Jack said, “Ask her about Miguel. Ask her if she knows what happened to him. Rosa,” he added, “can you go into the bedroom with Pepper for a bit?”

She pouted. “But I want to stay with you.”

“We’re going to be talking about some adult stuff. It’s best if you go in the bedroom. I’ll call you when we’re done.”

She kicked at an imaginary object, scuffing the sole of her shoe on the floorboards. But she obediently went to the room.

“Close the door!” Jack said.

She closed it behind her.

He gave Elizaveta a nod to begin.

“María?” she said.

“Yeah?”

“Who’s that?” She pointed to the doll she was holding.

“That’s my doll.”

“Does she have a name?”

“Her name’s Angela. She’s my doll.”

“Can I ask you a different question, María?”

“Yeah?”

“Did you see anyone on the island yesterday?”

She stared blankly.

“A man and a woman?” Elizaveta pressed. “Did you see a man and woman?”

“Yeah.”

“You saw them?”

“Yeah.”

“And the little girl who was just here. Did you see her too?”

“She was singing a song.”

“A lullaby.”

“Yeah.”

“Were you watching her through that hole in the wall earlier?”

“She was singing a song. My mom sings me songs.”

“She was singing the song today,” Elizaveta agreed. “But did you see her yesterday—the little girl, Rosa?”

“Yeah.”

“She’s simply agreeing with you,” Pita said in English.

“No, I think she understands,” Jesus said.

“She said she saw Miguel and Lucinda?” Jack asked.

Elizaveta nodded. “But she just keeps saying si, si, si.”

“Avoid yes/no questions then,” Jack said.

“María,” she said. “The man and woman you saw, what did they look like?”

“They were fighting.”

“Why were they fighting?”

“I don’t know what happened. They were fighting. The boy was hurting the girl. I stopped him.”

“How did you stop him?”

Her eyes hardened. “I just stopped him.”

“With that?” She pointed at the knife.

“Yeah.”

“You stabbed him?”

“I stopped him.”

“What happened to the woman?”

María stared blankly.

“María?”

“I stopped him with the knife.”

“Did you stop the woman too?”

“I’m going to the city.”

“María, the woman, she’s hurt. She’s in that room there.” She motioned toward Lucinda’s bedroom.

“That’s my dad’s room,” she said.

“What about that one?” She indicated Pepper’s bedroom.

“That’s my room.”

“Where’s your dad, María?”

“He went to the city. He’s going to bring me back a doll. He always brings me a doll.”

“What’s his name, María?”

“He’s my dad.”

Elizaveta gave up and explained to Jack: “She said Miguel was hurting Lucinda so she attacked him. I think. She won’t say what happened to Lucinda. It’s—I don’t know.”