Page 82 of The Protégé

“I run an independent online newspaper. I’m not getting paid by anyone. No company owns me. I just want to find out who killed him. If you’re comfortable, I’d love to hear your thoughts. I can keep you anonymous.”

She considered me for a moment. “What’s your name?”

“Elena Sanchez. What’s yours?”

Recognition splashed across her face. “I remember you. Uncover the Truth! What happened to that show? My name is Mona.”

I sighed. “I don’t work there anymore. The company is taking a new direction.”

With a pout, Mona rubbed her thumb and fingers together again. “Money talks.”

“Unfortunately, yes.”

Then Mona looked past me, and her expression changed to surprise and something else. She glanced around the shop. When she didn’t see anyone, she turned toward the back. “Pedro, can you man the counter? I need to help a customer with something.”

A man with a beard wearing a pink apron emerged from the back room. He looked at me and nodded.

“Elena is trying to find Pablo’s killer.”

Pedro gave me a thumbs up. “A good man. Helped us out many times.”

Mona sat down on the bench, and I sat beside her. “Pablo helped us open this shop. He lent us the money, but when we paid him back, he wouldn’t take it. Instead, he told us to donate it to a local charity that assisted immigrants. That’s what we did.”

Why couldn’t my uncle be like Pablo? Here was a stranger helping others and not asking for anything back. But I had an uncle who not only wanted the money, he also slapped on huge fines just because he could.

“That’s very nice of him,” I said, making sure I was careful not to reveal too much. Though Mona seemed like a nice person, I had to be cautious. Deception and fraud reigned supreme these days.

“I have to tell you something,” she said. “It’s strange, and don’t be afraid, okay? But I have to tell you before he disappears.”

The hair on the back of my neck rose. How could I not be scared after hearing something like that?

Mona held my hand. “I see Pablo’s spirit. He appeared when you were at the counter. Then he disappeared when Pedro emerged. But he’s here again.”

My heart raced. “What?” My eyes widened, gazing around and not seeing anything.

I’d heard about mediums connecting to people who have passed, even pets. But I’d never experienced it. It spooked me.

“I have the sixth sense, a gift passed down by Mother,” Mona said. “I’d never seen Pablo around until now. He knows you’re investigating his case.”

“What’s he saying? You can hear him?”

“Not really. It’s an innate knowing. I know him, so I sensed his familiar energy. He’s showing me flashes of images.” She reached for my hand and closed her eyes. A second later, sheopened them. “I see a box. It’s like a treasure box. There are a lot of papers in it.”

Then customers entered the shop, disrupting the quiet.

She sighed, releasing my hand. “I lost the connection.”

“If he contacts you again, please let me know. If you remember anything, call me.”

Mona nodded and went to assist her customers.

I didn’t know what to think about the experience, but I noted what she said in my notebook.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

ELENA

I’d just finishedmy shift at Let’s Ketchup and walked to my carwhen I spotted Orion leaning against a truck I didn’t recognize. I’d been fuming most of the day about him attending a banquet with Chantel. She’d posted pictures on her social media. Didn’t he know she was my nemesis? Did he know she tried to ruin my reputation?

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