My question is, why are you writing 'you don't want to be caught up in this mess'? Is this the character's thoughts or is the protagonist meant to be a stand in for the reader? For what reason(s) does the character want to avoid getting into the mess?
For the other thing, I would just leave it at 'she's a suspect' or 'she's a witness', not 'might be this or that'. If she's a witness, let the reader decide how suspicious she is. If she's a suspect, let the reader decide how innocent she is. How many suspects and witnesses are you planning on adding?