Murder Deja Vu

her mind, she said, “I know Reece. He spoke your name with reverence. He’s not a man who can hide his feelings. That’s what’s so special about him. There’s not a phony bone in his body. He loves you or I don’t know people, and I know him well enough to be sure he wouldn’t have gone there after making love to you. That’s not Reece Daughtry’s style. Believe me, and believe him.”
    “I do, but I want to hear him tell me.”
    Jeraldine lifted her drink. She swirled the liquid in the glass and took a deep swallow before speaking. “That’s not trust, Dana. That’s doubt. Don’t you think he’s been doubted enough?”
    Guilt washed over her. “I do trust him, Jeraldine. I do.”
    “Then when he gets out, don’t ask him where he went after he left you. Don’t.” Jeraldine’s steady fix on Dana’s face bordered on a scowl. Dana looked away, ashamed.
    “He didn’t stay at my house Friday night. I asked him to, but he wouldn’t.”
    “It’s not you, honey. He has trouble with closed-in spaces. That’s why he built his house with skylights. He has to see the outside, know it’s there. Now, tell me. Anyone you know have it in for Reece besides your ex? Yeah, I heard all about that.”
    “I’ve only known him a little over a month. I don’t think he talks enough to make anyone mad.”
    “No, you’re right. He’s a quiet man. Always was.” Jeraldine reached across the table and covered Dana’s hand with hers. “I said not to go to him because Reece won’t see you behind bars. When he gets out, which looks like tomorrow at the earliest, he’ll need some time alone.”
    Dana had finished her wine without realizing. Jeraldine had waved for another round, and Dana raised the fresh one to her lips. She wasn’t much of a drinker, but tonight the wine calmed the flutters in her stomach. Jeraldine still had her hand on Dana’s, and her rich, comforting voice brought her back from a place where she felt like bursting into tears.
    “You know, honey, there are people we meet in this life who touch us in some indefinable way. Reece did that for me, and I see he’s had the same effect on you. It doesn’t matter how long we know a person to have those feelings. It might be a year or an hour. That’s the way it is sometimes. But don’t hold back because you’re afraid he’s going to break. He came close for a while, but if he didn’t in that hellhole, he won’t now. He’s sensitive, but he’s also tough, and he knows to get help if he’s on the edge. He’ll come back to his normal, which is what you knew before this happened.”
    “What was he like? I mean before.”
    Jeraldine blew out a breath and took a deep pull on her drink. “Ah, Reece. Such a beautiful man. You should have seen him back then. Pretty boy. He’s tall, but he was big, like a linebacker, all blond hair and pink cheeks. Looked like some kind of Norse warrior. But talk about a babe in the woods. He didn’t know what the fuck was going on. He’s hard now. Pink gone to the sun, all angles and sinewy muscle. Must’ve lost forty pounds.
    “When the police arrested him, his father sent this big-money prick to defend him, but the bastard wanted to close it out and be done with him. Have Reece say he committed the murder so he’d get life with the possibility of parole. Massachusetts doesn’t have the death penalty, although a recent governor tried to reinstate it. Anyway, Reece told the guy to go fuck himself and asked for a public defender. Said he couldn’t do worse.”
    “That was where you came in.”
    Jeraldine nodded. “I knew he was being railroaded. He admitted to having sexual relations with the victim. Unfortunately, so did a bunch of other guys. He found out at a table full of people that night. Prosecution called it motive—jealousy and humiliation, and, of course, they found them in bed, her head half sliced off. It shocked the city. The media vilified him. The DA needed to close the case. Everything and everybody was against him. I felt like I’d let him down and wondered if I could have done things differently.”
    “You did the best you could.”
    “Did I?” Jeraldine kept her gaze on Dana over the rim of her glass while she took another swallow. “I was just starting out, older than most. Didn’t know some of the tricks I know now.” She fell back in her chair. “Failure is a mighty teacher.”
    “After what you’ve learned, would you have done anything differently?”
    Jeraldine