Sean shot her a glance. “That’s actually a brilliant question. And one we really need an answer to.”
They got back to Martha’s Inn and both headed to Sean’s room. This caught the eye of the owner, whose name was not Martha but Hazel Burke. She’d lived in this part of Maine all her life, as she had told them at breakfast.
“Your room is on the other side of the hall, dear,” she called up to Michelle from the bottom of the short stack of stairs. From this vantage point she could clearly see the entrance to both rooms. “That is the gentleman’s room you’re about to enter.”
Michelle called back in a tight voice, “But I’m not going to my room. I’m actually going to the gentleman’s room.”
“And will you be staying long in the gentleman’s room?” asked Burke, as she started to climb the steps.
Michelle looked at Sean. “I don’t know. How frisky are you feeling?”
Burke had arrived on the second floor in time to hear this. “Now, dear, we are ladies here.”
“Maybe you’re a lady.”
Sean cut in. “We’re just going to be working on something, Mrs. Burke. A legal case.”
“Oh, you’re a lawyer?”
“Yes.”
“You heard about that other lawyer, didn’t you? That poor Mr. Bergin?”
“How did you know about that?” asked Sean quickly.
Burke wiped her hands on her apron. “Oh, well, dear, murders aren’t so frequent up here that folks don’t talk about them. Everybody knows, I suspect.”
“Right. I guess they do.”
The woman turned to Michelle. “You’re not a lawyer, are you?”
“Why do you say that?” said Michelle stiffly.
“Well, dear, I don’t know you, really, but you just don’t seem the type to wear, you know, dressy clothes.” With obvious distaste, she ran her eyes over Michelle’s faded, tight jeans, dusty boots, white T-shirt, and worn leather jacket.
“You’re right. I actually prefer spandex and spikes.”
“That’s not very nice,” Burke admonished, her broad face growing pink.
“Well, I’m not a very nice person, I guess. Now if you’ll excuse us.”
“I’ll come and check on you in about five minutes.”
“I’d wait a bit longer,” said Michelle.
“Why?” Burke said suspiciously.
Michelle rubbed Sean’s arm. “The gentleman took his Cialis.” She closed the door of Sean’s room with a definite thud. “Okay, that lady is really starting to piss me off.”
“Forget that. I’m going to call Bergin’s office in Charlottesville.”
“Do you think they know?”
“I don’t know. They usually notify the next of kin first. But Ted’s wife is dead and they never had children, at least that he ever mentioned.”
Sean sat on the bed and made the call. Someone answered.
He said, “Hello, it’s Sean King. Is this Hilary? I spoke to you on the phone the other day.” Sean cupped his hand over the phone. “Ted’s secretary.”
Michelle nodded.
“Yes,” said Hilary. “Aren’t you supposed to be meeting with Mr. Bergin at Cutter’s Rock about now?”
Sean looked grim. She didn’t know. “Hilary, I’m afraid I have some bad news. I don’t like doing this on the phone, but you need to know.” He told her.
The woman gasped, tried to steady herself, and then dissolved into tears. “Oh my God. I can’t believe it.”
“Neither can I, Hilary. The FBI are investigating right now.”
“The FBI?”
“It’s complicated.”
“How, how did he die?”
“It wasn’t by natural causes, obviously.”
“Who found the body?”
“I did. I mean me and my partner, Michelle.”
At that moment Hilary’s professional façade completely dissolved.
Sean waited patiently for her to stop sobbing. When it didn’t look like she was going to cease he said, “We can talk again later, Hilary. I’m really sorry to have been the one to have to tell you.”
With a massive effort she composed herself. “No, no, I’m all right. It was, it was just such a shock. I just saw him yesterday morning, before he left on his flight.”
Sean had only talked to Hilary on the phone before and had never met her in person, but he could envision the woman wiping the tears and perhaps most of her makeup and mascara away with a tissue.
“What time was that?”
“His flight or when I saw him last?” To Sean it seemed she was concentrating hard on the details in order to take her mind off her boss being dead.
“Both, actually.”
“Eight o’clock at the office,” she answered promptly. “He had a puddle jumper from Charlottesville to Reagan National. And then a noon flight from there to Portland.”
“Jet or prop?”
“One of those regional jets. United, I think.”
“Same type of plane we took. Okay, they fly high and fast, so that would have put him in Maine a little after one?”
“That’s right.”
“Do you have his schedule? I’d like to know if he met with Edgar Roy while he was up here. And also any times in the past he might have done so.”
“Well, I know he went there yesterday. He told me he had an appointment there at six o’clock. He was concerned that if his flight was delayed he wouldn’t get there in time. I understand it’s quite a drive from Portland.”
“Yes, it is.”
“And he’s certainly been to see Mr. Roy in the past. I don’t recall the exact dates, but I can look them up on the computer and e-mail them to you.”
“That would be great. Uh, I know Ted’s wife had passed away, and I don’t believe they had any kids. But is there anyone that needs to be contacted? I mean any extended family?”
“He had a brother. But he passed on about three years ago now. I never heard him mention anyone else. His family was his work, I guess.”
“I guess.”
Michelle caught his eye and held up two fingers.
Sean nodded and said, “Hilary, did Ted have anyone else working with him? I just assumed he was solo but it suddenly occurred to me that I didn’t know that for sure. I’d been out of touch with him for a couple years.”
“He has an associate. A very bright young lady barely a year out of law school.”
“Really? What’s her name?”
“Megan Riley.”
“Is she in the office now?”
“No, she’s at a court hearing. She said she’d be back a bit after lunch.”
“Was she working on the Roy case?”
“I know that she knew about it. Small firm and all. And she’s done some research on it for Mr. Bergin, because he mentioned it to me.”
“Can you have her contact me when she gets in? I really need to talk to her.”
“Absolutely, I sure will.” She paused. “Sean, are they going to find out who did this awful thing?”
“Well, if the FBI doesn’t, we will. I promise you that.”
“Thank you.”
Sean put the phone down and looked at Michelle.
She said, “Well, that’s good news. He had an associate.”
“A first year. That’s not good news. No way a judge will let her rep a capital murder case. Not one with this high a profile. Too much risk for an incompetent counsel affirmative defense on appeal.”
“But you’re an experienced lawyer.”
“Michelle, I told you, I’m not even sure if my license is active.”
“Then if I were you I’d find out.”
Sean made a few calls. He clicked off the last one with a tiny smile.
“I forgot I had some carry-forward credits. I’m still active.” His smile faded. “But I haven’t been in a court in a long time.”
“Like riding a bike.”
“No, it’s really not.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll be right there with you the whole time.”