Ramon’s intoxicated confession accompanied my pressure on the knife, cutting through the skin easily.
“Hector, Ediberto, Luis y Juan…all of them had to die! Father was going to divide the money between us all. I was the eldest of the sons; it should have all gone to me! But my communist pig of a father said that it was only fair to divide between us all, so I killed him! My brothers were not willing to concede or fight me for the money, so I killed them all!
Why should I share?
I had worked alongside father like a slave, while my brothers sat lazily at the ranch, getting fat.”
“I alone am worthy of it, courageous and strong!”
After a minute of silence, “It does not matter that they were younger than me, Juan still on mama’s milk.”
“Yo soy el único hombre!” he yelled.
He began to grunt louder in laughter.
“Believe me, every man, woman and child that I have killed did not deserve the life that was breathed into them!”
He then opened his one good eye abruptly, “Are you an angel, woman?”
“In a way, I am an avenging angel,” I said without emotion, hearing the words echo into the quiet night.
Ramon replied, the grunting laugh sounding evil.
“I have sent many to your leader, and some to your enemies!”
Closing his eye, he coughed uncontrollably, causing the knife to tunnel deeper.
“Why can I not feel my body? Have you done something to me, criada?”
I waited patiently for his coming revelation.
“Wait…!” Ramon looked closely at me, laughing deeply as recognition finally hit., By this time, blood was spurting out of his neck, the knife having sliced through his carotid artery.
“I know who you are! You are the disgusting mongrels’ mama, aren’t you?!”
A physical pain washed into me, screaming through my veins. My fingers trembled, the desolation and pain absolute.
Taking a deep breath, I let the smooth heat of homicidal rage take control. Leaning into the knife with my entire body, I remained like this until Ramon's grunting laughter was but an echo in my mind.
When the knife had cut cleanly through the tender connective tissues between the neck bones, I stood. Grabbing Ramon’s head by his greasy hair, I yanked forcefully, removing his head completely.
Wrapping it in my skirt, I walked out of the camp as silently and confidently as I'd arrived.
It was not enough! Miel realized with a sinking feeling as Yolanda walked away from her writing.
She would not be able to convince the judges with this confession. Nor could she change the entry once it had been scribed into the Journal of Souls.
As if on cue, she spied Yolanda once more on the page as she raised her pen to continue.
I don’t remember the long walk home. But when I woke, I was at the foot of the large cross that hangs in the entryway. Jesus stares down at me, his compassionate eyes convicting me without words.
The sun is lighting up the darkness now, but in my soul it is still night. In my soul, my children scream for me to help them but I am absolutely powerless.
“Mama, ayudame! Mama! Mama!” over and over again I hear them as if they were in the same room with me.
My horrid actions of the night before have left me hollow and frigidly cold. The false courage of retribution has faded and I am completely alone in my torment.
My words scrawl across the pages of my journal, my confessor. Looking up to the cross again, I silently plead for forgiveness.
“Padre nuestro, forgive me. The rage was too much to ignore.”
But how can He forgive me? I have committed a deliberate and horrible act of hatred.
Today, I will begin again. I will live my life to serve others, hoping for His divine forgiveness so that one day I will be reunited in Heaven with my family. Only you, dear journal, will know the torment that screams inside of me for vengeance.
As Miel watched the woman, a single tear slid down her face.
“She may have just saved herself,” Miel breathed. It would still be a hard-fought case to put before the Court of Souls when the time came, but at least she was trying to achieve redemption.
Hopefully, Yolanda would find a way to further redeem herself in the judges’ eyes before the end of her earthly days. Miel would follow this woman’s progress throughout that time, in the hopes that she could be saved.
That was her job!
And she was very good at it!
A light caught Miel’s attention as she realized that Yolanda was burning her journal entry. Miel had seen this often, but it mattered very little in the end. The entry had been made in the Journal of Souls, there was nothing either one of them could do about that now. In the end, it would either help her… or hurt her.
Closing the old book, Miel placed it back into her bag, patting it through the canvas before standing once more.
Letting out a sigh, she slid the hat back over her head and made her way to the street.
Two men watched with interest as she passed, quietly observing her until she disappeared into the waves of heat.
As one, the men returned to their labors, the recollection of the mysterious woman now lost from their memory.
More journal entries coming soon….
About the Authors
J.T. Lewis
Mystery abounds in the books of Amazon Best Selling Author J.T. Lewis.
Living in Southeast Indiana with his wife and daughter, J.T. has always loved a mystery. Striving to bring readers a story packed full of action, adventure, and suspense has led to his current selection of titles.
His first full length novel, Murder! Too Close To Home, has been voted #1 on Goodreads Best Debut Mystery Series list. The second in the series, Gabriel's Revenge, was released with much anticipation in July 2012. Both of these titles belong to the Adventures of Gabriel Celtic series.
His newest series is called The Adventures of Young Gabriel Celtic, a Middle Grade series that focuses on the misadventures of Gabriel Celtic as a youngster. Always inquisitive, he follows his intuition in search of mystery and adventure. Unfortunately, things don't always turn out quite like he planned.
Also look for JT Lewis' Pepper and Longstreet YA mystery series. Having been compared to the old Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew mysteries, Pepper and Longstreet at first seem an unlikely duo.
Having discovered Jacob Longstreet standing in her kitchen one day, the ghost of a Civil War soldier soon becomes Pepper's friend, as well as her partner in solving mysteries. Together, they find themselves in the most unlikely of situations as mysteries unfold around them.
An electrician by trade, at night JT Lewis morphs into a fictional detective with a keyboard, a transition that suits his need for creating exciting stories for his ever-growing audience.
Books by J.T. Lewis
Murder Too Close to Home
Gabriel’s Revenge
The Adventures of Gabriel Celtic series: Murder! Too Close To Home, Gabriel's Revenge, In Case of Death
The Pepper and Longstreet YA Mystery Series
The Adventures of Young Gabriel Celtic Middle Grade series:
The Great Plane Robbery
The Abandoned Mine
Hiawatha's Treasure
Short Stories:
Ater Angelus
Last Dance
The Abduction
The Legend of West Fork
Betty
K.R. Jordan
K.R. Jordan grew up on the Gulf Coast of Texas and spent most of her youth in, on or near the water.
Her father was a fisherman that always had a paperback Louis L'amour in his back pocket, while her mother would read anything and everything she could get her hands on.
Her own personal love of reading and writing began at a very young age, spending hours at the local library checking out as many books as they would allow.
K.R. Jordan writes under both t
he names K.R. Jordan and River Jordan. Writing mostly fiction, she is also obsessed with writing a personal history of her family.
Still living on the Gulf Coast of Texas with her family, K.R. Jordan enjoys writing, reading, fishing and the great outdoors!
Other Stories by K.R. Jordan
Riftglade
Leela
Co-author:
Blue Fire Heat
Anthology:
Dark Light 1, 2 & 3
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