-Well?
The voice on the other end froze him. It was raspy, dry. Yes, it sounded like Leticia, but there was something… a metallic undertone, a lack of warmth he didn’t remember, not even in his worst moments of grief.
“Doña Leticia,” Joaquín said, trying to keep his voice from trembling. “It’s me, Joaquín. I received your message.”
There was a pause. There was background noise, like heavy traffic or a television playing at full volume.
—Ah, Joaquín. Yes. It’s good that you called.
—Are you okay? There’s a lot of noise.
“I’m… I’m out. I went to the pharmacy,” she replied quickly. Too quickly. “Look, about the money. The bank is charging me a lot of fees on that account. I need you to deposit it this month at Oxxo. To a Saldazo card. I’ll send you a picture.”
Joaquín felt his skin crawl. Óscar had warned him about that. Saldazo accounts were harder to trace, ideal for quick and anonymous transactions.
“Excuse me, Mother-in-law…” Joaquín lowered his voice, turning away so Camila couldn’t hear him from the table. “It’s been a long time since we’ve seen you. Camila’s been asking about her grandmother. Why don’t I stop by today and drop off the cash? That way you save on the commission and you can say hello to the little girl.”
The silence on the other end lasted so long that Joaquín thought the call had been cut off.
