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shaky,” Julia said, lowering her voice. “How about letting me talk to her, woman to woman?”
    Will nodded, and they both approached the frightened mother and child.
    â€œYou are Ms. Bota, right?” Julia asked the girl. Her voice was calm and soothing. “My name is Julia Cass. I’m a detective with the Chattanooga Police Department. This is my colleague, Special Agent Will Brannock with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. We’re here to find out who killed your employer. We’re going to need to talk to you about what you saw.”
    Maria Bota was an attractive girl. Will estimated her age to be about nineteen or twenty, twenty-one tops. She had very black eyes, now red and puffy and swollen with tears. Her hair was even darker, tied back in a long, straight ponytail. She looked terrified. He waited while Julia knelt in front of the trembling young woman.
    â€œWe just want to ask you a few questions. Please understand, there’s nothing for you to be afraid of. We’re only here to help you. Okay?”
    Maria nodded but held herself as stiff as a board. The child had his head on her shoulder, but he peeked out at Julia from under his cupped hand.
    â€œWhat a beautiful little boy,” Julia said in that same low, comforting voice. “What’s his name?”
    Maria’s shoulders relaxed a little bit and she spoke in heavily accented English. “Julio. He’s three.”
    Julia smiled at him, lightly touching his back with her fingers. “ Hola , Julio. My name’s Julia.”
    â€œ Hola ,” he mumbled into his mama’s shoulder.
    â€œMay we sit down, Ms. Bota?”
    Maria Bota nodded. Will sat down in an old, light green velour Queen Anne chair, and Julia took a place on a white slipcovered couch near the woman and child.
    Will said, “I know this has been a hard time for you, Ms. Bota. Thank you for talking with us.”
    The maid nodded again. Julia looked at Will, waiting for his lead. He gave it, nodding for her to take over.
    â€œThe officer outside told us that you found Judge Lockhart’s body. Is that right?”
    Maria began to shake, enough for them to notice and for the baby to raise his head and look at his mama’s face. He puckered up. Julia laid her palm over the distraught woman’s hand. “It’s okay. But we really need for you to tell us what you saw this morning. It’s very important that you tell us everything.”
    Maria looked down and hugged her child closer. “I fix his breakfast, like I do every day. He leave his order on the kitchen counter for me every night. He get up real early. Five o’clock, sometimes even before sun come up. He take swim, then he dress and go to work.”
    â€œWas he up early this morning? Did you see him?”
    Will watched Julia, garnering more respect for her ability. She was leaning forward, interested and calm, but completely nonthreatening. She was asking the right questions. Maria was responding to her. Julia Cass was going to turn out to be a big help to him.
    â€œYes, ma’am. I think so. I hear his voice before I got out of bed.”
    Will said, “Could you tell where it was coming from?”
    â€œI think from the pool. My bedroom window was open.” She stopped, looking down at her feet.
    â€œWas something wrong, Maria?” Julia asked her. “Did you hear something out of the ordinary?”
    There was something wrong, and both he and Julia could sense it. What? What wouldn’t the girl tell them?
    Maria kept shaking her head. “No no. He always swim, very early, sometime still in dark. I did not think he was going to be . . . going to be . . .”
    When Maria looked up, her dark eyes wide and horrified, Will knew she was probably remembering the way the mutilated corpse looked hanging by the neck, pale and bloody.
    â€œIt’s okay. Are you sure it was his voice, not somebody else’s?”
    â€œI