Chapter 14 - The Hour of Truth and Epilogue Summary

Alba is held for several months. During this time she is interrogated and tortured on a routine basis, usually by Esteban Garcia, her half-first-cousin through Esteban Trueba and her 2nd cousin through Pedro Garcia. Under Esteban Garcia's explicit instructions, Alba is stripped and held naked throughout her ordeal. She meets other women being held, learns tidbits of news—including the fact that Miguel has not been captured. Trueba is wild with grief and humiliated by his total inability to make any meaningful inquiries through legitimate government channels. He therefore contacts Tránsito Soto who now owns her own whorehouse. She recalls the favor that she owes him from long ago; within a few days she has located Alba. All she can tell Trueba is that his granddaughter is...