Chapter 19
Rosa had not aged well at all, Tessa thought as soon as she saw the woman. Her dark hair was now a harsh steel-gray color reminding Tessa of a used Brillo pad. Her once round, honey-brown eyes were heavy lidded, making her appear as though she were squinting. She wore a dark skirt and a faded, floral-print blouse that looked as though it came from another century. On her feet were brown sandals that revealed callused heels and toenails with chipped orange polish that were much too long and in need of a trim. To say she had aged and let herself go would be more than kind. In her early sixties now, she looked as if she could already be an octogenarian.
Tessa would not have recognized her had she run into her on the street or at the mall.
“Miss Tessa,” Rosa exclaimed as soon as she saw her. Her Mexican accent was virtually nonexistent. “I missed you so much, and the girls, too.”
Tessa was not sure how to respond, so she didn’t. Tessa was shocked that the older woman seemed so . . . normal. As though they were the best of friends, and Tessa was simply returning from a long vacation instead of ten years in prison as a convicted murderer. “Rosa,” she said, finally acknowledging the older woman.
Lee and Sam were seated on the sofa, Rosa in the chair opposite. Tessa chose the chair that faced the pool area. Jill sat on the arm of the chair, her left hand casually resting on Tessa’s right shoulder.
Lee waited a few seconds, then removed a legal pad and a tape recorder from his briefcase. He went through the legal spiel with Rosa, making sure it was on record that she was here of her own free will and that no one had coerced her into making a statement. He handed her several papers for her signature. As soon as she finished signing them, Lee returned them to the briefcase.
“Can you tell us what you saw on the last morning you were at this house? In as much detail as you can remember. Any detail you think may not be important, probably is, so I want you to tell me”—Lee looked at Tessa—“us everything that you saw and heard.”
Rosa nodded, her steel-gray hair coming loose from the bun coiled at the top of her head. She reached up and tucked the hair back into the bun, then smoothed her skirt, crossed her legs, and sat up straight. She continued to stare at Tessa, then began to speak. “It was Saturday morning, the day after Miss Tessa went away. I went upstairs to do the beds after I had breakfast with the girls. The girls had their cereal and stayed in the kitchen.” She paused, removed a tissue from her skirt pocket, blotted her eyes, then went on. “I decided to do the toilets first—” She stopped speaking, took a breath, and looked directly at Tessa. “I usually do the toilets last, but not that day. I don’t know why I changed my routine. I cleaned the master bathroom first, then I cleaned the girls’ bathroom. All those bright colors. They made me smile.”
Lee interrupted her. “So, you changed your routine that day, correct?”
Rosa nodded. “I did.”
Lee scribbled something on his legal pad, then asked Rosa, “Did you plan on changing your normal cleaning routine that day or was it spontaneous?”
She looked to Tessa, then Jill as though they had answers. Tessa was not going to help in making this easier for her, and neither was Jill.
“I don’t understand,” Rosa stated.
“When you headed upstairs while the girls were eating breakfast, was it your intention to strip the beds first?”
“Yes, yes, it was.”
“And all of a sudden, out of the blue, you’re in Mr. and Mrs. Jamison’s bedroom and decide to do the toilets first? You don’t know why? You had a sudden change of mind for no reason at all?”
Rosa seemed confused. “I don’t know, I just decided to do the bathrooms. That is all I can tell you.”
Lee made another note on his legal pad. Tessa watched Rosa and could see that the woman was nervous, uncomfortable at being questioned so closely.
“Okay, you had a change of mind. I’ll accept that. Do you recall how much time you took cleaning the bathrooms?”
“Maybe fifteen minutes. I only did the toilets. Not the showers, tubs, or floors.”
“Okay, you finished the bathrooms. Walk me through your next round of duties,” Lee instructed. He was relaxed, and Tessa could see that he was in his element questioning Rosa. She could only imagine the effect he’d have on a jury while questioning or cross-examining a witness.
With all eyes focused on her, Rosa adjusted her position, her rigid stance slackening. She tucked stray hairs back into her bun. “I went to Poppy’s room first. She is, was very particular about her bedroom. She always helped me to clean. That morning, she had made her bed, so I didn’t want to undo her work, so I decided I would change her bed the next day. I went to Piper’s room and stripped her bed.”
Lee held up a hand. “Stop for a minute.”
Rosa nodded.
“Did you replace the sheets on Piper’s bed then or later?”
“Then. I remember I used the lavender sheets. They were her favorite. She liked all shades of purple.”
Tears filled Tessa’s eyes as she listened to Rosa talk about her daughters and their likes and dislikes.
“What did you do after that?” Lee asked.
Rosa appeared troubled at the question. Her eyes downcast, she picked at her nails. “I was going to change the linens in the master bedroom, but when I went into the hall, I heard voices downstairs. Very loud voices. Angry-sounding voices.”
Tessa’s heart rate sped up and skipped a beat. She leaned in to hear Rosa’s next words.
“Go on,” Lee encouraged.
“They were yelling, the men, and it frightened me. I had never heard Mr. Jamison scream and carry on like he was. I called Roberto, my brother, from the portable phone he had brought me that day. I asked him to come back right away. I did not want to stay at the house. I wanted to go home so I did not have to listen to the men hollering. I was scared stiff.”
Men? Tessa was shocked.
“You say ‘men.’ How many?” Lee asked.
“Two. At first,” Rosa said, “Then Mr. Jamison . . . he just stopped yelling. The other man stopped, too. I heard a loud, very fast banging on the front door. That is when the yelling stopped. I waited because I thought that Mr. Jamison and the other man are arguing about business and have forgotten that they are not at his office. I wanted to check on the girls, so I went downstairs.” Rosa hesitated and looked at Tessa. “I stopped when I heard the other man.”
“Why? Did you know this other man?” Lee asked her. “What made you stop, and where exactly were you?”
“I was there.” She pointed to the bottom of the stairs. “The wall that used to be there blocked the view from the kitchen, where I heard the voices coming from. I didn’t see the other man. Just heard him, and I had never heard him before.”
“Was this other man in the kitchen?” Lee asked.
“Not at first. I think that Mr. Jamison let him in, then the man followed him back to the kitchen.” Rosa shot a pleading look at Tessa again, as if she were begging for her forgiveness.
“Where were the girls during this argument?”
“I think they were still in the kitchen at that point.”
“So, the girls are in the kitchen, presumably having their cereal, their father is screaming at one man, then another knocks on the front door, Mr. Jamison answers it, invites this strange man into the house, and this third man then follows him back to the kitchen, where the first two men continue to yell and argue? Would you agree that this statement is accurate?” Lee looked at Tessa and gave a slight nod.
Tessa was trying very hard to keep her emotions under control and not react. Lee had obviously sensed this. It was all she could do to remain seated. She wanted to strangle Rosa, wanted to shake her until she . . . what? Tessa took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. It would not be a good idea to lose her temper at this point.
“Yes, that is a true statement,” Rosa agreed.
“Did you recognize the two men, or at least their voices? Had you ever heard them before that day?” Lee continued with his questions while they waited.
Rosa nodded. “I knew the younger man, Mr. Jamison’s brother, Liam. He was in the kitchen with Mr. Jamison when the other man knocked on the front door.”
“What did I tell you!” Tessa shot off her chair. “That worthless son of a bitch killed my family! I want him found now. I don’t give a good rat’s ass how much it costs or what you have to do to find him!”
“Tess, calm down.” Sam reached her in three giant steps and wrapped his arms around her. “This isn’t going to help us right now. Give us a minute, okay?” Sam tossed over his shoulder as he led Tessa to the kitchen. “Sit down,” he said, then took a glass from the cupboard and filled it with water from the tap. “We need to hear what Rosa has to say, okay? I can only imagine how hard it is, but it’s what needs to be done right now. She has already helped you, you realize this? Whatever else she says, her story confirms that the murders took place on Saturday, not on Friday, as the state said at your trial. You were in San Maribel all day Saturday and could not have committed a murder in San Maribel. Once the DA hears Rosa’s account, it will not matter what else we learn. He will have to drop the charges unless he can disprove her story.”
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.”