Don't Say a Word by Beverly Barton Read Free Book Online

help.”
    The maid wiped at her tears and let the squirming toddler get down off her lap. Julio immediately went to Will and stood at his knee, looking up at him with big dark eyes. Will smiled at him, but the boy just stared at him with that clear, unblinking innocence. He was a cute kid, and Will hoped to God he hadn’t witnessed the murder scene. He refocused his attention on Maria when she began to speak. Again, her words were breathless, barely discernible.
    “There was woman here last night.”
    Both Will and Julia perked up at that. Okay, now they were getting somewhere.
    “What woman would that be?” Julia asked.
    “It is woman who come when Mrs. Lockhart go away.”
    “He’s having an affair?” Will asked.
    “She is one he pays for.”
    “A call girl?”
    Maria shrugged. “I not know. She came after dinner but was gone when I got up.”
    “You don’t know when she left?”
    “No, sir. But cameras in driveway. They tell you.”
    Will was surprised. He had looked for surveillance cameras when they arrived but hadn’t seen any.
    “We didn’t see any cameras,” Julia said quickly to Maria. “Where are they?”
    “Hidden. The judge afraid sometimes. He get threats.”
    “What threats?”
    “I not know.”
    It was something to check out. Maybe Mrs. Lockhart could clue them in. “Where are these cameras?”
    “They hide them in flower pots and on house. Some up high, in trees.”
    “Is there a camera on the swimming pool?”
    Maria shrugged. “I do not think so.”
    “Is there anything else, Maria? Anything at all? Did you hear the woman’s voice when you heard the judge before dawn?”
    “No, only him. He laughing, I think.”
    “Do you know the woman’s name?”
    Maria looked uncomfortable, and Will wondered if she’d been warned not to mention Judge Lockhart’s midnight guests. “It Ginger, I think. But I never saw her up close or talk to her. He tell me stay here and keep Julio inside when he see her.”
    “Thank you, Maria. Would it be okay if we came back and talked to you again if we need to?”
    That was Julia. Maria nodded.
    Will said, “If you think of anything else, you’ll give us a call, won’t you? Here’s my card.”
    Outside, under the cool shade of a pecan tree, they looked at each other.
    “We just might have a video of the killer,” Julia said, her eyes alight with excitement.
    “Let’s go find those tapes.”

Chapter 3
    The killer sat at his makeshift table, a single candle flickering in invisible air currents. He stared down at the white paper plate holding about an inch of Judge Lucien Lockhart’s tongue. The cave was very cold tonight, and he could hear the slow drip of water somewhere down the long, dark passage. Fingers entwined and resting on the table, his shoulders relaxed, he felt totally tranquil, almost serene. He had done it. Single-handedly he had sent Lockhart to hell, where he belonged. No one saw him enter or leave Woodstone Circle or the Lockhart grounds. He had been stealthy and controlled, and that was the key. The execution of the murder had been absolutely perfect.
    Now, he was safely back in his hidden lair, untouched, unsuspected. At that thought, he almost laughed to himself. Lair? Him, have a lair? Who would’ve ever thought he would creep down to such a dark, spooky place as this, of all things? He never would’ve dreamed it possible. But it was a place to hide, to plan, and he couldn’t have chosen better. No one knew about this cavern; no one would ever guess where he was when he disappeared for a time. He’d finally worked up the courage to turn his fantasy into a lethal reality.
    When he’d seen Lucien Lockhart helpless, terrified, and most of all, humbled, he had loved it. Loved the twisted horror on Lucien’s face when he’d gotten hold of his tongue with the pliers. Loved the power he’d felt. The explosion of fiery satisfaction had sent shivery sensations skittering down his back. He had never felt such triumph, never