Murder Deja Vu

got out the second time?”
    “He was angry, drew into himself, which is what Reece does. Lasted awhile.”
    Dana had seen those moods.
    “He came out of it eventually, but I could see being in the box had an effect. But you know what? He never shut off from me.”
    “Because you’re the father who didn’t disappoint.”
    “Don’t get me going on that one. I never had kids, but if I had, no matter what they did I’d be in their corner. Reece’s father, that fuck, turned his back on his son. For that, there is no forgiveness.”

Chapter Thirty-Eight
Revelation

    C larence left Betsy Ferrar’s house with renewed optimism. She wouldn’t retract her story of twenty-one years ago, nor did she give him anything he could use in court, if Jeri were trying the Sitton murder case again. But she wasn’t. These were different murders—a whole new ballgame.
    He went back to the townhouse he shared with Jeraldine on Beacon Hill. After booting up the computer, he spent an hour researching. He felt good about his theory, but he still didn’t have the proof he needed.
    When Jeraldine called, he told her he believed he had narrowed Karen Sitton’s murderer to one man, and that the same person murdered Rayanne Johnson. “I think I know how, but I can’t prove it,” he said. “Not yet.”
    “Why won’t you tell me?” she asked.
    “I want to talk to him first. You should know what it’s like for a man to be wrongly accused. If I’m wrong, I will have cast doubt on an innocent person. I don’t want to do that.”
    “Have you heard from anyone?”
    “Yes. Don’t worry.”
    “Not easy, love.”
    “I won’t be home when you get here, babe. I think it’s important to keep going on this. I’ll catch a bite on the road.”
    “Where are you going? No, don’t tell me. Do what you have to do. I’ll be home late anyway. I have a backlog of work to catch up on here. If you’re not there, I’ll wait up.”
    “I hope that has lawyerly hidden meaning,” Clarence said, and hung up. He always played his gut. Until today, Jordan Kraus had a solid alibi. But something Mrs. Ferrar said kept niggling at him, and he needed to pursue it. Kraus described the goings-on at the table concerned secret lives, and that Karen Sitton wasn’t the only person to have one.
    Even though Clarence told Reece to go back to his safe house, his mentioning old angers bothered him. He needed to inform Reece where he was going so they weren’t working at cross purposes. Reece’s number was blocked when he called earlier, and Clarence had failed to get it. Big mistake.
    That left Frank Vance. Clarence hoped the old man had been in the game long enough to know how to play it. He dialed Vance’s home number. A woman answered. Clarence asked for Vance.
    “Who is calling, please?” she asked with a strong accent.
    “Clarence Wright. I’m working for Reece Daughtry’s attorney.”
    “One moment.”
    Muffled sounds came from the other end of the line, and a gruff voice said, “He’s not here, hasn’t been here, and I don’t know where he is.”
    “I understand,” Clarence said. “I found out things he needs to know, and I’m going to pursue them. If you hear from him, have him call me. He has the number.”
    “He’s too smart to come here or even call. The police have already been here, searched my apartment, found nothing. I wouldn’t be surprised if they tapped my phone. They do that, you know. But if I hear from him, I’ll tell him to call you.”
    No, the old man knew the game. “Thanks.” Vance broke the connection.
    Clarence’s instincts had always served him well in the past. Punching Kraus’s name into the computer resulted in the usual generic information—an address in Rockport, a coastal town north of Gloucester, and a list of company affiliations that sounded dog related, which made sense. Nothing else sounded familiar. If Jordan Kraus had a veterinary practice, Clarence couldn’t find the listing.
    He remembered speaking to Kraus on the phone. He hadn’t changed his story from the transcripts of the trial. Clarence wished he had more time to do a thorough check, get a feel for the guy. He hated working on a hunch alone. Reece didn’t have time for him to be wrong.
    He got in the car, set his GPS to Kraus’s address, slipped a Miles Davis CD into the player, and headed for Rockport. He wanted to see Jordan Kraus’s face when he accused him of double murder.
    Rockport, a picturesque town on the