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pretty much a rookie detective, she had proved herself very good at the job. If J.D. vouched for her, liked her, and trusted her, Julia knew that she and Tam would get along just fine.
    “Glad you happened to be with Special Agent Brannock, Detective,” Chief Mullins said the moment she reached his side. “Looks like you’re gonna get a baptism by fire. I know you aren’t slated to start until next Monday, but now that you’re here, I’m gonna make use of your experience. I’m shorthanded in homicide with Tam out for the trial. J.D.’s caught up in that, too, right?”
    “Yes, sir. I’m ready to go. I’ve been off duty way too long. Just tell me what you need.”
    “TBI has full jurisdiction here, but Phil asked me to give him a liaison officer to help Will Brannock handle this investigation. You’ll be working hand in hand with him. You got any problem with that?”
    Julia wasn’t at all sure about the hand in hand part, but she wasn’t about to say she didn’t want to work with Brannock. She wasn’t about to give up the opportunity to get involved in the case, either. “That’s fine with me. Let me make sure I understand the jurisdictions. He’ll be in complete charge. I’m here to help and assist. Right?”
    “Right, but I think y’all will get along just fine. He’s an exceptional investigator, and from what I’ve heard, so are you.”
    “Thank you, sir. I’ll do my best, I promise you that. Do I need to check in at headquarters before I start working with Brannock?”
    “No. You got your badge and all the paperwork lined out last time you were here. You’re on your own from here on out. But be apprised, I want to be notified every step of the way, so I expect weekly written reports—more if you can find the time. E-mails are fine, if you’re out of the office, and you will be. Because of the notoriety of this murder, Phil might want a task force set up down at the TBI offices. If you need more help from our department or run into jurisdictional sticking points, just say the word and I’ll take care of it. I’ll support you one hundred percent.”
    “I appreciate that, sir. I don’t anticipate anything like that happening.”
    “C’mon then, let me show you what’s gone down here. The crime scene’s around back, and damn gruesome, too.”
    Julia followed him down a flagstone path that rounded the south end of the house. A large, rectangular aquamarine pool sparkled in the sunlight in the middle of the flagstone patio behind the house. Rosebushes in neatly tended beds lined paths that meandered through a myriad of shade and fruit trees. Julia could almost visualize the lady of the house wandering along through the garden and snipping fragrant red roses to display in a crystal vase on her glossy dining room table.
    “This house has been in the Lockhart family for years,” Chief Mullins was telling her. “The family made its money in the lumber business, and most of the patriarchs for the last five decades have been attorneys or judges. They also have been known to associate with criminal elements from time to time, so I can’t say I’m especially surprised Lucien ended up dead by violence.”
    “Did you know him personally, Chief Mullins?”
    “Yes, I did. He was a charming old gentleman, but you trusted him at your own peril, if you know what I mean. Hate to speak unkindly of the departed, but the truth’s the truth. I call it the way I see it.”
    As they moved along the sun-dappled path, Julia caught her first sight of the victim. Lucien Lockhart’s body was on the back porch, hanging by the neck from a yellow ski rope tied to a thick wood rafter. Will Brannock was already there, standing on the lawn directing the CPD officers and police technicians to stay off the porch. She glanced at Willie Mullins, wondering if he resented the TBI taking charge of the scene and ordering his people around.
    Chief Mullins seemed to sense her question. “We work well with the TBI here in