"Hooky, what's with the coffee?"

[counto]

Well in The Reptile Room, Fernald is disguised as a doctor (Dr O. Lucafont) in assisting Count Olaf as Stephano to convince Mr Poe that Monty was killed by the Incredibly Deadly Viper. It's a fact that Olaf and his troupe use disguises to pull of his crimes.

In the Vile Village, Olaf is disguised as Detective Dupain to frame the Baudelaire's for his "murder". Which does work.

It's mentioned also that what happened at Lucky Smells Lumbermill was considered as an "accident" by the police.
If Olaf is able to convince people he's a detective, than Fernald would be able to get close enough to the crime scene in order to remove any kind of evidence that incriminates him or Count Olaf.

Now I believe that Fernald under the alias of either Smith or Jones to cover up Olaf's tracks.

[Optimism is my Phil-osophy]

I need to disagree for chronological reasons involving my understanding of LSTUA. (I'm still without the book, so there may be inaccuracies): If I'm not mistaken, these detectives give interviews about the description of the cheesemakers' home. This possible destruction (which may be nothing more than a rumor) happened after a villain disguised as a cow passed by. And that happened after the publication of TRR in the universe of Lemony. And the publication of TRR took place after some years of the main events described in ASOUE, that is to say, after Fernald's repentance occurred.