A second later the clip ended. Jessie looked down at the floor briefly, feeling as if shed just inappropriately spied on a deeply personal moment. But she quickly shook it off and looked up again, reminding herself that she was here to do a job and couldnt let sympathy get in the way. The man in front of her could be a murderer.

I assume that this has been marked as an HSS case because of where Milly was killed? he asked, quickly wiping away a tear as he turned off the TV.

Why do you say that? Jessie asked, taking a seat in a living room chair.

Well, Milly was a brilliant litigator and represented many well-known clients. But Im guessing that if she hadnt been found at Otis Estate, this would be handled by the regular division detectives.

Jessie saw no point in denying it.

Thats correct. The high profile of the man who owns the property certainly elevated it to HSS status.

He sat with that for a moment before responding.

I guess if thats what it takes to get a real investigation going, its worth it. Ive heard that the police in that neck of the woods can be…malleable when it comes to aggressively pursuing their more powerful citizens.

That perception seems to be pervasive, Jessie said, pulling out her notebook. Do you mind if I ask you some questions?

You know, as unpleasant as that sounds, its actually preferable to what Ive been doing, which is sitting here, alternately going through old videos and photos and punching furniture. So fire away.

Jessie was slightly surprised at his willingness to engage but didnt waste any time lingering on it.

Before we get to your ex-wifes death, I wanted to talk about you for a minute. Am I right to say that Mrs. Estrada handled most of the criminal work and your purview was more civil litigation?

Thats right, Estrada said. Our firm, Halsey, Burt, Tyler & Estrada, was previously just Halsey, Burt & Tyler. They handled a lot of contract work for tech companies, big banks, and corporate media. Thats how Jasper Otis is affiliated with them. They represented him when he left All News Network and started News Channel America.

When did you join up? Jessie asked.

We had our own firm in Secaucus, just across the river from the city. We represented some small media outlets, some second-tier personalities in film and TV. We handled a few deals for Halsey, Burt out there and they brought us in as associates about twelve years ago to help them expand into entertainment. We both made junior partner seven years ago and became named partners two years ago.

So you two headed the entertainment division? she confirmed.