She disappeared down the hall, leaving a bewildered Maria behind. This was not Wonderland, she decided, this was the f*****g twilight zone. She went to the window and, moving the curtains aside, looked out across the estate grounds. The view was breathtaking. Located at the back of the house, her room faced a sprawling lawn that ended at the beach, which stretched out across white sand and touched the edge of the ocean. Her heart pounded at the thought of sinking her toes into the sand and wading in the water.
Maria was from Guadalajara, in western central Mexico, and had never been to the ocean before. The closest she had come was years ago when her airplane had flown over the Gulf of Mexico.
Beneath her window, on the ground floor, was a pool and large patio section, enclosed by perfec
