Page 102 of The Right to Remain

“Did you bury your gun in your yard?”

Important question number two. “No.”

“Do you speak Japanese?”

“No.”

“Did you hide your gun from the police?”

Another big one. “No.”

“Are you sitting down now?”

“Yes.”

“Did you fire your gun on the day your husband died?”

The paydirt question. Under Patricia’s agreement with the prosecutor, it was as close as the examiner would come to asking if Helena shot Owen.

“No,” said Helena.

There was silence, save for the hum of the machine. The next few moments seemed to last forever, but finally the examiner asked another question.

“Are you glad this test is over?”

“Yes,” she said with a cathartic smile.

Simms turned off the machine and helped Helena disconnect thewires. The prosecutor stepped out from behind Helena and handed the examiner her business card.

“How soon until we get the results?” she asked.

“I can email a report by the end of the day,” he said.

“That’s good enough for me,” said Patricia. “I’m sure this will only confirm what we already know. My client had nothing to do with the death of her husband.”

Helena’s nerves were still frayed from the whole experience, and she was trying to avoid making eye contact with the prosecutor, but she couldn’t help herself.

Weller’s expression chilled her.

“We shall see,” said Weller. She thanked the examiner for his time and left the room.

“What was that about?” asked Helena.

The examiner was still packing up his equipment, and talking in front of him wasn’t smart. Helena and her lawyer stepped out of the conference room to another office across the hall.

“Weller is still angry that I wouldn’t let the examiner ask the home run question: Did you shoot your husband.”

“You explained the reason to her,” said Helena.

“I did. And she’ll come around as soon as we find out you passed the polygraph with flying colors. For now it’s just more prosecutorial drama. Ignore it.”

Helena hated drama. Owen was drama. But there was something else on her mind. “What if I didn’t pass?”

“It’s possible,” said Patricia. “Like I said from the beginning, there’s a reason polygraph results are not admissible in court. Good liars keep their cool and pass. Honest people get nervous and fail.”

“But if Mr. Simms tells the prosecutor I failed the test, what do we do then?”

Patricia laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “Then we figure out another way to keep Elliott Stafford from getting away with murder.”