video in question.
I was more than a little surprised by Gerryâs response or, rather, by the lack thereof. He watched the film from beginning to end without comment and without blanching. It made me wonder what Mr. Gerard Willis had done before he became âFirst Spouse.â
The video ended. Mel switched off Joshâs iPhone and returned it to the box.
âThat doesnât mean anything,â Willis said. âJust because that video turned up on his phone doesnât mean Josh is involved in what happened.â
Parental denial is pretty much standard the world over. âWhatever it was, my kid (or grandkid) didnât do it. Couldnât possibly have done it!â
Next Mel retrieved the bag containing the scarf and handed it over.
âWe found the scarf in his bedroom,â Mel said quietly. âIt was concealed between Joshâs mattress and the box spring. Josh claims it was placed inside his locker at school without his knowledge.â
âThat isnât necessarily the same scarf,â Gerry argued, handing it back.
Mel smiled at him before returning the scarf to the box. âBelieve me, Mr. Willis,â she said. âWeâre going to make every effort to determine if this is the same scarf.â
âWhereâs Josh now?â Gerry asked.
âHeâs upstairs with his attorney, Mr. McCarthy,â Mel said. âYour wife saw fit toââ
Gerry turned a disbelieving eye on Marsha. âDoes that mean youâve hired Garvin to be Joshâs defense attorney?â
âHeâs good,â Marsha said quickly. âHeâs very good.â
âHeâs also very expensive.â
Marsha nodded. âHe is that, but you need to go back to bed now, Gerry. Itâs four oâclock. Itâs time for your medicationâthe one youâre supposed to take with food.â
âIâm not going back to bed,â Gerry said determinedly. âI need to think. If youâll bring the meds, Iâll take them here.â
Looking depleted, Marsha Longmire stood up. Right that minute she was a long way from being Governor Longmire.
âIâll go make some sandwiches for everyone, then,â she said. She turned to Mel and me. âIs tuna on whole wheat okay?â
I remembered then that we hadnât had lunch.
âSure,â I said. âTuna would be great.â
I should have thought that the governor would have a cook at her beck and call. Thereâs a good reason I donât play poker. Most of the time the expressions on my face are a dead giveaway. Thatâs what happened this time, too.
âToday is the chefâs day off, and weâve had to cut back on her helperâs hours. So on Mondays Gerry usually cooks. Not at the moment, however, so youâll have to settle for what he likes to call my burnt offerings.â
For the first time I saw a look of genuine affection pass between the governor and the First Husband.
âYouâre not such a terrible cook,â Gerry said. âI donât think anyone is going to starve.â
Marsha smiled gamely. Since we had been turned into inadvertent guests who were evidently going to be there for a while, she must have decided that a bit of hospitality was in order.
âWhat would you like to drink?â
âItâs summer,â I said. âIced tea if youâve got it.â
Marsha turned to Mel. âAnd for you?â
âIced tea would be great.â
As Marsha walked past her husbandâs wheelchair, she gave Gerry a breezy buss on the top of his balding head. Once she disappeared through an open doorway that led into an immense dining room, Gerry Willis immediately turned to us.
âHow much do you know about my grandson?â he asked.
Whenever possible, itâs always a good idea to let the subjects of interviews ask and answer their own questions. A lot of times theyâll blurt out exactly what you
Legs McNeil, Jennifer Osborne, Peter Pavia