“What about Janet and Lucy?” Donoghue asks. “Are they married?”

I’m caught by surprise and feel another wave of misgiving and maybe shame as I reply, “Actually I don’t know.”

“You don’t know if the niece you’ve raised like a daughter is married?”

“They’ve never said anything. Not to me.”

“But you would know if they are.”

“Not necessarily. It wouldn’t be unlike Lucy to get married in secret. But I’d be surprised,” I explain. “It wasn’t all that long ago that she told Janet to move out.”

“Why?”

“Lucy fears for Janet’s safety, for Desi’s safety.” I glance at Lucy, making sure she can’t hear me.

She’s standing with her back to me as she looks at something on her phone.

“Aren’t they safer with her?” Donoghue asks.

“It doesn’t seem Lucy thought so several months ago.”

“Married people can kick each other out of the house. You don’t have to be unmarried to have that happen.”

“Which brings me back to the same thing. I don’t know what they are. I don’t know if they’re protected by spousal privilege. You’ll have to ask them.”

“Does Janet know she shouldn’t say a word to the FBI?” Donoghue asks. “Because they’ll try to trick her into chatting, into anything they possibly can. If they ask her what time it is or what she ate for breakfast, she’s not to tell them.”

“Janet is former FBI. She’s an attorney. She’s knows how to handle them.”

“Yes, yes I know. Both she and Lucy are former FBI, meaning they’re overly confident about their ability to handle the FBI. Does Benton know what’s happening? I’m assuming he must.”

“I have no idea.” I don’t want to.

It’s yet one more unthinkable possibility. A strong possibility. In fact it’s hard to imagine Benton didn’t know his own family was about to be raided. How could he not have known? This isn’t a spontaneous event. The Feds planned it.

“I saw him in court early this morning at a status hearing,” Donoghue adds. “I started to say he acted as if everything is fine. But he always acts like that.”

“Yes he does.” I don’t recall Benton telling me he had court this morning.

“And you haven’t told him where you are right now and what’s happening,” Donoghue makes sure. “And he’s given you no reason to suspect he knows?”

Benton and I had coffee together. We spent a few quiet minutes on our sunporch before both of us got ready for work, and I envision his handsome face, conjuring it up from hours earlier.

“He didn’t,” I reply.