Murder Deja Vu

much incentive to come clean.”
    “I bet I can give him a good reason,” Payton said, “if your buddy goes along.”

Chapter Fifty-Two
Drifting Off to a Better Place

    New England

    R eece had never seen Jeraldine so subdued. His near death must have given her a scare. He tried to sit up, but with one wrist cuffed and the other immobilized, he couldn’t manage it. Besides, pain kept him in place.
    “How’re you feeling, honey?”
    “I’ve felt worse. What’s happening with Dana?”
    Jeraldine sat on the edge of the bed. “She’s fine. She’ll be here in a while. I wanted to talk to you first.”
    “Are they arresting her? They’ve got me, and I won’t cooperate unless they let her go.”
    “They don’t need your cooperation,” Clarence said. “You have nothing to give them. They can charge you with murder, attempted murder, flight from prosecution, and half a dozen other crimes we know are bullshit, but they can do it.”
    Reece knew that too, but right now his only thoughts concerned Dana. “Let them. I’ll confess to anything they want. Just make sure she’s not part of it.”
    “They’re not charging her,” Jeraldine said. “They wanted to speak to her. I wouldn’t let her say anything. She’s outside. Relax, okay?”
    Reece nodded. “Okay. Just make sure.”
    “I’m sure,” Jeraldine said.
    Clarence dragged a chair bedside. “Be careful about being too noble. It might come back to bite you in the ass.”
    Reece cocked his head toward his cuffed wrist. “Looks like I’ve already got teeth marks, in case you haven’t noticed.”
    “I noticed,” Clarence said. “Now, tell me about the visit to your father.”
    “How’d you know about that?”
    “Getting rid of old anger could only apply to one of two people. Carl or your father. I figured your anger was deeper with your father, and that he must have said something that turned you on to Carl.”
    “He did. Carl fed my father lies. Told him I confessed to murdering Karen. Had I put my stupid pride aside and gone to see him years ago, the truth might have come out long before this. But stubborn is part of my makeup, and Carl’s prodding only made me more stubborn. Call it reverse psychology, but he knew me well enough to know how I’d react.” Reece felt the anger grow inside him. He yanked on the handcuff. “I had it all on tape. The hows and whys.” He yanked again. “The bastard is going to win again, isn’t he?” Wincing from the pain, he snarled, “Shit. Can’t you get them to take this cuff off? There’s a damn cop outside my door. I’ve…just had surgery. Where do they think I’m going?”
    “Calm down, honey.” Jeraldine took a tissue from the bedside box and patted it on Reece’s face. “I’ll get a doctor.”
    “I don’t need a damn doctor. I need that recorder to work, and I need Dana back in North Carolina where she belongs. She had nothing to do with this.” He stopped, short of breath. “I’ll say I forced her. They might as well add kidnapping to the murder charge. How many times can they stick the needle in me?”
    Clarence shook his head. “Take it easy, Reece. You’ll bust your stitches.”
    “So fucking what?”
    “You can’t give up now.”
    Reece closed his eyes. He felt so tired. Tired of being frustrated, of being on the run. Tired of fighting a lost cause. He didn’t want to listen to how everything would work out. Things hadn’t worked out in a long, long time. Except for Dana.
    “The recorder’s kaput,” Clarence said. “Be glad you had it in your pocket. If it hadn’t been there, you’d be dead instead of having another scar on your chest. And I’d advise you to keep your mouth shut. Don’t offer yourself to save Dana. Jeri will take care of her. Now, I need you to focus and tell me what happened. Where were you when Carl shot you? Up close or far away?”
    “Would you mind getting me some water? My mouth feels like a desert.”
    Jeraldine , who’d been uncharacteristically quiet, scooted to the other side of the bed, refilled the glass, and put it to Reece’s lips. He saw tears in her eyes.
    “Thanks.” He dried his mouth with a swipe to his shoulder. “Sorry, Jeri.”
    “Not as sorry as I am, baby. None of this should have happened. You could have—”
    “But I didn’t. I guess I’m too stupid to die.”
    “Stop with the self-pity,” Clarence said. “Tell us what happened. Carl said you went for the gun, you and he struggled, and the gun went