Murder Deja Vu

watch. It’d be awhile before they released news of Reece’s condition.
    “You know which nursing home Daughtry senior is at?” he asked Tobey.
    “The Willows. Why? You going to see him?”
    “Yeah, about some old anger,” Clarence said, and left Tobey scratching his head. On the way out, he asked the guard at the door for directions to the nursing home. It took him twenty minutes to get there. When he arrived, he learned that Thom Daughtry had suffered a massive heart attack and passed away not ten minutes before .
    “There was nothing anyone could do,” the receptionist said.

Chapter Forty-Nine
One Word Against the Other

    D ana stared out the window on the drive to Portland, seeing nothing but a colorless blur, hearing only the steady hum of the road. Jeraldine left her alone, and Dana silently thanked her.
    She thought about how dramatically her life had changed in such a short time, how it would change again if Reece were no longer part of it. She pushed everything from her mind, but Reece flooded back in visual and sensory flashes—his gentle touch on her shoulders, his warm breath on her breasts. She pictured his lean, muscular body stretched catlike on the bed, listening to her every word, enthralled by her stories. If she closed her eyes, she felt his aura surround her. She didn’t realize tears were crawling down her cheeks until Jeraldine reached across the console to hand her a tissue, and she heard her own sobs.
    “Don’t think the worst,” Jeraldine said. “That’s when bad things happen.”
    “I’m trying not to, but Reece is so vivid in my mind.”
    “In mine too.” Jeraldine’s cell chirped, and she glanced at the readout. “Clarence.” She punched the talk button. “Tell me something good, honey.” She listened. “We’re halfway there. Should be pulling into Portland in another hour or so. See you then.”
    “How is he?”
    “Clarence doesn’t know. Reece is still in surgery, but he’s alive. Fucker brother shot him in the chest. Seems Reece went into Carl’s office with a digital recorder in his breast pocket. The damn thing saved his life, but no one will ever hear what he recorded.”
    “So if he survives, they’ll arrest him.”
    “We don’t know that, Dana. Clarence thinks there are enough holes in Carl’s story to prod the police to investigate. He doesn’t know all the facts, and only one cop talked to him. Bad part, honey, is he wondered if Reece’s father may have said something that turned Reece onto Carl, but when Clarence went to talk to the old man, he’d just died.”
    “Oh, no. Now if Reece—” She covered her mouth to keep the dreaded words from spilling out.
    “He won’t. He’s been through too much to give up now. He’s learned to be a fighter. It’s built into his character.”
    Dana knew Jeraldine’s words were meant to comfort her, but wishes and positive thinking wouldn’t stop a bullet from robbing her of Reece. And if Clarence couldn’t find the truth and Reece died, he’d forever be branded a murderer. Dana couldn’t stand that.
    They drove the rest of the way in silence. Clarence met them at the hospital. Dana searched his face for any sign of bad news, but she couldn’t read him.
    “Have you heard anything?” she asked.
    Clarence pecked Jeraldine’s cheek and snaked his arm around Dana’s shoulder. “He’s out of surgery. Looks like he’s going to make it. It’s not as bad as they first thought, thanks to the recorder.”
    Dana gulped down a sob, but she couldn’t stop the tears from flowing. Had she been alone, she would have broken down completely. “Thank God.”
    “I’ve reserved a couple of hotel rooms nearby. They won’t let anyone see him until tomorrow anyway. I heard there’s a guard on Reece’s door. That’s not a good sign.”
    “You mean they believe Carl’s story?”
    “There’s no reason for the police not to. Carl’s a well-thought of member of the community.”
    “What did Carl say exactly?” Jeraldine asked.
    “That Reece asked him for help to cross the border into Canada. If Reece were guilty, that would be a logical thing to do. Carl said he refused. Then Reece went for the gun his father kept in the drawer. They fought over it and the gun went off.”
    “Never happened,” Jeraldine said. “Reece would never resort to using a gun.”
    “Exactly what I said, almost verbatim,” Clarence said. “I don’t think forensics will support Carl’s story unless Reece went after