“So when you got the promise of several hundred dollars in payment, that was appealing to you, correct?”

Lucienne nods.

The judge leans over. “Mr. Lucienne, you have to speak for the record. With words.”

Lucienne leans into the microphone on the witness stand. “Yeah, yeah, that’s right. I took the job. Went to the parking lot. Found the car, the directions, the key, a little spending money for the trip.”

Hardy walks up close to the witness stand. I keep waiting for the judge to tell her to back off, but he seems to be giving both attorneys free rein.

“Mr. Lucienne, did you know there were human remains in the trunk of the car you were driving?”

“That skeleton? No! If I knew that, I would never have gone anywhere near it. Not for a million bucks!”

“So for all you knew that night, you were just driving a vehicle from Seabrook to Lake Marie.”

“That’s right.”

“Did you know who owned the property that you were driving to?”

“No.”

“Have you ever heard of a company called Tight End Limited?”

“Nope.”

Herb Lucienne might not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, as my mama used to say, but he seems to be answering truthfully. Hell, I believe him.

“Mr. Lucienne,” says Hardy, “you’ve been very patient. I just have a couple more questions for you.”

“Okay.”

“Do you know Cole Wright?”

“Sure,” says Lucienne. “He’s sitting right over there.”

Everyone in the courtroom looks to the defense table. Cole Wright is staring at Lucienne.

“Yes, he is. My fault. I wasn’t clear. I mean, do you know him personally?”

“Personally? No.”

“You’ve never met him? Spoken with him? Texted with him? Exchanged email?”

Lucienne shakes his head. “No!”

“So, to be clear, during this entire mysterious process, you never got any communication from Cole Wright telling you to drive skeletal remains up to his property on Lake Marie?”

Lucienne is animated now, practically jumping out of the witness chair. “Never! I mean, that’d be crazy!”

Hardy gives him a little smile. “I couldn’t agree more. No further questions.”

Looks like the cat just swallowed the canary.

Impressive.

CHAPTER
94

Kingston, New Hampshire

It was a long first day at trial. At the end of it, I grab a Domino’s pizza and a six-pack of Sam Adams and head to my hotel.

The day Cole Wright’s trial was announced, I snagged a hotel room in Kingston, a few miles south of the Rockingham County courthouse. From what I hear, locals are now renting out rooms and basements for five hundred dollars a night.

This entire day has reminded me of Garrett. Drafting the manuscript over the past eight months has distracted me from his death. In a way, it’s also kept him alive.