Dead Down East by Carl Schmidt

this morning at
nine.”
    “I should have mentioned this last night, but I
didn’t think of it. Don’t tell anyone about the surveillance
cameras at your house. Not even Richard. We don’t want anyone to
know they are on camera.”
    “OK,” she said. “I didn’t mention it to him when we
talked this morning.”
    “Good. If Richard gets here before I come back, don’t
let him into my office where he might see the videos. I’m not
suggesting that we can’t trust Richard, but we want to be as
invisible as possible.”
    “Sure.”
    “I’m glad you mentioned Richard’s interview with the
FBI. It is entirely possible that your name will come up. I don’t
know if the two of you have discussed this yet, but it is important
for you to be prepared ahead of time in the event that the FBI
shows up at my door looking for you. Remember, they have on file
that I picked you up near the crime scene. Once your name surfaces
in the investigation, they will search their database for any
reference to your name, and bingo, you and I will be front and
center. We might even become suspects.”
    “Yes, that definitely occurred to me,” Cynthia said.
“I’m still unsettled as to what I should do…what I should say.”
    “I’m not a lawyer, but it seems your only viable
option is to tell the truth. I don’t think it would be wise to
dodge their questions. You might have the right to do that, but if
you are evasive, they will consider you an uncooperative
witness.
    “At this point, I think that they would understand
that your actions on Saturday night and Sunday morning were at
least somewhat reasonable. You were under duress, and you feared
for your life. But the fact is, you blatantly lied to FBI Officer
Handley. I fudged the truth when I said I didn’t have a client, but
you said that you were staying in the Smith’s house. That was a
clear lie.”
    “Yes.”
    “Still, I think they would be sympathetic. But
remember, we are talking about the FBI and the murder of the
Governor of Maine. They will not be messing around. So…you need to
decide right here and right now how you will handle yourself if, or
rather when, they come knocking at the door.”
    “OK. If that happens, I’ll tell the whole truth. All
of it.”
    Cynthia seemed shaken by this eventuality, but I was
convinced that she would follow through.
    I continued, “As far as what happens in the next
couple of days, a lot will hinge on Richard’s interview.
Eventually, however, it is almost a certainty that you will have to
tell your story to the police. You could get very lucky. They might
catch the murderer, or murderers, and be able to convict them on
evidence totally unrelated to you; time will tell. Then again, they
might not be able to locate a suspect at all. In that case, you
will have to decide whether or not you want to come forward
voluntarily.”
    “I’ve been wondering about that. Right now, I don’t
know,” she said.
    “That’s fine. You’ll have time to think that through
if things drag on indefinitely with no arrests.
    “All right,” I said. “I’m leaving now. Mi casa es
su casa , Cynthia. Help yourself to anything in the kitchen and
the pantry. Feel free to use my computer in the office, just open a
new tab on the browser. That way the page stays up with the
surveillance videos. I’ll stop by Shaw’s before coming home and
pick up some groceries for the week. Is there anything special you
want?”
    “I like fish,” she replied. “Asparagus and arugula
are in season now, too. Please bring over all the perishables from
my refrigerator. I won’t be eating at home for a while. Oh, and
here’s your retainer payment,” and she held out a folded check.
    I put my hand up and said, “We’ll take care of that
later. Just keep it in your purse for now. I want to get going, and
I don’t want it lying around here where someone might see it. Fish,
asparagus, and arugula. Got it. I’ll be back in a couple of
hours.”
    • • •
    I