Dead Down East (10 page)

It was after eleven, but I knew that the evening was
just getting started. We’d both slept through the late afternoon,
and Cynthia’s account of the murder had our juices flowing.

When supper was hot and toasted, I served it in the
living room. We ate in silence; Cynthia kept to herself, and I
stared into the night. Initially, I had wondered why Cynthia didn’t
want to speak to the police, and especially to the FBI. They would
be able to provide all the protection she might need. Now I was
beginning to get the picture.

Although she saw the murderer’s face, she apparently
had no idea who he was, and almost certainly there must have been
at least one accomplice. How else could it have been pulled off so
smoothly? So it was entirely possible that they knew she was with
William. And even if they didn’t, once she became an eyewitness,
attention would be focused on her. It was bound to get sordid and
messy. Eventually the public would know the whole story. Her life
would never be the same again; not that it will be anyway. But it
would be much worse for her if the whole story were exposed. I
found her to be both astute and sensitive—an appealing combination
in a woman—and the sensitive part would take a real beating. It was
obvious to me now why Cynthia felt so threatened and didn’t want to
go to the police. If I were in her shoes, I too would find a
private detective and go on the lamb.

After we finished our dinner, I said, “One thing is
puzzling me. If you were just going to the movies, why do you have
all of your clothes? I assume you didn’t go back to the house by
yourself.”

I watched Cynthia closely as she answered my
question.

“William insisted that I keep all my things with us
in the car when we went to the movie,” she said. “The guard was
free to inspect William’s home for security reasons while we were
gone. He might discover my clothing or my overnight case in the
bathroom.”

“I see,” I said.

Cynthia didn’t miss a beat. Her explanation was
logical, and her poise was impeccable. It set my mind at ease…for
the moment.

“If you’re up to it,” I said, “I’d like to know more
about the governor, what he was like, how you met…things like that.
Later we can return to the murder scene and discuss a few
details.”

Cynthia nodded and said, “OK.”

“I met William for the first time shortly after he
was elected, three-and-a-half years ago. As you know, my
ex-husband, Travis, is a member of the security staff assigned to
protect the governor and other visiting dignitaries. Between the
time of his election and his inauguration, a dinner party was
arranged for William and his staff to get acquainted with the
security team. The families of all concerned were invited. Travis
and I were both enthusiastic about going. The party was held at the
Regency Inn and Spa on Western Avenue.

“After a few short speeches and dinner, we all
adjourned to the beautiful indoor pool area. We sat around the pool
and had some drinks.

“Rebecca and William were not attentive to one
another. In fact, Rebecca seemed genuinely bored and uninterested.
This surprised me, as I had assumed she would be reveling in her
newfound celebrity—First Lady of Maine.

“William, on the other hand was warm and gracious to
everyone. He flirted with several of the wives and girlfriends, but
it all seemed innocent to me. It was meant to be a celebration, and
it was clearly the governor’s show. When Travis formally introduced
us, William flirted with me as well. Rebecca hardly noticed, but
Travis did.

“The drive home that night was ice cold. Travis was
completely unresponsive, until he broke the silence with, ‘How
could you?’

“‘How could I…what?’ I asked, shocked and put
out.

“‘You practically invited the governor to your bed,’
he said.

“‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ I said. ‘We were just being
friendly. That’s what the party was all about.’

“Strange as it may seem, that was a turning point in
our marriage. Things were chilly between us throughout the winter,
and they stayed that way even when the weather warmed up in spring.
Our marriage was never the same. It seemed so odd to me that one
rather minor incident could unravel things so completely. But it
did.

“As you know, we were divorced about a year later.
That’s when the stalking began; that’s when I hired you.”

I nodded, without saying anything.

Cynthia continued, “Before we split up, Travis would
come home from work and complain to me about the escapades of the
governor. Travis was never specific, but it was evident that the
governor was having an affair and quite possibly more than one. He
was a very attractive, wealthy and powerful man with a detached
wife. According to Travis, women moved in like ants to a picnic. It
was clear that Travis not only resented me for being attracted to
William, but he was also jealous of William who could attract the
ladies so effortlessly. I’m sure it made Travis feel emasculated.
He hated being subordinate to anyone.”

For a short time Cynthia just stopped talking. I
waited awhile and then decided to pose a few questions.

“I assume you didn’t recognize the murderer,” I
said.

“That’s correct.”

“Do you have any idea who might be involved?” I
asked.

“No,” she said, rather conclusively.

“Did William ever talk about any personal
enemies?”

“No. Occasionally we’d talk about his political
squabbles, but nothing seemed especially personal. Besides,
politics and romance are like oil and water. He wanted to hear
about my real estate work more than he wanted to discuss
politics.”

“Do you know the names of any of the women who might
have had an affair with him?” I asked.

“Not really. Travis was instructed by his superiors
to be completely discrete about William’s private life. If a rumor
ever went public, there would be an investigation, and heads would
roll. I guess I could suggest a couple of names, but I really
couldn’t say if either of them actually slept with him. William
never talked about other women. Well…Rebecca, of course, but no one
else.”

I said, “Just a minute. It’s time to take some notes.
I’ll get a pen and paper.”

I returned from my office with a legal pad and pen,
ready to write.

“OK, Cynthia, please give me the names of the women
that were closest to the governor, especially anyone who might have
had a romance with him.”

“As far as I know, there are two women who are
possibilities,” Cynthia said. “While I was with William, I really
didn’t want to know any of his prior affairs. I’m not even certain
he had any, but I think it’s fairly likely. When we started dating,
he seemed comfortable having both a wife and a girlfriend, as if it
were familiar ground. But I was swept away, and I didn’t really
care about his past. The two women that come to mind are Michelle
Jackson and Emily Haywood. I really don’t know much about
either.”

“Did you ever see them interact with the governor?” I
asked.

“I saw them once, and that was at the pre-inaugural
party. William was friendly with both of them. Michelle was
particularly enthralled with him. Emily seemed more surprised and a
little shy. The only reason I even remember their names is that a
couple of times they came up in conversations between William and
Richard. But nothing that they said indicated there had been a
romantic connection. Obviously Richard could tell you more than I
can.”

“For sure. I’ll want to talk with him as soon as he
gets back. By the way, did he tell you when that would be?”

“He said he’d be coming home immediately. He’s
probably in Augusta now.”

“All right,” I said. “What about Travis? Do you think
there is any chance that he is involved in the murder? After all,
he was jealous of William, and he did stalk you after your divorce.
He had both a motive and opportunity.”

“I have considered that, of course. Travis does have
a temper,” Cynthia said. “But I really can’t imagine him doing
this. Of course, I have a hard time imagining
anyone
doing
this, so it’s difficult for me to single someone out. Travis has
not had any contact with me for at least a year. I’ve seen him at
the grocery store. Augusta is a small town, so our paths cross now
and again. We never talk, and we both avoid eye contact. I suppose
it is possible that he’s involved, but I doubt it.”

“I want to have a talk with him to see what he knows,
but it’s rather doubtful that he will talk to me, especially if he
thinks you hired me. Do you think he knows about your affair with
William?”

“I don’t know. That’s possible too, but I have no way
of knowing. Richard might know.”

“Right. I think the best way to proceed is for you to
call Richard tomorrow, and see if he can come out here so that we
can talk together. It’s fine that he knows I’ll be working for you,
but he’s the only one that should. I think he’ll be able to provide
me with some suggestions of where to begin the investigation. I
also want to ask a favor of him.

“I want him to be my ‘client,’ not officially, but in
name only. When I interview anyone close to the governor, he or she
might be more willing to talk if they think I represent Richard,
rather than you. If it’s a woman, Richard will appear less
threatening to them. The ‘other woman’ might engender some
jealousy. Furthermore, since Richard obviously knows a lot about
William’s personal relationships, they might be more inclined to
tell the truth, rather than be caught in an obvious lie.”

“Good idea,” Cynthia said. “I’m sure that will be
fine with Richard. But we’ll have to ask him, of course.”

“OK,” I said. “There are just a couple more things I
want to talk about tonight. Then we’ll get some sleep and start
fresh tomorrow.”

“Fine,” she said.

“Let’s go back to the murder scene. You saw the
murderer. What did he look like?”

“He seemed to be just about the same height as
William. Six feet or so. He looked strong and well built…probably a
little less than 200 pounds. He was wearing a ball cap, so I
couldn’t see his hair, but the most prominent feature on his face
was his beard. And I’m pretty sure it was fake.”

“How could you tell?” I asked.

“After struggling with William’s body, he stood up.
I’m almost certain that part of the beard had come loose from his
sideburns. It looked as if he pasted it back into place with the
hand that was holding the towel. It happened very quickly, but
that’s what it looked like. It was a very full dark beard. It
certainly obscured a clear view of his face. Plus, the cap was
pulled down fully over his forehead. All I could see clearly were
his eyes and nose.”

“How about his voice?”

“I only heard him call out two times, once to William
and once to the neighbor. I didn’t notice anything unusual about
it. It was a strong masculine voice. I would guess he is about 40
years old.”

“How about his car?”

“It was a silver Honda CRV. I got the license
plate.”

“Whoa! What made you do that?”

“As William was walking around to help, I had a clear
view of it. Our lights were shining right on the back end of his
SUV. It had one of those lobster vanity plates. It read, ‘GOFURS.’
Until the shot was fired, I was trying to figure out what it meant.
After it was all over, and he drove away, I escaped into the night.
Later I wrote it down on a pad in my purse so I wouldn’t forget.
I’ll double check now, but it sticks in my mind like a
photograph.”

Cynthia opened her purse and pulled out a note pad
and handed it to me. I copied it to my legal pad.

“I can find the owner of that license plate,” I said.
“The DMV will not give out the owner’s information to the public,
but licensed investigators have online access to it. I can get the
registered owner’s name, make and model of the vehicle. It normally
takes one business day to get a response. I’ll boot up my computer
and place the order for the information tonight. We should have the
name by Tuesday.

“There’s something else I’d like to discuss before we
turn in for the night,” I said. “I have not told anyone that we
have been in touch. You are welcome to stay here as long as you
like. But if you do stay, I will have to explain you to my
girlfriend, Angele. When we spoke this morning, she said she would
be coming here on Thursday. Also, my band will be here on Thursday
for practice. They don’t have to know about you, but Angele will.
Is that OK?”

“Yes. Just be sure that Angele does not tell anyone
about me. Also, I haven’t made it entirely clear what I would like
you to do. I’d like to clarify that now. I want to hire you full
time for three basic responsibilities. First, I want you to check
out my home and see if anyone goes there or hangs around. I hope
you can set up a permanent surveillance camera.”

“Yes. I can install it tomorrow. I have a four-camera
system. I’ll set it up to watch front, back and inside. We’ll be
able to monitor your house remotely from here over the Internet.
Why don’t you give me the keys to your home? I’ll take care of that
first thing in the morning.”

Cynthia pulled her keys out of her bag and tossed
them to me. Then she said, “It might be a good idea to pick up my
car as well.”

“OK. I think I can get Eric to help me with that. If
he is free tomorrow morning, I’ll pick him up on the way to your
house, and he can drive your car back here. We’ll be careful not to
be followed, in case anyone is looking for you. I even have a set
of ‘temporary’ plates that I can put on my own car, to help keep my
own identity more confidential. I got the plates from a junkyard
for just this kind of situation. It will be the first time I’ve
actually used them.”

“In case I haven’t made it clear, Jesse,” Cynthia
continued, “I also want you to find out who killed William.”