Angels Fall

every damn where. Blew himself right out of the chair he'd been sitting in."
    "That's horrible. It must've been horrible for you to find him."
    "It wasn't a stroll on an island beach. After the cops did what cops do in such cases. I went back in. Had to clean the place, didn't I?"
    "Yourself?"
    "Damn right myself I scrubbed and I scrubbed, and I bitched and I cursed. Look what that son of a bitch did to my place. Bastard drove-thousands of miles to shoot his stupid head off in my place. I poured out buckets stained with blood and God knows and I threw out what had been a perfectly good rug that'd cost me fifty dollars. And I chewed the head off anybody who offered to help me. I skinned the hide of my William when he came out to try."

    "I see," Reece replied. And she did.
    "Had to be mad, didn't I? Had to rant and rage and slap at my boy for wanting to help me out. Because if I didn't, I'd never be able to stand it."
    Joanie walked over to the sink, dumped out the coffee that had gone cold. "Don't rent that particular cabin to outsiders anymore. Just to locals who want to use it for a hunting or fishing trip or the like." She poured herself more coffee. ''So I've got some understanding of what was in your gut yesterday. True enough you didn't know that, but you damn sure should know me better by this time."
    "Joanie—"
    "If you needed to take off after going down to Rick's office—if you needed to go off—it's stupid, and it's goddamn insulting for you to think I'd've given you any grief over it. Or I'd give you any about it now."
    "You're absolutely right. I should've known better." She slid her gaze to where Joanie popped breakfast biscuits out of the oven. "I slapped at you and Brody the hardest, because you're the closest. The two people I trust most."
    "That's some compliment."
    "Did Lo come in, after I saw him at the mercantile?"
    "He did. Linda-gail, open her up! But since I don't take orders from you, you'll get your check on payday like everyone else."
    "I, ah, swiped at him, too, and at Mr. Drubber."
    "Grown men ought to be able to handle a woman's temper from time to time." A snort from Linda-gail had Joanie looking over her shoulder.
    "Some men never grow up. They're spoiled little bovs all their lives. Only way you'd've hurt Lo's feelings, Reece, is it you'd swiped at his balls. That's what runs the show for him."
    "He may be an ass, Linda-gail,"Joanie said mildly,"but he's still mine." Though she colored up a little, Linda-gail shrugged."Can't help how I feel about it. But if you're worried, Reece, he told me he could see you were awful upset. He didn't hold anything you said against you." The door opened with a jingle. "Hey, Doc, hey, Mr. D." Linda-gail grabbed the coffeepot. "You're bright and early this morning."
    Reece hunched her shoulders, but she got out the eggs and bacon she expected to be cooking up shortly.
    "I don't reckon Mac'll hold anything against you, either." In a move that took Reece completely by surprise, Joanie gave her a couple of light pats on the back. "You want to use your break later, you can use my office, call my produce supplier. I'll give you a fifty-dollar budget—not a cent more—to order some of the damn fancy-pants herbs and such you're always whining for." 
    "I can do a lot with fifty." To start, Reece thought, and in her head she was pumping her fist in the air.
    "Better damn sight," Joanie muttered.

    IN THE BOOTH, Doc cut into his short stack. Wasn't his day for pancakes, but it was hard to deny himself after Mac had asked for this little breakfast meeting. And if he had a second cup of real coffee instead of switching to decaf, it wasn't such a big deal in the larger scheme.
    "Now, Mac, you know I can't discuss Reece's medical business. It's privileged."
    "I'm not asking you to. I'm just asking what you think. I'm telling you, that girl's in trouble. You didn't see her yesterday." Mac gestured with his fork before scooping into his huevos rancheros. "I did."
    "Heard enough about it."
    "I wasn't sure she'd still be here." Mac angled his head so he could see back into the kitchen. "In fact, I figured she'd be long gone by now."
    "I guess she has more reason to stay than go."
    "I don't know. Doc." Concern deepened the creases in Mac's brow, tightened his voice. "The way she was storming around my place. Mad. sure, but she just didn't look well. I told you I was worried enough I went on down to check on her after I closed up. And her place was locked up tight as