Page 48 of Outlaw Ridge: Reed
Reed knew that Tami wouldn’t take that news well, and part of him would have liked to have witnessed it. Still, Hallie was right. Tami might get a smidge of sick pleasure getting any personal attention from the daughter who’d helped put her away. Best not to give Tami even that smidge, only the cold, hard realization that she would stay on death row.
“After we’ve finished building the posthumous case against Luther,” Hallie went on, “I’ll turn everything over to the DA so that new charges can be filed against Tami. She won’t be getting that appeal once everyone knows how she manipulated Luther into killing for her.”
So true. But Reed would be keeping an eye on Tami. And so would the prison officials who’d been alerted to what she had been doing.
“Added to that,” Reed said, “Griff can let the DA know that he’d identified nearly every person in the photos of that party.”
She made a sound of agreement. Those people were now in the process of being interviewed to see what had happened at that party to make Tami spur Luther to kill them. Reed was betting whatever had gone on, it would have ruined Tami’s plan for that appeal.
The door to the recovery room finally opened, and one of the nurses stuck out her head and motioned for them to come in. “Ten minutes,” the nurse emphasized. “And don’t push too hard. He’s still woozy from the anesthesia.”
“Is he all right?” Hallie asked.
The nurse sighed. “Can’t share medical information with you, but let’s just say things are looking good for him.”
Despite all the crap that Jay had slung at Hallie over the years, Reed was glad the man would recover. This was one less victim for Luther.
They stepped into the recovery room, and the nurse headed back to her station. Of course, Jay was in the bed, hooked up to the machine that was monitoring his vitals. He was pale and groggy-looking but awake.
“Reed, Hallie,” Jay said, his voice hoarse. He cleared his throat. “I didn’t have anything to do with Luther’s murders.”
Hallie nodded as they went closer to Jay. “The evidence points to you being an intended victim. I don’t believe you were part of this.”
Jay blinked, his mouth opening slightly as if he wasn’t sure he’d heard her right. His shoulders, which had been tense and hunched, sagged a little, and the tightness in his jaw eased. “You really believe me?” he asked.
“I do,” Hallie assured him.”
He shook his head. “I thought after all the things I’d accused you of, that you’d, well, give me some payback.”
“I’m not a dirty cop,” she stated, sounding very much like the sheriff that she was. “I don’t lie, stretch the truth or fabricate evidence. And I certainly wouldn’t be wearing a badge if I’d been complicit in any way with what my parents did.”
Jay nodded, looked away. “I can see that, and that means I owe you a thanks. And an apology.”
Hallie stared at him but didn’t make him wait for her response. “No thanks needed and apology accepted.” Her voice crisp and no-nonsense.
Jay nodded again, blew out his breath. “You want to know about those pictures Luther was talking about.”
“We do,” Hallie verified. “It’s a loose end I need tied up. Was the party held at the house you owned back then?”
“It was, but I have to tell you upfront that I honestly don’t recall a lot of what went on. I was drunk,” he admitted. “My then-wife and I had had a huge argument right before the party, and I was…drowning my anger. That’s why I didn’t even remember Kip and Tami being at that party until Luther mentioned the pictures.”
“So, you don’t remember anything that Tami or my father did that might have made Tami want everyone there silenced?” Hallie pressed.
“Nothing obvious,” Jay said. “But after thinking about it, I remember the way Kip and Tami interacted. Just little things. Tami wasn’t cowering, wasn’t acting like a battered wife. She was the center of attention. If anything, it was Kip who was taking a back seat to her.”
And there it was. If Jay had testified to that at Tami’s appeal, it would have been a nail in the coffin. Especially if others at that party had confirmed Jay’s impression.
“I’m one of those people Tami wanted silenced,” Jay muttered. “You too,” he said, glancing up at Hallie.
“Me, too,” she confirmed. “But she’s been stopped now. She can’t murder anyone else.”
Jay glanced at both of them. “You stopped her. Thanks again for that.” He lowered his head back onto the pillow, the exhaustion from the ordeal all over his face.
“I’ll need an official statement from you, but that can wait a day or two,” Hallie told him. “Get some rest.”
Jay muttered another “Thank you” as they walked out and headed toward the exit where they’d left the cruiser.
“I don’t think Jay will be slinging any more accusations at you,” Reed remarked.
