Murder Deja Vu

witness? This time he wasn’t unconscious. He’d gone straight home from Dana’s and never left.
    There were things he hadn’t gotten around to telling her. One of them was his paralyzing fear of being locked up, confined in a small space. He’d endured fifteen years in a pen, and the day he walked out of prison, he promised himself he’d never again be enclosed by four walls and bars and a locked door.
    He’d constructed skylights in every room of his house so he could see the clouds and stars to know the universe existed, and all he had to do to free himself was open a door and walk through. He’d wake soaked in sweat from those nightmares where he was trapped in a dungeon for eternity like Edmond Dantès. Only, unlike the story in his dream, Reece found no escape, and each day intensified the madness until he was quite insane. Yet, here he was in real life, locked in a cell once more, terrified he’d never get out.
    He thought of Dana and what she must have felt when they hauled him out of her house, half naked. She couldn’t see him this way, because then she’d see the tightrope he walked between sanity and madness. Jeraldine knew. If it weren’t for her, he’d still be inside, rotting away. Maybe he’d have been paroled when he was old and gray—he forced a smile, he was half gray now—or maybe not. He wouldn’t have given himself much of a chance. Heinous crime, that was what they said. Yes, it was. No one knew better than he did.

Chapter Nine
Jeraldine

    D ana would have known Jeraldine De Bolt from Reece’s description if the woman had appeared amid the throng at La Guardia. It was a no-brainer in Asheville. Apparently, Dana must have stood out to her too.
    “Hi ya, honey,” Jeraldine said, walking directly to her. “I’d know you anywhere.” She flung her big arms around Dana and pulled her to her very substantial bosom.
    Flustered, Dana asked, “How?”
    Jeraldine looked around. “You see the women here? If my boy Reece hadn’t picked you out of this crowd of earth mothers, then he’s in more trouble than I thought.”
    Jeraldine was a big woman. Not fat, just a large-sized woman who used her stature to command the space. Her face was flat-out beautiful. Huge, brown, liquid eyes and full, brightly-glossed lips in skin the color of milk chocolate. She wore a deep purple pantsuit with a cherry-colored silk blouse that matched her lipstick. Dana felt small and plain next to her.
    “This is Clarence Wright,” Jeraldine said, introducing the unassuming man next to her, “which he is, almost one hundred percent of the time. And he’s the best goddamn investigator in the Northern Hemisphere. So, now that we’re all friends, let’s get down to business.”
    Clarence had a shit-eating grin on his face, along with an expression of adoration. No doubt he had the same reverence toward Jeraldine that Reece had. He offered his hand, and said, “You ain’t seen nothing yet. Pleased to meet you, Dana.”
    By the time Dana turned around, Jeraldine was rattling off questions into the phone clamped to her ear. “Fuck what?…Who’s that?…I’m coming.”
    She turned to Dana. “It’s Sunday, and Reece is stuck until tomorrow, at least. The judge won’t set bail until after he looks over the facts. If he sets bail.”
    “What―what do you mean, if? You mean Reece could stay in jail?”
    “I’ll find out, honey. Don’t get upset until we know. Believe me, I don’t want Reece in jail a second longer than right this minute, but some things take time.”
    Jeraldine wasn’t telling her everything. The lawyer wrapped her arm around Dana’s shoulder, but that didn’t alleviate the sinking feeling in her stomach.
    “We have a car with GPS reserved, but we’ll follow you into town, and I’ll see what’s going on. Booked a couple of rooms at a B&B in downtown Regal Falls, which I’m guessing is near the station.”
    “Pine House,” Dana said. “It’s the only one, and you’re right. It’s within walking distance of the police station. So is everything else. Regal Falls isn’t very big.”
    “That was what the Internet said. Lovely walking town.”
    “I thought you’d stay with me,” Dana said. “I have space, a little messy at the moment, but you’re welcome.”
    “I don’t want to tie you down, and we’ll be free to see what the fuck is going on here.”
    “Can’t I go with you? To see Reece, I mean.”
    Jeraldine flicked a glance at Clarence. “I doubt