Someone please explain the beginning scene tape recorder

SPOILER QUESTION:
It had been years since I'd seen this and on review I noticed that the tape recorder in the opening shot over the dinner dialogue is actually on the dinner table (and next to the killer--the shot of the tape recorder is bordered by the banana bowl which are also shown near his seat at the table). I recalled it as just being an opening mood shot of playback later, but that's not the case.

So my question is--what's up with this? Is the recorder on the table at this dinner, and if so why? It can't possibly be surreptitious, it's clearly shown from above just sitting on the table cloth before the cut to the people at the table.

Any answers or educated theories other than Pakula just wanted to reveal the mystery in the first frame (which would be dumb but I didn't get it so maybe it's smart).