“Yes, I think so. We’ll start right now.” He leaned forward. “There are a few things you have to understand. In this state the death of a man is taken very seriously. If we find evidence that refutes the coroner’s verdict, we have no choice but to bring it to the attention of the authorities. No choice, do you understand? If we find evidence that corroborates his findings but sheds light on misconduct by him or the police involved, or even the ambulance driver, we must bring that to the authorities, too. The law is perfectly clear on what must be done when a man is the victim of a homicide—homicide meaning any unnatural death, including suicide—and you can be sure that these officials do not want to be accused of malfeasance or negligence. It would be extremely ugly for both of us if we brought accusations. If we have evidence, we’ll be amply protected by the law but there are other ways to bring pressure to bear. We won’t be protected from the press, for example. The newspapers can be manipulated. If you have anything that you don’t want printed, you had better give thought to it now.” He paused, and she said nothing.

“Here’s something else for you to think about,” he said. “I work very closely with the police. Although our communications are privileged in court, I’ll be obliged to discuss certain of them with the police, both here and in Port Smith, to gain access to records that are not public. You have to trust me not to reveal to the police or anyone else something that clearly isn’t their business.”

“I understand that,” she said. She was sitting very straight again.

“And finally, since we will be working together, you’re going to see me do things that you won’t like or understand. You should be prepared. It will seem as if I’m doing business and passing the time of day over your husband’s body. I’m not. If I stop to consider your feelings, you may not get the job you’re paying for. Do you understand that?”

“Yes.”

“Now, on the matter of reports, there won’t be anything in them that we haven’t discussed in advance. I don’t know how often you’ll get reports; that will depend on how fast the information comes in. It will take only a couple of days to know if we’re going to get a run for your money. We’ll review what we have and decide if we should go on. I’ll tell you if I think you ought to drop it. That will mean the end, as far as I’m concerned. We won’t take your money if we can’t earn it.” He did not know if he had forgotten anything. He swiveled toward Florence, who looked up from her notebook.

“Payment,” she said.