Melanie breathed out. “Okay. What happened when you answered the door?”

“I talk to him through video monitor. He say he deliver flowers for Mrs. Benson. I say, why so late? Then I see he have jacket with name of flower company, so I buzz door. Let him in. So stupid!” Tears welled in Rosario ’s eyes again and slowly spilled over, reminding Melanie powerfully of the past. Abuelita crying when she left for the airport. Melanie crying. No, Abuelita said, mi hija, don’t you feel bad. This not your fault. Your mami, she send me away.

“Oh, Mrs. Sangrador, this wasn’t your fault!” Melanie exclaimed. “Don’t blame yourself! Anyone else would have done the same thing!” Don’t blame yourself, she told Rosario, though of course she blamed herself for all her own problems. “What next?” she asked aloud.

“He push door in and grab me. I feel gun on my cheek, I scream. Then, boom, he hit me with gun. That how I get this.” She pointed to the stitched gash.

“Did he say anything to you when he came in?” Melanie asked.

“He say, ‘You make problem, I kill you.’ Then he kick my feet, and I fall down. He tie my hands with twist tie, like from garbage bag. Very sharp. Hurt me. Then he walk back to the door and open it. His friends come. They all wear black ski mask, I can’t see faces. Oh, my God! And they have big dog!”

Rosario began breathing heavily, wringing her hands. Melanie patted her reassuringly and looked deep into her eyes, trying to convey strength. “It’s okay. Keep going.”

“Four or five guys maybe, and big black dog. Dog jump for me. His teeth, snap snap like this.” With her hand, Rosario mimed jaws biting. “They laughing. Say he smell my blood already.”

“Were they armed?” Melanie asked.

“Oh, yes. Guns. Big guns, all of them. Same like that one.” She pointed to the Glock protruding from Dan’s waistband.

“Sure?” Dan asked, removing it and displaying it for her.

“Yes.”

“Nine-millimeter semiautomatic,” Melanie said, making a note on her legal pad. “Matches the shell casing recovered from Benson’s office. Did you notice, Mrs. Sangrador, were they wearing gloves?”

“Oh, yes, and it very hot night, so I know. They not want leave fingerprints, right?”

“Right. What next?” Melanie asked.

“Next they pull me up so leader ask me questions. Where Mr. Benson, he want to know.”

“Did they ask for Benson by name?”

“Oh, yes. Seem like they know him. Sometime they say Jed, sometime Mighty Whitey.”

“They called him…what? Mighty Whitey, you said?” Melanie asked, making a note.

“Yes. And they know house. The leader ask me, ‘Is Jed down in office?’ he say. But I so scared I can’t talk. I pee my pants. He very mad, push me down again. Kick me, call me names.” Tears leaked from Rosario ’s eyes, and Melanie squeezed her shoulder.

“You’re doing great,” Melanie said. “Keep going.”

“Okay. Then I hear Amanda. She screaming. They talk about they gonna rape her. I lay on floor. Pants wet, very cold. I get so scared I go away in my mind. Think about my church. Pray to Jesus. I not remember for a while.”

Melanie remained silent for a moment, letting Rosario collect herself, then asked gently, “What’s the next thing you remember?”

“I realize it quiet. They all gone except big one.”

“Tell me about the big one. What did he look like?”

“Very tall, very fat. Name Bigga. But he wear mask. I never see his face.”

“Did you hear anyone else’s name?”

“Yes. The first one who come to the door, they call Slice. Later I see why!” She heaved a sob, her shoulders trembling visibly.

“Why?” Melanie asked.

“The way he cut Amanda!” Rosario was shaking all over.

“That happened in the office? Down in the basement?” Melanie asked.

“I not see. When I get there, her fingers gone already!”

“How did you get down to the basement?”

“Slice call Bigga on walkie-talkie. Say get some Clorox because he want do trick like he do with Colombian that time.”

“What trick?”

Rosario shook her head violently, covering her eyes with her hand as if she could stop herself from seeing.

“Okay, let’s take it one step at a time. Bigga asked you to get Clorox?”

“Yes. He pull me up. I show him Clorox in laundry room. Then we going back downstairs, but new man come.”

“Another man came? You mean another perpetra-another bad guy?” Melanie asked.

“Yes. We hear tapping sound. He banging on door with gun. Bigga open door and tell him, ‘Why you late? Slice very mad. Watch your back.’ Like that.”

“Did the new guy say anything?”

“He say, ‘Fuck that little prick. I tell him I handle the problem-now look what he’s doing.’”

“Was he wearing a mask? Did you ever see his face?” Melanie asked.

“He putting it on while he walking in the door. So I see he have brown hair. Nice brown hair. Like him.” Rosario pointed at Dan’s thick, wavy, dark locks. “So he take us downstairs. He know the way. He push office door with his foot, I remember. He not wearing gloves like the others.”

Melanie scribbled a note. “That’s great, Rosario. Details like that really help us. What did you see when you got inside the office?”

Tears spilled over and began rolling down Rosario ’s cheeks again.

“Inside, I see Mr. Jed, tied up in chair. Oh, my God, covered with blood! Blood everywhere! Smell like market back home when they kill the chickens. Dog have blood on his mouth, too, so I know he bite Mr. Jed.”

“Now, tell me: What did they do with the Clorox?”

The tears were coming faster now. “Mr. Jed, his eyes closed. So Slice slap him, like one-two-three. Wake him up, you know? He tell him, you watch this, then you talk. He take needle from his pocket. Big needle, like from the doctor. He fill it with Clorox, then he grab Amanda’s arm and poke it in. He put his thumb on the needle like he gonna push. Then he say, ‘Hey, Jed, you know what Clorox do in the veins? You talk, or I push.’”

“‘You talk or I push?’ What does that mean, Mrs. Sangrador? Why did Slice say that? Were they asking Jed Benson for information?”

“I don’t know. I not hear that part.” Rosario looked down at her hands, folded in her lap, and took a deep breath. “He poke the needle in. Then I see Amanda’s arm. Her fingers.” She spoke under her breath, almost talking to herself. “Oh, my God. Amanda’s fingers gone! And so much blood.”

“Then what?”

“Room spinning. I see spots.”

“Did you see who shot Mr. Benson?”

“Maybe I pass out. At least I feel dizzy, I close my eyes. So I don’t see, but I hear it. I hear shot.”

“You heard a gunshot?”

“Yes. Yes, I’m sure.”

“Did anybody say anything? Before or after the gunshot?”

“I remember they arguing. Arguing a lot. Then boom.”

“What happened next?”

“I running down hall, out basement door. Smoke everywhere.”

“Did you see anyone else? Amanda? Slice? Anybody? Did you see how they got out or where they went?”

“No, nothing. Next time I remember, nice policeman is helping me. That’s all. That everything I remember.”

Rosario looked at Melanie and sighed, shuddering. Melanie leaned forward and hugged her. She felt the brace around Rosario ’s midsection, under her clothes. The housekeeper winced.

“Ooh, sorry,” Melanie said, pulling away.

“I got broken rib.”

“Oh, my. You poor thing. But you’re amazing! You were so brave. I’m proud of you.”

“Okay, so tomorrow I tell grand jury. You gonna be there?”

“Of course. I’ll be the one asking you the questions. Just like today.”

“If you there, don’t worry, I do okay. But now I wanna rest. Maybe take more pain pill, watch a little TV.”

“Of course. And Agent O’Reilly will get you whatever you want from room service.”

“I like fish. They have fish?”

“ Rosario,” Dan said, “if they don’t, I’ll go out and catch you one myself.”