Tessa took a drink of water. “Okay. I can see that. But I want to know more. Who in the hell was here that day? Joel never conducted his business at home, let alone in the kitchen, where Poppy and Piper would have been having their breakfast. I don’t know if I believe her, Sam. She could be making this up, just to cover her ass.”
Tessa blew out a breath, which caused her hair to fly in front of her face. She was more confused now than she had been before. How could a person keep something of this magnitude to herself? And how in the world could those who conducted the investigation, no, the witch hunt, with her being the prey, not have known of this? What kind of incompetence could lead to her being charged and convicted of murders that were supposed to have occurred on Friday when all the victims were still alive on Saturday?
“I know it’s tough, but we need to listen to her story. Lee will pick it apart, and won’t stop until he’s satisfied. Remember, he has never lost a case.” Sam emphasized the last four words. “Trust me, okay?”
Trust? Not something she had experienced much of in her life, at least until she had met and married Joel. Her mother was a drug addict, she had no clue who her father was, and Lara, her only living relative, at least that she knew of, hadn’t even bothered to call her and ask how she was doing. Trust? It had never come easy for her.
“I’ll try,” she said.
“Let Lee do his job,” Sam said as he led her back to the living room.
“Are you all right?” Jill asked. “I can give you something if you need it.”
Tessa gave her a halfhearted smile. She pointed to the ankle monitor. “Rules. No alcohol. No drugs. But I appreciate your concern. I’m going to be . . . I’m dealing with this now.” She looked at Rosa, who was cowering in her chair. The woman was afraid, there was no doubt about that. But she was no longer in fear of deportation, and according to Lee, her entire family were all now legal citizens. What else could she possibly have to be afraid of?
“Are you sure you want to listen in?” Lee asked her. “I can do this at the office.”
“No. I’m fine. Just do what you have to do.” Tessa never wavered as she said this, looking at Rosa the entire time. “I want to hear what happened in my house the day my family was slaughtered.” She remembered that word, the very one that had been used by the prosecution and the media to describe what she had supposedly done before she left for San Maribel on Friday.
Lee nodded and turned to Rosa.
“Rosa, did you hear anything specific from the younger Mr. Jamison? From Liam Jamison?”
Rosa nodded.
“Tell us what you heard him say,” Lee instructed. “Word for word.”
Chapter 20
Almost immediately after Lee said this, his cell phone buzzed, and he excused himself to take the call.
The tension in the room intensified when he left the room. Rosa squirmed in her chair, trying not to focus on Tessa.
Tessa had a dozen questions floating through her mind. So Liam had been here that day, not in Japan as she had been led to believe before going to San Maribel. Just as she had always been sure of, he was the person who killed her family. But who was the third man? Someone from Jamison Pharmaceuticals? And if so, who would come to their home? What was being argued about? The company was stable and thriving, though she had to admit she hadn’t been involved in the day-to-day operations since she had left her position to start a family. Joel never complained to her about the inner workings of the company. She had just assumed that there wasn’t anything to complain about. They were a healthy, happy family, blessed with loving children. Their lives hadn’t been perfect, but close.
Or so she had thought.
Lee returned. “Tessa, I need to speak to you and Sam.”
Her pulse increased again, and for a minute, she feared that her heart would burst from her chest.
“Jill?” she asked.
“You mind waiting here?” Lee asked Jill, nodding in Rosa’s direction.
“Not at all,” Jill said.
Tessa knew this was Lee’s way of asking Jill to watch Rosa, make sure she didn’t decide to disappear again.
As soon as they were out of eavesdropping range, Lee spoke. “That was Harry. He says the watch stopped on the date it showed, said it was hit, slammed against something hard enough to do the damage. There’s DNA on it, too.”
“That can’t be right! Sam said that he packed up Joel’s desk, and the watch was in his desk. It’s impossible, right? He couldn’t have put it in his desk, not then. He wasn’t alive.”
“I’m just telling you what Harry said. The impact on the watch, by whatever means, caused it to stop on the day of the murders. That means the murders occurred on Saturday, not Friday. It supports Rosa’s story about her last day working being on Saturday, not Friday. As to how the watch got to Joel’s office, I’m sure there
