The three of them sat around the table in the only interview room, a cup of coffee in front of them. The question hung in the air like an unpleasant stink cloud. “Why did you lie?” A very simple question, but the answer did not seem to come easily. Paul Havers shifted his weight on his chair and continued staring at his hands.

“If it was because of your wife, I can perfectly understand”, said Ben in his kind voice.

Paul shook his head, but did not lift his gaze up. “You know nothing.”

“Then enlighten us”, Kate said and shuffled around a folder that was placed in front of her. From it she presented the printed version of the photo they got from Julian. “You said you have not spoken to June Sanders, and yet here you are, as I can see almost assaulting her.”

The man in front of them buried his head in his hands.

“Can I smoke? Please…” he mumbled.

“This is a non-smoking building”, Kate said strictly.

“Detective Robbins is right”, Ben said. “But maybe just this once we can make an exception.”

Paul looked grateful as he fumbled out the crumpled pack of cigarettes from his pocket. When he placed it on the table the two detectives exchanged a look, but Paul remained oblivious to this interaction. Kate pushed the photo over to his side.

“You have to agree that this doesn’t look good”, she said in a matter of fact voice.

“Nope”, Paul sounded defeated.

“Did you two have an affair?”, Kate asked and her eyes never left the man’s face.

Paul’s eyes seemed to pop out of his face. He looked first at Kate then at Ben, his mouth gaping like a fish.

“An affair? What? I’m married! I love my wife!”, he protested and Kate could see genuine confusion on his face.

“Mr. Havers, surely you understand we need to ask these questions. You did not tell us the truth about that night when we visited you yesterday.”

“It’s not what you think”, Paul replied quietly.

“What do we think?”, Kate said as she crossed her arm and leaned back on her chair.

“No idea!”, Paul shrugged. “But you clearly asked me to come down here because somehow you took it into your head that I have something to do with June’s murder.”

“We never said you do, Mr. Havers”, Ben said calmly.

“Why don’t you just start from the beginning”, Kate suggested. “How long did you know June?”

He shrugged. “A couple months or so.”

“How did you meet?”

“In the Red Cow. I was there with David.”

“David Foster?”

“Right.”

“What was the relationship between you and June Sanders?”

Silence.

“Paul?”, Kate repeated the question.

“Nothing! There was nothing, damn it!”, Paul smashed his cigarette butt into the cup Ben gave him earlier.

“Paul, listen to me”, Ben’s voice was soft, patient. “Right now, we are not accusing you with anything. But if you continue evading our questions, this can quickly change. You don’t want that, do you? You want to go home tonight to your wife, don’t you?”

Paul muttered his agreement, barely audible.

“Good”, Ben said in a cheerful tone. “Then let’s get back to topic, shall we? You met June Sanders in the Red Cow, but as you said you did not have any romantic affair with her, and yet in this picture it is seen clearly that you two are having a disagreement. I can also see your wife in this picture and she does not seem to be please. This raises some further questions.”

“I love my wife”, Paul said and looked so miserable that Kate felt sorry for him for a second. “I haven’t been the greatest husband to her recently. But I have not cheated on her. I know she thinks otherwise. Emily…” Paul took a shuddering breath and lit another cigarette.

“It’s a small town, so we’ve known each other since we were kids. But in high school we fell in love”, he continued, staring at a point above Kate’s head. “I promised her I will always be there for her, take care of her, love her forever. After my father died last year, we inherited his farmhouse… and with it a crippling debt. I had no idea… whatever money I was making just wasn’t enough. I couldn’t tell Emily. She was so happy! All she could talk about was that finally now we can have a baby. A baby! Can you imagine? I had no idea if we can even eat the next month! But I never told her. I couldn’t.”

Ben and Kate sat in silence while Paul finished his cigarette. He was in the zone and they did not want to disturb his train of thoughts.

“I started taking on more work. On weekends I went to help out on Adam Swanson’s farm. Things got better for a while, but it was a miserable life. Then about two months ago Emily told me she’s pregnant… I thought everything was over. That was when I met June. It was like my prayers finally got answered. At first I was hesitant, but she convinced me that this is perfectly legit. I just had to make a few deliveries, nothing serious. But the pay… I did not want to believe it first, but she said these men have more money than time and they don’t mind paying if I made their lives easier. I had to drive out of town a few times a week, to deliver parcels to various contacts. It all went well… But then one day, I ended up delivering the wrong parcel to the wrong man. I have no idea how that happened. But they were on to me the same evening. I knew I was in trouble, but I didn’t expect… they… they held a gun to my face and told me either compensate their loss, or they will pay a visit to Emily.”

Paul dropped his arms on the table and hid his face, but Kate could hear the sobbing. She reached over the table and placed a hand on the man’s arm, fighting back her revulsion.

When Paul spoke again, he was calmer. He wiped his eyes with the side of his hand.

“I should have quit. It was fucking scary. I had no money… June gave me the cash. Said she took it from the business behind the boss’ back. She recommended me, so I was her responsibility. I owed her big time. I emptied our savings account to pay her back, but that was not enough. She said I can get the rest of the money if I just take one more job. I wanted to say no, I really did, but when I heard what the next client would pay I couldn’t resist. The job was different though. That time instead of a parcel, I had to drive a man to somewhere, outside Montclair. He looked real rich. Expensive suit, golden watch, you name it, he had it. He told me to wait for him outside this club. I was sitting there for hours. I saw Emily tried to call me a few times, but I never answered. What would I have said? ‘Hey, honey, sure, I’ll be home for dinner, let me just drive this gangster home first.’ Fucking ridiculous. He never came back though. Another man in another fancy suit knocked on my window and told me the plan changed, I should just drive home and forget about this place.”

Paul ran his fingers through his hair a few times and lit another cigarette. “Trust me, I never said a word to anyone. Not even to Emily. I saw how she looked at me. She knew I was lying. I hoped it was the end of it. But they obviously thought otherwise. Friday night June came over to me and said I need to make another ‘delivery’. I told her I want to quit. She said it’s not an option because she needs that money back. When she told me what they said they will do to Emily, I lost it. I’m not proud of this. I just wanted her to understand that she can’t drag me into this anymore. But she didn’t care. I drank more than I should have and I wasn’t in my most patient mood. I told her she better fix this or she’s coming down with me.”

“So you blame June for what happened to you? The money loss, the stress on your marriage?”, Kate asked.

“Oh, I blame myself just as much, no questions about that. But if it weren’t for June, this would never have happened”, he glared back at her.

“What time did you leave that night?”, Ben asked.

“I don’t remember. It’s kind of blurry. Probably around 10.30. I saw the pie stand packed up and Anna usually stays only until that time…”

“Where did you go after that?”

“Home. With my wife. She wasn’t feeling well. Wanted to walk, have some fresh air.”

“Did you leave her later to go back to the festival?”

Silence.

“Did you, Mr. Havers?”

“No. My wife already told you I was at home”, he said very quietly, not looking at any of them.

“Well, thank you for your time”, Ben said as he pushed his chair back. “Please wait here for a moment, Officer Williams will take your fingerprints. This is just routine, you see, nothing to worry about.”

Before Paul could say something, Ben left the room. Kate just stood there, looking at the man tugging at his hair desperately.

“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry”, he kept repeating, for nobody in particular.