Part V Summary

Elsa leads Inspector Julian Aguirre to her bedroom where she pulls a letter out of a book in her bottom dresser drawer. The long letter, written by Marta Correga (or Maria Correa), does not in any way resemble the perfumed letters Rosa sent to the house for several months. The handwriting is wild and the spelling and grammar atrocious. The discovery of this letter explains Elsa's anonymous phone calls to the police and her fruitless journey to Lujan in search of Mrs. Ana Chinca. The letter also clears Camilo's name and proclaims his innocence. In addition, it will be the vehicle by which Sarkis Abulaf, alias Slit Turk, is sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Marta Correga. Here is what the letter contains:

The letter is from Marta to her aunt, Ana Chinca. Marta has just been released from...