Murder Deja Vu by Polly Iyer

other than to get some facts after all these years. Carl defended Reece at the trial and seemed shaken when the verdict came in guilty. He didn’t believe it could happen to someone innocent. So much for justice, I remember him saying. When Reece got out of prison, Carl was taking over from his father and probably felt guilty because he ran the family business. Reece is still bitter about his father turning his back on him, so I doubt he’ll be hotfooting it back to Maine. That leaves Frank Vance. They were close in prison.”
    “How close?”
    “You mean was Reece his bitch?” Jeraldine swung her legs over the side of the bed and massaged her forehead. “I honestly don’t know, honey. I never asked because it was none of my business. I know something happened early on, but frankly, I didn’t want to know. I’ve heard enough about what goes on inside prisons, even warned Reece to watch out. I used to lie awake worrying. Then I had to stop because I couldn’t concentrate on anything else. If that was what he had to do to survive, well, maybe he was.”
    Clarence wiped his freshly-shaved face with a towel. “It would explain a lot, wouldn’t it, considering how you described Reece when he went inside and how he came out a different man? But you can be damn sure if you know where Reece is going, the cops will too. He better be careful.” Clarence sat beside Jeraldine on the bed, took the phone, and punched in a number. “Get an address for Frank Vance.” He filled the secretary in on the particulars, then made a reservation for a flight to Boston—for Jeraldine.
    “You’re staying?”
    “For a while. I want to check out some things. If Reece is going to be charged with murder, now’s the time for me to look into it, while it’s fresh and people remember what happened. Won’t do any good after Minette muddies the waters, which I’m sure he’ll try to do.” Clarence snorted. “I don’t like that man.”
    “Me either, especially after what Dana said about him. I hoped you’d stay.”
    “I think we have ourselves two murderers. If the same person killed this Howe woman, he’d have used the same M.O. to frame Reece for yet another murder. He’s hammering the last nail in Reece’s coffin real good. If a second person did it the same way, he couldn’t be sure he’d have it right. Besides, killing someone by slicing the carotid artery is a messy affair. Too many chances for something to go wrong.”
    “I agree. Whoever killed Rayanne didn’t think he needed to plant evidence. The murder would implicate Reece solely by the nature of the crime, even though it’s not enough for an arrest. The bogus witness did that. This second one feels different.”
    Clarence nodded. “Right. When I started digging around in Boston, calling the people involved, Karen Sitton’s killer must have freaked. He threw the blame on Reece down here, but he only made me more determined to find him, because I know Reece didn’t do it.”
    “Then Minette gets involved, and his star witness is dead, leaving her affidavit and her testimony a motive for Reece to kill her.” Jeraldine shivered. “Brr, this sounds like déjà vu all over again, doesn’t it? Minette’s prosecution witness twenty years ago in Charlotte disappears, and now another witness can’t renege on her testimony when she realizes she’s an accessory to murder. Dead people tend to be silent.”
    “Yup. The affidavit is still good, dead or not.” Clarence felt that tingle up his spine that he got when on the verge of figuring out a kink in a case, similar to an arthritic’s bones prognosticating rain on a sunny day. “My money’s on Minette. I doubt he killed her himself, but I wouldn’t put it past him to hire someone. Proving it won’t be easy. I wish I could figure out his motive.”
    “Who knows with men like Minette? Revenge, maybe? His ex-wife is having an affair with the accused, a man he threatened because he wouldn’t build him a goddamn