Deadline by Gerry Boyle

discovered floating in the canal at 3:55 p.m. by youths playing in the area. Fire and rescue units were dispatched and recovered the body using an Androscoggin Fire Department rescue boat. The body was found lodged against the canal wall about a half-mile west of the St. Amand access road off Route 108.
    Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â  A longtime Androscoggin resident, Bertin was a freelance and studio photographer for many years. He was a familiar figure at area sports events, which he often covered for the Review .
    I grabbed the phone and dialed the police department.
    Charlotte the dispatcher answered, with the television blaring in the background. I asked for Vigue and she put me on hold. I waited and Vigue answered.
    â€œLieutenant. Jack McMorrow again.”
    â€œYup.”
    â€œI know we talked about this already, but I wanted to get, make sure I had the latest information.”
    I could hear him breathing.
    â€œYou there?” I asked.
    â€œOh, yeah.”
    â€œI couldn’t hear you.”
    â€œThat’s because I didn’t say anything. Hey, listen. What can I tell you. Nothing’s changed.”
    â€œWhat about those pictures?”
    â€œThose pictures don’t mean squat. What’d you think he was? A priest? Just because he was a weirdo doesn’t mean somebody killedhim. That was true, we’d have ten homicides a week. He ain’t the only one with a skeleton in his closet.”
    â€œBut he’s the only one who ended up in the water.”
    Silence. Vigue was not happy.
    â€œListen. I’m not—this department is not gonna be railroaded into commencing something as important as a homicide investigation. Just because the stiff worked for your paper doesn’t make it the crime of the century.”
    â€œBut the pictures—”
    â€œThe pictures are interesting. I will make sure they are considered should any other information come to our attention. And—”
    â€œIs it gonna come to your attention, or are you gonna go out and find it?”
    â€œListen, Sam friggin’ Spade. This is what I am gonna tell you. This is for the record: You can do whatever you want with it. This death is under investigation. This department is always looking for information that could potentially involve criminal activity. But at this point in time the medical examiner has ruled it an accidental death. At this point in time we do not have any information that would indicate that this is a homicide. At this point in time. I don’t know any other way to say it.”
    â€œWell, I’m not a cop, but—”
    â€œYou bet you’re not a cop, and I am. So are a lot of other people around here, and they are doing their jobs and they don’t need people like you interfering with this investigation. And I’d like to know just how you found those pictures.”
    â€œSubpoena me when the killer is brought to trial.”
    â€œJesus! You are—you are almost enough to piss a man off. That’s off the record.”
    â€œBe that way,” I said. “Thanks for your time. I’ll talk to you later. Oh, and if you really want to know more about the pictures, I’d be glad to talk.”
    â€œI know where to find you,” Vigue said, and he hung up.
    In front of me on the desk were two yellow legal-pad pages covered with scrawled notes. I went through them, rewriting where the handwriting was illegible. I looked at them and began typing.
    Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â  Androscoggin Police Lieutenant John Vigue said police are continuing their investigation of Bertin’s death. But Vigue on Tuesday said police had no evidence that would lead them to view the death as suspicious.
    Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â  “This department is always looking for information that could potentially involve criminal activity,” Vigue said.
    I wondered if I should use the