word was all I could manage. My lungs no longer worked. Clay dead? I couldn’t conceive of it. I always felt I’d lose him but not this way. More likely one day he’d wake up and see what a fool he’d been wasting time with me, but to lose him in a stupid race? I couldn’t lose him to water. “No, no,” I was shaking my head in denial, wanting Marley to take back her words. “I told him not to go. Why did he go?”
For a minute Marley’s face wrinkled in confusion. “Oh no, not Clay.” She came farther into the room. “Sorry,” she said coming to the bed and dropping down to its edge. She was wearing white cotton pjs with black sheep on them. How strange was that? Death and black sheep.
The world righted itself again. “Who?” I croaked. It didn’t matter as long as it wasn’t Clay. I’d give up anyone to keep Clay. She wrapped her arms around my knees. “Ray John.” I could function again. “Good.” I was relieved that it was no one I cared about. “I hope it was painful.” “You don’t mean that,” Marley said gently.
“Yes I do. You don’t know how much I hated him.” I took air deep into my belly and let it out slowly. Relief washed over me. “It’s over now. Lacey is free.”
“It’s only just beginning.” Marley’s face held concern and something else. “The radio said his body was found about three in the morning at the recreation hall of the Preserves.”
“He was head of security there. Did they say anything else? What happened? How did he die?”
“He was shot.”
And now I knew why she didn’t share my relief upon hearing he was dead. “Funny but I would have thought he’d be the one doing the shooting. He was a violent, dangerous man, hard to think of someone killing him. Do you know what I mean?”
“You mean like violence came from him not to him?”
“That’s it,” I nodded. “I thought he might try to kill me or even Rena, never thought of anyone killing him.”
“But surely,” Marley said, “there must be more than enough people who wanted him dead. Isn’t it a surprise it hasn’t happened before?”
“Maybe. Who shot him?”
“Don’t know.”
She worried the inside of her cheek with her teeth. I knew something was coming I wouldn’t like. My chest tightened.
“The police are looking for a pickup truck seen leaving the area shortly before he was found. That’s all there was on the news.”
“Tully.” I buried my hands in my hair. “Oh my god, I told Tully about Ray John.” All those years I kept my mouth shut, why did I have to blow it now? “He went after him. Oh god, why couldn’t I keep my mouth shut just this once.”
Marley lunged at me, wrapping her arms around me. We clung together, Marley saying, “You don’t know that, don’t know it was Tully. Don’t jump to conclusions.”
I pulled away from her and looked into her face. “But it’s true, isn’t it?” I said.
Her green eyes wavered and a tear slipped over the rim of her eye. Her freckles stood out like a rash on her ashen skin. She couldn’t hide the truth we both knew.
I pushed down the covers and slid from the bed. “I have to find him.”
“Whoa,” Marley said, grabbing at my oversized sleeping shirt. “Think about it.”
“You think.” I pulled away and grabbed a pair of jeans from the closet. “Be sure and let me know what the results are. I have to find Tully.” I tried to stuff a foot into the twisted pant leg of my jeans, hopping on one foot and kicking, fighting the fabric. “If I’d gone on keeping my mouth shut this wouldn’t have happened.”
“Okay,” she said and picked up the bedside telephone and started punching in numbers.
I conquered the jeans. “What are you doing?” I asked sucking in my stomach to do up the zipper. “You’re not going alone.”
“I need to see Tully before they arrest him.” I took the phone away from her as the dental-office answering machine picked up. “Need to talk to him.” She looked
For a minute Marley’s face wrinkled in confusion. “Oh no, not Clay.” She came farther into the room. “Sorry,” she said coming to the bed and dropping down to its edge. She was wearing white cotton pjs with black sheep on them. How strange was that? Death and black sheep.
The world righted itself again. “Who?” I croaked. It didn’t matter as long as it wasn’t Clay. I’d give up anyone to keep Clay. She wrapped her arms around my knees. “Ray John.” I could function again. “Good.” I was relieved that it was no one I cared about. “I hope it was painful.” “You don’t mean that,” Marley said gently.
“Yes I do. You don’t know how much I hated him.” I took air deep into my belly and let it out slowly. Relief washed over me. “It’s over now. Lacey is free.”
“It’s only just beginning.” Marley’s face held concern and something else. “The radio said his body was found about three in the morning at the recreation hall of the Preserves.”
“He was head of security there. Did they say anything else? What happened? How did he die?”
“He was shot.”
And now I knew why she didn’t share my relief upon hearing he was dead. “Funny but I would have thought he’d be the one doing the shooting. He was a violent, dangerous man, hard to think of someone killing him. Do you know what I mean?”
“You mean like violence came from him not to him?”
“That’s it,” I nodded. “I thought he might try to kill me or even Rena, never thought of anyone killing him.”
“But surely,” Marley said, “there must be more than enough people who wanted him dead. Isn’t it a surprise it hasn’t happened before?”
“Maybe. Who shot him?”
“Don’t know.”
She worried the inside of her cheek with her teeth. I knew something was coming I wouldn’t like. My chest tightened.
“The police are looking for a pickup truck seen leaving the area shortly before he was found. That’s all there was on the news.”
“Tully.” I buried my hands in my hair. “Oh my god, I told Tully about Ray John.” All those years I kept my mouth shut, why did I have to blow it now? “He went after him. Oh god, why couldn’t I keep my mouth shut just this once.”
Marley lunged at me, wrapping her arms around me. We clung together, Marley saying, “You don’t know that, don’t know it was Tully. Don’t jump to conclusions.”
I pulled away from her and looked into her face. “But it’s true, isn’t it?” I said.
Her green eyes wavered and a tear slipped over the rim of her eye. Her freckles stood out like a rash on her ashen skin. She couldn’t hide the truth we both knew.
I pushed down the covers and slid from the bed. “I have to find him.”
“Whoa,” Marley said, grabbing at my oversized sleeping shirt. “Think about it.”
“You think.” I pulled away and grabbed a pair of jeans from the closet. “Be sure and let me know what the results are. I have to find Tully.” I tried to stuff a foot into the twisted pant leg of my jeans, hopping on one foot and kicking, fighting the fabric. “If I’d gone on keeping my mouth shut this wouldn’t have happened.”
“Okay,” she said and picked up the bedside telephone and started punching in numbers.
I conquered the jeans. “What are you doing?” I asked sucking in my stomach to do up the zipper. “You’re not going alone.”
“I need to see Tully before they arrest him.” I took the phone away from her as the dental-office answering machine picked up. “Need to talk to him.” She looked
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