her your address, if you don’t mind, so she can get in touch with you. They will want to meet you right away, so if I were you, I would start packing.”

  I chuckled.

  “One more thing Tess. …Well … maybe two. I know you said that you don’t care to know how much money you’ve inherited, but I have to warn you. Between the three estates and the trust fund, there’s still a bit of money. Enough, I would say, to kill for. You are now the last thing standing between Eros and what he’s always wanted. You might be safe for now, but once he finds out that your dad has passed, and that he still didn’t inherit, he’s going to move heaven and earth to find out who did. And once he does … ”