Speak Ill of the Living by Mark Arsenault

over his mistakes in that kidnapping case, the one with that man from the bank,” she said.
    â€œRoger Lime.”
    â€œYes! Did you realize this doctor was also the state’s lead witness against your brother?” Her voice cracked.
    â€œI did, but—”
    â€œAnd it was Crane’s testimony that got Henry convicted!”
    â€œâ€”that was more than thirty years ago.”
    She leaned back and looked into space, eyes glassy and roaming. For a moment, Eddie thought she might cry, but she collected herself and explained softly, “I didn’t expect to get married a third time, and certainly not to a convict with a life sentence.” She smiled. “Stupid me, huh?”
    Eddie smiled back, gently.
    She looked him in the eye. “I’ve known in my heart since I set eyes on Henry Bourque that he is an innocent man.”
    Eddie’s stomach tightened. He had briefly entertained the same fantasy.
    â€œYou saw him in prison—he told me all about it,” she said. “Did you see it too? The innocence? The golden heart under that shaved skull and that big ol’ scar?”
    Eddie stammered. “I can’t…well… ” He slumped. “Henry and I had a weird conversation.”
    She laughed. “That boy’s mind does tend to skip around,” she said, brightly. “I thought he was crazy before I figured out he was just an ordinary genius.”
    Her laugh was catchy. Eddie chuckled. It seemed that he wasn’t the only one unnerved by conversation with Henry. At least Bobbi had gotten used to it.
    â€œHe’s very proud of you,” she said.
    â€œHuh? How? Proud of what?”
    â€œYour career as a newsman. When you worked in Vermont, Henry subscribed to your paper by mail. And when you came back to Lowell to work for—what was it?
The Daily Empire
?—he wrote your old newspaper to find out where you went.”
    Eddie was stunned. He put his hands to his head. “I had no idea.”
    â€œIt’s tough for him now because you’re a freelancer and your work appears all over. Since I’ve known your brother, I’ve been searching the Internet every day for your stories, so I can print them out and mail them to him. I happened to see your story on the kidnapping case in my hometown newspaper. Henry was very interested in that piece.”
    â€œYeah,” Eddie said, distracted again and re-analyzing his conversation with Henry over the Roger Lime case. Another thought struck Eddie and he blurted, “Wait! You’ve never said why you came all the way out here.”
    She pressed her lips together and studied him for a moment. “Your brother,” she said in a stern voice, “is a mule head.”
    â€œExcuse me?”
    Bobbi wrinkled her nose. “Mister Mule, I call him—he’s so obstinate. He drives me crazy. I’ve
told
him that this information coming out about Dr. Crane could overturn his conviction and get him out of that jail, so we can have a normal life.”
    â€œAnd he disagrees?”
    â€œHe doesn’t think it will do any good. He says, ‘What can
we
do about it?’ Well, I’ve been studying the law. I told him we need a lawyer, a real shark, with a briefcase full of sharp teeth. And we need an investigator to collect some ammunition for the court brief.” She threw up her hands. “But Henry won’t hear of it.”
    â€œIs that why you came here?” Eddie said, still not following her reasoning.
    â€œI got a few days off work and I came to Lowell to do some investigating of my own,” she said. “And I thought you could point me to a place to start.” She trailed off, then added: “But, most importantly, I thought you could help me convince your brother that it’s worth a try. Maybe he’ll listen to you, and together we can talk him into fighting for his freedom.”
    Eddie thought about what she was